The Mystic Saga Omnibus (Books 1 - 5)

by Scott McElhaney

  He nodded and turned around. I felt like he was offering me a target if I chose to kill him. Perhaps his dealings with the typical shady crowd told him that I would kill him and he almost expected it.

  “Please don’t tell anyone what you know,” I muttered.

  “Your secret’s safe with me,” Jack said, and I was certain he spoke the truth.

  Ctynian News Magazine

  908,200 years ago

  Headline: Four Deep Space Probes Launched Last Month

  That infinitely curious space foundation we know as L.I.F.E. has finally achieved the impossible in spite of continuous ridicule from the public. In their ongoing search for extra-terrestrial intelligence, they have created a class of probes that can be launched (and have been launched for that matter) into the furthest reaches of space without any need for upkeep. These four probes, known affectionately as CtynMech, were released from orbit in four different directions in the hopes to seek out and report back any findings of biological life beyond our star system.

  “CtynMech are a class of self-maintaining and self-reproducing probes that can almost be classified as a form of artificial intelligence. These probes, operated by a high-functioning GXC computer system, will have the ability not only to make decisions regarding their journeys, but they can also learn and grow from their environment and experiences. Each probe, spanning nearly a quarter-mile in girth, has the means and the machinery to take core samples and in extreme cases, to literally mine the ore it would require to reproduce itself if it was deemed necessary,” says the CEO of L.I.F.E., “While none of these will probably even reach another star system for at least a thousand years, we believe they will be able to continue functioning for millennia and they will continue to report back on their findings during all this time.”

  We felt it necessary to ask why a machine would choose to reproduce itself after that particular statement from the CEO. This was L.I.F.E.’s response:

  “We have no idea what is out there and what would be required of these probes when they discover a new race. As it gains knowledge of the new civilizations out there, it may find it beneficial to create several replicas of itself. Keep in mind, these must be fully self-functioning and self-maintaining if they are to exist for thousands of years. For all we know, these machines may be in existence long after our own star has exhausted all its fuel and Ctynians have populated other planets in other systems.”

  When we asked GXC to verify the “eternal computer systems” that L.I.F.E. claims to have inserted into these new probes, they simply replied “Our newest GXC computers are indeed able to grow and maintain systems, so these claims could very well be true. We can’t refute the claims if nothing else.”

  . . .

  …878,290 years ago

  Briaxell, a comet that had been tied to the Ctynian star system for thousands of years, was known to harmlessly cross the path of Ctyn every 68 years. This year, the comet would not cross Ctyn’s orbit in the safe manner it had for over 300 times in recorded history. The impact of the 237-mile wide comet would be devastating even though nearly half of its enormous mass would safely burn away on entry.

  . . .

  …878,211 years ago

  Ctyn is now a barren and sterile planet after the last of the algae and microbial life finally dies off.

  . . .

  …823,660 years ago

  A message is sent to Ctyn to inform L.I.F.E. that there has been a discovery of biological and intelligent life on a planet approximately 26,000 light years from the galactic center in the Orion arm. There is no confirmation that the message is ever received. No response would ever come. CtynMech proceeds to begin mining procedures on two of the mineral-rich asteroids in the newly discovered system. This is the beginning of a 56-year project that would result in building a CtynMech outpost as well as other copies of itself.

  Cyan

  The ride to the police station was quiet and required a lot of effort on my part to portray a false patience that I had little of. My escort made certain that I was never brought to see Evelyn as he was more interested in my expeditious removal from the building.

  He navigated quickly through the station with me in tow. I was then brought to a room that resembled those “beat-out-the-confession” rooms I saw on the movies down at the cinema. I waited anxiously, while hoping I appeared much more calm and collected than I actually was.

  “What should we expect, Steine?” Drexil asked, “You’re the detective.”

  “Something significant happened in that office,” I said, “If I were to guess, I’d say that Evelyn heard a lot of conversation from the Mystic and the two others in the room. I’d say that she relayed everything she saw and heard to the detectives. Most likely, nothing that she offered made a bit of sense to anyone. She probably saw the Mystic kill those two in the ways that we know Mystics typically do. I’m sure that makes no sense to the detectives. All of this is precisely why we weren’t allowed to see or talk to Evelyn. They want to compare what I know to what Evelyn said without either of us contaminating the other’s story.”

  “Makes sense,” Drexil said, “So how do we explain our reaction to the words ‘trigger’ and ‘mystic’?”

  “We obviously can’t say what we know,” Rewan said.

  I glanced around the room for one of those two-way mirrors I saw in that Hitchcock film last year. Since this room was devoid of such a cliché, I decided that I’d also be spared that lead-filled sap across the face courtesy of an ugly burned-out cop.

  “True, but we don’t need to play ignorant either,” I said, “They have plenty of witnesses that have seen this guy kill people in a crazy way. Most likely Evelyn referred to this guy as a Mystic since she apparently gave that word to the detectives. This means that the other two in the room probably called the guy ‘Mystic.’ Unfortunately for us, this would also mean that those two dead guys in her office are from our planet. This, in itself, can mean a whole lot of things. I can’t even fathom what was going on up there and why three people from Legacy were interested in Evelyn.”

  “Unless it has something to do with us,” Drexil said.

  “What?” I asked.

  “What are the odds that three ‘aliens’ would go after a woman who was engaged to an ‘alien’ from their same planet?” he asked.

  “Dear Lord,” Rewan muttered in my ear.

  The door opened and two people entered the room. I recognized Detective Stambaugh, but the other was a younger gentleman wearing an unfamiliar military uniform. I’ve seen my share of uniforms in my two years here, but this one was either a fake, or he was from an obscure branch I haven’t heard of. If he was in a variation of the Army, the bars on his collar identified him as a Captain. If he was Navy, I believe those same bars marked him as a Lieutenant.

  “Am I under arrest?” I asked.

  “Do you feel you should be?” the detective asked.

  I’d used that same phrase myself back home. Always offer opportunities for a confession even if you thought the person was innocent. The detective and his military sidekick sat down directly across from me.

  “Yes, definitely. I feel I should be under arrest for running to the rescue of my fiancée. We all know that this type of action is frowned upon in the great state of New York,” I said.

  “My associate here is Captain Jim Andrews of the United States Air Force and I’m Detective Stambaugh,” he said, ignoring my previous jab.

  “Air Force?” I asked.

  “Yes, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last two years, we have a branch of the military now called the Air Force,” Stambaugh stated.

  “I sort of like my rock, thank you,” I said.

  The detective cleared his throat, then scooted his chair back. The captain appeared to me a lot more laid-back in his attitude and appearance than the detective. I attributed that to the fact that he was probably twenty years younger and had a family to go home to every evening. He hasn’t had a chance to develop that permanent
scowl that comes after a decade of cigarettes, beatings, and lonely nights at the bar.

  “What do the terms ‘trigger’ and ‘mystic’ mean?” the detective asked, “And let’s not pretend you don’t know these titles because I saw it on your face.”

  I cleared my throat and scooted my chair back, mimicking the actions of Detective Stambaugh. I folded my hands on the table before me and lowered my gaze to examine my crisscrossed thumbs.

  “How about this? Let’s pretend that we both are aware of the fact that I work on the tenth floor. Let’s also pretend that you already talked to my boss and maybe even the secretary to verify the fact that I was there all morning. Let’s pretend for a moment that you know darn well that I’m completely in the clear here and that I was indeed rushing up the stairs to the aid of my fiancée,” I said, knowing full well that everything I said was true, “Now let’s pretend that your scare tactics and your disrespectful attitude serves no purpose in this venue,

  “If we pretend all these things, then I’ll bet we could also pretend that someone at this table is heartbroken over receiving absolutely no news whatsoever as to the well-being of the one he loves. This, my friend, is disrespect. If you want honest answers to your questions, you should be willing to offer honest answers to the innocent man seated across from you.”

  Stambaugh leaned forward and inspected me with those piercing squinted eyes. I stared back at him, unwavering.

  “Very well,” he said, “What do you want to know.”

  “What happened up there? Is she all right? How is she emotionally? Did she-”

  “Wait a moment,” he said, slapping the table, “One question at a time and if I feel you’re being honest with me, I’ll answer each of your questions. But one at a time,

  “Your first question was ‘what happened up there.’ To be honest, we really don’t know all the details yet. For now though, I’ll give you the straight facts of the matter. Two people broke into her office and tied her up. We believe she was being used as a hostage. The person they lured up there must have been afraid to contact the police, so he took matters into his own hands and tried to free her. This man killed one of the presumed terrorists with a rope-weapon according to Evelyn. Then he shot something from his hands that exploded the door just before leaping from the window. This is really all we have at the moment.”

  I nodded, trying to understand why a Mystic would be protecting Evelyn.

  “I have no idea what ‘trigger’ means outside of the obvious, but I’ve heard the word ‘Mystic’ used before to refer to someone who can shoot electricity from his hands,” I said, choosing not to expand further on the alien ramifications, “I’ve never seen one before, but I heard rumors that the guy you mentioned before was doing this same unusual magic to kill the people in the building.”

  “Where did you hear about Mystics before?” the captain asked, folding his hands on the table.

  “Just around. I think it was at a bar recently when a few of us got to talking about that spaceship in Canada. Someone said that there were people who could shoot electricity from their hands,” I lied.

  “Do the terms USSC, Legacy, blue glowing aliens, or communicator mean anything to you?” Stambaugh asked.

  “Blue glowing aliens? That’s us, except for the fact that we’re violet instead of blue,” Rewan muttered.

  “Do you think she saw one of our people?” Drexil asked.

  “Maybe the ones arguing in front of her were talking about one… maybe even Elix himself,” Rewan said.

  “I think we really have arrived in the era of Elix’s abduction,” I said, “We are living in the era of the Scripts.”

  A silence of awe or respect filled my head. I looked at the detective then shook my head. Stambaugh then leaned over to the captain and whispered something. The captain left the room and closed the door behind him.

  “We have reason to believe that the people who attacked your fiancée were indeed somehow related to that spacecraft you mentioned,” Stambaugh said, “And while I’ll deny this in public, I’ll tell you now that all three of those people were highly unusual. Sure they were human, but…”

  The door opened and Captain Andrews returned with a large plasma rifle in one hand and a bag in the other. He placed the rifle on the table, then opened the bag and dropped some shattered electronics next to it.

  “The smashed object you are looking at is what the jumper referred to as a ‘communicator.’ He tossed it from the window,” Stambaugh said, “And as for this rifle… well, you’re seeing the same thing I’m seeing.”

  “What we’re asking, Mr. Judge, is this: do you know any reason why three people or aliens for that matter would have any interest in your fiancée?” the captain asked, “Any theories at all would be appreciated at this time.”

  “Honestly, I really don’t know,” I said, “I’m hoping this was something random because she doesn’t bother anyone and usually no one bothers her.”

  “Do you know how this weapon works?” the captain asked, “Its trigger mechanism doesn’t seem to function the same as our rifles.”

  “I’ve never used a plasma rifle, Captain,” I said.

  “Plasma rifle?” Drexil shouted in my ear.

  “Oh no!” I inhaled as my heart dropped.

  “Plasma rifle?” Stambaugh asked, “What is a plasma rifle?”

  “This thing, I guess,” I said, waving my hand casually toward it, “If it’s alien, I assume it would be a laser or a plasma rifle.”

  “You assume?” Stambaugh asked.

  “Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon comics,” Drexil shouted in my head.

  “I read a lot of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers as a teenager,” I muttered.

  Stambaugh released a long sigh, then shook his head. He lifted a manila folder from his lap and placed it on the table between us.

  “Cyan Judge,” he said, opening the folder to reveal its lack of contents, “A man who doesn’t have any family, any school records, or any history at all prior to arriving in New York.”

  “You guys work quick. The killer gets away while you’re busy investigating the boyfriend with an ironclad alibi. Now I think I understand why you’ve got so many open cases here in New York,” I said with a chuckle, “Anyway, to answer your implied question, I lived in New Mexico with-”

  “Oh, I know. Miss McHale told us you worked for her father on their farm. She said you showed up sometime in 1947,” Stambaugh stated.

  “I’m beginning to think this investigation is about me and not about an incident at the Empire State Building,” I said, “I think it’s probably time I leave.”

  “Wait a second before you go,” Captain Andrews said, “Where exactly was Mr. McHale’s farm?”

  “I think you know the answers to all these questions, Captain,” I said.

  “And you showed up in the summer of 1947?” Andrews asked, “Near Roswell, New Mexico… and you’ve no history to speak of prior to this date. There’s nothing in any New Mexico records of a man by the name of Cyan Judge.”

  I stood quickly, “Am I under arrest?”

  “Please sit, Mr. Judge,” Stambaugh stated.

  “Was that ‘please sit’ or ‘I order you to sit down’?” I asked.

  “Captain Andrews is here on behalf of the United States Air Force, but he’s not the ultimate one who wishes to speak with you. He’s been asked to detain you until some of his associates get here,” Stambaugh said, “They have a lot of interest in this case and I’m beginning to understand why.”

  “I’ll ask one last time – am I under arrest?” I growled.

  “Not technically, but you are being detained for questioning,” he replied, “We can detain you in a civilized manner such as this, or we can detain you in a less than civilized cell. It all depends on your cooperation.”

  “We have to get out of here, Steine,” Rewan said, “And I don’t think there’s any other way except by using force – superhuman force.”

  “Try the lawyer approac
h first,” Drexil offered.

  “I would like to call a lawyer,” I said, “I refuse to say anything else to you or to your ‘associates’ unless I can speak to a lawyer.”

  “Then I’m going to take this as a sign that you will not be cooperating with us,” Stambaugh said, rising from his seat, “I’ll make sure a telephone is brought to you in your cell… when I get around to it.”

  He left the room quickly, followed by Captain Andrews. Before I had a chance to open the door, two large police officers entered with handcuffs and clubs.

  “We can do this the hard way or the easy way, Mr. Judge,” one of the officers stated.

  I held out my hands and allowed myself to be cuffed. Besides, I figured a little time alone in a cell was just what I needed to think of a quiet way out of this situation.

  Braxton

  This particular brownstone was a curious building, and not because of the fact that it was the home of one Evelyn McHale. Something else about the building really piqued my curiosity.

  Prior to Evelyn’s return home at 9:30 the next morning, a lot of changes occurred in my life. The first change being that I obviously lost my one helper or sidekick in this world. The second change was that I rid myself of all my comic books. I burned those books behind the hotel along with my costume and the bag of fabric that Jack had left for me. The comics had been misleading. A hero may need a mask and a skin-tight uniform, but a villain didn’t. A villain could just as well wear a suit, which was now the uniform of the Great and Amazing Mystic.

  I also left that hotel with no plans for a future shelter. I actually had no idea what my future held after I finally rid the world of Evelyn McHale. This final thought is what brought me to her brownstone. I knew she wasn’t home yet since I heard she was taken away from her office in a medical vehicle of some fashion.

  I climbed the metal ladder system that was mounted to the back of the building, then used my cables to ascend the rest of the way to the roof. That was when I made my discovery. That was when I decided that Evelyn was a bit more curious than I initially thought. There before me, hidden behind a wide brick chimney, was a gray and silver machine that didn’t quite belong here in New York or in this era. It was a dish-shaped device, built atop a very unusual electronic apparatus that itself was connected to a lead and acid energy block. I believe I’d seen these lead/acid energy blocks in the ground vehicles on this planet. The dish itself was aimed at the sky. Two thick wires extended out from the machine and led to very tall silver antennas attached to the chimney.