Tallyn waved the guards back when they completed their task, indicating that they should stand to one side, out of sight. Once they were in place, he ordered the nervous ensign to open the door. Egan touched crystals on his console and the cell door slid open with a hiss.
Rayne whipped around, raised the gun and opened her mouth to yell for Rawn. Her shout turned to a gasp as she gaped at the man who filled the doorway. He was almost as tall as Rawn, and well built, but quite alien. His fine brows arched above dark eyes, and his cropped black hair gleamed with blue tints. An aquiline nose jutted over his thin-lipped mouth, but the resemblance to humans ended there. His skin gleamed with a metallic golden shimmer, and his black hair ended in a line just above his ears, where it turned pure white.
His earlobes joined the edge of his jaw. His form-hugging suit of dark blue material had a line of gold that edged his collar and ran down the middle of his chest, separating into two at his waist to continue down the front of his trousers. Gold also trimmed his cuffs and ran up the outside of his sleeves to form swirling patterns on his shoulders.
He smiled without showing his teeth. "Hello. I am Tallyn." He spoke with less of an accent than the disembodied voice had. "I am the commander of this ship."
She nodded, stepping back. "Hi." It sounded pathetic, even to her, and she searched her vacant mind for something more suitable to say. While she did, he spoke again.
"Do not be afraid. I wish you no harm."
Rayne took another step back. "I – I'll call my brother."
"No." He held up a hand. "Please, I wish to speak to you, alone."
"Why?"
"The weapon." He indicated her gun. "Please give it to me."
Rayne looked at it. He did not seem afraid of it, and she did not think she could use it on him anyway. Rawn might, though, but what good would that do? They were at this man's mercy. Shooting him, or trying to, would not improve their situation. The gun was useless, and she let it sink to her side.
She looked at the alien again. "Will you give me your word that you mean us no harm?" Again, it sounded silly, but the alien placed his hand on his chest and smiled.
"I do. We never had any intention of harming you, but if your brother uses that weapon we'll have to restrain him. As you pointed out to him earlier, there is very little you can do to us."
She nodded and stepped towards him, intending to hand over the weapon. He raised his hand again.
"Do not approach the screen."
Rayne stopped, sensing a faint tingle on her skin. So there was a screen between them. He had not trusted her completely. He turned and gestured to someone. The tingle vanished, and the alien stepped into the cell, holding out his hand. With a shiver of trepidation, she handed the. 44 to him. Another man, dressed in a white uniform, appeared behind him and took the weapon when he held it out.
He smiled at her again. "Good. I know you are confused, alarmed, and perhaps a little angry. The tranquilliser will wear off soon. Do you require a further dose?"
"No, I'm fine." She found his alien features fascinating.
His smile broadened. "I see that I intrigue you. That's understandable. I don't mind."
Warmth suffused her cheeks. "You're not human."
"No. I am Atlantean. I come from a planet very far from here. However, as aliens go, I'm not that different from you."
She frowned, realising that she should be asking more intelligent questions. "Why did you kidnap us?"
"Ah. Perhaps we should wait for your brother. It's a long explanation."
She nodded. "You killed the mutants, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"And the store guards?"
His smile, which had become something of a fixture, faded. "No. Your account of the black-clad man interests me. I would like to hear more about it."
"Like what?"
"Was he wearing a mask?"
She shrugged. "He was too far away to see. How do you speak English so well?"
His smile returned. "I have studied your language for this event. Unfortunately, very few Atlanteans speak it, so you'll have to learn our tongue."
A frisson of alarm went through her. "But surely we won't be here long enough to need to, will we?"
"I'm afraid you will. You cannot be returned to Earth."
"Why not?"
"Your planet is dying, as I'm sure you know. Within the next five years your entire race will be wiped out. Surely you don't want to share their fate?"
Rayne glanced around, wishing Rawn would hurry up. "Can't you do something about it?"
His brows rose a fraction. "We're not that powerful, I'm afraid. It's far too late to undo the damage your people have done to the ozone layer and oceans. We can save you and your brother, though."
"What about the rest of the people?"
"No. We didn't come here to rescue humanity."
"So why us?"
Tallyn glanced past her as the sound of water stopped. "You're special. Talk to your brother, and let me know when he's ready to meet me. You'll get a full explanation then."
Tallyn turned and stepped through the door, which hissed shut behind him. She stared at it, then turned as Rawn emerged, rubbing his hair. He took in her pale countenance and strained expression with a glance, his gaze dropping to her empty hands.
"Where's my gun?"
"I gave it to them."
"Are you nuts? Why?"
She shook her head. "It's no good to us. He was very nice about it, and polite. He said they won't hurt us, and I believe him."
"Oh, great! So you just handed it over like a good little girl. Dammit, Rayne, sometimes I think you're an idiot!" He loomed over her, scowling. "Now we have absolutely no defence at all, and that was my gun."
Rawn had always been attached to his gun, and, as their means of survival, it had been important. She met his glare.
"It was useless. They probably have a dozen weapons hidden in this room, any of which could drop you like that…" She snapped her fingers. "…Anytime they choose. And he said they're here to rescue us."
"From what?"
"Earth, what do you think? The planet's dying, we know that. For some reason, he wants to save us."
"Why?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. He said he'd explain it all, as soon as you're calm enough to meet him."
Rawn swung away and flung the damp towel across the room. "Who is this guy, anyway?"
"He's the commander of this ship. His name's Tallyn, and he's an Atlantean."
"As in from Atlantis?"
She glanced at him in surprise. "I never thought of that."
"What is he, green with yellow spots?"
"No. Just weird."
"Great. So what makes him think I'm not calm enough?"
Rayne shot him a smile. "Well, you were making threats about shooting holes in things, and he was listening."
"Yeah, watching too, no doubt. He must have got an eyeful of you in the shower. Well, I don't have a damned gun anymore, so what's the problem?" She looked away in embarrassment, and Rawn smiled. "Don't worry, I'm sure you're not his type."
"Can you talk to him calmly and rationally?"
"Sure, why not? We're in deep shit now. We might as well make the best of it."
A few minutes later, the panel that had dispensed the medicated water opened again, this time disgorging a welcome meal. Although some items defied description, Rayne assumed their hosts knew what was good for them and ate it all. It proved to be tasty, and afterwards she relaxed again, the unusual fullness of her stomach improving her mood. Despite Rawn's encouraging words, another hour passed before contact was re-established. The door slid open to reveal the commander once more.
Rawn jumped up, and Rayne rose slowly, watching them. Tallyn sized Rawn up, but gave no sign of tension, while Rawn made the most of his extra height. This did not seem to impress Tallyn, who addressed Rawn in a flat, no-nonsense tone.
"Please remain calm. You are welcome aboard my ship. I will now
conduct you to a viewing room, where I will explain your abduction."
"That would be nice," Rawn remarked, but Tallyn turned away to walk through the sparsely furnished room they found beyond the door. It looked like an ultra-modern hospital, with a lot of strange paraphernalia parked against the walls. They followed Tallyn into a passage, glancing around. Rayne slipped her hand into Rawn's, drawing courage from his familiar presence. The corridor's seamless material was smoothly rounded, as if in a giant mould. Mellow light gave it a warm glow, and a carpet of soft grey moss muffled their footsteps. No other people passed them before a door slid open at Tallyn's approach, and they entered another room.
"Please sit."
Tallyn indicated two chairs, which moulded to Rayne’s shape when she sat down, startling her. Tallyn went to a desk that held a huge book, bound in black leather and gold. Opening it to a marked page, he gazed at Rayne, who glanced at Rawn.
Tallyn sat behind the desk. "This is the holy book of my people. In it, all the prophecies of the ancient mystics have been set down, so we may follow their teachings and fulfil the destinies. There is a prophecy that must now come to pass, and I believe you, Rayne, are the one spoken of."
He proceeded to read the paragraph, and Rayne listened in amazement. When he finished, he gazed at her.
Rawn looked at Rayne and snorted. "You think that this… this golden girl child is Rayne?"
Tallyn nodded. "This is a dying planet, one of only a few we've found, and your sister is a young girl with golden hair."
"But that doesn't mean she's the one you're looking for."
"No, but isn't it remarkable that you and she have suffered no ill effects from your planet's radiation and pollution, while all the other people have?"
Rawn shrugged. "We've been lucky, I guess."
"Nobody's that lucky. She's different. You both are, and I can only assume that you're her guardian, which is why you too have been spared. Our task is to rescue the golden girl child, and I think we have done that." He closed the book.
Rayne asked, "Is that why you saved me from the mutants?"
"Of course."
"And those other aliens who attacked me?"
"The ones in the red ship, which you told your brother about? That happened before we found you. They're members of a race called Draycons, whose ships are red. We chased four of their ships away two days ago. But they were not trying to kill you. They're slavers."
She shook her head. "They were trying to kill me. They reduced that house to a pile of rubble."
Tallyn smiled a little thinly. "They were probably trying to flush you out into the open, where they could stun you and capture you. Why would they want to kill you?"
"I don't know, but I was lucky to survive. If it hadn't been for that cellar, I'd be dead." She frowned. "Maybe it had something to do with your prophecy. Perhaps they think I'm this Golden Child too. And if I am, what is it I'm supposed to do?"
Tallyn sighed, his smile fading. "Unfortunately, we don't know that yet. As for the Draycons, they don't even know about the prophecy, as far as we know. It doesn't concern them."
"So you didn't chase them away?"
"No. I'm sure they left of their own accord."
Rawn studied Tallyn. "Why do you look so much like us if you're alien?"
"Your race is the result of genetic engineering carried out on you millennia ago. All human races are descendants of the first people, who were engineered from proto humans native to Earth. Many advanced races are similar because of a far-reaching expansion that carried out a policy of advancement on many of the more primitive species they found. Almost all carbon-based life in the universe has a similar blueprint, but you didn't evolve to your present state on your own."
"Well, that explains the missing link. But if we're descended from people like you, where do you come from?"
Tallyn shrugged. "We have legends. I'll tell you about them some time. But now, I have things to do, and I expect you're tired. Would you like to go to your quarters and rest?"
Rawn glanced at Rayne, who said, "What are you going to do with us?"
Tallyn looked a little pained. "Nothing, really. We'll take you to Atlan, where you'll be treated with the utmost respect and courtesy, given everything you could wish for. A home, a job if you want it, knowledge, entertainment, anything. When the time comes, your purpose will be revealed to you."
"How?"
"We don't know. We only have those few words in the book, but I'm sure you'll know what to do when it happens."
"I'm glad you think so."
Rayne had many more questions, but the ebbing of the tension and anxiety, plus the meal, made her eyelids droop with fatigue. Rawn was running on adrenalin, but, although she knew he could sustain his alertness for several days, she saw no point in subjecting herself to any more rigours. The prospect of a real bed was as seductive as the hot shower had been.
Tallyn guided them along a corridor to a lift, which whisked them down several floors. He stopped before a numbered door that slid open when he pressed a button beside it. They entered a comfortable, sleek room with two sleeping alcoves, tasteful, but sparsely furnished and functional. Tallyn showed them how to switch off the lights and summon an attendant when they woke, then left them to sleep.
Chapter Five
Tallyn settled into his chair on the bridge and studied the main screen, which showed the star field around Earth, and in one corner, the dull grey-brown orb. The sun was just starting to form an arc of gold along its edge, prelude to the dawn of another drab day on the surface. Only the twinkle of the tiny crystals that covered the many consoles broke the bridge's silent gloom. A crew of five sat before them, their hands occasionally touching a crystal as they attended to the running of the ship.
Dim holograms hung in the air before certain crew members, while lists of data scrolled up before others. The overall atmosphere was one of hushed industry, somewhat relaxed now that they were in orbit. Tallyn looked over at Marcon, who sat at the compiler's console, his eyes flicking over three holograms. He monitored all the ship's functions, ready to correct any errors that other crew members made. As usual, Tallyn hated to disturb him; he always looked so busy.
"Marcon, set course for Atlan. We've got what we came for, let's go home."
"Yes, sir." He turned and touched the crystals on his console, causing those on other consoles to light and alerting the officers who manned them to the new directive. They ran their hands over their boards, or pressed their palms to sensor slots to communicate with the ship's neural net. Two pilots entered the bridge and lay down on their couches, strapped themselves in and pushed their hands into sensor slots to link with the ship. The whole exercise took a little over a minute, during which time the activity in the dim room rose to a high state of tension. Marcon reeled off the list of procedures for his commander's benefit, in case he decided to change anything.
"Course laid in. Neural net expanded and online. Pilots linked. Back up net online. Proximity repellers charged, course changing. Preparing to link with the transfer Net." He paused, his eyes scanning the scrolling holograms. "Link successful. Heading reached in five, four, three, two, one… Transfer Net charged, acceleration factor five, normal status, all systems functional."
Tallyn sat back and laced his fingers as Vengeance turned out of her orbit with ponderous grace, curving away towards a distant star. He could imagine how the sun's light would glint on her sleek silver flanks and flash on the many protuberances that robbed her of any great claim to beauty. As a star ship designed purely for space, her array of antennae, weapons and emitters was only possible in a vacuum. He had seen many ships use the Net, and knew that a web of golden lines crawled over her, embracing her in a crazy cage of lambent power, like snakes of lightning. The transfer Net activated in a flash of pure energy, and with a twinkle, the ship shot away.
During the five-hour trip, Tallyn ate a meal and relaxed in his cabin, enjoying a new holofilm from Atlan. On the bridge, the cre
w's subdued industry continued. The pilots each spent two hours in control of the ship while the other observed. Marcon was relieved after three hours, his head undoubtedly aching from the strain of the high level of vigilance necessary from a compiler. His replacement, Vandiar, informed Tallyn of their approach to Atlan half an hour before the transfer Net dispersed. Tallyn entered the humming bridge and sank into his chair, glancing up at the blank screen.
"Where are we?"
"Decelerating. Fifteen minutes to Net dispersal," Vandiar informed him. "You came quickly, sir."
"I usually do," he grumped, settling back to wait.
From inside the ship, Net dispersal was no more interesting than its initiation. Only the resumption of the external feeds brought any new sensations to the crew. After the prescribed number of minutes, the main screen filled with the welcome image of his home world.
Tallyn gave a curt nod. "Good. Get us an orbit, and have them send shuttles. I'm sure most of the crew want to go to the surface, and we'll need a maintenance crew to replace them."
Tallyn made his way to his guests' quarters and pressed the plate beside the door to activate the entry call buzzer. The portal opened, and he entered to find Rawn eyeing him, looking sullen and dishevelled. He muttered and went into the bathroom to splash his face. Rayne stretched and yawned as she slid from the shelf-like sleeping alcove, her hair tangled. She smiled, and Tallyn returned it.
"I hope you've had sufficient sleep. We've arrived at my home world and will be disembarking soon."
Rayne's eyes widened in shock, and Rawn emerged from the bathroom, his face wet. They stared at him in horror, and Tallyn realised his blunder and strived to correct it.
"I apologise. I should have warned you before we left."
Rawn raised a finger and wagged it, water dripping from his chin. "Listen, buster. Just a few hours ago, we were on our own planet, and now you tell us we're on the other side of the bloody universe? You kidnap us, feed us drugs, fry us with weird lights, confiscate our clothes, and fly us a thousand light years without so much as a 'by your leave'? Bugger 'warned us', what about 'asked us'?"
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