by Adair Hart
Contents
Title
Copyright
The story so far
Evaran's Technology
Prologue
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
Epilogue
Note from the Author
About the Author
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Books in the series
Copyright © 2015 Adair Hart
All rights are reserved to the author. No part of this ebook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Editing done by Laura Petrella
Cover done by Tom Edwards
Interior Design done by Colleen Sheehan
Proofread by Red Adept Publishing
Published by Quantum Edge Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9967172-1-2
www.AdairHart.com
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Dr. Albert Snowden and his niece, Emily, along with Jay Beerman and Sanjay Chandrakar were abducted by an alien race known as the Krotovore while driving at night on a lone stretch of a highway outside Columbus, Ohio. The Krotovore had been jumping through space-time rifts, abducting apex predators, and sticking them in virtual simulations, and Dr. Snowden and the others were no exception. When the Krotovore ship sustained damage prior to their last rift jump, the virtual simulations powered down, and the apex predators were set free to roam the ship.
Of the four humans, only Dr. Snowden and Emily were visited by a space- and time-traveling being known as Evaran before the virtual simulation powered down. Once they were all out of the virtual simulation, Evaran planned to take them to his ship. In addition to having to deal with the apex predators on the loose, they had to contend with a space mercenary group known as the Bloodbores. The Bloodbores had landed on the Krotovore ship in search of salvage opportunities and had noticed Evaran’s ship.
There were some casualties. Sanjay was killed by one of the Bloodbores. Jay lost his arm to another Bloodbore. Evaran was eventually able to get Dr. Snowden, Emily, and Jay to his ship. Jay remained on board for a month to regenerate his arm and was then dropped off back on Earth. Dr. Snowden and Emily were dropped off on Earth as well, with the promise of a visit from Evaran three months later. This book takes place on Evaran’s return.
Torvatta—his ship that can travel through time and space
Universal interface card (UIC)—a credit-card-sized device carried on his belt that allows access to any technological system
Augmented reality interface (ARI)—an interface that only he can see around him
Utility handle—a hilt-like device carried on his belt that can extend morphable matter in any shape, typically extended into a baton or staff
Illumination orbs—small orbs on his belt that provide lighting and can hover
Projection orb—an orb that allows projections to be sent to it from remote sources, such as Evaran’s ring or the Torvatta
Ring—a ring that can provide holographic projection and also scan
Evaran must die. The thought echoed in Seeros’s mind as he gazed out a shielded window on his ship. He had hunted Evaran for thousands of years, and Evaran always seemed to be one step ahead of him. With a clenched jaw and balled fists, he vowed Evaran would pay for killing his wife and children, and for the genocide of his people.
Seeros was a well-built white-skinned pale humanoid wearing a black lightly armored suit that had silver lines running over it. His slicked-back silver hair appeared immobile in its presentation. He was the founder of Seeros Industries, a city-building corporation that specialized in getting new member civilizations of the Kreagan Star Empire up to speed on the latest city designs and technology. Some planets just wanted to advance by themselves, others went in completely and traded future stocks in their industries for it. Seeros Industries’ replication technology and ownership of a powerful resource allocation company were a perfect marriage.
Seeros exhaled slowly as he looked down at the planet. Hydralis was one of those civilizations that wanted to jump right in. Today was the final negotiation. He mused about his good fortune in finding them. The Hydralians were still low-tech but possessed a breathtaking capacity for mathematics. He knew they were a young and information-hungry race and would be willing to give up some future shares of whatever they decided to pursue in exchange for advancement now. What the Hydralians did not know was that he built the corporation to fund his efforts to track Evaran across the vast swath of the Kreagan Star Empire.
A soft beep rang out.
Seeros turned to his desk and saw a notification light blinking. He ran a hand through his hair as he sat down at his chair. It was an encrypted message. Placing his hand on the biometric scanner on his desk caused a light-green glow to envelop his hand, and after a moment, he removed it. He looked down at his hand and interacted with a small menu that displayed on the bottom of his palm. A screen appeared on the upper part. The message decrypted and showed it was from the Bounty Hunters Guild on Kreagus, the current home world of the Kreagan Star Empire. His heartbeat ramped up as he read the message. It was short and read
Location: Kreagus
Bounty: Evaran, Dr. Albert Snowden, Emily Snowden
Status: Procurement in progress
Hunter: Kreol Juul
He narrowed his eyes and spun around in his chair to face the window. A wave of anger and excitement shot through him, making him shudder. The noble Evaran. The great Dr. Snowden. The heroic Emily. One thought emblazoned itself on his mind. Revenge.
Evaran was coming today. Dr. Snowden relaxed in his recliner and stared at the ceiling. It was almost 6:00 p.m. His nerves pulsated from all the excitement. The abduction experience was still fresh in his mind, even though it was three months ago. There were a lot of unanswered questions he wanted to ask Evaran. He had wrestled with the experience in his mind over and over. Some days he did not think it actually happened, and then he would see a nonhuman at work or out on the street. At least he was now sleeping better, but he was still adjusting to the new reality he was in. The smell of a warm dinner caressed his nose. His attention turned to Emily as she bounded into the living room. She had been a whirlwind of activity in the kitchen while making dinner. He had tried to help, but she kicked him out.
“Uncle Albert! Are you trying to take a nap?”
Dr. Snowden grinned. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to. Just sitting here thinking things through is all.”
“He will come. Stop worrying. Can you set the table?” asked Emily with a smile.
Dr. Snowden smirked. “Sure, as long as you don’t kick me out again.”
Emily put a hand on her hip and stared at Dr. Snowden.
“All right, all right, I’m moving,” said Dr. Snowden. He stood and then followed Emily into the kitchen. It did not take him long to set the table, and once done, he sat down at his usual spot and began bouncing his right knee.
“Uncle Albert! You’re shaking the house!”
Dr. Snowden sighed as he extended his legs and crossed his arms. He wished he were as calm as Emily was. She took the abduction hard for the first few weeks back. Now it seemed like it did not even register with her. She had moved on and was enjoying life again.
Knock! Knock!
The knocks echoed out from the curtain-covered sliding glass doors behind him. His heartbeat raced as he jumped out of his chair and turned around. A big smile crept onto his face as he peeked out the side of the curtains and saw Evaran standing on the other side. “Emily! He’s here!” He pushed the curtains to the side, unlocked the doors, and slid them open. “Evaran!”
Evaran moved his head back and smiled at Dr. Snowden while extending his hand. “Dr. Snowden. How are you doing?”
Dr. Snowden shook Evaran’s hand with gusto and gestured for Evaran to come in. He had missed the somewhat emotionally distant voice of Evaran. “Much better now that you’re here. Come in, come in.”
Evaran nodded at Dr. Snowden and stepped into the dining room. He looked around and focused on Emily.
“Evaran! It’s so good to see you!” said Emily as she rushed over and gave Evaran a bear hug.
Evaran half grinned as Emily released her grip. “Likewise. You both appear to be in good health, and it smells delicious in here.”
Dr. Snowden closed the door behind Evaran and gestured for him to have a seat at the table. “Please, sit down. We’re just about to eat.”
Evaran slid out the chair nearest the glass doors and sat. He eased back into his chair and laced his fingers.
Dr. Snowden noted that Evaran’s outfit was slightly different. The forearm pieces were bigger and more complex-looking. There was also a small device mounted on the top of both his shoulders. Evaran’s hair still looked like it was sculpted and unmoving. Dr. Snowden went into the kitchen and helped Emily bring over the various bowls of food and pitchers to the table. After the table was filled, he and Emily sat down.
Evaran looked at the feast before him. “You must have spent a lot of time on this.”
“Uncle Albert at least set the table,” said Emily. She took Evaran’s plate and filled it up with a heaping of food. She placed it before Evaran and then poured iced tea into his glass. “Feel free to begin.”
Evaran nodded and then took a bite of the meatloaf. He closed his eyes and hummed. “You outdid yourself, Emily. This is fantastic.” He wagged his finger in the air. “There is a hint of spice to it.”
“Thanks. Ever since the abduction, we’ve been craving spicy food,” said Emily.
“Interesting,” said Evaran as he narrowed his eyes and chewed slower.
Dr. Snowden furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head. “You know, I never saw you eat or drink anything on the Krotovore ship.”
“I do not require sustenance. That does not mean I cannot smell or taste, however. I do enjoy a good meal.”
Emily glanced at Dr. Snowden, then back at Evaran. “Well, the meatloaf is actually Uncle Albert’s recipe with a bit of a recent twist, believe it or not. He was just too nervous to be useful in the kitchen today.”
Dr. Snowden snorted.
Evaran leaned forward and scrutinized Dr. Snowden. “You are troubled.”
Dr. Snowden filled up his plate while glancing at Evaran. “I’d be lying if I said it’s been easy these last three months. I have so many questions to ask you. I’m still troubled by the whole thing.”
“Well then, it is a good thing I came when I did.”
“We’re both glad you’re here,” said Emily as she took a sip of her iced tea. She scanned the room. “Where’s V?”
Evaran pointed up and to the left. V shimmered into view.
“Hello, Dr. Snowden and Emily. It is great to see you two again,” said V.
Dr. Snowden jerked his head back. “V? You … sound different.”
“Evaran has upgraded my voice synthesizer. It has slightly less of a digital rasp and slightly more of a masculine human tone. Jay helped me to select it. Evaran has also expanded my social routines. I now have a flexible arm that can be extended as needed in this mode, and my body mode has been upgraded as well.”
Dr. Snowden’s eyes widened. “Wow. That’s quite a few changes. How is Jay?”
Evaran laced his fingers as he relaxed back into his chair. “We will get to that shortly. I updated V’s media database with every type of media from Earth’s history I could find. The arm was added based on the events on the Krotovore ship. The arm ends in a four-pronged claw, so he can now carry small objects, like my universal interface card, or UIC, as needed. He has changed significantly. However, there are some kinks I need to work out, especially the slang routines. He tends to get them mixed up, even though the data is correct.”
“I apologize for my kinkiness,” said V.
Dr. Snowden and Emily laughed. V’s lights dimmed for a moment. “I see. I used it in one context, but it was interpreted in another.”
“We didn’t mean anything by it,” said Dr. Snowden as he extended his hand toward V.
V’s lights brightened. “It is quite okay.”
“Well, I love your new upgrades,” said Emily.
V’s lights brightened even more. “Thank you, Emily.”
Evaran shook his head and half smiled while picking up his fork. “I have a few things to discuss with you both. Before I do, though, how has your experience been these last three months?”
Dr. Snowden dipped his head and glanced at Emily, then at Evaran. “Well, the biggest issue for both of us,” he said, waving his finger between himself and Emily, “deals with these virtual simulation memories. Although we were only in there for three weeks, the virtual simulation put a year’s worth of memories in our heads. Will those memories ever fade away now that we are no longer in there? Like maybe the nanobots will remove them or something?”
Evaran narrowed his eyes for a moment. “I am afraid not. They are real memories. You will always have them. Have they caused either of you any issues?” He took a bite off his plate.
Emily looked down as she shifted on her chair and then sighed. “Mine was right after we got back.” She looked up at Evaran. “It happened on the quad at my college. I saw Jennifer, my girlfriend in the virtual simulation. I walked up to her and put my arm around her, and then kissed her on the neck. She turned around in surprise and pushed me away. She then walked away, looking back every now and then in disgust at me. I realized then that I had a false memory.”
Dr. Snowden recalled when Emily came home that day. She had been devastated. He had met Jennifer in the virtual simulation, and she and Emily were a good couple. Almost too good. Although the situation happened immediately after they had come back, it still haunted Emily. He could see it in her eyes. Apparently in the real world, Jennifer had a boyfriend. Emily not only had to suffer the clash of memories, but had to deal with the social ramifications from the event. He had tried to console her, but he knew it was something she would need to resolve herself. This was the first time since that event that she had mentioned Jennifer, so maybe opening up to Evaran about it was therapeutic for her.
Evaran put his hand on his chin. “I see. I am sorry to hear you had to deal with that. As time progresses, the real-world memories will take precedence.”
Emily’s eyes dulled as she took a bite from her plate.
“I assume you have had a similar experience?” asked Evaran, tilting his head toward Dr. Snowden.
Dr. Snowden nodded. “I did, but it didn’t involve another woman. Mine dealt with my close friend, Dr. Bryson.”
“Ahh, I remember you mentioned his name when we first met.”
Dr. Snowden exhaled. “Yeah, well, in the real world, he’d been trying to have a kid with his wife. They had some issues conceiving. In the virtual simulation, they had a healthy baby boy. So a few weeks after you dropped us off, I saw him in a busy hallway and asked him how his kid was doing. He gave me a dirty look and walked away.” He shook his head. “To make matters worse, some people in the hal
lway knew of his issues, and they gave me dirty looks as well. I tried to explain later to him in private that I meant no harm and was just kidding. He said it wasn’t an issue, but he avoids me now.”
Evaran leaned forward, putting his left hand over his right fist with his chin resting on both hands. “I am sorry to hear that as well. He may just be stressed out. I am sure he will come around if he is a true friend. On another topic, have the nanobots caused any issues for you?”
Emily put her hand on the back of her neck. “None for me, although I had a situation on the volleyball court where I sprained my ankle at the beginning of a game. I sat out for the rest of the game, but when a ball bounced past me, I jumped up and retrieved it. Everyone stared at me, and I realized my ankle had already repaired itself. I fell to the ground in surprise, but I don’t think anyone bought it. On the upside, I used to have sinus trouble this time of year but have had none so far.”
“You have adjusted quickly to them if they repaired you that quickly.”
Dr. Snowden glanced at Emily, then at Evaran. “I’m not sure I want them out. I have energy, and can think clearer than I can ever recall. I’ve even lost weight. I wear my glasses now to keep up appearances, but I don’t need them, even though they are prescribed. I sleep, smell, and taste better. I can even walk up the stairs without getting winded.”
Evaran half grinned. “Yes, those are good side effects of having them. The nanobots will adjust the light coming into your eye regardless of the glasses you wear. However, you both will need to deal with another unintentional side effect that is not obvious short-term.”
Emily finished chewing a bite and swallowed hard. She sat up straight and glanced at Dr. Snowden before tilting her head at Evaran. “And what would that be?”
“Your aging has slowed by roughly ninety percent. You will age approximately five weeks for every actual year that passes.”
A flash of excitement shot through Dr. Snowden. He licked his lips as he sat up on the edge of his chair. This was the last thing he expected to hear. The thought of longevity was enticing. He circled his left hand in front of him. “So as long as we have these nanobots inside us, we age slowly?”
