by Liza Probz
X stationed himself in one of the two front seats, then pointed to the seat beside him. He pushed a few buttons on the console, then grabbed the stick and glanced over at her.
"Ready for take-off?"
Sylvie nodded, bracing herself. The lift-off was so gentle that she wouldn't have noticed they were moving if not for the front viewport. The small craft joined a line of similar ships before an aperture that seemed to separate the inside from the ocean outside.
"Why isn't this chamber filling with water?" she asked as they approached the aperture.
"Force fields hold the water back but let the ships through."
"Force fields like the planetary defense shield?"
"The same technology, yes."
Her ship had somehow taken down their defense shield, and although she was certain she hadn't done anything intentional to cause the malfunction, there could be something about her biologically that interacted with the field. They'd almost dissected her to find out.
"Wait!" she yelled as their ship moved forward to next in line.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, Dr. Cohen. See, all the other ships have made it out fine. You won't even notice when we pass through." X steered the ship toward the aperture.
Sylvie wrapped her arms around herself as fear stung her senses. "But what if it's true? What if there is something about me that disables your shields? This whole hub could be flooded. People could die!"
"My people can take in limited oxygen through their skin. It allows them to be under water for an hour or so at a time before surfacing. Besides, we have safety protocols in place in case of shield failure."
She couldn’t watch. She slipped her hands over her eyes and held her breath, preparing for the worst.
A soft chuckle resounded beside her. "You can open your eyes now. We're through."
Sylvie removed her hands to see that they were coasting through an underwater world. "How did you know I wouldn't cause the shield to fail?"
"I didn't." X was steering the craft through pillars of coral. "But I knew that no one would be injured with the safety protocols we had in place if the shield did fail. What I wasn't sure about was you."
Sylvie stared at him. "What do you mean?"
"If there was something in your biology that you'd engineered to disable our shields, you may have intended to use your special skill here and flood the chamber, thinking you were risking Zantharian lives and wreaking havoc."
He turned to her and she was entranced by the golden glow around his pupils. "Instead, you warned me, and you seemed genuinely concerned about harming my people. The same people who just treated you like a pariah."
X gave her a small smile, then turned his attention back to navigating the craft.
"You were testing me."
He nodded. "And you passed the first test."
First test? So that's what he had planned for the day.
Sylvie wanted to be angry but she couldn't blame him. Seen from his perspective, she wouldn't trust herself either in this situation. Still, it stung a little. She'd trusted him from the first, had known he was someone who would help her, who wouldn't harm her or let her be harmed if he could prevent it.
There was something about him that projected integrity. No wonder his people followed him as Supreme Regent. She thought she might follow him, too.
Or maybe she was just naïve.
Around them the water grew dark. They were entering some sort of underwater cave. Suddenly they surfaced, the lights of the craft illuminating an ancient grotto.
X turned to her, his dark eyes unfathomable. "We're here.”
Where was here?
Chapter 16
The final resting place of the regents was a tranquil and sacred space. Here, all regents since the close of the age of Endless Schism were entombed after taking their last breaths. Xivthar experienced a flutter of anxiety at being there, but reined it in before it could reveal itself through his skin color.
As he steered the craft to the shore, he extinguished the running lights. The cavern was lit by eternal flames, tended over a millennia by the monks who lived here. He docked the craft, then helped Dr. Cohen onto land.
She seemed to be taking in her surroundings, her eyes wide and drawing him in. The caves had been old when his world was still new, and their age was reflected in the formations encircling them. Towering stalagmites sprouted around them, as did stalactites that almost reached the cave floor, formed over eons by tiny drops of water.
The firelight reflected off their smooth surfaces, creating the illusion that the entire cave was aflame. The glow reached her eyes, which were wide with wonder.
"This is amazing. What is this place?" she asked, her voice a near whisper.
"The resting place of the regents." His tone was also quiet. Something about the place demanded reverence. "It's the tomb of all the past regents, and one day I'll join them here."
The thought caused a chill to dance down his spine. It was strange to wander around the place he'd spend his eternity while he was still among the living. It always made him nervous to visit here. Still he did, at least once a turn.
"Why did you bring me here? It's creepy."
At that moment a loud moan echoed through the cavern.
"What was that?" she asked, moving closer to him.
Her unconscious motion filled his chest with a strange heat. The need to protect his little Earthling female rose up within him. She seemed to trust him enough to protect her, which was a good feeling. He realized how much he wanted to be something to her – protector would work for now.
"Wind. There are thousands of small holes that run through the cave system. Some of them reach the surface." He stroked her hair gently. "There's nothing to be afraid of."
She peered up at him, her eyes frightened. "I wish I could believe you, but this place is spooky."
He led them to the Hall of Spirits, the moan getting louder as they approached. Sylvie buried her face in his arm, so he put his arm around her, letting off a small chuckle. She had reason to be a bit timid. He was half scared of the place, too.
Her nearness was exciting, her touch sending tingles running through his body. Still, it was a dangerous time to give in to his desire. Otherwise he'd pull her into his arms and—
"Welcome, Supreme One." The voice echoed through the entranceway to the Hall.
The professor started at his side, and he tightened his hold on her.
Pushing away his own budding anxiety, he concentrated on stilling his heart. He glanced back at his guards, noting that each of them were still light green. Serene. Placid.
Apparently this place was only eerie to him. Him and the dainty female, who was trembling at his side.
They entered the shadowy Hall of Spirits and approached the single fire that illuminated the chamber.
"Who... who spoke when we came in?" Her voice was shaky, her eyes darting back and forth into the gloom.
"The Spirits."
The professor cocked an eyebrow at him. "I'm a scientist. I don't believe in spirits."
X laughed. It echoed around the chamber and back at him, sounding more and more sinister.
Right, no laughing.
"As each regent is passing on to the other side, a small portion of the leader's brain pattern is stored in our database here. It is our means of preserving a little bit of their wisdom for future generations. Anyone may come here and ask a question of the regents."
She furrowed her brow.
"Only part of the pattern is stored? How are they capable of higher brain functions if they only have a portion of their minds? And the storage capacity required must be immeasurable."
"It's measurable, but very great." The professor missed very little. "Unfortunately, the patterns start to minimally degrade after a few centuries of being stored, a process that continues over time. So some of the regents are losing their grip on reality, I'm afraid."
"So why would anyone bother to ask them anything?"
"And that's why you've brought me here? To ask insane dead people if I can be trusted?"
When she put it like that... "Yes."
Chapter 17
Sylvie blinked up at X, a bit taken aback by his reasoning for bringing her into the darkness of a creepy-ass cave. Asking ghosts if she was an enemy operative. Could things get any more ridiculous?
She'd been on edge since they'd driven through the aperture, afraid her own body would somehow betray her and cause the shield to fail and everyone in the crowded hub to drown.
If all the safeties had failed and the hub had flooded with water, she would have been the only one to die, scary enough. Now she was in an underwater cave that was intentionally haunted by the ghosts of dead regents.
For such a technologically advanced race, they seemed a bit prone to flights of fancy.
Still, the place creeped her out. So did the two guards who stood silently, looking off into the distance.
They don't like me. No one here does. If it weren't for X, I'd be so much medical waste right now.
Still, the crowds in the hub had been more reactive, drawing back, making faces. These two just stood there. Watching as if waiting for something to happen.
"What do we do next?" Best to get this test over with.
"We invoke the spirits and ask them for advice."
Invoke the spirits. Right.
"So do we ask for one particular regent? Like Supreme Regent Reginald the Righteous? Or Wendell the Very Wise?"
His expression said he didn't think she was funny.
"The regents will decide whether they speak. Requesting a specific one doesn't mean that regent will want to talk to you."
"With my luck, no one will want to talk to me."
"They'll talk to me."
Sylvie almost rolled her eyes at his arrogance, but something stopped her. They probably would want to talk to him. Was it still arrogance if he was right?
"So how do we invoke the spirits?"
X thrust his hand into the flames.
Sylvie screamed and turned her head as he spoke softly beside her.
"It's holographic. See?"
As she watched, the fire transformed, becoming a ring encircling a dark metallic surface. The surface split open, and a column of rock rose out of it. In the center of the column was half a cloudy sphere. The column stopped a few inches above X's palm.
Waves of light rippled over the surface of his skin, then expelled themselves from his hand, straight into the half sphere. Tiny lightning bolts struck out from the sphere, hitting the energy being put out by X. The energies entwined, then vanished.
Around her the cavern began to glow with lights of different colors. Light blue. Mauve pink. One would shine for a few moments and fade, only to be replaced by another somewhere else in the chamber.
"What's happening?" While the display was lovely, it had done little to lessen Sylvie's trepidation.
"The spirits are convening to decide who should speak for them."
Sylvie shivered, glancing over at him. X's face was expressionless, but his skin did have a faint reddish tint.
He's nervous too.
Sylvie moved closer to the regent. Just then a voice boomed, a pink light bursting over the chamber.
"Xiv! Look how you've grown!"
Sylvie's eyes shot to X. He had the strangest look on his face. A cross between annoyance and acceptance. He looked extremely tense.
"Hello, Mother."
Her jaw dropped.
"Mother?" she whispered. The woman whose clothing she was currently disgracing with her inelegant human form?
"Such a good boy, coming to visit your mother!"
"Yes, Mother," X said, exhaling heavily. "Unfortunately I don't have much time to visit. Zanthar is under a bit of a crisis."
"A crisis? I leave you to do one thing, and now there's a crisis?" The chamber dripped with his mother's disapproval.
"It's the Hareema, Mother. We believe they may have infiltrated Earth, and even now they could have an agent on our planet."
His mother's gasp echoed through the chamber.
"A Hareema agent on Zanthar?" She paused, her voice becoming stern. "If there's one, there's bound to be more."
"I'm keeping things under control but I need your advice. I need to know if you believe the Hareema are working with the Earthlings."
"And whether that Earthling female is an enemy spy?"
The severe tone of his mother's voice made Sylvie uneasy. Apparently, X's mom was a force to be reckoned with.
"Well, young lady, are you an enemy spy?"
Sylvie looked at X, bemused. "No, Your Honor."
"Good."
X sputtered. "That's all you're going to ask her?"
"That's all I need to know. Now stop wasting your time and get back to protecting the planet."
Sylvie noticed that X was smiling. "Understood, Regent."
His mother's happy laughter reverberated through the chamber.
Their relationship must have been special.
He misses her. And whatever remains of her misses him.
The pink light began to fade. The former regent, who just happened to be the current regent's mother, was departing.
Before the chamber went dark, a voice arose. "The alien can be trusted. Not all those close to you can."
Sylvie grabbed hold of X's arm. "That wasn't your mother."
"No, it wasn't." He frowned and eyed the two guards standing nearby. "You two, initiate an electrical exchange. Now."
The two guards said nothing but moved to comply. Light waves built in both, which were released in a bright flash when they clasped hands. X nodded, then motioned them all forward.
No one spoke as they left the cave. Perhaps the warning whispered by the ghostly voice had left them unsettled. They entered the craft and X submerged them.
Finally Sylvie couldn't take the silence any longer. "I guess I've passed both tests so far. What else have you got up your sleeve for me?"
"Up my sleeve?"
Sylvie rolled her eyes. "Never mind."
X was guiding them through a region of the sea that was darker than the rest. Only one lone light blinked in the distance. Another transport ship, far ahead of them?
"I can't believe you took me to meet your mother."
"Is it so odd?" he asked in a tone indicating that he knew it was odd.
"I don't see the point is all. How would a portion of your dead mother's preserved brain pattern know whether I was working for the enemy or not?"
"My mother's always been skilled at sizing people up. During her term as Supreme Regent, she became known as Kath'Thar the Observant." His eyes flashed over to hers. "I trust her opinion more than any others, living or dead."
"I don't mean to be rude, but your resting place of regents smacks of primitive spiritualism. You asking your dead mother about me, it's too much like Odysseus finding his own mother in the Underworld."
"Who's this Odysseus? A lover of yours?" His expression was neutral, but she saw spots of yellow appearing in his green skin.
"My point is, if your race is so advanced, why consult the equivalent of ancient oracles instead of basing all your decisions in scientific fact."
X took a breath. "My people have found one inescapable fact that serves to guide us: science can't explain everything."
Sylvie turned in her seat to face him, firing up her rebuttal, when out of the corner of her eye she noticed one of the guards rising from his seat. He held a braided portion, which had to have come from his uniform, taut in his hands.
"X, look out!" she yelled, but before the regent could defend himself, the guard had gotten the makeshift rope around his neck. The other guard stepped up beside his partner and worked on wrestling the regent's hands away from the rope around his throat.
Sylvie watched
in horror as the guards dragged him out of his seat and onto the transport floor. Right now X was the only person on the planet who trusted her. She had to do something.
"Leave him alone!" she yelled, shoving against the guard who was trying to bind his hands with another length of braided seaweed.
The guard kicked her in the stomach and she tumbled backwards, her breath leaving her violently. X saw her fall and seemed to struggle harder, managing to get a couple fingers under the length of rope.
"Signal for help. On the console."
One of the guards punched him in the face hard. It jarred his hand loose, and his opponent went back to tightening the rope around his neck.
With both guards focused on the regent, she began crawling away from them toward the front console.
What sense did it make for the guards to turn on him now?
Sylvie stared at the many different buttons on the console, most of them in a language she had never encountered. A few of the buttons flickered as if trying to grab her attention.
How am I supposed to figure out how to send a message?
She turned back to ask for help, but as she watched, X's eyes drooped closed. He was losing consciousness.
Once they finish him, they'll come for you.
She was never going to figure out how to call for help in time. She would have to fight, but without a weapon she lacked any chance of winning against the large guards. Sylvie scanned the craft, looking for anything she might use. Nothing.
Dropping to her knees, she noticed a recessed panel under the console display. She stuck her hand in and pried the panel open. Sadly it wasn't a cache of powerful weapons. Wires and conduits ran back and forth, powering this and connecting that.
One of these wires might knock out the lights. Maybe I can find some means of hiding, or I can get the hatch open and swim out... or... or...
She had little faith in any of her options, but doing something was better than letting herself be taken. Maybe she would get lucky and just electrocute herself. She pulled on various wires, using all her weight to rip one out of the maze.
The first one she pulled out made red lights blaze along the hull. Nope. Let's try Door #2. Sylvie grabbed hold of the thickest cord she could find and yanked.
