by Frank Carey
"To hades with this," she said as an old style telephone appeared next to her. It was brass and pearl with a rotary dial and it sat on a wrought iron stand. She picked up the handset and dialed "0." "Connect me with Bob. Last known location, haunting the networks of the Cube Center for Advanced Research. Yes, I'll hold."
Carrying the phone--it was wireless--over to a full-length mirror where she checked her dress and hair. "It'll do," she said as she straightened the pleats of her white, full-length skirt. She slipped one strap of her white tunic off the shoulder, then winked at herself. "You go girl."
"Bob."
"You just love those one-syllable names. It's your ex-wife, Kylie."
"Kylie? I liked Mnemos..."
"It's Kylie now. Bob, I'm calling about our daughter. She might be in trouble."
"Which one? You and I had nine of them, if memory serves."
Give me strength, she thought as her fingers clenched around the handset. "Clio, dammit."
"Clio? Oh yes, the history buff. What has she done now?"
Kylie held the handset against her chest as she let loose with a string of expletives, which could have ignited a rain forest. Finally, calming, she put the handset to her ear. "I think she found one of your gates."
"Which one?"
Kylie mentally called up all the files--not just the comm log--related to the cave found on Dawn, and sent them instantly to Bob. She waited while he looked them over. It didn't take long.
"Dammit. I was sure I sealed that one. Clio cannot cross through that gate."
"Why?"
"Red's on the other side."
"Who's Red?"
He mumbled something.
"I didn't catch that."
"My daughter."
"Your daughter. I know all your kids in this galaxy and Red isn't one of them."
"She's not in the Milky Way."
"Where is she?" Kylie now knew what it was like to pull teeth from a recalcitrant rhinoceros.
"The Large Magellanic Cloud, about 150,000 light-years from League space."
"I know where the LMC is. So, you found a girlfriend there and knocked her up. What's the big deal?"
"She doesn't know I have other children. Then there's the incident with the Sokuhl and the Basili..."
"What?"
"She has issues, kraken-sized issues."
"And my daughter is over there. You never told her about this Red?"
"Nope. I thought I had fixed the problem by sealing the gate. My bad."
Kylie hung her head. "Bob, get your ass over here and help me fix this before our kid gets hurt."
"I can't just drop everything and..."
"Now!"
The continuum shook with her rage.
"Right. Let me throw on a pair of pants..."
"Bob!"
Bob popped into existence next to her. He leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Hey, Kylie."
She looked at him and felt the anger drain from her. He hadn't changed in all these millennia. Still handsome as only a god could be, his white curly hair tied up in a neat ponytail while his matching beard was perfectly coiffed. His clothes, on the other hand, told a different story.
"Since when did you go in for tennis shoes, jeans, and a sweat shirt?"
"I'm into comfort. The old toga was just too drafty. This... This is pure comfort. By the way, you're looking mighty fine."
She blushed while she put the strap back into place. "Thanks. Now, I have to decrypt something and I need your help."
He saw the look in her eyes, the look of fear for her offspring. He realized he should have the same look. Chagrined at his behavior, he held out his hand. "Let's get started." A pile of files appeared in his hand.
She waved a hand and a large, plain wooden table appeared at the center of the room. They walked over, and after Bob spread out the papers, they got to work.
"I love the decor," He said as a white board appeared. He began jotting down notes. "Is this one of the new computer systems?"
"Yes. The elves went overboard on the processing power. I asked around and it’s based on your system back at the Cube."
"Yeah, but I went for pastoral. I love this Olympian motif. How are the other kids doing?"
"They're coming out of seclusion as more and more systems become powerful enough to house them."
"And Clio? She's musing for a dragon?"
"Yeah. Don't know the details, but she insisted on helping him save his one true love."
He smiled, then stopped as his hand flew across the board, leaving behind a trail of symbols. "Got it." He waved his hand and a thumb drive appeared above the table. "I thought the mortals on Olympia liked machinations. These Sokuhl are many times worse."
"That's what I was afraid of. Thanks," she said while grabbing the drive.
"Hey, would it be OK if I saw this through to the end? I want to make sure Clio's OK."
Kylie raised an eyebrow. "That's new."
He shrugged. "Times change; people change."
"Speaking of change, remember our little mischief maker, Aite?"
"She's here?"
"Yeah. Her name is Jenna and she's a stickler for protocol. Took me to task for passing myself off as a human and adopting a son."
"How things change. I'd like to meet your son."
"When all this is finished. Right now we have to help Clio."
"Right. What now?"
"We deliver this to Alex."
The two of them popped out of their virtual world to join the mortals in the real world.
###
There was a knock at Alex's door. He looked up at the ornate chrono on the mantle and saw he had time to spare. "Come!"
The door opened followed by two power suits walking into the room. One was blue and the other black. The blue one had the name Kylie stenciled on the left breast while the black one sported the name Bob. Each suit was a dead ringer for a character in a first-person shooter game called "Captain Mike and the Space Rangers." The two walked in and sat down in chairs across from Alex. Kylie handed over a thumb drive. "Alex, this is Bob. He works at the Cube and is friends with Lucien Irithyl. Bob, this is Alex, Governor of Alyson." They shook hands.
"I've heard of you, Bob. You're the first non-Alue AI to appear in a League computer system. You were instrumental in saving the League from an external threat."
"I just solved an equation. Lucien did all the work."
"Well, thank you just the same. Kylie, what did you find out?"
"In a nutshell, Sheila is an agent of the SIS, and she was communicating with somebody named Sage. She sent him all the data she and Kel had gathered, then this Sage ordered her to prevent Kel from crossing over. Sage then ordered her to reconnoiter the other side of the gate. Specifically, she is to look for an object called a realmoria using a tracking program of some kind."
Alex frowned. "Computer, definition, Realmoria."
"Working. No mention of 'Realmoria' found in Sokuhl Lexicon, Sokuhl Standard Dictionary, or Sokuhl Standard Dictionary of Slang and Historical Words."
"Expand search to include all League worlds."
"Working. Realmoria, Coran, a device, or method used to deliver medication to a large group of people via aerosol. A vapor delivery system."
Alex read the transcript of the conversation between Sage and Sheila. He stopped when Sage mentioned the fate of over three hundred Basili born to Sokuhl parents. "That is so bullshit," he muttered. "Computer, records search, League-wide, authorization Irithyl ultimate. How many Basili have been born to Sokuhl parents prior to Dr. Hardy?"
"None officially recorded. No anecdotal evidence of any such birth occurring before the birth of Dr. Hardy. The odds of such a birth are several billion to one. The odds of such a birth being hidden from the public are even more remote"
Alex sat back in his seat and rubbed his chin. "This Agent Sage is using Dr. Minty's feelings for Dr. Hardy to manipulate her. The question is whether or not the Patriarch, or his staff,
is part of this deception."
"If I may be nosy," Bob asked. "Are you planning on calling Zor and grilling him?"
"I was going to call and ask..."
Bob shook his mechanical head. "Zor is the Patriarch of a large family. This could turn into an honor thing and you really don't want to go there."
"What do you suggest?"
"I've scanned the colony's records and see his pregnant granddaughter, Tayla Hardy, is a colonist."
"Yes. Her husband is Kylie's son, Dr. Joshua Gray."
"Granddaughters hold a lot of sway with their grand sires, especially ones carrying their heir."
"Bob, you sound like a being who has first-hand experience with grandchildren."
Kylie quietly kicked him in his mechanical shin.
"I read a lot," Bob replied.
"Hmmm. Computer, location of Tayla Hardy."
"Preparing for the expedition to the secondary target asteroid, Dusk."
"Patch me through, please."
"Working..."
"This is Tayla."
"Hi, this is Alex. Can I ask a favor of you."
"Sure."
He explained the matter at hand.
"Oh my, Grandfather would never be part of something so nefarious. Let me give him a call. Give me a moment."
"Thank you. Alex out. Well, that went well."
"The morning is still young," Kylie said enigmatically. A few minutes later, her prediction came true.
"Sir, this is Jenna. You have a priority one scrambled call coming-in from the Sokuhl home world. It's Patriarch Zor Hardy and he's pissed. Care to clue me in?"
"Thank you. Kylie and Bob will brief you while I handle this."
"Bob's here?"
Before Alex could answer, Kylie and Bob's suits went into standby mode as the two AIs joined Jenna in the colony's InterWeb. Meanwhile, Alex tapped a control on his desk, "Go for Alex."
"This is Zor Hardy, Patriarch of the Sokuhl. My granddaughter has explained the situation. You have my word that the Sokuhl government has nothing to do with any of this. Attempts at contacting Sage have proven fruitless. His staff claims he has boarded one of two SIS cruisers and is now on a mission and unreachable. I have contacted the Admiral in charge of the Sokuhl space navy, and she's informed me that two Sokuhl cruisers--The Sun Fall and Tracker--on loan to the SIS have, in fact, departed space dock and are in route to Alyson. We have sent emergency recalls to both ships."
"Have they responded?" Alex asked.
"No, this is why I have ordered a Sokuhl battle group to be rerouted to Alyson for shore leave. I hear you have a wonderful hotel there now."
"Yes, we do and your people will be most welcome.”
"ETA of the SIS cruisers is five days while the battle group's is four."
"Sir, have you ever heard the term 'realmoria?'"
"No, the word is unfamiliar to me."
"One final question. Is it possible for the Sokuhl master database to be purged of specific information?"
"What kind of information?"
"Information pertaining to the existence of a race of beings known as the Basili?"
Silence. Deafening, thundering silence. Finally, Zor spoke. "Please, keep me posted. Hardy out."
Alex got up, walked over to his office window, and looked out over the town. "Jenna, did you get all that?"
"Yes, sir. Sir, my non-corporeal hackles are standing on end."
"As are my corporeal ones. Jenna, I want to be notified when any transmissions come in from Dr. Hardy or his party."
"Roger that, sir. Jenna out."
CHAPTER TEN
Kel and Clio emerged from the glowing gate and found themselves in a dark room. In the gloom, they could see dark shapes reminiscent of the statues they had just left behind in the cave on Dawn. They looked around and saw a dim glow encircling them. Kel aimed his scanner at the glow. "Interesting. There are no walls. What we're seeing is moonlight streaming in.
Clio knelt down and examined the floor with her hand. "Smooth, hard, and vibrating, just like the platform back at the asteroid, though this place is far larger," she reported. Behind them, the gate continued to glow. Clio took out a hand torch and panned it around the room, illuminating ladders and scaffolding. "Damn construction site. I don't think they know what they have here."
Kel tapped his ear piece. "Kel to Dawn, do you copy? Over."
"Kel, this is Felicity. We read you five by five. Sitrep, please."
"We've arrived inside a large open building. The platform at this end is huge. The room around us is filled with statues. Outside, it looks to be night."
"Any sign of Dr. Minty?"
"Nope. The place is deserted. We'll know more once we get outside."
"Be careful. Remember to do an optical scan of the sky so we can figure out where you are."
"Copy that. Anything else?"
"Nope. Alyson base out."
Kel shut down the link then panned his scanner around the room. "Life signs, both Sokuhl and Basili. Most seem to be quiescent."
"You mean they’re sleeping. Why can't you just say they're sleeping," Clio said.
He ignored her comment as he examined the scan results. "No other life forms within scanner range. That is not good."
"Why not?" Clio asked as she used a hand torch to illuminate a sculpture. When Kel said nothing, she turned around and saw him staring at her. "What?"
"They've probably never seen a hominid life form before. Look, Clio, you should stay here until I get a lay of the..."
Clio shook her head as she transformed into a Basili female, but still wearing her combat fatigues. "How do I look?"
"Ravishing. I will have to beat suitors off with a stick."
"I knew there was a reason I stuck around. You probably need to hide that weapon," she said. Looking around, she saw a cloth hanging from one of the statues, She grabbed it and wrapped it around Kel tunic style. "There. Now you're presentable."
"Thank you, fair heroine. Shall we make an appearance?"
"Why yes, fair knight. We shall."
After a last check with the scanners, they ventured out into the night.
They stepped out into the darkness and found themselves surrounded by tall buildings. "This reminds me of downtown," Kel said while looking around. He aimed his scanner upward and took a photograph of the star-filled sky. He then sent the image back to Alyson for analysis.
"When was the diaspora?"
"Several thousand years ago, why?"
"One thing I love about advanced civilizations is the bustling nightlife. Back before the bracelet, I hung with some pretty far-along people..."
"Anyone I know?"
"Nope. They disliked hanging with the kids. Anyway, every one of them loved to party into the night. You've heard of Las Vegas on Earth, haven't you?"
"Yes. Open 24/7 and what happens there stays there."
"Right and this place so isn't."
They made their way down the street, scanning buildings as they went. "Are we approaching this the wrong way?" Kel asked as they continued to draw a blank.
"What do you mean?"
"We're looking for Sheila, a Sokuhl woman mixed in with Sokuhl men and women. We need to find a difference between her and the population; something that sets her apart and I don't think biology is the key."
"What about tech? She has a modern scanner and a weapon. I assume some of it would be near her," Clio suggested.
"Power signatures," Kel said as he adjusted his scanner. He saw a window illuminated from inside by a video display. Scanning it, he saw it was powered by an alternating current circuit buried in the wall. He tightened the scan and panned the buildings around him. "I think I have a baseline."
"Try wide scan," Clio said.
Kel increased the scan radius. "Found her," he said. He pointed down the street. "That way."
"Is the signature moving or stationary?"
"Stationary. Let's hope she's near her stuff.
They headed dow
n the street while keeping to the shadows.
Half-way to their destination, Kel reached over and pulled Clio into a dark doorway.
"What!" Clio mouthed silently.
Kel pointed to his ear, then the intersection ahead of them. A large robot appeared from beyond a building and walked to the center of the intersection. Turning left, then right. It reminded Kel of an Earth hound dog casting about for a scent. After what seemed like an eternity, the behemoth moved on. Kel scanned it as it ducked out of sight. "Hydraulic biped with twin-.50 caliber mini-guns, infrared and RF sensors. Not anywhere near as advanced as the stuff coming out of Elven Industries."
"Who the hell would have that kind of fire power patrolling a city?"
"I hope this isn't due to Sheila showing up."
Seeing the way clear, they continued their journey. Finally, after two more encounters with guard bots, they arrived at their destination, a twenty story building built along the lines of a fortress with armored personnel carriers ringing it. They could see heavily armed Basili and Sokuhl soldiers patrolling the perimeter of the building.
Clio pulled her friend back into the protective shadows. "It looks like Sheila has dropped the Stromboli into the fire this time."
"She has never liked doing things on a small scale." He peeked his head out and looked around. "A large hauler just drove up and parked in the street across from the fortress. Ah, I think we found our way in."
"What?" Clio said as she poked her head out under Kel’s.
"A pair of individuals making a delivery. I have an idea."
###
Kel and Clio watched as the two delivery people trucked a large crate into the building, leaving a second crate on the ground behind the truck, out of sight from the fortress. Nearby, two sentries walked, completely ignoring the truck and its contents. Seeing the way clear, the two explorers ran over to the truck and jumped inside. Kel ran his scanner over the box. He stopped, then ran it again. He looked up at Clio and placed an index finger against his lips, then pointed to the box. She nodded and carefully put her hand on the lid, curling her fingers over the edge. She nodded, then raised her other hand and began a finger count from three.
The lid ripped open when she closed the last finger. Inside were a pile of weapons and two, surprised Sokuhl, which Kel dispatched with a single punch each.
