Box Set #5: Nemesis: [The 4 book 5th adventure of Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood]

by Robert Iannone

  “Very good. I like your thinking.”

  “Not too be rude, but your approval is not something I need. However, thank you for fixing the projector on Ziz.”

  Xara smiled. She liked this girl . . . even though she would have to destroy her when all this was over. “You’re welcome. By the way, Ziz is also a stupid name.”

  Returning her attention to Peak, Egg said, “Unless you can give me a good reason to trust you, I’m going to assume you’re one of the bad guys we are going to defeat.”

  “You think too highly of yourselves. We have the power of MAGEK . . . nothing can defeat us.”

  Xara was standing in front of the two Divine Ones and was closest to Ziz. Into its eyes she mouthed the words “I CAN.” Then she winked.

  Egg had read her lips and made a split second decision . . . and teleported the woman up to the ship. She was so caught up in the moment that she never noticed her goosebumps.

  *****

  About Three Hundred Years Ago

  “Xara, there’s a war coming.”

  “I know. Everybody knows. The only question is who’s going to win?”

  “With both sides having access to virtually unlimited power, there will be no winners . . . just losers. They’ll end up destroying this planet.”

  The young woman (Xara was now in her early twenties) looked at her mother with deep concern. She was ill and had been in declining health for a more than a year. “What’s going to be the spark that ignites the madness?”

  “There’s no telling. But with both sides sending unseasoned, and way too young, acolytes into the field, I wouldn’t be surprised if one side or the other will do something stupid . . . not from malice but from immaturity.”

  Xara stared at her mother and a small smile played at her lips. “So tell me.”

  “Tell you what?”

  “Your plan.”

  Now the older woman smiled. “Am I so obvious?”

  “Only to me. So?”

  “What is the one thing that would give one sect an unbeatable advantage over the other?”

  Xara gave that question all of a second’s consideration. “If one side could exclude the other side from accessing MAGEK.”

  Yara exhaled contentedly. “You are such an amazing person. Your father would have been so proud.”

  The girl didn’t like discussions about her father. She still harbored the irrational belief that he had abandoned his family. Dead people often did that. “Tell me your plan.”

  This time Yara exhaled in resignation from her failure to get her daughter over her feelings of abandonment. She felt a sense of urgency on the matter – since she would soon do the same thing to her child. Death would almost certainly make his visit within months. Possibly sooner. “You and I will hide MAGEK.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “We are going to cast a spell of Mis-Direction.”

  “What is that?”

  “Something I made up.”

  “Mother, stop being annoying.” It was said affectionately.

  “We are going to command MAGEK to make everyone, except us, forget how to reach it. They’ll know it’s underneath the Crypt, but whatever pathway they take will always be the wrong one. In effect, the machine will be programmed to protect itself from visitors.”

  “How is that possible? To change its programming requires Heart, Hex and an ungifted.”

  “Actually, not in this case. We are not changing the programming to affect how MAGEK is being used. We are simply adding another self-defense mechanism for it. That does not violate the Coda on changes. It’s a loophole that I discovered.”

  “And what will this change accomplish?”

  “Answer your own question.”

  “Obviously if they don’t know how to reach the machine, they can’t tamper with the programming to exclude the other side from accessing it. But how does that stop the war? If anything, it will prolong it.”

  “I’m hoping that by maintaining the status quo and the balance of power, their ill-will towards one another won’t escalate out of hand. As the old proverb goes ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. Each side will be afraid of the consequences of their action.”

  Xara never thought she would say it, but she did. “I disagree. I think the quicker that one side wins; the less damage will be done. It’s the lesser of two evils.”

  “You think we Amber Hearts should be the victors?”

  “Of course. Don’t you?”

  “No. We Hearts do poorly trying to lead. We respond to a situation in a kindly and thoughtful manner. But we never initiate; we react. There would be chaos.”

  “Then let the ungifted lead. We’ll be here to help them.”

  “Maybe a hundred years ago that would have worked. But they’ve grown accustomed to depending on us gifted. I have no faith that they could rise quickly enough to the challenge.”

  “So it’s the Hexes you would see win?” Xara was aghast.

  “They might actually be the lesser of two evils. However, our only real hope is a standoff . . . let neither side win.”

  “Mother, are you sure?” asked her very skeptical daughter.

  “Trust me on this.”

  And the die was cast.

  Chapter 3 – Into the Abyss

  Aboard the Gracie

  Xara materialized in the control room. She rapidly scanned the occupants but showed no surprise at seeing some pretty exotic aliens. Her eyes quickly found Egg and she smiled. Well, it was more of a smirk. “Princess Egg I presume?”

  Egg scratched at her goosebumps. Returning the stare – and the smirk – she responded with, “Asleep for three hundred years and you haven’t lost your sense of humor. Even your hair looks reasonably presentable. Congrats.”

  The woman’s response wasn’t expected. “How high of an orbit are we in?”

  “Computer, how high is our orbit?”

  “Approximately twenty-five thousand miles at the current moment.”

  “Good. They can’t find us at this height.” She was referring to Jagged Peak and Lightning Flash . . . or any Divine One for that matter.

  “We already figured that out. So why did the other two think you could help? Or would help?”

  The response was a non-sequitur. “I’m hungry.”

  Egg stared at the woman trying to assess the danger in playing along. Xara was obviously stalling for time. But why? “Do you know what goosebumps are?” Two could play the game.

  “If I was to hazard a guess I’d say they were bumps on a goose . . . whatever that is.”

  Egg raised her arms. “I’m talking about these.”

  Xara looked at the outstretched appendages. “Ah, cute little bumps. I take it you’re a goose.”

  She didn’t want to but the other girl barked out a laugh. “One for you. So, besides being hungry, have you no curiosity about my sisters and me? I would think that, at the very least, a dragon would peak your curiosity.” She pointed at Bl’azzz who smiled back.

  Xara glanced over. “Personally, if I wanted a pet I’d get one with a few less teeth and not as ugly.”

  “Hey, I’m not a pet. And, for your information, I’m considered cute.”

  “It talks.”

  “It,” replied Egg with a touch of annoyance, “could incinerate you where you stand. I’d play nice, if I were you.”

  “It – I mean she . . . you are a she, aren’t you?”

  Before the situation could get further out of hand – and even more off purpose - Jax’x stepped forward. “My name is Jax’x. How can you be an Amber Heart?” Left unsaid was ‘with no facial mask’.

  “Ah, the Librarian. Nice necklace. Mind if I have a look?” and she held out her hand.

  “We both know that’s not going to happen, don’t we?”

  “Maybe not. Then again maybe,” was the cryptic, and threatening, response.

  “Enough,” demanded Egg. “Either you start acting like someone we can trust or I’m sending you back.�
��

  “But only I can lead you to MAGEK, don’t forget.”

  “Maybe. Then again maybe not,” came the sarcastic reply.

  This time Xara barked the laugh. “One for you. Now we’re even.”

  “This is not a game. Now convince me that I should trust you. You have two minutes.” Egg was out of patience.

  “Fair enough. First and foremost, I agreed to cooperate with those others to stay out of the stasis chamber . . . and get my life back.”

  “Is that it?”

  “Oh, please, you prissy prudish princess . . . wouldn’t that be enough for you?”

  “If you’re asking me if I’d trade my freedom at the cost of a whole world being subjugated, the answer is no.”

  “I would normally laugh at such rubbish . . . but for some weird reason, I believe you.”

  Egg ignored the compliment. “You said ‘first and foremost’. What’s the rest of it? What’s number two?”

  Xara took a deep breath and for a moment looked vulnerable . . . certainly a lot less self-assured. “Reason number two is that my mother was wrong. She thought she was being noble and clever but she blundered horribly. I can’t let history remember her in that light.” That was the first, and it would be the last, time that Xara showed her compassionate, human side.

  “I don’t understand? What did she do?”

  “She destroyed this planet . . . and I helped.”

  *****

  Room of Doom

  Peak cursed as Xara dissolved into nothingness.

  Lightning Flash, to her lover’s annoyance, stated the painfully obvious. “We can’t let her team up with those others.”

  “Obviously.”

  “Well?”

  “Remember, I still have the key,” and he patted the object in his pocket.

  “They may be able to duplicate it or bypass it all together.”

  “I know. But I also know who the ungifted individual is . . . the one with no mark.”

  “You do? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I found out by accident when I was on their ship. His name is Kr’eep. They have been trying to seduce him in some way to gain his cooperation. Do you know the name?”

  “No”. Closing her eyes, she asked MAGEK to show her an image of the person. A holographic representation appeared. Involuntarily, Flash shuddered. “There he is . . . ungifted, unmarked and unambiguously ugly.”

  Peak allowed himself the smallest of grins. “Go find him. Bring him here.”

  “And then?”

  “Interrogate him. He may have some information that could be useful. When you finish, put him in a trans-dimensional rift so he can’t be found.” He was referring to the same technique he had used on the three girls.

  *****

  About Three Hundred Years Ago

  The girl just had to ask again. “Mom, are you really and truly sure about this?”

  The woman put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “Yes, it’s the only way.”

  Still, Xara wasn’t convinced . . . but she trusted her mother explicitly. “So how do we make everyone forget?”

  “We need to introduce a modified sub-routine into MAGEK. Once the machine analyzes the code and sees that it doesn’t violate the standing directive on prohibited programming changes, it will execute the order.”

  “If you say so. But I’m not authorized to get near the machine. Even though you have access, they won’t let me accompany you.”

  “There’s another entrance.”

  “What?”

  “The main entrance is through the Crypt as everyone knows. But there is also an access tunnel that was used to drain the water from the site where the machine is housed. That deep within the mountain the rocks weep constantly. The amount is much greater than you would expect and they needed to divert it away from the construction. Remember, before MAGEK, everything was done the old fashion way . . . with muscle and perspiration.”

  “So why was it forgotten?”

  “It was only a few feet wide and the mouth is located deep in the rift guarding the Crypt. In the old days there was no easy way down . . . and no reason to risk your life to reach it.”

  “But now we can just teleport, right?”

  “No. It’s still protected by MAGEK’s force field. That’s also the reason why it is shrouded in fog. We’ll have to climb down.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “You’re not afraid, are you?” That was a shocking thought to Yara.

  “Please . . . me afraid?”

  “Then what?”

  Xara hesitated. She broke eye contact with her mother and looked down at her feet.

  “Oh,” was her mother’s response. “You know.”

  “Of course I know. I didn’t say anything since you didn’t. But it’s obvious that you’re not well.”

  Yara reached out and grabbed her daughter – this time in a tight embrace. “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.”

  “For what? For being sick?”

  “No, dearest. For leaving you.”

  “Leav . . .” but she bit off the rest of the word when she realized the implication. “No. Don’t you dare.” Obviously that was more an emotional response than a logical one.

  “It’s not really my choice, now is it?”

  Xara gently pushed herself away from her mother. “Why can’t MAGEK fix whatever is wrong?”

  “You know as well as I that the machine was designed to never improve the biology of this world’s inhabitants. To placate those who didn’t want MAGEK built . . . specifically those that feared that we were playing at God . . . the system has a failsafe mechanism to stop any internal tampering with sentient beings. To make it work, it had to be all or nothing. That meant giving up the medical benefits that we could have had. It was a terrible price to pay but there was no choice.”

  “Why can’t we change that programming?”

  “Not possible. It’s hardwired into the machine. It simply can’t be undone.”

  Xara couldn’t accept the finality of it all. “Then why don’t we . . .” but her mother cut her off.

  “Please, my sweet girl, don’t. There is nothing to be done for me. So, let’s use what time I have left to make a difference in this world.”

  Her daughter stared at her mother without actually seeing her. She tried mightily to fight back tears . . . something she almost never shed. As she took deep breathes to calm herself, her mother squeezed her hand but said nothing. It took a few minutes, but she finally calmed herself so she could face the task at hand without unnecessary emotion. “You still can’t make that climb. In your weakened state, I would practically have to carry you.”

  “I need to show you want must be done. There is no other way.”

  “Yes there is. Swoop.”

  “That mechanical winged creature you created?”

  “Yes. You’ll be able to see thru her eyes and we’ll be in constant communication.”

  Yara gave that some thought. “I don’t like the idea of you taking all the risks.”

  “Mother . . . now it’s your turn to trust me. I’ll be fine.”

  Yara smiled warmly. “You are so fearless; you should have been a man.”

  “That’s an outrageous thing to say. Why shouldn’t a woman be as fearless as a man?”

  “No, no, no. I’m not going to get into another argument about the roles of a man versus a woman. We’ve been over it a million times.”

  “Good. Then I’ll take that as your acceptance that women are at the very least equal to men . . . and more often than not, we’re superior.”

  Another smiled grew on Yara’s face. “The only argument that I’ll accept without reservation is that you, my wonderful daughter, are superior in intelligence, creativity, fearlessness and every other adjective that escapes me at the moment . . . to any man or woman that I know.”

  “I am my mother’s daughter, after all.”

  “Oh, yes, my love. That’s why I love you so . . . always have, alwa
ys will.”

  And the realization that this relationship must end, and soon, brought both women to tears.

  *****

  On Board the Gracie

  Egg glanced at the other girls to see their reaction. It was the same as hers – shock and sympathy. The latter was a bit disconcerting since Xara, if first impressions were to be trusted, was anything but a sympathetic person.

  “In the spirit of building a working relationship, will you tell us what happened?”

  And Xara’s moment of frailty vanished. “No. The details are none of your business.”

  Oddly enough, that statement made Egg feel better. It was a lot easier to deal with a person who was consistent . . . even if she was consistently obnoxious. “You’re right; the details are not relevant to this discussion. So, you want your freedom and to have your mother’s legacy repaired. What do you want from us?”

  “A one way passage to another planet.”

  “Which one?”

  “Any one that has space flight.”

  That made sense. Xara didn’t want to be tied to one world when there was an entire galaxy to explore . . . and probably exploit. And that created a moral dilemma for Egg. Did she have the right to release this dangerous woman – and she had no doubt that Xara was dangerous – on an unsuspecting universe? That thought reminded her of Spirit’s thought weave. One of the probable outcomes of their success would be the unleashing of a nemesis that would foil the Sisterhood’s efforts in the future.

  That nemesis was most assuredly Xara.

  Rats and double rats.

  Her reverie was interrupted by the other woman’s sarcastic, “Hey Princess, you seem deep in thought. Dreaming about your handsome Prince?”

  Egg, to her horror, blushed. “I was not,” she sputtered, but it sounded unconvincing even to her own ears. Worse, Xara laughed in response.

  The moment was diffused by an insistent beep. “Hay’gar, it’s me,” Bl’azzz said into a communicator. “What’s up?”

  “It’s Kr’eep . . . a Divine One took him away.”

  “Away where?”

  “No idea. He was headed to the Crypt to turn you in when I found him. I tried to convince him not to do it but he sent me away. I must have done some good because he didn’t cross the bridge. Instead he headed west . . . muttering to himself. I followed from a distance until a hooded figure materialized. She grabbed him and they both teleported away.”