The Rift Rider

by Mark Oliver

  Charlie learned he could do this in many ways. But his favourite was a karate slice with the back of his glowing hand. It had an appealing touch of the samurai and somehow he always got the best results this way.

  Once formed, the rift shone like a line of diamonds, revealing a glimpse of the Divide beyond it. The white shimmer, soft and hard, alive and beyond life, was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The light and the energy seeping through the rift flowed into Charlie, inviting him in, calling him home. The power of the energy behind the rift was beyond measure, enough to flatten the entire Jajag City in a blink of an eye. But it knew Charlie did not want this, and allowed on a fraction of this force to slip through the rift.

  Each time he opened a rift, his nostrils would tickle with the scent of lemons.

  Charlie ached to enter. But Brother Yojim held him back, communicating with him through the meditative bond that connected their minds. Charlie had more to learn before he could step inside. That final step would have to wait. So instead of crossing through, he would pull himself back from the edge. And the rift, without Charlie's will holding it open, would close in an instance.

  "Can I take someone into the Divide with me?" Charlie asked, as they walked across the beach, the planet's golden star rising over the horizon.

  The robundee shook his head. "No conscious being can survive the Divide. You're the only one. You can take inanimate objects with you, clothes, weapons . . ." he smiled, "even surfboards. But if you take someone with you, they'll life energy will be lost in the Divide. You'll return with an empty shell."

  Charlie frowned. He had planned to destroy the rift engine and abduct Doctor Sree, taking him to Poklawi so that the Corporation could never use his ideas again. Now to stop the Corporation from using the other engines, it looked like he would have to kill the scientist.

  He wondered whether he had it in him to do it. Striking a soldier down in combat was one thing, but murdering a scientist in cold blood was a whole other thing.

  Chapter 25

  Charlie's final training session took place the next evening in the warm comfort of Bei's apartment. He had learned how to connect with the physical world in his key form and how to open a rift. Stepping through would be a breeze. It actually took more effort to remain on the other side. All that remained was for Charlie to learn how to navigate the Divide once he had entered it

  Brother Yojim poured two cups from the pot he kept brewing on the stove and brought them over to the dinner table.

  Charlie took a gulp of the delicious honeyed concoction. "So you're saying once I'm inside all I have to do is think of the person I want to see and the Divide will take me to them? I don't need to do anything myself."

  Brother Yojim laughed. "Envisaging a person, forming a picture of them in your mind's eye so clear as to be almost solid, and willing, with every ounce of your being to find them is, in my opinion, rather something."

  "But I don't have read at any maps or use some kind of navigation device?"

  Again the red man laughed. "I have only seen a shadow of the Divide in my meditation trances. However, I can assure you it is as far from this world as can possibly be. Once inside you will understand that concepts such as right and left, near and far have no place there."

  "Wait. What about this Doctor Sree? I've never met him. How can the Divide take me to him?"

  "It can't. For this to work you have to have met the person you seek, and made some kind of connection. Like I said before, in time you will be able to navigate the Divide without these . . . anchors to the physical realm. But right now you don't have time for that."

  "Then, how the hell am I going to find this Doctor Sree and the rift engine?"

  "The resistance have located the destroyer. When you're ready Bei and Awani are going to take a ship and fly out to the destroyer."

  Charlie stood up. "What? I said I'd do this by myself. There's no need to put them at danger."

  "Charlie, sit down. This has always been the plan. Ever since you so bravely volunteered. That first night while you slept, Bei asked me if you had any hope of pulling it off. I said yes, but you would need his help. I told him what he had to do and he told me to keep quiet about it. He was worried it might put you off your training. That's why they're with the resistance now."

  Charlie sat down. "They won't last five seconds once the destroyer's identified them."

  "That's the plan. They get taken prisoner and once on board the destroyer, you cross into the Divide, locate them, cross back, destroy the rift engine and steal a ship out of there."

  "That's madness. What if they get killed before I cross over?"

  "It was their choice. If you're not happy about, why don't you tell them? " He paused, and gestured to the empty space beside Charlie. "They're only a step a way."

  The challenge jolted Charlie.

  "You're ready, Charlie. Open a rift, and join your friends." The robundee smiled. "Think of the girl. I'm sure you'll have no problems envisaging her."

  "I'm ready?"

  Brother Yojim nodded. "My work is done here. It's time for me to return to Poklawi. If I leave now, I can arrive in time to warn the authorities on Poklawi. Then if the unspeakable happens and your mission fails, at least we'll have time to evacuate the major cities before the attack."

  "I won't fail," Charlie said.

  Brother Yojim placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder and looked deep within his eyes. "I believe in you, Charlie."

  "Will I see you again?"

  The robundee laughed. "Wherever you find yourself, all you have to do is think of me, and you'll be at my side. And I expect to hear about your success before I get anywhere near the Wrake Pass."

  "I don't know how to thank you."

  "Saving my planet would be a good start." He stepped back to give Charlie room. "Now, come on. The clock's ticking."

  Charlie nodded. In a flash of green, he switched form. With a downward slash of his hand he opened a rift in the middle of Bei's apartment. It shimmered white before them. Charlie gave Yojim one final look and stepped out of the Universe.

  At once, Charlie found himself floating in a sea of blazing whiteness. It was just as in his dream. He stood both enormous and miniscule. The freshness of a million lemons tinged the air. How he could smell it without a physical nose, he had no idea. He breathed in the summer scent, not caring.

  All around him, neither close nor far, rollers weaved and rolled, singing songs of love and lost that pricked at Charlie's soul. He recognised a flicker of gold and purple. It was Rayn, the roller that had saved them out in the Pass. In an instance Charlie hovered beside it.

  The last time they had met, the roller had been as large as an office block. But now it was barely twice Charlie's size. It circled him, smiling its gargoyles smile. "Finally, you have come home."

  "Yes. I know the truth now." To Charlie he seemed he was speaking the words. But he knew this was an illusion. Their communication was part telepathy, part energy transfer, and part convergence of spirits.

  "There are many who wish to see you. But I sense you cannot stay with us this time. Something draws you back."

  "I have a promise to keep."

  "Then go well, brother. Know that you are welcome here and that our ancients now know of your return. One day they will call you, and when they do, you must answer the call. For though you have come far, there is much for you to learn."

  And then the roller was gone, fading away into the white expanse.

  Charlie turned his attention inwards. In his mind a vision of Awani took shape. He pictured her smile, the spark of mischief in her eyes and the river of hair pouring down her back. He heard her laughter. Deep down in his glowing bones, he wanted her.

  The whiteness flickered. It grew dim. A mist of shadow rose around him. In its centre, sat Awani. A table appeared in front of her, and beside her a chair lay vacant.

  Charlie hovered over the seat. Then with one green hand, he reached out for her hand. The skin was soft to
the touch. The chair grew hard beneath him.

  She turned, and looked at him, her eyes disbelieving. "Charlie?"

  Chapter 26

  "Can you believe what they've got down here?" Awani shouted over the music.

  Charlie looked around the underground hall. A legion of electric lamps, flashing every colour of the rainbow, dangled overhead, illuminating the tables of food arranged around the edges of a packed dance floor. At one end, an orange-furred dwarf stood atop two van-sized speakers. He waved a tiny hand in the air while he mixed with his other. The music blasting out of them made German Techno sound like nursery rhymes.

  The party, swiftly organised and generously supplied despite the spartan conditions of resistance underground life, had been Commander Boon's idea. When the resistance leader heard that Charlie had materialised right in the centre of their deepest network of tunnels, he rushed to greet him. This display of power, the man confessed, had removed the last of his doubts. In his eyes Charlie had already saved Poklawi and struck a definitive blow to the Corporation.

  The mission was set to go ahead in the early hours of the following morning. But first the resistance would host the grandest leaving party the tunnels had ever seen.

  Charlie was not sure about grandest, but it was definitely the loudest party he had ever attended. And he was no stranger to the Swansea's sweaty clubs and illicit open-air raves.

  Charlie stuck the end of his index finger in his ear and shook. To talk he had to scream at the top of his lungs. "It's a bit loud, isn't it?"

  "Don't they have parties on your planet?"

  By the time Charlie worked out what she had said, she was already leading him towards the hall exit.

  As they walked, hand in hand, Charlie caught sight of Bullet Nipples. She stood to one side, alone. Her black eyes pursued him across the hall. Charlie wondered how long she had been watching him.

  "So, are you all set for tomorrow?" Charlie asked. They were sat in Awani's room, Charlie on the bed and Awani on the desk facing him. The room was tiny, and contained only the bed, the small desk and a mirror. It reminded him of his first year room at university.

  Awani nodded. "Two resistance pilots have volunteered to come up with us. They'll follow our progress from afar in a modified smuggler craft, one elusive enough to avoid detection. The moment the destroyer pulls us in, they'll message back here. Then the rest is up to you."

  "Not too much pressure then."

  Awani smiled. "I've seen what you can do. They've got no chance." She stepped forward. "Now stop worrying. We've got a few more hours before I fly out." She pulled her top over her head. She wore nothing underneath it. "I don't intend to spend it jabbering."

  Charlie swallowed and reached forward.

  Later, Charlie pulled his arm from beneath the sleeping girl. He sat up on the edge of the bed. His clothes lay on a heap on the floor. He slipped them on.

  She stirred, opening sleep filled eyes. "Where are you going?"

  "I'll be back," he whispered. "I promise."

  He leaned over and kissed the girl's cheek. Then he got to his feet.

  The change and the rift came as one. He was through it in a heartbeat.

  Dr Sree was doing his upmost to avoid having to look at Executive Ko. They sat behind the closed rear doors of the armoured hover carrier. Beside them, two rows of helmeted fringes extended into the vehicle.

  The tight confines gave him a most unpleasant sensation of claustrophobia. He took quick breaths to calm himself. It made his nose whistle. He hoped the agent would act soon. He did not know how much more he could take. And retching on Ko's shoes would have unpleasant consequences.

  Theirs was one of several military hovers occupying the ground floor of the Jajag city office block. To a passer-by the building looked like any other. Yet within it was hidden one of only a dozen entrances to the resistance's underground tunnel network.

  A series of bangs brought the scientist's attention to the hover truck parked beside him. Its metal shell shuddered from the impact of the creatures inside. Ko had insisted that they use a squad of droogs during the mission.

  The work beasts, created by splicing the genes of Mujak's deadliest underground hunter with those of a common house marm, were the most effective hunters in the Corporation's kennels. It was well known that Ko loved using them. They combined the ferociousness of the hunter with the suicidal loyalty of a marm.

  Doctor Sree had never seen them in action. Watching them ram the side of the truck in frenzied anticipation, he felt a curious blend of curiosity and disgust at the prospect of seeing them in use against the resistance.

  "That device of yours Doctor better work," Executive Ko said, cutting through his thoughts. "If this operation fails-"

  The scientist interrupted her before she could finish. "If I fail, nothing. Lade still needs me to run the rift engine."

  The Executive laughed. It was a bitter sound, one that made him think of the droogs caged up outside. "There are certain parts of your body I could remove without having any affect on your day to day performance. The Chief has given me the authority to make such removals."

  The scientist swallowed. By now he should have learned not to push the woman too far. "Have faith in science, Executive. I've already activated the energy distorter."

  He held up his forearm. A slab of metal covered his right arm, from wrist to elbow. It contained two cylinders of glowing white light. "This has a ten block range. If he's where the mole says he is, his abilities have been neutralised."

  The rear door swung open. Ko's second in command, a stocky female soldier, her face covered in thick stubble, stood looking in. A ripple of excitement ran through the vehicle. "Ma'am, the agent has opened the tunnel entrance."

  The Executive's jaw shuddered, the noise making the scientist wince.

  "Excellent," she said and stepped out of the truck. "Remember we want him alive. His woman too. The pink one. She might prove useful collateral."

  Doctor Sree followed the executive out of the hover, thankful to breathe even Seenthee's rotten air.

  In the Old Penarthian's clubhouse, Tim Davies pushed his way to the bar, squeezing between two heavily proportioned rugby players, until he had one elbow on the bar. Even wedged in between the two behemoths, he managed to a sway a little. He knew that from this point on in the night, each successive round of drinks would double the pain of his hangover. Yet, the clock read 10:45 and he had fifteen minutes of drink purchasing time remaining.

  The barman greeted him with a pint of HB before he had even placed his order. Tim stood speechless. A free round in opposition territory was unheard of in these parts. A mistake, he thought, and smiled ruefully, ready to take a gulp.

  When the barman gestured to the man standing at the opposite end of the bar, the Welshman almost spilled his pint. For there standing with a satisfied smile on his face was Charlie Scott. He was alive and wearing some poncy silk outfit.

  "Where the hell have you been?" Tim asked, his beer still untouched. "We thought you had drowned."

  Charlie took a sip of his beer. "I got a new job."

  "What?"

  "Yeah. I had to leave town straight away."

  "Bollocks."

  "It's true."

  "People don't skip town on foot, leaving all their belongings behind in an unlocked van. I don't care how much the job pays."

  "Look, Tim. I didn't come here to argue. I haven't seen you for weeks. Can't we just enjoy a beer together? I don't have much time. I've got to get back to my . . . job."

  "I want to know what the hell's going on. I've been out my mind with worry. I'm your best mate. I deserve the truth."

  "You won't believe me."

  "I don't believe you now. So what difference will it make?"

  The two friends stared at each other. All around them the room bustled with chatter and laughter. But they may just as well have been standing in an empty concert hall. "Okay," Charlie said. "Follow me."

  Tim followed his flatm
ate out onto the unlit rugby pitch. And there beneath the night clouds of Penarth, Tim saw something he would never forget. One moment his friend was standing in front of him, all flesh and bone, and the next he was aglow, shining a green so bright he had to turn his eyes away.

  Tim glanced at the clubhouse to see if anyone was watching. But nobody had noticed the incredible events taking place outside. When he turned back, Charlie was his usual pasty, fleshy self.

  "How?"

  "It's a long story, mate. And I told you I have to get back soon."

  "Give me the short version, then. You owe me that at least."

  Charlie stroked his chin, and smiled. "Okay. The short version. But no interruptions."

  Out there in the South Wales drizzle Charlie whizzed through the events, barely stopping to catch breath. The night surf, his capture, escape, the days spent as a concubine, Awani, Bei and Brother Yojim, the change to key form, his true parentage and his mission to end the Corporation attack, it flowed out of Charlie in a torrent of words.

  When Charlie was done, Tim put a hand on his friends shoulder. "Don't go back, mate. It's too dangerous."

  "I made a promise."

  "Since when did you give a shit about promises?"

  "I'm not that guy anymore. I've changed."

  Tim shook his head. "To my mind you've got two choices. You can stay here with your real friends, living the life you've always lived, or you can go back and get your arse killed fighting for people you didn't even know two weeks ago. Doesn't seem like much of choice to me."

  Charlie said nothing.

  "Come on, mate. Your home is here."

  Charlie looked at the pint glass in his hand. He reached down and touched the grass of the playing pitch. "I have missed this place. That's no lie."

  "It's missed you too, mate." Tim reached out and patted his friend's shoulder, somewhat awkwardly. "You know in half a year you can save almost enough for your surf trip. If you stay, I'll lend you the rest. Promise."