“Did you say inside him?”
“You’ll have to see it for yourself, but I think someone tried to turn the man into a Tasker.”
Selaye was at his nav station. “What?”
“Just come here, please.”
The commander was in the infirmary in seconds. “What’s this about?” he demanded.
“Look for yourself.” He adjusted the display so that the commander could see.
The doctor pointed to the tendrils and to the disc under Naylon’s scapula. Selaye wasn’t at all sure what he was looking at. “You’ll have to explain it to me,” he told the doctor.
“There’s tech implanted inside this man. Only Taskers can legally have that kind of operation performed on them. He has a lot of explaining to do when he wakes up.”
Selaye was quite aware it was illegal to implant a human with tech not associated with limbs or minor implants. Years of analysis had provided enough evidence to conclude that the same technology used to keep Taskers docile could also be used inside a Terran. That’s why even a simple cochlear or retinal implant required a lengthy legal process and a detailed medical follow-up.
Selaye shook his head. “I’ll have to tell the Captain.”
“By all means!” the doctor agreed.
“But not now. The Telkan scout ship is still scanning the area we left. He’s keeping track of the sensor data to make sure they don’t come this way. If they land, Urret and Agrida will get them. I hope you have plenty of Pelinex left for survivors.”
“Plenty. And there better be survivors, commander,” he said more calmly, cracking a slight smile. He had no trouble dealing with Telkans.
“If there are survivors, at least one will be returned to you. Of that you can be sure,” Selaye told him with mock gravity.
Naylon woke up feeling oddly refreshed. He felt like he had been sleeping for days. He noted the chronometer on the wall opposite him. Only a few hours had passed. Or was it twelve hours plus? He wasn’t sure.
The doctor was turned away from him, facing Tann. Naylon opened his mouth to speak. Something odd came out. Something he didn’t say, but rather did say anyway. The sensation was impossible to explain. It was as if someone else had spoken his words. “Where am I?” he had said, now puzzled at what he thought he heard himself say.
The doctor turned around and observed his patient.
“Just a moment, please. Your companion is finally coming around.”
“So, you do speak Lingua,” Naylon replied accusingly.
The doctor grinned.
Naylon shook his head. It seemed as though he were observing his thoughts from some distant location. He looked over at Tann, then scanned as much of the small room as he could. There were only two beds. He was on one and Tann on the other. Drawers and cabinets were labeled as in any hospital room. Medical devices and instruments were obvious behind a clear panel to his left. But it was the labeling that grabbed Naylon’s attention. He read one to himself. The word he pronounced in his head had a familiar, yet unfamiliar ring to it. But the spelling! He was sure he’d never seen the word before, but at the same time he knew exactly what it said. His curiosity about the situation was cut short as Tann groaned, sat up, then swung his legs over the side of the table.
“Let me go right this minute,” Tann immediately demanded. His eyes grew wide as he realized the same thing as did Naylon. He wasn’t speaking his native language anymore.
The doctor stood back so he could observe the two of them. “As you heard, you speak Empire Spanish now.”
“What’s ‘Empire Spanish’?” Naylon asked.
The doctor grunted. What kind of statement is that? If Naylon thinks that’s going to curtail an interrogation, he has another thing coming, he thought.
Selaye sat across from Naylon and Tann in the mess hall once again. Tann was wolfing down the same meal Naylon had eaten earlier. Two of the soldats stood at the doorway with weapons drawn, observing their every move.
“I’ll ask you again. What are you doing with tech inside your head?” Selaye asked.
“I already told you. Any adult can have a CU-900. It’s a standard one, in fact. It doesn’t even have all the extended features.”
Selaye looked at Tann. “And you? Why don’t you have one?”
“I’m not old enough,” Tann replied between bites. He was ravenous.
The commander looked back at Naylon. “Who installed this device?”
“I don’t recall the exact name of the woman,” he said in exasperation, “but it was at the comm clinic on Addison Street in Tokaias.”
“Tokaias,” Selaye repeated flatly, wondering what kind of game the man was trying to play.
“Yeah, Tokaias. On Andakar?” he replied sarcastically. He could play the man’s ridiculous game, too. “Surely you know Andakar. After all, you guys regularly steal pharmas from our ships.”
Selaye was sure that statement was a ruse. He declined playing Naylon’s hand.
“Andakar,” Selaye said. “Where is this Andakar?”
Naylon leaned back as much as he could on the backless bench and crossed his arms. “Where is Andakar. Let’s see. It’s just down the road a little way. You know, the nearby water-covered planet?” It was still quite odd speaking this strange language he had no recollection of learning.
Selaye laughed heartily. “Good try. But your lie will do you no good.”
“He’s not lying,” Tann insisted.
“I didn’t ask you,” Selaye shot back. “Yet.”
“Well, I’m telling you. I was born on Andakar.”
Selaye let the statement go. He could have made some comment about insolence, but decided against it. It could be far better to let the kid stay angry. Anger, Selaye knew, had a way of making people blurt out all sorts of things they might otherwise hide.
“Where were you born, Naylon?” Selaye asked, in the friendliest tone he could muster.
“I emigrated from Earth a long time ago.”
“Earth. From where exactly?”
“New Zealand.”
Selaye had never heard of that country. He energized the vidPAD he had in front of him. He spoke to it and the screen displayed a Mercator projection of the earth on it. He said the name twice. Each time it beeped. “Point to the place.”
“It’s irrelevant. I’m a Citizen of Andakar. What does that have to do with anything anyway? If you’re holding us for ransom I want to know what your demands are,” Naylon said boldly.
Selaye slid the vidPAD closer to Naylon. Naylon looked into Selaye’s eyes briefly and, realizing he wasn’t going to get an answer from the commander, touched New Zealand on the screen. The two islands instantly filled the display.
“Maoriland,” Selaye said.
“They died out centuries ago.”
“What did you call it again?”
“It’s got only one name I’m aware of. New Zealand,” he said pronouncing each word separately and with emphasis, as if explaining something that should have been painfully obvious.
“New Zealand. Where’s the old Zealand?”
“I have no idea. Why do you care anyway? I demand to know what you’re going to do with us.”
“I know,” Tann said suddenly. He pulled the vidPAD closer to himself .
“Know what?” Naylon asked.
“Where the old Zealand is.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“Earth history class. Someone did a report on it. I remember it because it was funny that there was a new and an old Zealand on opposite sides of the planet.”
“Okay, where is it?” Naylon asked him.
“It’s an island in the European Confederation.”
Selaye studied Tann’s face. “What European Confederation?”
“On Earth,” Tann said. He realized he could move the map around by simply using his fingers pressed against the screen. He slid the image over until Europe was centered. He looked all around, but most of the country boundaries were wro
ng. He used two fingers to zoom in, then slid the map all over, looking for anything labeled Zealand. He was sure it was south of Scandia. At least he thought it was. But only a couple of the borders were where he thought he remembered them. The look on his face grew from concerned to alarmed. The map was all wrong!
Naylon looked at the two of them going back and forth about what he considered a non-issue. “Look, we’re a long way from there. It doesn’t make any difference. What in thunder do you want with us?”
Selaye stood. “Where is your ship?”
“It was shot down. You should know. After all, you shot it down!”
Selaye dismissed Naylon’s assertion. “What’s its designation? When did you arrive here?”
“It’s an Andakar Space Navy shuttle. They make runs to the Nona Ice Station all the time. I’m sure you know all about that.”
“Nona Ice Station,” Selaye repeated solemnly.
“What are your demands?” Naylon stated again, now tired of what he perceived to be the man’s pretended ignorance.
“Demands? That you answer my questions,” the commander shot back with a hard look.
Tann was still poring over the map. Something was very peculiar about all of this. First, he couldn’t find his brother. Then the cavern seemed to have been completely deserted when he returned. Where their disabled shuttle had been in a dry riverbed, there was a running river instead, and no shuttle. Now he was speaking a language he couldn’t possibly know! To top it off, the map of the Earth he was sure he knew with some familiarity was totally wrong. Country borders and most of the names were different except for some on the African continent and some in Asia. He looked around the room now, scanning everything. Definitions to unknown words appeared in his consciousness when he read a label or the various screens on the walls. Something had happened to them. Something very strange. And Naylon was so busy trying to get the commander to answer him he wasn’t aware of all the clues.
“We’ve got a dilemma here, Naylon. You show up on Déstica, yet say you don’t have a ship…”
In frustration, Naylon nearly shouted. “Déstica?” He had never heard that name used for Rylerra before. “You shot our ship down!”
“Our scans showed nothing but a Telkan ship here.”
Naylon shook his head. “Telkan ship?”
Selaye chuckled. A Terran who’s not heard the word Telkan before? Naylon was playing his part quite entertainingly, if not all that well. He had to commend the man’s performance though, because he sounded quite convincing. “Come now, Mr. Naylon,” he said, shaking his head and mocking Naylon with his tone.
“It’s Doctor Ress to you.”
“Oh, medical doctor?” Selaye asked, sure it was a lie.
“I have a Ph.D.”
“In what?”
“Paleo-microbiology.” He was surprised to know even that word in this new language.
“You come to this planet and claim to be a microbiologist?”
“Paleo. Look, we’re not carrying pharmas. Check the shuttle. That’s all the proof you need.”
“Naylon,” Tann interjected. He knew the shuttle wasn’t there and needed to tell Naylon. But there was far more he needed to say.
“What?”
“They’re not the pirates.”
“Like hell.”
Selaye was sure Tann was goading him. “Pirates! What kind of notion is that? We’re a legitimate fighting force.” Yet, Selaye realized that whoever these two were, they seemed to be at a loss as to what was going on. Both of them were working from different angles on their supposed ‘confusion’ over their situation.
“They’re not the pirates,” Tann insisted. “Look.” He slid the vidPAD toward Naylon. “This is not a map of Earth.”
“Of course it is.”
“Not the Earth you’re from.”
Tann was insistent, which made Naylon stop dismissing him. “What do you mean?”
“Look at those countries. Which ones are you familiar with?” he prompted.
Naylon scanned the Asian continent. He recognized the Chinese border and the Mongolian Republic, but none of the other nearby countries were recognizable. Tann placed a finger on the image and slid the graphic to North America. The continent look like it had been split up into odd-shaped quadrants. There was a smaller country along the southeast coast that didn’t belong there. That was not the North America he was familiar with.
“Does any of that look familiar?” Tann asked.
Naylon’s head swam as he searched his memory. It had been a long time since he’d even looked at a map of Earth. But this map was decidedly not familiar. Something was very wrong with everything. And it seemed to have begun when they found the aliens in the cavern.
Chapter 21
The quarters both Naylon and Tann had been led to was the only unoccupied one on the ship. It was at the end of the corridor away from where the rest of the soldats were quartered. In the room were two bunks, two small closets, a small open area with two chairs to sit in, a sink, and a separate shower and toilet closet. There was a panel built into the bulkhead, which served as the communications center, but the screen was dark. The two guards who had been standing watch over them in the mess hall were currently outside the door, keeping guard on them.
“When you were talking with that commander guy I remembered something,” Tann told Naylon.
“Remembered what?”
“I couldn’t find the shuttle.”
“What do you mean?”
Tann whispered as fast as he could. “After you fell into the water I ran back to get Darreth. When I got back there was nothing there. Everything was gone. Darreth wasn’t there, Merek was missing and the shuttle wasn’t there either. Everything was just… gone. I couldn’t get them so I had to go back by myself to try and find you. The last thing I remember was seeing that woman soldier. I think she shot me or something. What do you think is going on?”
“I don’t know, but it’s as if we’re not on Rylerra,” Naylon told him.
“That makes sense. I’ve not seen any ice anywhere. But when did we get transported off-planet?”
Naylon shook his head. “I’m just about positive now that those dead aliens had something to do with it.”
Tann opened his backpack. Both packs had been thoroughly searched, then given back. At this point, they were merely being held against their will, due to the captain not understanding where they had come from. All of their effects were still in the packs. Tann pulled out the disc-shaped object he’d taken from the cave. “Think this has something to do with it? Maybe it’s some sort of transportation device.” He held it up to the light and watched as the surface seemed to ripple as if it were a liquid. “It’s not hot or glowing. At least I don’t think it’s glowing. And it doesn’t appear to have any sort of energy source or even any buttons.”
Naylon took it and felt along its smooth surface as carefully as he could. He found no hidden grooves or pits that might be controls. “I don’t feel any biometric pads, but who knows how this thing works. After all, it’s alien.” He placed the device on top of Tann’s pack.
“Speaking of aliens, what about those aliens they have on board? What did they call them? Taskers?” Tann asked.
“There are no aliens. They’re just aren’t any. But I’ve counted three of those creatures on this ship; and everyone seems to be hiding from some entirely different ones. It’s almost as if we’re in some sort of alternate reality or something. Hell, I know I don’t speak Empire Spanish! I’ve never even heard this language spoken before. How the hell can we both be speaking it?” Naylon sputtered in frustration.
“They somehow made us learn it,” Tann realized.
Naylon snapped his fingers. “The injection. I bet it was RNA.”
“You mean genetic RNA?” asked Tann.
Naylon nodded. “Did you ever learn or hear about that war that happened hundreds of years ago? On Earth. Some military general named Mala…Maladito. No, Malán Zas. He used
cloning, then RNA injections to create a whole army of soldiers to do his bidding. After that, cloning tech, RNA encoding, and all genetic alterations were banned from being used or developed.”
“I remember a vid about it. I don’t know any of the details,” Tann told him. “I’m pretty sure I fell asleep watching it.”
“Well, those guys have RNA technology. They’re using it. And they’ve somehow perfected it. They’ve used some sort of RNA injection to teach us their ‘Empire Spanish’.”
Tann threw up his hands. “But why?”
Naylon shrugged and shook his head. “Okay, let’s try to put this together. We know these guys can’t be the pirates. They have technology that’s far superior to ours and they have technology that was banned centuries ago.”
“That’s not much to go on.”
“And,” Naylon continued, “as you pointed out, they don’t have the right map of Earth. So, they’re either not from Earth or don’t have a clue to what our Earth is really like.”
“That was definitely a map of Earth. At least the continents look the same. It’s just that the country boundaries were mostly wrong,” Tann offered.
Naylon nodded in agreement. “Which means we have to ask them a bunch more questions to figure out what’s going on here.”
Tann picked up the disc-shaped device. “This thing has to be a clue.” He was sure of it.
Naylon brought his thumb to his mouth and bit the nail. “Think, Naylon. Think,” he mumbled to himself.
“The cave,” Tann blurted out.
“With aliens,” Naylon returned.
“Another glaring clue which totally eludes me right now,” Tann said. “That cylindrical opening we went through. It couldn’t have been natural. You said so yourself. You already figured out that the corridor that led us to the dead aliens must have been manmade or alien made. That much is true, right?”
Naylon nodded then took the disc from Tann. “You had one and I had one of these when we went through that opening. This thing has to be some sort of transportation device. Hey, wait a minute. Remember when we shone the light through the tunnel? Some sort of weird interference made the light scatter.”
The Rylerran Gateway Page 19
