by Terry Mixon
“Such as New Zealand? It’s a beautiful place, but a little small, don’t you think?”
“Yet it’s very close to the Republic of Nauru. And let’s not discount Australia and Japan. With China being so close to us, we need friends in our back pocket.”
Clayton sighed. The island he’d literally bought control of was very close indeed. “Well, I suppose it’s a little late for me to complain if you’ve already begun the process. Have you?”
Jess nodded. “I explained the basic situation to the leader of the team searching for you. She’s seen the inside the base and is aware of the gates. She’s up top right now, probably calling her bosses. We can expect company before too much longer.”
“Then I suppose I should join her and begin making some phone calls.”
She pulled the phone out of her pocket and handed it to him. “This is one of your quantum devices. Apparently it doesn’t need cell towers.”
He smiled. “Ah, I’d wondered when these would become available. If you’d be so kind, please make certain someone escorts our new friends as they go to the other floors. I don’t want anyone becoming lost. If they wander away before we leave, they might become trapped here.”
“The buddy system. Got it. I’ll make sure everyone stays in sight of everyone else.”
Clayton watched her walk back over to the growing crowd and begin calling for their attention. He didn’t pay specific attention to what she was telling them, though. His mind was racing with other thoughts. Trying to consider what options made the best sense.
Obviously, he’d have to stay here in New Zealand. He had to be here in order for the surrounding governments to trust him. He’d rather not have revealed the existence of this base, even in its ruined condition, but he supposed that would play out better in the long run.
The sad thing was that the government of New Zealand would probably invalidate the sale of the sheep station he’d bought here. That was a real pity. He truly loved the land around this base and wished it could remain among his holdings.
Well, there was no use crying over spilt milk.
The first person he needed to call was his assistant. Clayton was going to need a lot of help to make sure the situation didn’t spin out of control. The man could send as many bodies as he needed to talk to the various bureaucrats and elected officials.
In fact, he made a mental note to snag Penny to assist him before they arrived. And after. She was very astute and knew many of the local players.
He’d take her with him to the top of the mesa as soon as he finished this call. It was now their job to delay anyone from going below until Harry had seen everyone into the base and sealed that damned cave from the Asharim.
Jess would then take them all to the base in France. They might go elsewhere after that, but Clayton wasn’t in a position to make decisions relating to that. Not until he’d been briefed on everything he’d missed.
With any luck, the authorities would get this wrecked base, but none of the people inside it. If Jess took the controller he saw attached to the gate with her, the entire thing would be useless.
But was that what he really wanted?
Perhaps Jess was right. If they went out of their way to show the surrounding governments what they had access to, those people would strongly defend this area. If he made a deal to share some of the technology, they would protect his interests in the region as well.
Yes, that was probably the best course of action.
The call he’d just dialed went through and his assistant picked up. Clayton immediately launched into a list of what he needed and where he needed it. Time was critically short.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kathleen Bennett stared curiously at the ruined city around them as their party exited the massive building that anchored the space elevator. The lines of the surrounding structures were distinctly different from what she was used to on Earth. Much like the inhabitants she had met, the buildings were tall and wide.
Even though they were standing, the buildings were no longer being maintained, that much was obvious. Some had huge cracks along their faces and others were missing windows that made their sides look like empty skulls.
Still, the technical capabilities of the builders were evident in that the buildings still stood at all.
Their hosts—or perhaps their captors, depending on how one viewed their circumstances—led her son and her through wide boulevards that did not seem designed for ground traffic.
Even though long overgrown, it was obvious the spaces between buildings had been meant for growing things. Perhaps the entire city had once sported wide parks between the skyscrapers. She imagined it had been quite beautiful in its heyday.
Kerrick Vidar noted her gaze. “Do you not have cities such as this on your world?”
She shrugged. “Yes and no. We have large cities, but the buildings are not as tall and strong. On the other hand, ours aren’t empty, either.”
The man seemed to consider that for a long moment as they walked. “Our people once lived in the city. Or perhaps I should say near it.
“The Masters and their favored servants were the true occupants. My people either served in ships in orbit or lived and trained at military bases in the surrounding lands.”
“And that changed when something befell the Asharim?”
“War. The Masters found themselves in a conflict with another species. The time between the discovery of these others and the war that followed was short. The Masters tried to prepare and use the forces they had available, but they suffered greatly.”
Kathleen didn’t need to look around to see that was true. “Did they win?”
“I assume not, since they have never returned. Neither do I believe they lost. Surely those who sought to replace them would not have left us unmolested. The priests insist the Masters will one day return.”
She tried to imagine what must’ve happened in the city around them and failed. “If the Masters and their trusted servants lived here, where did they go?”
“They used their gates to depart when things began turning against them. They left others to command us. Then they locked their gates and trapped us all here.”
“Why haven’t your people used the elevator to go to the station in orbit around your planet? You do know there is one up there, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “Our ancestors did, hoping to find a way back to our home. Some great battle had taken place around this world and all the ships were gone. Only wreckage remained. Once that was known, there was little need to return.”
Rather than engage him in further conversation, she let some time pass in silence. They quickly exited the center of the city and found an area cleared of buildings. It didn’t appear there had ever been buildings here.
“What was this originally used for?” she asked.
“A large park, I believe. The city had many.”
“I thought the areas between buildings were parks.”
He shook his head. “Not precisely, but the vegetation in the parks expanded to fill that space as well.”
Part of the area ahead of them was being used to raise crops, Kathleen noted. Other sections held relatively primitive buildings. Like rustic villages back on Earth.
Men, women, and children waved cheerfully at the group as they passed. The men were built much like her new friends. The women, oddly enough, were more slender, though still stocky.
“Why are your men so much larger than your women?”
He laughed. “Because we were designed that way. As warriors, the men had to be very, very strong and imposing. Intimidation of our foes before the fighting ever started was one method to win. The Masters understood that.
“The strength of our women is quiet, subtle. Do not mistake that for weakness, though. They were bred to live on worlds with several times the gravity you feel now. They are as strong as the men, in their own way.”
He let that sink in for a moment before he continued.
> “Tell me how you came to our world. Obviously, you came from the station above. Did you use one of the Master’s gates to get there or do you have a ship?”
Unsure of how much to tell the man, she glanced at her son. He couldn’t understand any of the conversation. He seemed just to be watching the area around them as they walked.
His expression told her he was very unhappy at their current circumstances. She couldn’t blame him. They’d come down in the world.
Rather than consult him, she made the decision to be honest with their host. Not completely honest, mind you. Only a fool did that. Yet, the best lies were ones planted in beds of truth.
“Yes. We arrived inside a ship that is still in orbit around this world. We’ve come seeking allies in a war to control the home world. The place the Masters took you from.”
The news didn’t seem to disturb him, but it didn’t seem he was very interested it, either. He walked in silence beside her for the next few minutes and she let him stew.
Finally, he spoke. “While it is not my place to make that kind of decision for the People, I would still know more of the enemy you face. You have just arrived and the People do not know you.”
She gave him her most practiced, open smile. “I’ll tell you everything, when the time is right. Who makes decisions like those for the People? Your priests?”
He nodded. “Anything involving the Masters must be decided by the priests. While you are not the Masters, you come from off world. They will see your presence as a sign. All that remains is for them to determine if it is for good or ill.
“When the time for fighting comes, I lead. Thankfully, the art of conducting war is one we still practice. The priests insist it remain so, since one day we may have to serve the Masters again.”
“Tell me about the priests. What kind of people are they?”
Vidar shrugged. “The ways of priests are not for common folk like me. They spend their lives in contemplation of the Masters. I warn you that they do not have much in the way of humor about them. They are very single minded in their goal to see the Masters returned to rule over us.”
She could tell he didn’t feel very enthused about that prospect. He was giving lip service to the Asharim, but Vidar would probably be pleased if they’d been exterminated. Personally, she shared his opinion.
So, the key to gaining allies on this world were the priests. If she could convince them that helping her take Earth would be a step toward returning the Masters—their gods, she imagined—to power over them, then she might be able to get them to provide military force that no one back home could resist.
Inside, she smiled. Finally, something she could manipulate to her benefit. These rubes should be a piece of cake.
* * * * *
Jess’s stomach was rumbling by the time Harry ushered the last of the refugees through the gate and onto Earth. There’d been a lot more of them than she’d expected. She wasn’t certain how much of the abandoned base was occupied now, but it had to be a lot.
There’s been a loud explosion and then the unmistakable rumble of falling stone just before he and the Navy officer came through. She’d known his intent to collapse the cave entrance, but the noise was far too similar to the cave in at the Mayan pyramid for her taste. That still gave her nightmares.
He shut the gate down and entered the code for the French base as she held up her phone for him to read the address. Once the wormhole stabilized, he turned to the woman dressed like a pirate.
“The base on the other side of this is in our hands. We still haven’t finished cleaning it up or exploring it. My brother—who is not a nice person, by the way—fought some other bad people there recently, so be warned there’s still blood on the floor.”
Jess suspected the warning had been meant for her, too. It must still be pretty bad.
“I have seen battle before,” the woman said. “What remains of the dead and dying is never a pretty sight, but we shall persevere. When will we be able to return to our homes?”
Harry shrugged. “We’ve got to give them time to back off. It’ll also take a little while for me to gather enough men with modern weapons to take and hold the terrain around the hill. Once we can do that safely, we’ll bring your people back through.”
“I note you do not give the estimate I requested. I understand your uncertainty, but are we speaking of days, weeks, or months? I have my people to consider. If we are gone too long, the Asharim will strike at our homes. They are well defended, but without this army, our families are in unnecessary peril.”
“Days,” Harry said firmly. “A week at most. I can’t imagine it being any longer than that.”
“And I accept that circumstances may alter your intentions. Man plans and God laughs.”
Jess understood that sentiment. She stepped over to the gate and motioned for them to follow. “Let’s get you set up inside the other base. Once we have everyone across, I’ll see about getting food and supplies. We’ll have medics come in to help the injured.”
She knew for certain they had many of those. The fighting to get to the hill must’ve been ugly. Some of the humans from the other world had been shot. A glance at the makeshift sick area told her that not everyone was going to make it. Some had already died.
Standing around thinking about it wasn’t going to help them, though. She needed to get this in motion.
Getting everyone moved through the gate they’d just come through took longer than Jess would’ve liked. She supposed the lack of people shooting at them sapped some of the urgency this time.
In the end, it took almost an hour to get everyone into the French base. Thankfully, it was much easier to move people around here with the power on. Though the concept of elevators seemed like sorcery to the newcomers.
Sandra Dean and her sniper team had come inside the base to assist with triage for the wounded. They’d used one of the other gates to connect with Freedom Express and bring in every doctor and medic they had there.
As soon as the triage was complete, they’d move the wounded to Freedom Express to expedite their treatment.
The floor and walls of the large gate room had splashes and pools of blood. The bodies had been removed, but the evidence of carnage was everywhere. The smell was terrible. She added cleaning supplies and hands—willing or not—to her list of things to bring in.
The Volunteer military officer, General Norris, stepped over to her as soon as things were well in hand.
“Someone called this place ‘the French base.’ Does it in fact belong to our allies?”
Unlike far too many Americans these days, Jess had studied her history lessons hard. The French had been allies in the American rebellion against King George.
“Not precisely,” she said softly. “The base is inside France, but the people here are unaware of it. Hardly anyone on Earth knows about the Asharim. That’s going to change in the relatively near future, but for now, we’re keeping the location of this base a secret.
“And unfortunately, the France you’ve heard about in your stories is a much different place these days. Do you know about Islam?”
The man shrugged. “I’ve seen it mentioned in our writings. None of its practitioners came across with the Volunteers.”
That surprised her a little, but she really didn’t know how many Muslims had been in revolutionary America. “Like many religions, most Muslims are good people. Unfortunately, in the world we live in today, there are far too many using Islam—or rather its perversion—as an excuse to commit mass atrocities and murder.
“France has a large Muslim community. Again, mostly good people that just want to live their lives in peace. Yet the non-believers have been targeted by radicalized militants intent on overthrowing the French government and forming a caliphate.
“They of course want to take over the entire world in the process and murder anyone that doesn’t agree with their ideas. The French people—Muslim and non—are fighting back against them, but I’m not sure how
this is going to turn out.”
The man looked crestfallen. “Oh, how I wish our people could lend them the same help that they offered us in our time of need. Yet, if you, with your own powerful weapons, are unable to stem the tide, I’m uncertain what we can do.
“Yet I shall speak of this with Susanna. We must consider our options carefully. If there is some way that we can return the great boon that France once gave America, then we must work diligently to discover it.”
That was a lot more help than modern America seemed willing to give the French people. They’d become isolationists, turning their backs on the world.
That would probably change once the mad scramble for the Asharim technology began in earnest, but she wouldn’t hold her breath that things worked out well for the French people.
Well, that was something far beyond her control.
“Let’s get everybody settled in and start bringing food for them,” she said. “It’s probably been a long time since you last ate. It probably won’t be long before Harry comes looking for you. There’s someone he wants you to meet.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
It was after dinnertime when Brenda’s people located the unknown heavy-worlders again. They’d moved to a restaurant on the other side of the neighborhood. Or perhaps they were just having something to eat and not using the place as a base of operations. Until they watched the men for a while, it would be hard to tell.
They had no reason to suspect that anyone would recognize their genealogy on sight. Hell, they probably had never even suspected there were others of their kind on Earth.
Their kind. That wasn’t exactly fair. They were as human as the other people around them. Just enhanced.
She still wasn’t sure what the men were looking for. Did they have a description of her? She wasn’t sure how they’d have gotten it, unless they’d stolen it from the US government. She was the top of the most wanted list, after all.
That made the most sense. If they knew about the Asharim technology—which they did—then they knew about her. Worse, they knew about the Families.
