by Frank Carey
"We'll be fine. Just stop pestering us." The unit made a loud click.
"How rude," Mark said. "Perhaps a visit to the airlock will make him more courteous. Move out!"
###
Gabe picked up the stunned techs and threw them out of the chamber before closing and locking the door behind him. He knew he had only minutes before the mercs and strykers showed up, so he hurried over to the console. Finding the cover, he opened it, then removed the damaged control unit. "Gamma, transfer now."
"Sir, are you...?"
"Yes, I am absolutely sure. Now get! Oh, and Gamma? "
"Yes, sir?"
"You are a great officer. It has been an honor to work with you."
"As with you, sir. Transferring now."
A green light appeared on the end of the unit. Gabe placed the red end of the unit into the empty socket in the console. Upon contact, the control device was drawn into the console. Gabe stepped back as a force field formed around it. "Gamma, you still with me?"
"Yes, sir. Now, you need to leave. I've begun the reset process."
"Time to sunrise?"
"It's already begun. You need to leave... Sir, lookout!"
It was too late, Mark stepped into the room in full stryker mode. Next to him, a merc threw a ping pong ball-sized sphere at Gabe. Before it could hit him, Gabe performed a flying spin hook kick that would make Sensei proud which sent the device into Mark's chest. The device proceeded to deactivate Mark's armor while sending him to the ground in agony. "Shoot him!" Mark yelled through the pain.
One of the mercs fired his weapon at Gabe, sending him into the force field. Gabe fell to the floor a motionless heap as alarms sounded around them. "Report!"
"System is coming on-line. We are about to be exposed to vacuum and the Orta sun," Silas yelled over the din.
"Get the crystal!"
"No can do. A level five force field is in place. That's what Adon hit. Do you want us to grab Stryker-1?"
"Leave him for the sun. Emergency evacuation!"
Zoe's team ran out leaving Gabe to die.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Alarms sounded throughout the station as the surface of the planet changed.
"What's happening, Science officer?" Ryyst ordered.
"Defense stations are going to standby. Defensive screen has collapsed. We're reading hundreds of devices emerging from structures on the surface. Sir, power flow is being detected from structures in direct sunlight. We're being hailed, sir."
"Main screen."
An image of a being formed on the screen, a being not seen alive in thousands of years by the inhabitants of this part of space, and never by the people on the bridge.
"This is Commander Ryyst of the League Station Primus. Identify yourself."
"This is Ambassador Natalie Markle of Orta..."
"Impossible. Ambassador Markle is an Orta, a being of light..."
"That was a lie. I am Ambassador Markle, and I am an Orta. Have you had any word from DCI Adon?"
"No, not since he re-entered your atmosphere. Ambassador, what the plark is going on..."
The creature looked off to the side as someone spoke to it. "Primus Station, stand by..." The viewer went blank.
Ryyst gaped for a moment, then fired off orders. "Communications! Get the Adons and Agent Minos up here ASAP. Science, find out what the hell I was just talking to. I want answers, people!"
###
"Wake up, DCI Adon, the roof is about to open, and I can't stop it," Gamma pleaded. "Dammit, Gabe, wake up..." A figure walked in as Gamma watched through the room's video system. "Impossible! You disappeared over twenty years ago!" he said to the stealth-form stryker standing near the door, a form that Gabe used when he was first resurrected. The stealth-form, and its sibling, the tank-form, was replaced by the white-form during a mission. Now it stood there, staring at Gabe. "Get him out of here!" Gamma yelled over every comm frequency the Orta systems could transmit on.
The stryker ran over to the console and placed its hand on it. Suddenly, Gamma found himself inside the stryker's system. "What's wrong with him?" a familiar voice asked.
"A merc stunned him, which threw him into a force field. How did you get past it, ma'am?"
"Full options package." She hurried over and picked up Gabe, then carried him out the door, then back to the traveler room where she laid him down on the platform and ran a quick scan. "He'll be fine. He's tough. What's your name, AI?"
"Gamma, mistress."
"Gamma, we need your help."
"I am here to serve and protect."
"Good." She stopped and looked at Gabe for a moment. Her helmet retracted to reveal Commissioner Priscilla Adon. She leaned down and kissed the unconscious Gabe. "Damn, I miss you, Moron." She stepped back and activated the platform, sending him back to his starting point.
Extending her helmet, she waved her hand and an inter-dimensional portal formed. "Come on, Gamma. We have much to do."
"Ready to go, Mistress," Gamma replied as the two of them stepped into the white light.
###
"Ambassador, someone has just come through the traveler, one of her aides said .
"Primus Station, stand by..." she said as she killed the connection. She turned as Gabe was carried into the room by another aide. The aid sat him down as a medical technician ran in and began an examination. Nodding, the tech pressed a rod-shaped crystal against Gabe’s arm.
Gabe's eyes fluttered, then snapped open. Awake, he looked around. "OK, either I should be in chains aboard Zoe's ship or dead, yet I'm neither, so what gives?" He looked at the other Orta. "Hi."
They nodded back. One of the aides asked, "Aren't you afraid?"
He shook his head. "Nope. Are you?"
They shook their heads. "Back to your duties, everyone. We have a planet to put back to rights," Nat said. She then reestablished communications with the station. "Commander Ryyst, we found DCI Adon, and he is safe and sound. He will be contacting you in a few minutes. Orta out."
"From the look on Ryyst's face, can I assume he was seeing the real you?"
She gave him a crooked smile. "Yeah. Why waste all that power for a lie. Thank the gods you were able to make it back to the traveler."
"Me? You mean you didn't bring me?"
"Nope. You arrived seconds after the traveler system came back on-line. There was no time for us to mount a rescue."
"Well, I couldn't have done it. Zoe's people jumped me the moment I got Gamma squared away. That's the last thing I remember. Did it work, by the way?"
She nodded. "Everything is returning to normal. You did it."
"Actually, Gamma did it. Speaking of Gamma, where has my AI friend gotten off to?"
Nat frowned. "He should have been able to come back here after the reset was finished." She checked her console. "That's odd, he left via the console terminal right before you returned. Scans show he's not on the planet. What the...?"
"What's wrong?"
"I'm picking up residual energy readings in both the crystal room and the traveler room. Someone, or something, opened an inter-dimensional portal in both rooms."
"And that is...?"
"A doorway between two or more universes within the multiverse..."
"Someone from another dimension kidnapped Gamma?”
"Keep calm, we'll find him. Remember, we are a technological powerhouse with huge brains."
"God, I hope he's OK. What about Zoe and her motley crew?"
"We'll deal with her later. Anyway, the backup crystal was destroyed and the primary is safe, so she came away from this endeavor empty-handed."
"Right. If it were only that simple," he noted before following her out of the room.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Gabe's family waited impatiently for the shuttle from the surface to debark. Around them stood party attendees who were curious what all the fuss was about. Finally, the door opened to allow Gabe to step through into the lounge. As he stepped clear, the crowd gasped as five fi
re demons stepped through behind him, all wearing evening gowns.
Gabe turned to one of the demons. "Thank you, Ambassador Markle, for an absolutely wonderful time. Please, look me up when next you're on Earth." He then kissed her clawed hand.
"Ambassador?" Stenosh said as he slowly approached.
"Yes, fool. Who do you think would come up here dressed like this?"
"Oh, my gods, it is you," Rista senior said as she took her by the arm. "What happened to the fuzzy Orta?"
"Does everyone call us that?" Nat asked.
"Of course. Now, let us go and restart this party while you tell us everything," Rista said as she led the ambassador off toward the reception room with Nat's entourage in tow. She looked back at Gabe who returned a shrug as if to say, "Demon-up."
Athea, Pris, and the girls ran up and hugged him, bombarding him with questions. "Look, I'm fine. My bots just need time to recharge."
"Where's Gamma?" Rista the younger asked.
"We don't know. The Orta are looking for him. They'll let us know when they find him. Honey, he saved a lot of Orta today."
"I hope he's all right," she said, her eyes full of worry for her partner .
"So, do I. Look, why don't you and Saffron go help Ambassador Markle fend off your grandmother, you know, for the sake of galactic peace."
They nodded, then hugged him before reluctantly heading off to the reception.
"Gabe, what really happened down there?" Pris asked.
He told them. "Gamma was gone when I regained consciousness as were Zoe's people. Maybe they took him."
"I'll send out a League-wide APB to keep a lookout for him. If he's out there, then we'll find him," Athea said.
"What if he isn't out there. What if he's somewhere else?" Pris asked, referring to one of the other verses in the multiverse.
"The Orta are investigating. If he is in a parallel dimension, they will locate him. Then it will be up to EarthSec to find him," Gabe replied, "and EarthSec doesn't cotton to people kidnapping their officers."
Athea looked at her son. "Doesn't any of this shit bother you?" she asked.
"Naw." He took his wife in his arms. "At the end of the day I get to come home to my family. Really, the rest is just noise."
###
Three weeks later…
Gabe walked into the bar and made a beeline to the hostess. “Hi, my name is Gabriel Adon, and I’m supposed to meet Ciara Devlin.”
“Over here, Gabe!” Ciara yelled from across the bar.
Gabe walked over and sat down across from her. “Ciara, you look wonderful. How goes the new job?”
“So, you heard. The announcement isn’t supposed to be until next week.”
“Emma told me, she’s ecstatic.” Emma Adon, Gabe’s demigoddess daughter, was the retired leader of the League council and still had connections in very high places. ”
“How’s she doing, by the way?” Ciara asked.
“She’s doing great. She’s finally putting those umpteen PhDs to work teaching political science at NYU.”
“So, why the urgent meet?”
“I have a friend who needs cheering up, and I was hoping you could help,” Gabe said.
“Gabe, you know me, I don’t do cheer. So, who’s the friend?”
“Nat Markle.”
“What’s wrong with Nat?”
He explained.
“So, the ‘Fuzzy Orta’ was a crock of shit?”
“Yeah.”
“Then how did you mimic one on Tralaska?”
“The nanorobots in my bloodstream were designed by Ortas to mimic Ortas under any condition. I convinced mine that I was a hurt Orta.”
“Damn. You could have died.”
“I would have figured out something. Look, I know I’m way overstepping my bounds, but she really values her friendship with you, Jason, Nebulon, and Carla.”
“You know about us?”
“Your little group is legend. I’ve read every book about Pilot Jason Thurgood, Co-Pilot Natalie Markle, Navigator Carla Dael Rey, and Dr. Nebulon Blyst, the valiant crew of the League Transport Vessel Ascendant and their leader, Cube Director Ciara Devlin. I used to read Rista and Saffron stories about you five.”
I think I detect a little hero worship in your voice.”
“I would say you hear a lot. Look, I’m supposed to meet Nat for drinks next week, and I was hoping you four could be there.”
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world. Let me make some calls. Trust me, the other three will be there.”
“Thanks, Director. Now, could I interest you in some dinner? ”
“Sure, but only if you tell me what the hell happened on Orta.”
“You got it. Now, let’s eat.”
###
It was a beautiful New York day—Sun shining, temperature in 70s, and a light breeze. It was good to be alive. Gabe sat at the table and soaked in the beauty while he waited for his guests to arrive.
“Am I keeping you up, DCI Adon?”
Gabe looked up and saw a four-foot tall fire demon standing next to him wearing a cute summer dress which matched her “Flames” to a tee. “Hey, Nat. Love the dress,” he said as he stood up and pulled out a chair for her.
“Thanks. You think it clashes with my stripes?”
“Not at all. I’ve been meaning to ask: are those natural?”
“Yep. No two Orta have the same pattern.” She looked around at the people moving past. “They don’t even notice me, do they?”
“Nope. Blame the Alturans. Once you’ve seen an Alturan, you’ve seen it all.
She looked at him. “There was nothing like this during your first life, was there?”
“Nope. The only people we knew about were us humans. Space aliens were the stuff of science fiction.”
“They’re going to hate me…” Nat said as she raised her glowing red eyes to the sky. “All those lies…”
“What lies? Exaggerations, maybe, but not lies…”
She gave him that look he had come to know well. “Jason Thurgood took me in when I couldn’t find an energy source. Did I tell him the truth back then? Did I tell Carla even though I knew she would do anything for me? What about Nebulon? Or Director Devlin? No. Instead, I hid in fear of being discovered while lying to them all. They’re going to hate me. ”
“Nat, we all make mistakes. I read the stories about your adventures. The Martok, the Snapdragon Ladies, and all the other stories. You five are tight. You should at least give them a chance.”
“Why are you so concerned about me and them?”
He looked down at the table. “After I returned from Destiny, I found myself with time on my hands. Sure, I was raising two daughters while Pris made her way through the EarthSec ranks, but I found myself with downtime, so I read books. Lots of books.”
“That’s when you read the stories Royce Aymar wrote.”
“Yeah. I ended up reading everything I could find about you five. You became my heroes.”
Nat’s jaw dropped. Finally, she composed herself. “Gabriel Adon, the man from the past who saved this universe, considers me and my friends heroes?”
“Ah, yep. I really would rather not be part of breaking up the band, if you catch my drift.”
“Gabe, YOU SAVED THE PLARKING UNIVERSE!”
“It’s my job. What you and your friends did was way above and beyond anything anyone could have expected of you.”
She sat back in her seat and gaped at Gabe as if he was growing a goat from his forehead. She was so ploon-harped by what he had said, she didn’t notice the people taking seats around her.
“Wasn’t she taller?” Jason asked as he waved over the waitress.
“I think she’s damn cute,” Carla noted.
“Are those stripes real?” Ciara asked.
“Damn, those dioramas are going to have to be completely redone,” Nebulon said as she poked Nat’s arm.
Nat looked at them. “Hey guys.”
“Hey, Nat,” they repli
ed in unison.
“Can you drink?” Carla asked .
“Yeah, and eat, too.”
“Good, because I’m starved,” Ciara said. “Gabe, are you going to join us?”
He formed a small point-and-shoot camera and snapped a picture of his heroes. “I would love to,” he said as everyone stood and hugged one another. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
###
Zoe glared at her people, all that is except Silas. "Mark, you left Gabe to die?" She asked calmly.
"Yes, I did. That bastard nailed me with one of your hacker balls. He nearly killed me."
A gun appeared in Zoe's hand. In one fluid motion, she aimed and fired the weapon at an Athea frutex leaning against the wall. The plant disappeared in a flash of light. "Got the disintegrate-rays working. Mark, I will use this on your cyborg ass if you ever disobey another one of my orders."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Oh, and you seemed to have missed the target. Gabe is alive and well, and I've got the vid feeds to prove it."
"He was dead!" Mark yelled as he pounded a wall with his fist.
"Nope. I guess it sucks to be you. Now, get your moron asses out of my sight while I figure a way out of this mess."
Led by a sullen Mark, the group left, leaving Silas behind. When the door closed, Silas reached into his pocket and withdrew a shard of crystal, which he handed to Zoe. "I retrieved several pieces and analyzed them on the way back. Our nanorobotic 3D printer can easily reproduce the full-sized crystal using a shard as a seed pattern."
"How long?"
"Six months, give or take. We risk shattering it if we rush the job. "
"We have time. In fact, we have all the time in the world. Proceed with construction of the crystal. I want daily updates."
"Yes, mistress."
She twirled the shard in her fingers. "Soon, Gabe. Very, very, soon."
<<<<
About Frank Carey
Frank Carey has been formally writing and publishing works of science fiction since late 2013. Over the years prior, he had dabbled in various forms of writing including haiku poetry, but that all changed when he and his wife, Jo, decided to try their hand at writing and self-publishing. All his work, to date, has been in the science fiction genre.
