by JN Chaney
Terry smiled, turning his attention to Ludo. “Let’s get going,” he whispered.
Ludo motioned his agreement. “This alley comes out at the docks. We’ll follow that until we reach the outer wall.”
They crept together through the darkness, staying low, stopping at the slightest sign of movement. Getting caught would do them no personal harm, to be sure, but the same could not be said of Talo and Grandmother, who would still be here when Terry and Ludo left. No one could know there was a connection between them, so they would do well to keep quiet.
Terry kept his ears on the soldiers, minding their movements. When he closed his eyes, he could almost see them, their feet pressing against the aged floorboards of Grandmother’s home, their quickened breaths as they look through every room. Terry listened and saw without seeing that there were two soldiers walking along the street, passing by their position in three…two…one…
The guards appeared on the other side of the houses, just as he’d predicted. They stopped in front of a nearby home, knocking on the door. A man answered, asking what they wanted. They gave him the same response the others had given Grandmother, and so he let them in. “Let’s go,” Terry said, once it was clear.
The two friends made their way along the stone walkway toward the harbor, doing their best to stay out of the lamplight. As they neared the marketplace, which now stood quiet and empty, Terry heard a tapping sound in the distance, which gave him pause. “Wait a second,” he told Ludo.
The noise grew louder—something was drawing near. Whatever it was, they’d have to hide. It was too easy to get caught, here on the edge of the street. Terry peered around the corner to the harbor, but saw nothing there but boats. It seemed clear enough.
Terry and Ludo crept through the marketplace, heading to the wall, though it was still far. They made it to one of the docks, about a third of the way through, and Ludo stopped, pointing in the direction of the sound, indicating he could finally hear it. “We must leave!” said Ludo, quickly.
“Why?” asked Terry. “Do you know what that is?”
“An animal. The soldiers use it. Hurry or it will find us.”
“Where do we hide?” asked Terry. “The sound is coming from the direction we’re going.”
Ludo looked around the docks, as though he were considering every option. He stopped soon, his eyes landing on the nearest boat. “There!”
They fled along the dock and boarded the ship, taking a position near the back, behind a pile of covered boxes. Terry noticed a vile smell and covered his nose and mouth. What sort of cargo was this ship carrying? “Gross,” he whispered.
“Jungleberries. Good for wine, but terrible for the nose,” Ludo remarked.
“Now what?” asked Terry.
“Under this,” answered Ludo, taking the cloth from atop the boxes and placing it over their heads.
The smell overwhelmed Terry and he gagged, spitting onto the deck.
Ludo lifted the edge of the cover so it was slightly above their eyes. “Try to breathe through the mouth,” he said.
Terry did, but the scent was powerful, so much he could taste it.
They waited there, listening for the guards. The ticking sound was still there, somewhere in the distance, drawing closer with every passing second.
Terry and Ludo watched from beneath the cloth, waiting for whatever was about to come.
Then, at the edge of the market, a soldier appeared, strolling calmly through the square. Behind him, a few more followed, talking amongst themselves. “Bring the feeler here,” said one to the others. “Check the tents before we leave.”
“Yes, sir,” said another, running back behind the street corner. When he returned, he brought a handful of other soldiers with him. One of these had a leash in his hand, followed by an animal. The creature, which they had called a feeler, had a fat snout and thin eyes. Its hairless body showed several scars as well as a branded image on one of its thighs. Terry couldn’t tell if it looked more like a pig or a dog, but either way it was certainly uglier.
The animal sniffed the nearest tent, hugging it close as it strafed the side of it. Every few meters it would stop and sneeze, shaking its snout. The soldiers watched, each with a bored expression, as the one with the leash led the animal from one spot to the next.
One of them, a larger heavyset man with thick eyebrows stretched his arms and yawned. He went to the edge of the dock, staring into the water, glancing at the various vessels in the harbor. For a moment, he lingered on Terry’s position, as though he’d taken notice of something. Did he see them, hiding there beneath the blanket? The soldier tilted his head, as though something had just occurred to him. He turned to the others, motioning at them. “We should look on the ships,” he told them.
“Won’t it take too long?” asked the man with the leash.
“No, he’s right,” said another. “We have orders to search the whole city, and those ships are no exception.”
The man with the leash tugged on the animal, causing it to cry out. He led the feeler to the docks, and it sniffed the air. The creature stopped and yelped loudly, pausing to sneeze a few times. “Quiet,” ordered the beast’s master.
A sudden, loud thud vibrated beneath the deck. Terry and Ludo flinched, looking at one another but saying nothing. A few seconds later, it came again, followed by several more. Someone was down there, moving around the ship. Terry wasn’t sure what to do. He couldn’t get up and leave, but the person inside might draw the attention of the guards, and they might notice them.
The door to the lower deck flew open and a tall, bearded fellow appeared wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. “What’s going on out here?” called the sailor. It was Hux, Terry quickly realized, the same man he’d met on the docks a few short days ago.
The soldiers took notice immediately. “Stay where you are!” said the heavier man. “We need to search your vessel.”
Hux went to the edge of his ship, bringing him within a few yards of Terry and Ludo. “For what purpose?” he asked.
“Fugitives,” said the soldier. “Two runaways wanted for murder. We have reason to believe they are in this village.”
Hux raised his brow. “And you think they’ve come aboard my ship?”
“We are looking everywhere,” said the man with the leash. “A village holds many secrets. Many places to hide.” The feeler yipped and sneezed.
This wasn’t good. If Hux allowed these soldiers onto his ship, Terry and Ludo would be found. Not captured, no. A handful of soldiers wouldn’t be enough to subdue the two of them. Terry would have to hurt them, though, and Hux might get caught in the middle.
But what other options did they have? Terry swallowed hard and breathed, darting his eyes between both Hux and the soldiers.
Hux leaned on the side of the boat, specks of moonlight flickering on his many piercings. “I assure you, there is no one onboard my ship. I would stake my reputation as a wavemaster on it.”
“Still, we must perform our duty,” said the soldier.
“And if I refuse you?” asked Hux.
The soldier paused. “We would have to forcefully search your vessel, and you would be arrested for impeding us. It would be unfortunate.”
“I see,” said Hux.
“If the fugitives are not hiding in there, then you have nothing to fear.”
Hux smiled. “I do not suppose you are familiar with the traditions or values of my people, but let me say simply that we value our privacy.”
“Your people?” asked the guard.
“I am visiting from Chald,” said Hux.
The soldier looked at the other men. “A wavemaster from Chald.”
“The ambassador’s ship?” asked the heavyset man.
“I heard he was docked here,” said another.
“That’s right,” Hux responded. “And as I have told you, my people value our privacy. To search this ship would be an insult to the Chaldian people. Who knows what sort of problems would come from i
t?”
“An insult?” said the man with the leash.
“There’s no reason to get involved,” said the heavyset soldier. “We still have half the village to search.”
The man with the leash nodded. “Very well.” He turned to look at Hux again. “We will leave you to your business, sir. Please tell the ambassador that we mean no disrespect.”
Hux smiled. “Think nothing of it. Good night!”
The soldiers began to leave, taking the feeler with them, though it seemed to want to stay, wheezing and sneezing toward the boat.
Hux watched them go, waiting until they had completely vanished into one of the adjacent streets. When they had gone, he turned to look at the place where Terry and Ludo were hiding. With a slight chuckle, he said, “You can come out now, Little Traveler.”
CHAPTER 5
Ortego Outpost File Logs
Play Audio File 852
Recorded: February 10, 2351
CURIE: With the addition of the latest sample, we now have a total of six foreign animals—four deceased, two alive. After spending the bulk of the morning examining the genetic structure of the newest specimen, a slug-like creature taken from the bark of a tree, I can confirm a genetic overlap between not only these various species, but also with those found on Earth.
To clarify, each animal native to Earth shares a certain percentage of identical genes with one another, with growing variations between species and genus the further removed they become. For example, ordinary humans are largely identical to one another, sharing approximately ninety-nine point five percent of their DNA. The now-extinct chimpanzees once shared roughly ninety-eight percent of its genes with that of human beings, since they were the closest living animal on the evolutionary ladder at the time. Most mammals, including the elusive field mouse, were slightly less similar at ninety-two percent, while a fruit fly, an almost alien-looking organism, only shared about forty-four percent.
That was centuries ago, however, and now nearly all of these species have gone extinct, with the exception of humans. The Earth’s native species have been largely altered, replaced almost entirely by Variant hybrids, which has only widened their genetic divide from standard humans. A kitobora, for example, only shares approximately fifty-six percent of its genetic structure with that of a standard human, despite having originated on the same planet. This is far lower than the overlap found in the pre-Jolt mammals, but still larger than what one would find in a mosquito.
Naturally, the same cannot be said of the Variant humans, of which I am included. As a hybrid, I share approximately eighty-four percent of my DNA with a kitobora, which is clearly far greater than the previously mentioned fifty-six percent. Such an overlap should not be surprising, of course, due to the method in which I was conceived.
Now, I state these facts for a reason, which is to show how a species and genus on a single planet are naturally similar to one another, and how the introduction of Variant can so drastically alter them. I also show these statistics with the hope that the meaning and importance of what follows is not lost.
As my colleagues and I have continued to dissect and map the biology of these new alien species, we have found there to be an unusually high overlap between their genetic makeup and those of the Variant hybrids found on Earth. The similarities are so strong, in fact, that if the observer did not know any better, they might never suspect these species had come from another world at all. Samples taken from the trees on Earth share about ninety percent with those found on the other side of the portal, which is far higher than we would have ever expected. Similarly, a kitobora shares close to eighty-five percent of its DNA with one of the six animals we recently analyzed. It’s as though, somehow, the two have a shared history, and while it could certainly be argued that Variant is the cause of such an overlap, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the fact that at least half of the kitobora’s DNA is composed of non-Variant sequencing, and yet much of it is still found in these new species.
In short, the native fauna of Earth and those found on the other side share a surprisingly large genetic base. The chances of such an overlap existing on two separate ecosystems, even with the shared influence of Variant, defies existing evolutionary theory.
The discovery gives me pause, and I’m left with far more questions than I ever expected. If the portal truly does lead to another planet with a separately evolving ecosystem, how can there possibly be so many genetic similarities? Is life so exceptional that it can only form in this particular way, or did the portal just so happen to take us to a planet almost identical to our own? If so, what are the chances?
More than that, however, my thoughts circle back to the beings who built the city underground. If I can have so much in common with an alien tree slug from across the stars, what of those who made the gate? Would they be like the fly, similar in the basic sense, but far removed in nearly every other way?
Or would they be as we are, with language and emotion and scientific curiosity, capable of more than instinct? Would we look at them and see ourselves, I wonder, as distant brothers from across the sea?
End Audio File
Tower of the Cartographers, Everlasting
February 10, 2351
Lena Sol sat in Master Gel’s office, waiting to receive her next set of orders. She’d spent the last few weeks preparing for her first field assignment, which would begin early tomorrow morning. She was supposed to be in Medical, but instead had been called to this office at the last minute. For whatever reason, the Master Analyst wished to see her, and it simply couldn’t wait.
The door opened, and in walked Gel with an odd look on his face. He was moving very quickly.
Lena jumped to her feet, waiting for him to sit before doing the same.
“Analyst,” muttered Gel as he took his seat. “Thank you for coming.”
“Yes, sir,” she responded.
“Things are rather chaotic this morning, so I’m sure you understand. There was an insurgent attack in sector seven only an hour ago.”
“An attack?” asked Lena, immediately concerned. There hadn’t been any incidents of that nature in over six weeks.
“We are still determining the source of the explosion, but three citizens are now deceased. One was a member of this department. Jinel Din.”
The name gave her pause. Jinel had been on the roster for tomorrow’s mission, but it was not the first time she had encountered her. Lena had met Jinel approximately one year ago, exactly two floors below this one. Jinel was a records manager back then, tasked with filing assets and determining personnel placement. She’d since transferred to one of the cartography analysis divisions, much the same as Lena.
She didn’t know what to say. Lena had never known someone who was murdered. Violence was forbidden in Everlasting. The Leadership called it an uncivilized act, punishable by permanent stasis, meaning you’d get locked in a box and forced to sleep for the rest of your life. No dreams, no nothing. Only blackness.
The idea that anyone could harm another citizen was simply unacceptable, no matter the reason.
“If you should require a memory cleanse, please let the department know,” said Master Gel.
“Thank you, sir,” she answered. “Do you think there will be another attack?”
“The suspect is in custody, so there is little reason to worry. The Leadership does not believe this attack is connected to the others.”
Lena wanted to believe him, but there were always rumors saying otherwise. Talk of a terrorist organization engineering each of the attacks over the last decade. No one knew the validity of such claims, but they’d nonetheless planted seeds of doubt in people’s minds. Whether it was true or not, Lena couldn’t say. All she knew for certain was that the attacks were becoming increasingly more frequent.
What truly baffled her was why anyone would ever do such a thing in the first place. What good could come from killing agency members, or any citizens for that matter? Did these people not unders
tand the importance workers like Jinel Din had? They were gears in a well-organized and functional machine—one that kept Everlasting safe and secure against outside threats. How would anyone survive without the protection of, say, the engineers who maintained essential systems throughout the city?
Imagine the chaos if the outer shield fell. What a disaster it would be! Toxic atmosphere would flood the city in less than a few minutes, killing every single citizen in the process. Fools, thought Lena. Every last one of them…and cowards, too.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t like a memory cleanse, Analyst Sol?” asked Master Gel.
She snapped out of it, correcting her demeanor. “Oh, no, sir. Thank you. I was only reflecting on my work.”
“Excellent,” he said, a little distant. “You do your department proud. Analyst Din’s death is a tragedy, especially given tomorrow’s mission. I wish I could say I had a replacement for her, but there simply isn’t enough time.”
“Will there be a delay?” asked Lena.
“We are but one of many departments participating in this mission, and the consensus is that the loss of a single analyst is not enough to hinder performance. While it will require you to take on more responsibilities, I believe you are competent enough to handle the workload. Do you agree?”
“Of course, Master Gel.”
He nodded. “Very good. Report to your next location as soon as you can. Remember, Analyst Sol, you do this not for yourself, nor even for this department, but for the city as it lives and breathes. There can be no higher calling than to go beyond the shield and serve your people. Do you agree?”
“All is for the good of Everlasting,” said Lena, reciting the popular slogan used by the Leadership for the last thirty years. “I promise not to let you down.”
“See that you don’t,” said Master Gel. “The Leadership will be watching.”
******
Capeside
February 10, 2351
“So you mean to climb the coast?” asked Hux as he bit into a piece of yellow fruit, spilling juice and foam into his thick beard. He had taken Terry and Ludo into the cabin of his ship immediately after finding them on the upper deck.
