Nothing new. Government as usual.
“Drew?” Laura, Drew’s mom, walked in from the kitchen, arms folded across her chest, lips pursed. He’d been having these hallucinations since she died. He didn’t know if it was because of the lack of weed he’d been sucking into his lungs or if it was because his brain, his mind, his body was trying to cope with her death.
“Care to put that bong down?” She stepped over a pile of clothes and grabbed a hold of the bong, setting it down on the only bare spot on the coffee table. “It’s time to go.”
He stared at her, open eyed, mouth agape.
He decided to talk to her this time, though he knew this was a figment of his own imagination. Maybe his brain would answer for her, would give him the explanation he needed. “You think you could have told me? Maybe gave me a warning? A hint that you didn’t have Alzheimer's this entire time? I could have gotten to know you.”
Laura put her hands on her hips. “We can talk about this on our way.”
On our way? Way to where? His mind wasn’t cooperating. Drew sat up, his nostrils flaring. “No, we talk about this now.”
Her tone softened. “Who knows what would have happened to you or to me had Slade known I didn’t have Alzheimer’s?”
She would be dead long ago, like she was now.
She bent over and tossed a shirt on Drew’s lap, tapping her foot. She held her chin high. “Get packing. We have a long road ahead.”
“A long road where?”
She stiffened. “I know you’re a genius and all, but what about not having a government hasn’t gotten into that genius brain of yours? Who is going to step into the power vacuum? And, by God, who is going to restore food flow, electricity, and water if that goes offline? There are a million scenarios in play here, Drew. We need to act swiftly. You’re the one who’s going to make it safe for humanity.”
She vanished before Drew could respond. He laughed so hard he blew snot out of one nostril. It was just like mom to say he was going to save the world.
“Not the world, Drew. The world can take care of herself. You need to worry about humanity. We’re teetering on the brink of self-annihilation. You’re the only one who can stop what’s coming.”
He took a hit and looked back at the TV.
WNN news started again, Connor looking deep into the camera lens. “As the stock market plummeted yet again today, we have more sobering news. Reports are coming from our agents in China claiming that China has amassed a large fleet and is sailing out of Zhanjiang. Chinese President Biming Chen was there to witness the event, calling this “an historical event.” The North Korean leader, Kim Kye Kwan, was by his side. Chinese President Biming Chen never made clear which historical event he was speaking about.” He cleared his throat. “As of now, we don’t have any reports as to where the fleet will be going or why. All we know is that this is the largest fleet to ever leave the Zhanjiang Naval Base. Our attempts to contact China, Russia, and Britain for any information in regards to the fleet have been met with silence.”
“They aren’t wasting any time. We are free game,” Drew said. His mom didn’t reappear, but he knew he was supposed to go somewhere; do something. Reluctantly, he put down his bong and got dressed. “Don’t say I never listen to you, mom. I’m listening all the time.” He slipped his sneakers on. “Now, where to?”
8
J-Quadrant, Solar System ~ Callisto
Bogle awoke on a hard floor. The smell of roses wafting in the air. The Being loomed. He wore a long piece of white fabric like the ancient Greeks wore, held in place by hefty pin at the shoulder and a futuristic belt full of colorful buttons around its waist. He held a rose in his hand, repeatedly extending it to her.
She shook her head, slapping the rose out of his hand. It was a trap, a trick, a way to get her to let down her guard. It was the devil’s own work, tempting her with simple beauty. She didn’t want the thorns of death anywhere near her.
He reached into his tunic, pulling out a purple hexagonal crystal about the size of a quarter. He crouched, touched his chest with the crystal, then pointed at her.
Her stomach clenched. What did he want? Was he going to incinerate her with a flipping crystal?
He touched his helmet. The air hissed out as if a seal was coming unlocked. Using both hands, he pulled off his helmet. He was definitely a man. He had sandy-blond hair and gleaming blue eyes, a short mustache and beard. He was healthy. Beyond healthy. His skin glowed and he moved fluidly, as if no pain had ever entered his joints and muscles.
He held out the crystal with one hand, pointing to her chest with the other. He spoke, his tone strong, “Locus de pectore.”
“What? I don’t understand.”
The soft beeps of the ship’s small bridge filled the air. Computer-like holographic displays were set back into what appeared to be a large cockpit. The cockpit window was just above the displays, and the remnants of Star Warden floated off in the distance in front of Jupiter. The planet’s tan-glow lit the dark void all around.
Her stomach jumped to her throat and she vomited again, remembering the dying, spinning men and women sucked out of the Star Carrier. Everyone was dead. They had to be. She still didn’t know her status – dead or alive? Hell or some weird-ass afterlife that she wanted no part of?
She glanced back at the man. Was he truly a demon here to take her to hell’s bottomless fire pit? Was God testing her one last time? She needed to be strong; to keep the faith.
The Being narrowed his eyes, bringing his brows down in concentration. “Locus de pectore.”
She shook her head again, wiping the vomit from her lips. “I don’t – ”
He leaned forward, quickly placing the crystal on her chest, right up against her sternum. A sharp sting pricked at her. She yelped, then relaxed as a calm vibration moved up her neck and into her brain.
“I wanted you to place the crystallo fabrica on your chest,” he said. “But as we have little time, I took the forward step and placed it for you. You will forgive the intrusion.”
She scooted backwards on her butt, surprised she understood him. At a safe distance, she stopped. “Wha…who…?”
He smiled and touched his heart, pulling down his cloth to reveal his bare chest. The same type of crystal was attached to him. “A crystallo fabrica energetically connects into your heart and to the superior temporal gyrus of your brain – your communication area. There it rewires your synapses, allowing my communication to become your communication, and vice versa. As you can see, my voice is my voice, but my lips aren’t moving in sync with the words you hear.”
She touched her chest, pressing on the crystal. It gave her energy, vital life. She was just as afraid of keeping it on as she was of taking it off. No longer did she think he was a demon. She was immersed in peace, in calm. Maybe that’s what demons do, how they draw you in and take your soul – with trust.
She scrunched up her face and pulled away. “Where am I?”
“You’re on my craft, Telu Ignis. I was able to save your life. Any later and you would not have lived.” He spoke matter of factually, though with a tone of compassion.
“Who are you?” Bogle questioned.
He pounded his chest, one warrior to another. He stood straight, proud. “In my language, I am Stellam Matu, in service to the Law of One and to all Beings across the Galaxy. In your language, I am Morning Star.”
She touched her chest, her palm against the crystal. “I’m – ”
“I know who you are, Captain Katherine Bogle. Welcome to Atlantis Alta. I’ll be taking you to my home city, Aurora Diluv. Or in your words, Flood of Dawn. We have been waiting a long time for you. You will guide Kaden Jaxx and the others home.”
9
M-Quadrant, Solar System ~ Starship Atlantis
“Admiral Quarters is past the grand deck lobby and the President’s Suite.” Shaughnessy tipped his head to the side. “Follow me.”
Jaxx’s steel-tipped shoes echoed off the walls of t
he lobby’s alabaster marble. He slipped his shoes off and padded after Shaugnessy, hoping his sweaty footprints would evaporate as soon as they’d cleared the grand deck. Wouldn’t do to leave a trail. They snaked through swanky hallways and past Doric columns which held up plaster friezes of the ancient gods. Zeus reclined, in his usual way, on an insubstantial cloud; Poseidon stormed the churning waves with his trident at the ready; and Aphrodite graced their path with rose petals, limes, pomegranates, and sea shells. Someone had spent a lot of damned money making sure the corridors leading to the Presidential Suite looked suitably presidential.
“We’re here.” Shaughnessy was sweating and more pasty than usual. Jaxx could practically see Shaughnessy’s heart beating through his shirt.
“How are you going to get us in?” asked Jaxx, leaning his forearm against the wall.
Shaughnessy put his finger up. “Shh…” He punched in a code. “I hacked his code the first hour on the ship.” He grinned, sweat dripping off his cheek. “I hacked the President’s, too.”
The door opened, sliding vertically upward. Stepping inside, the door closed. “Why would you do that?” inquired Jaxx.
Shaughnessy shrugged as they slipped into the Admiral’s Quarters.
In front of them was a Lecturn, something Jaxx had never seen before. It was round with computer chips, lenses, and lights sitting under a thick glass.
Jaxx rubbed his hands together and looked over his shoulder and at the door. Slade was on his way. He’d left Captain Fox to hunt Rivkah and was headed towards them. “Hurry. Turn it on.”
Shaughnessy put his hand under the table and the display lit up, a holographic image of a keyboard and folder icons projected above the table.
Jaxx frowned. “Now what?” He looked over his shoulder again, pinching the ridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes tight.
Shaughnessy touched an icon, talking to himself, though audible enough for Jaxx to hear. “We just pull up the terminal.” He typed something to the right of the command prompt. “Type in, Adaptive Boost.” A new icon appeared inside the hologram, one with a rainbow of lights turning into a spiral. He moved his finger over the icon, tapping on it, his finger partially going through. “This will detect energetic anomalies. It’s like a space Doppler system, detecting Alfven waves, which are magnetic waves from coronal mass ejections from the sun. In a sense, it locates any possible space turbulence, or plasma turbulence, that this ship may pass through and tells the captain of the ship where to steer clear.” He snuck a look at Jaxx. “That’s what you’re looking for, isn’t it? You’re looking for energetic anomalies that suggest a portal…”
Jaxx was impressed. He’d always known Shaugnessy was smart, but he’d seriously underestimated just how smart his friend was. He hadn’t said a word about believing the glyphs indicated there was a portal, but somehow Shaugnessy had worked it out.
Jaxx smiled. “Do you think the captain or anyone else sees any vortexes from this Doppler program?”
“If they saw energy that swirled in one place, then you betcha they have. My guess is they don’t know what the hell it means because they aren’t scientists, so they’d just steer clear of it...” He pressed on another holographic icon. “Here, I’ll show you the Alven waves.”
Jaxx glanced at the door. “No, no. No need. Just need to know exactly where those vortexes are.” He tapped his finger on his leg, willing Shaugnessy to pick up the pace.
The hologram displayed Mars, stars, and waves of energy pulsing off the ship’s course. Shaughnessy jabbed a finger at one of the energetic waves, ignoring Jaxx’s objection. “Those are Alfven waves. Imagine plucking a guitar string. You send waves up and down that string. That’s what you’re seeing right there, except a finger ain’t plucking that string. The sun is.” He swirled his finger on an energy pattern next to Mars. “And you see that?”
Jaxx’s eyebrows rose. That had to be a vortex – one of the star portals. It spun clockwise. It was faint, but there. “The vortex.”
Shaughnessy smiled. “Yep, your star portal.”
Jaxx eyed the door yet again. “How do I map this and keep it on hand?”
“And do what with it?”
“Actually, if I want to see the map in a starfighter, how do I put this in a helmet’s system or in the starfighter’s holographic display console?” There had to be a reason the Secret Space Program had taught him to fly starfighters. Perhaps this was it. Perhaps it was finally coming together. Perhaps he was the bridge between Callisto and Earth? Perhaps he was the one who would bring a lasting peace?
Shaughnessy shot Jaxx a look, his lips pressing together. “Don’t do it, Jaxx. I like you better alive than dead.”
Jaxx put his hands on his hips. “If I need to escape or if all hell breaks loose and the ship is falling apart, you and I can get out of here in a transport craft and slip through one of those star portals. I can fly these things, you know. Like a damned boss.”
Shaugnessy looked off, thinking. “Alright.” He let out a loud, sighing breath. “This program is in every craft, though no jock pilot ever uses it. Just command the holographic display for Adaptive Boost. The program will come up.” He leaned on the edge of the Lecturn, accidentally pressing a button.
The display beeped on. An admiral came on the holographic screen.
Jaxx lurched back, waiting for the admiral to ask them who they were, what they were doing, and why Slade wasn’t in the room. Instead, the admiral was already in discussion, as if they had accidentally joined in on a three-way call.
Jaxx turned his ear toward the screen. He could hear two other people talking in the background. He listened intently. It was Slade and the President of the United States. They were talking with this admiral.
Jaxx gently jabbed Shaughnessy with his elbow. “What are we looking at?”
Before Shaugnessy could reply, the holovid relayed pictures of a ship breaking apart just above Callisto.
The holivid blipped out.
Shaughnessy shut the Lecturn off, his face pale. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Did you see what I saw?” Jaxx grabbed Shaughnessy by the shoulder.
“I saw a fleet ship going down in flames. I saw guns, strafing, blasters, nukes.”
Jaxx shook uncontrollably; the notes inside him jangling at an alarming rate. It wasn’t just that the star ship had been blown out of the sky. It was that panel, sliding off the side of the ship; the nuclear warhead easing its way out of the dock. “We have to warn them. We have to warn those on Callisto that we’re coming for them.”
Shaughnessy’s lips moved, but no words came out. Finally, he said, “I’m sorry, Jaxx. We can’t. I can’t allow that. They were hostile. They fucked up that big ship. We don’t know –”
Jaxx blinked away the tears. He was a man at war with himself. His brain said one thing, but his heart said another. He’d seen the guns of Callisto take down a human vessel and was horrified, but he was just as alarmed by what that ship had been planning to do to Callisto. “They were provoked.”
Shaughnessy tried to move away from Jaxx and head for the door, but he was rooted to the spot.
“We have to warn them that the Secret Space Program is coming. You have to listen to me. We have to –” Anger overtook Jaxx and his emotions boiled, juicing through his veins. A guttural yell came up from his belly. He lifted Shaughnessy off the ground and flung him toward a wall, slamming him against it. Shaughnessy’s head whipped back, his eyes closed as he slid down the wall and to the floor, his head slumping to one side.
Jaxx fell to his knees, out of breath. He reached for Shaughnessy but was too far away to touch him, to help him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean –”
The door opened. Slade strode across the room and slammed his foot down on Shaugnessy’s neck. “Give me one good reason not to kill this good-for-nothing worm.”
“He’s the only one who knows the whole code,” said Jaxx. It was a lie, but he couldn’t bear the thought of his friend dying. “I need hi
m if I’m going to decode the rest of your stupid glyphs.”
10
Charlotte, North Carolina ~ Earth
Drew took a drag, holding the ganja smoke in as long as he could. He’d only made it as far as the door before turning back and heading for his couch. No one in their right mind believes their dead mother when she tells them they are supposed to trek out into the High Sierras or wherever it was she said he was supposed to go in order to get a message from his Uncle Jaxx, so he could steer mankind to its next “platform.” Even his hallucinations had started using weird vocab. It was hella good fun, as long as he didn’t take it seriously. He exhaled and stared at the ugly-ass popcorn ceiling. He should write a book. People loved this kind of conspiracy shit. He put his nice, plump doobie to his ever-ready lips and took a long, hard inward-facing breath.
A message popped on his laptop screen and Drew practically coughed out a lung. It was from Starwanderer3 – Michael Anderle, the ex-NASA weapons specialist – the converse wearing geek and hacker friend from the darknet. The problem was, Anderle was supposed to be in prison.
The message was coded, reading:
Mo...Cha...Tse...D-ha...D-ha...Tse...A-chin...A-kha...A-kha...Ah-tad...Tse. Next line. Ah-jad...A-kha...A-kha...Jad-ho-loni...A-kha...Shi-da...D-ah. Next line. 1...1...6. Space. Ne-as-jah. Space. Nas-pas. End dialogue. Do not reply.
Drew’s mouth dropped. His joint landed in his lap. He slowly picked up the joint and placed it on the coffee table without taking his eyes off the screen, reading the code Anderle had sent. It was a Navajo code, though changed in Hijax Hacker Format, HHF. Anything starting with an “A” could have a completely different meaning or mean exactly what it purported to mean. It depended on the last letter in the message. The last word was “reply,” the last letter “y,” which meant “A” was not changed. It read, “Chattanooga. Next line. Lookout. Next line. 116 Owl Way. End dialogue. Do not reply.”
Atlantis Quadrilogy - Box Set Page 31
