Alien Minds: Dimension Drift, Book 1

by Christina Bauer

  A memory appears. Before Meimi’s memory was wiped, she told me about an encounter with the Lacerator at a place called RCM1. That sentient swarm should have killed her on sight. It didn’t. Interesting. I set the thought aside to contemplate later on.

  The doctor holds up the moving container. “The Lacerator is in here, can you believe it?”

  Meimi frowns. “Did I meet the Lacerator before my memory got wiped? Because none of this seems new to me.”

  “Your memory wasn’t wiped,” corrects Godwin. “You fell on Newbury Street.”

  Meimi snaps her fingers. “Why do I think the Lacerator roams around? Did it get loose or something?”

  “It used to roam free and cause damage, but I stopped all that.” Godwin nods toward the shifting control console. “Thanks to the filaments I placed in this console, the Lacerator can no longer escape.”

  An idea hits me. This console could also explain how my powers are blocked.

  “Your central console,” I begin, “is it hooked up outside the Simulacrum as well?”

  “Yes, I linked it directly into the Boston Dome.” Godwin lowers his voice to a conspiratorial tone. “You see, we used to have issues with the Lacerator escaping. Now, we have two layers of security, namely this console as well as the dome itself. My little beastie stays put these days.”

  Godwin places the Lacerator’s container back inside the console tower. After the container is reset, Godwin again taps the top control panel. Shifting filaments stop moving. Instead of a writhing surface of cords, the podium becomes a smooth structure once more. I glare at the thing.

  This console is my enemy.

  It’s what’s blocking my powers under the dome.

  Simply put, I must neutralize it. Good thing there’s not a lot of security around here. I’ll have to sneak back and spend some quality time with those filaments.

  “As you’ll soon see, the Lacerator is critical to my plan,” states Godwin. “When my scheme is complete, I’ll be more than the winner of this competition.” Godwin pauses dramatically.

  “Okay, I’ll bite,” says Meimi. “What will you be?”

  Godwin puffs out his thin chest. “The new President of the Authority.”

  A long pause follows. The temperature in the room seems to dip ten degrees. Godwin is unhinged. He can’t run the Authority.

  It’s Meimi who breaks the silence.

  “And there’s your mwah-hah-hah moment,” she says. “Honestly, you leading the Authority is a super-bad idea.”

  “Still the little clown,” snarls Godwin. “Wait until you see the rest of my scheme. Then we’ll discover where the true humor lies.”

  At this point, I don’t need to see Godwin’s entire scheme. I already know that if Godwin runs the Authority, then no one will be safe.

  Especially Meimi.

  8 Meimi

  It’s official. Godwin is a nutjob.

  Sure, I knew he wanted to win a game of let’s tag people for death. But taking over the government? That means booting out both President Hope and her brother, General Humboldt.

  Not easy.

  Godwin presses more buttons on his control console. Around us, tiny blocks of colored light stack up. A hologram builds out across the concrete floor. No question where this is going. We’re about to see the Liberation Celebration.

  I won’t lie. The scientist in me is impressed.

  “Next you’ll witness my scheme in action.” Godwin gestures toward me. “Once I’m done, you can share what’s needed to make this happen. Remember, you’ll only have two months to finish. Assuming you live to work on this for me, every second will be precious.”

  “Got it.” I’m really happy with how confident those two words sound. Inside, I’m starting to wonder how hard it will be to escape from the Underground.

  Pretty hard, probably.

  Soon, the walls around us seem to disappear. As the hologram builds out, Godwin remains standing at the podium, tapping on the upper console. Meanwhile, the rest of the space transforms. Before it was a concrete block of a room. Now it looks like the famous Golden Pantheon building of ECHO Academy. It’s a fancy dinner theater on steroids. There’s a sleek metal stage, an oval floor covered with tables, and a domed ceiling that’s lined with—you guessed it—gold.

  The real me, Thorne, and Godwin and all stand beside a front row table for the event. Before us, the simulated stage is decorated with a wall of monitors. The many screens combine to show a single video of the Presidential Palace with its white marble columns, wide doors, and curtained windows.

  The Liberation Celebration always places a ton of screens onstage. Last year, the displays showed Godwin’s new attack animals. This year, the Authority will probably broadcast the undesirables meeting their end. My insides twist.

  This is sick beyond words.

  All the more reason to appear calm while plotting how to destroy everything.

  I risk a look behind me. Sure enough, simulated tables stretch off into the distance. Smiling people in fancy clothes eat their gourmet meals. Camera drones take to the air, signaling the event is about to begin. The audience shouts with joy.

  Anxiety rattles my nervous system. Sure, I’ve seen this event on data feeds. But I always do the same thing: turn it off.

  A roar erupts from the audience as President Hope steps onstage, followed by General Humboldt. Both are over six feet tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. Their faces and bodies have the same stocky and muscular build, similarities that you’d expect from a brother and sister. President Hope wears a patch to cover the implant in her left eye. Why? She and the Hollow have matching left eyes. Now that the Hollow is in prison, President Hope has covered up her implant.

  As the president crosses to center stage, a kind of light exudes from her. Hope thrives under the crowd’s attention. Meanwhile her brother Humboldt lurks behind her, tall and sulky.

  A moment later, a simulated Godwin slinks out behind them both. Compared to the president and general, the doctor seems small and insignificant: a horsefly that’s doomed to be swatted by their thoroughbred tails.

  The hologram version of President Hope wears a white suit, high heels, and a dazzling smile. She pauses at center stage. “Welcome to the Liberation Celebration! Every year at this event, we make the continent a little safer and more productive by showing new ways to cleanse undesirables.”

  The crowd bursts into a fresh round of applause. Not sure how much of that is support or terror, though.

  “This year,” continues the hologram president, “we held a competition to decide who could tag the most undesirables. But before we present those results, Dr. Godwin would like to make an announcement. I must admit, it’s very exciting.” She winks at the simulated Godwin. “That is, if he can pull it off.”

  Stepping to center stage, the hologram Godwin addresses the audience. “Every year, I announce a new attack animal. This time, I have a different creation to add into the mix.”

  At these words, a large spider bot lurches onstage. Whoa, I’ve never seen anything like this. The machine stands at waist height. Eight hefty metal legs slam onto the stage floor in an odd rhythm.

  Scanning the machine, I commit every detail to memory. Chances are, the real Godwin will need me to build this huge bot.

  “Behold my new invention,” says hologram Godwin. “The Crawler.”

  Sure, it’s your invention. In my mind, I’m already laying out blueprints for how to make this thing work.

  “You’ve heard of mini drift voids,” continues the hologram Godwin. “They create a portal between one spot and another on a particular planet.”

  “Are you going to open a drift void to another world?” asks General Humboldt.

  “Maybe next year,” replies Godwin.

  My brows lift. There’s been a ton of theories about opening drift voids to other worlds. How close is Godwin to realizing that? Many scientists think it’s impossible to create a gateway to another reality. Maybe it’s my old memor
ies seeping through, but I believe there can be drift voids between worlds.

  “I’ve something better,” adds Godwin. “This Crawler contains something I like to call an omnivoid generator. It creates millions of mini drift voids at once, so this Crawler can visit countless spots on earth … all at the same time.”

  My eyes widen. Today during testing, I reviewed parts for building a single mini drift void, meaning a portal between places on the same planet. That’s tricky stuff. But an omnivoid? Nothing like that has ever been diagrammed before, let alone built. And Godwin needs one in two months. I nibble my thumbnail.

  Yipes.

  “And what else awaits inside this Crawler?” Hologram Godwin taps the the metal spider. “The Lacerator, my greatest attack animal.”

  The crowd lets out a low “oooh.”

  Hologram Godwin snaps his fingers. Onstage, the wall of screens ceases to show the Presidential Palace. New video appears instead. In it, there’s what looks like an abandoned warehouse building. A small box made of shifting fibers sits on the ground before the structure.

  My eyes widen with recognition. Godwin showed this same container just moments ago. It’s what stores the Lacerator. A word appears in my mind. Nest.

  Yes, that describes it perfectly. That container is basically the Lacerator’s nest.

  On the massive screens, the video shows that nest flicking open. A large, dark claw curls out over the side, followed by another. Only this talon isn’t solid.

  It’s made from tiny black particles.

  The Lacerator quickly hauls itself out of the nest. A moment later, black particles hover across the video screens. After that, they congeal into a massive beast, only one that’s still semitransparent. The Lacerator stands seven feet tall with Stegosaurus-like plates down its back. Gangly legs hold the beast upright. Long arms scrape along the ground. The Lacerator’s face is long, with holes for eyes and a wide mouth that’s lined with razor-sharp teeth. Leaning back, the creature lets out the mother of all roars.

  To my ear, the sound echoes with fear and sorrow. I’m not sure how I can be so certain of those emotions, but I am.

  On the other hands, the crowd loves it. A deafening cheer takes over the chamber. Onstage, the video of the Lacerator gets paused mid-roar.

  “See that?” asks the real Godwin. “That’s the sound of a killer.”

  “No, it’s not,” I counter. “That’s a being with feelings like ours. You’re treating it badly. That’s why it lashes out.” My voice cracks. “I don’t think it wants to hurt anyone. It wants to protect, not kill.”

  “Silly child.” Godwin sniffs. “Save your hearts and flowers. This creature is evil. And if you interrupt me again, you’ll be its next victim.”

  A warm touch grasps my hand. Looking down, I see Thorne has laced our fingers together. Our gazes meet for a moment. Thorne shakes his head while releasing my hand.

  He understands.

  My heart cracks. I’d thought about the cruelty to all the undesirables. Now, I see that the Lacerator is another victim as well.

  Even so, Thorne’s touch gives me hope. Maybe I do have an ally after all. And if I do, I can build a real team. I’ll need it, too. With every passing minute, it seems my list of goals gets longer.

  Save the undesirables? Check.

  Put Godwin behind bars? Check.

  Free the Lacerator? Check.

  Get myself out of here while I’m at it? Double-check.

  Back on the hologram stage, the virtual version of Godwin raises his arms; the crowd falls silent. With a great flourish, the hologram Godwin pulls a small handheld from his pocket. It’s round and red. “Behold! The master mechanism for the entire system. It’s been loaded with the exact location of every undesirable on the continent.” The latest count of tagging appears on the screen:

  * * *

  Humboldt-Merciless Undesirables Tagged: 1,803,768

  Godwin-Horde Undesirables Tagged: 452,337

  Total To Be Announced At Liberation Celebration: 2,256,105

  * * *

  The hologram Godwin holds up his arms yet again; the audience falls quiet once more. “Now all President Hope must do is click this red button. Millions of mini drift voids will then open, one for each undesirable. After that, replica Crawlers and Lacerators will emerge through those voids to cleanse the unwanted. With that work done, the Crawlers and Lacerators will return to this very spot, but not as a million separate parts. No, they will become a single entity once more. Together, I call the entire enterprise … the Engine.”

  Wait, WHAT?

  All the blood seems to drain from my body. Cleansings can take months to complete. After all, the Hollow has been waiting her turn for years. Now Godwin wants me to create a weapon with the power of a nuclear bomb, but with the targeting capability of a sniper rifle. I’ll kill millions in an instant.

  Back in the simulation, the crowd erupts in the loudest round of applause yet. Sure, this is Godwin’s simulation, but I don’t think he’s wrong.

  People will love this thing.

  With a great flourish, the hologram Godwin turns to face President Hope, offering her the small red handheld. “Press the button in the center, launch the Engine, and usher us all into a new era of peace and prosperity.”

  President Hope accepts the mechanism. “This is indeed a great creation. How about we share the success with our viewers?”

  The crowd roars with glee. Onstage, the video wall changes to display images of hundreds of faces. Old, young, healthy, ill, pale, dark … they’re all stamped with the word undesirable across their faces.

  Because they’re about to be murdered.

  I open my mouth, ready to yell stop. Thorne beats me to it.

  “Enough,” growls Thorne.

  Our gazes lock. A realization moves through me. Thorne feels the same as I do. This is wrong.

  The real Godwin swings his gaze between me and Thorne. His smug look returns with a vengeance. “Let me understand this. Neither of you wants to see the execution? It’s the best part.”

  “I’m with Thorne,” I declare. “Besides, you were the one who said every second is precious. Stop the simulation. I’m ready to give you my plan.”

  Of course, the secret version of my plan includes taking Godwin down as well as freeing the undesirables. Not that I’ll volunteer that part.

  Still smirking, Godwin taps the control console. The simulation disappears, leaving us back in a bare concrete room. “I’m waiting.” He nods toward Thorne. “So is he, by the way. If your plan isn’t suitably impressive, Thorne will throttle you while I watch.”

  What a very Godwin thing to say.

  “Thanks for the visual.” I crack my neck, getting into the zone. It always helps to loosen up when discussing designs. “Here’s what you need. First, there’s the Crawler. That’s got to be heavy duty, able to handle any environment. Inside the Crawler, we must fit a tiny omnivoid generator … once I figure out how to build one, that is. Which brings me to the cleansing part. Have you tested other killing devices besides the Lacerator?”

  “Yes.” Godwin lets out a long-suffering sigh. “Those tests were the only thing my previous scientists did, as a matter of fact. If you place anything other than the Lacerator into a drift void, then the target’s properties change in unpredictable ways.”

  I bob my head, thinking. “That makes sense. We don’t know much about what creates drift voids. In some ways, we’re lucky the Lacerator goes through unscathed.”

  In a shocking turn of events, Godwin smirks once more. “In case you’re wondering, when the last team failed me, I had to kill them.”

  “No, I wasn’t wondering,” I say dryly. Inside, I want to scream and run.

  But I can’t.

  Here’s the thing about a guy like Godwin. Let him think he gets to you, and he’ll steamroll you more by the minute.

  “Moving on,” I announce. “The Lacerator is the means of cleansing. We’ll need some chemical agents to keep it fo
cused on its actual prey versus going out and perforating everyone nearby.”

  “Agreed,” states Godwin. “What else?”

  “We must have a real master mechanism in addition to the fake one you’ll pretend to give President Hope.”

  A satisfied grin rounds Godwin’s mouth. “Quite right.”

  Thorne rounds on me. “Can you do all this in two months?”

  “I can, but I need help. I’ve got the drift science covered, so the omnivoid generator should be fine. But there’s a ton more to do.” I glance around the room, making silent calculations. “The way I see it, I need a master chemist, an expert engineer, and someone who can source black market stuff.”

  Godwin waves his hand dismissively. “I have people I can bring in.”

  “That would be negatory on that concept,” I counter. “I want my own team. Give me twenty-four hours to recruit some folks.” I point to Thorne. “Laughing boy here can help me.”

  Names echo through my mind. Chloe, Zoe, Fritz, and the Hollow. Somehow, I know that’s who I need to contact. Yes, it’s another odd realization, like what happened with knowing the Lacerator’s emotions. That said, it’s all I’ve got.

  I’m running with it. Chloe, Zoe, Fritz, and the Hollow.

  “Ridiculous.” Godwin’s thin mouth twists into a frown. “You’ll leverage my scientists.”

  “Not a chance,” I counter. “This is a huge ask in two months of work. No one’s ever created an omnivoid generator before.” I march over to Thorne, stopping only when we’re face to face. “Go on,” I urge. “Let me recruit a team or throttle me now.”

  But Thorne doesn’t move.

  Neither does Godwin.

  Guess I have to push this one. Grabbing Thorne’s wrists, I set his palms against my throat. His touch is warm and solid. And am I imagining this, or are Thorne’s hands trembling slightly?