by Adair Hart
“I cannot be everywhere at once.”
The overlord smiled. “Oh, I know. You’re not the first Evaran I’ve come across, nor will you be the last.” He gestured at Dr. Snowden and Nanobot Emily. “I seek the same as you. To protect humanity. The difference is I elevate them wherever I find them.”
“I do not think conversion-or-die tactics can be considered elevation of the human race.”
The overlord laughed. “A minor issue when first inducting a new timeline version of humanity. Once it is complete, the human race is united and I lead them to their full potential.”
Lord Vygon smirked. “You also kill nonhumans and strip what makes us nonhuman.”
The overlord narrowed his eyes at Lord Vygon. “Of course … you aren’t human anymore. Why would I want that to pollute the purity of the human race?”
“That is not why you kill nonhumans,” said Evaran. “I know that you siphon their exotic energy. There are many uses for that energy, but I do not suspect you do it for the human race.”
“Enough!” said the overlord.
The two Purifiers sank their heads lower.
“I have come to make you a proposal.”
Evaran cocked his head. “I am listening.”
“I will leave this timeline to you. In exchange, you promise to not interfere in any timeline I’m in.”
Dr. Snowden scowled. “Your … Purifiers sent my niece to a prison planet!” His blood began to boil as tingling sensations swept across him. When they reached the point where his breathing was staggered, the heightened state he had felt earlier kicked in. A calmness washed across him. He could hear the Purifiers breathing and noticed their subtle movements.
The overlord shrugged. “A small price to pay for the safety of your timeline.”
Evaran shook his head. “I cannot turn my back on the genocide that you will rain down across the timelines.”
Dr. Snowden’s eyes popped open as he noticed the right Purifier fiddling with a device in his hand. It was hard to detect, but from his angle, the minute movements stood out. He thought he could almost see the interactions between the device and the crystal. “It’s a trap! Get away from the crystal!”
Evaran snapped his head toward Dr. Snowden, then spun around and took off toward the Torvatta with Lord Vygon in tow. Dr. Snowden had spun around and grabbed Nanobot Emily’s arm and followed Evaran.
“Your pathetic morality!” said the overlord, crowing in the distance. “I come here, offering you a way out, and you spit in my face.”
The crystal began to glow.
The overlord continued to boast. “You have made your choice. I leave you with a parting gift.”
They hustled toward the Torvatta, and when they were within a few feet, an explosion erupted behind them. Evaran pushed Dr. Snowden through the shield, causing Dr. Snowden to sprawl on the ground. Lord Vygon tackled Nanobot Emily, pushing them both through the shield. Evaran spun around and raised his shield as the explosion hit him. The force of it pushed him through the shield. A wave of energy coursed over the Torvatta’s shielding. After a moment, it dissipated.
Dr. Snowden’s eyes scanned the devastated landscape. It seemed like everything around the Torvatta and in front of the pyramid had been reduced to ashes, including the two Purifiers. The pyramid had been partially vaporized. His breathing staggered as he looked around. He ran over to Nanobot Emily, who had stood with the help of Lord Vygon.
“That guy has a problem,” said Nanobot Emily.
Lord Vygon dusted dirt off his armor. “That he does.”
Evaran scanned everyone. “Everyone appears to be okay.” He faced Dr. Snowden. “You detected it before I did. I am impressed.”
Dr. Snowden smirked. “Well … to be honest, I actually felt like I was about to lose control. Then I did that wave thing, and everything was … noticeable.”
Evaran put his hand on Dr. Snowden’s shoulder. “You have come a long way. I am thankful once again.”
Dr. Snowden nodded.
Evaran stepped out of the shield.
“What are you doing?”
Evaran turned his head to the side. “I need to shut down the portal. It appears this base has been abandoned already, so I am not expecting any resistance. It will not take long.”
Dr. Snowden watched Evaran head off to the pyramid. He could tell something about the discussion with the overlord bothered Evaran. He looked at Lord Vygon. “The overlord spoke like there were other Evarans. You ever hear of anything like that?”
Lord Vygon looked down for a moment, then back up. “Yes … but not in that context. I don’t think Evaran has heard it in that manner either.”
“I can see how that would be unsettling,” said Nanobot Emily.
“Yeah … assuming the overlord was speaking the truth,” said Lord Vygon. “He’s a genocidal maniac after all.”
Dr. Snowden chuckled. “Good point.” He gestured toward the Torvatta entrance. “Guess we wait inside then.”
They assembled in the command area, and after thirty minutes, Evaran returned.
“The rift door is shut down,” said Evaran. “When this is over, we will need to destroy both of them.”
“No problems with that. I’ll make sure it happens,” said Lord Vygon.
Evaran nodded. “Good. Now, back to pick up V. If the overlord sent these two Purifiers through there, then hopefully V recorded the destination codes to the capital world.”
Dr. Snowden tilted his head. “You think they came from the planet with the main rift stone?”
Evaran raised a finger. “I do. However, we will find out when V shows us what he recorded.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Evaran tapped at his chair console, and the Torvatta lifted off. It flew into space, and after opening a portal to the parallel timeline, it jumped through.
It took about another thirty minutes for the Torvatta to arrive at the South American base in the parallel timeline.
Dr. Snowden raised his eyebrows when he saw there was only part of the base similar to the first one on the ground. The rest of it had been vaporized. “What in the world …”
V appeared on the front right screen. “Reporting in. My location has been sent.”
Evaran nodded. “We are on our way to pick you up.”
“Acknowledged.”
The screen went blank.
“Whew, at least V is okay. This overlord guy likes to blow things up,” said Nanobot Emily.
“It would seem so,” said Evaran as he ran his fingers over the chair console. “Let us head to the conference room.”
After a minute or so, the Torvatta hovered near the coordinates V had sent and picked him up.
After switching to body mode, V went to the conference room, where everyone had assembled. After greeting everyone, he took a seat.
“It is good to have you back,” said Evaran.
V tilted his head. “Acknowledged.” He interacted with the table console, causing the recording he had taken to begin playing. “There are several interactions with the portal that I recorded. Displaying the first one.”
Dr. Snowden watched with rapture as it showed the first destination codes light up before the rift door was active. The rift operator interacted with the rift controller, and a solid red surface appeared between the crystal rods. The two Purifiers who had died earlier walked through.
“Interesting,” said Evaran. “I did not know the rift controllers would show the incoming location. If so, that may be the main rift stone destination code.”
The next interaction showed an older man falling out of the rift door. The rift door deactivated, and after a moment, the rift operator tapped at the rift controller, causing a red surface to appear. Several guards grabbed the man and pushed him through.
Dr. Snowden scooted to the edge of his seat. “The prison planet.”
Evaran nodded. “It would appear so. However, we cannot try any of these combinations out on this planet. Both portals are not
functional. We will need to go back to the first base in Egypt in our timeline.”
Dr. Snowden smirked. “I feel like I’m playing timeline ping-pong.”
“An apt analogy.”
Dr. Snowden nodded.
“Let us head to the command area. V, take us back to the first base in our timeline.”
V stood. “Acknowledged.”
After they assembled in the command area, V’s hands flew over the front console. The Torvatta ascended into space, then popped open a portal to the original timeline. Once through, it flew toward the first base in Egypt.
After landing outside the base, Dr. Snowden noticed a ship nearby. “Looks like we got company.”
“Helians,” said Lord Vygon. “Must be here to secure it.”
“Good. This will save us a trip to Atlantis. We will need two quantum beacons,” said Evaran.
“I got ’em,” said Lord Vygon as he stood.
Evaran nodded.
After exiting the Torvatta, they walked toward a group of Helian guards around the base entrance. The guards saluted when they saw Evaran.
“Who is in charge here?” asked Evaran.
“Captain Laban,” said one of the guards. “He’s in the rift room.”
“We need to see him.”
One of the guards waved for them to follow. Several minutes later, they entered the rift room. A handful of Helians in robes were busy studying the room.
Captain Laban stood at the rift controller, scrutinizing it, along with one of the robed Helians. When he saw Evaran and the others, his face lit up. He walked over and saluted. “Evaran! What brings you back?”
Evaran returned the salute. “We have found the destination codes to the prison planet and the main rift stone. We need to send quantum beacons through in order to determine their location.”
“Not a problem.” Captain Laban eyed Nanobot Emily, then faced Dr. Snowden. “I see you found your niece.”
“Well … sorta … ,” said Dr. Snowden.
Captain Laban cocked his head.
Nanobot Emily extended a hand. “I’m Emily.”
“Good to meet you, sorta Emily,” said Captain Laban with a grin as he shook Nanobot Emily’s hand. He turned halfway around while glancing at Evaran and gestured at the rift controller. “You know how to work these things?”
“It is just the destination code you need. John and Leah showed me how to enter them and some other basic functions.”
“I suppose you wouldn’t mind leaving us instructions on how to use it.”
“Lord Vygon knows the codes. I would suggest destroying these rift controllers and the crystals. However, I leave that up to you and the council.”
Captain Laban nodded at Lord Vygon. “Fair enough.” He extended a hand toward the rift controller. “All yours.”
Evaran walked up to the rift controller and interacted with it. After he entered the destination code needed for the prison planet, the rift door activated, and a red surface appeared. Evaran tossed out an orb that projected an image of V on the bottom right.
“The tracer has been activated,” said V.
Evaran dipped his head at Lord Vygon, who then walked up to the rift door and tossed the quantum beacon through.
“Transferring visual,” said V.
Dr. Snowden expected to see lines and the beacon zigzagging between them. Instead, there were no vertical lines, just a horizontal line that ended in a hollow oval shape.
“Analysis. Pocket Universe 622 is the destination.”
Evaran rubbed his chin. “Interesting.” He interacted with the rift controller and shut down the rift door. After entering the prison planet destination code, the rift door activated again with a similar red surface.
Dr. Snowden shook his head. “You sure you entered the right codes?”
“I did. I suspect red indicates a pocket universe destination,” said Evaran. He nodded at Lord Vygon.
Lord Vygon walked up to the rift door and tossed the second quantum beacon through.
The projection showed the same journey as the first quantum beacon.
“Analysis. Pocket Universe 23 is the destination.”
Evaran shut off the portal and faced Captain Laban. “There is a second base on this planet. I can send you the coordinates. It is partially destroyed.”
Captain Laban jerked his head back. “How do you know that?”
“There was another one in the parallel timeline. We visited it here to make sure it existed before telling you about it. There should be no one there, but the front may be a bit … scorched.”
Captain Laban eyed Evaran. “Pocket universes … parallel timelines … you’ve lost me. And you’ve cleared another base out already?”
Evaran shook his head. “It was abandoned, but we did meet the messengers from the Purifier leader. He left us a gift.”
“Nice guy …”
“Extend your arm, and I will transfer the coordinates.”
Captain Laban wrinkled his eyebrows as he extended his arm.
Evaran placed his UIC on it, which glowed wildly for a moment, then stabilized. He perused his ARI, then tapped at it. After a moment, he pulled his UIC off and put it back on his belt. “You have the coordinates now.”
Captain Laban interacted with his forearm. His eyebrows rose. “What is that device?”
Evaran half smiled. “A gift, from a friend, that just gave you the second base coordinates.”
Captain Laban narrowed his eyes for a moment, then laughed. “We must be like children to you.”
“Not at all. It is a good trait to be inquisitive,” said Evaran. He gave a Helian salute. “Nonetheless, we must be off … to find the other Emily.”
Captain Laban shook his head. “I won’t even pretend like I understand, but if you need assistance, let me know.”
“Your place is here, on Earth. There is still work to be done in finding the remaining sentinels, and you have the other base to attend to as well as rebuilding Atlantis.”
Captain Laban exhaled from his nose. “Yeah … there’s a lot to do.”
Evaran half grinned and placed a hand on Captain Laban’s shoulder. “You better get to work.”
“You got it.”
Evaran nodded and then turned and exited the portal room with everyone in tow. After reaching the Torvatta command area, he pulled up the prison planet destination on the front right screen. “V, take us to the prison planet.”
“Acknowledged.”
Dr. Snowden gulped as he watched the left screen. The Torvatta lifted off and flew into space. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He glanced at Nanobot Emily and smiled when she gripped his arm. The question of what would Organic Emily think of Nanobot Emily flashed through his mind. His attention focused on the green beam that shot out from the Torvatta. A portal with a gold border and purple rippling surface appeared. He understood now that, like the rift doors the Purifiers used, the colors had meaning.
The Torvatta flew through and exited above a planet.
Dr. Snowden scooted to the edge of his seat as he scrutinized the planet. He flinched when the border of the right front screen pulsed.
“Quantum beacon detected. Time dilation detected. The quantum beacon was sent through ten minutes ago at 5:27 p.m. today. The beacon records a time of 11:27 p.m.”
Evaran rubbed his chin. “For every minute in our timeline, it would be ninety minutes here.”
Dr. Snowden exhaled sharply. “What? It’s been three days since Emily was sent here!”
“I know, and by my calculations, that means it is roughly two hundred seventy days later, or nine months.”
Dr. Snowden’s heartbeat raced as he struggled to breathe. Gripping the chair did not help as he slid to the ground.
Nanobot Emily knelt beside him and put her arm around him. “If my dreams are insights into what she went through, she was surviving.”
“For nine months!” said Dr. Snowden as spittle flew from his mouth. Tingling sensations began
to pulse over him.
“Dr. Snowden … waves,” said Evaran.
Dr. Snowden struggled to produce the mental imagery of the waves, and after a moment, he was able to spread the wave over his body. He stood and then sat back in his chair. “I’m okay. I was … close to losing it again.”
“But you did not. You are getting better at controlling your anger.”
Dr. Snowden shook his head. “Doesn’t mean I’m okay with the situation, though.”
“I understand,” said Evaran. “V, using the calculations on the time difference, take us to the moment Emily arrives.”
“Acknowledged.”
Dr. Snowden’s eyes perked up. “So … that would mean …”
“The last nine months would not have occurred from her perspective.”
A big smile crept onto Dr. Snowden’s face.
“What about my dreams?” asked Nanobot Emily.
“That will be the price of doing this,” said Evaran. “They will remain as just dreams and not a glimpse of reality.”
Nanobot Emily nodded and glanced at Dr. Snowden. “I understand. It’s worth it. Let’s do this.”
“Acknowledged.”
Emily frowned as she studied Kal. While the thought that there might be something living here was tantalizing, there was the other thought that they might be hostile. “Do you have an image of them?”
Kal extended his hand. A projection shot up of a small, chubby snakelike creature about a foot in length.
“How many are there?”
“There are three hundred twenty-six.”
“Just great. A snake pit.”
Kal stared at her.
She sighed. “Show me the layout of this place.”
Kal extended his hand and showed a wireframe view of Central Command.
“Indicate the other creatures with a red dot.”
Red dots populated in the lower portion of Central Command a bit away from her present location.
“Why haven’t the creatures moved to the higher levels?”
“I do not know.”
She exhaled from her nose. “Where are the living quarters?”
Kal pointed at several locations in the upper part. “There are multiple living quarter units.”
