by Kyle Pratt
Yes, if you wish it.
No! He shook his head, then grabbed it with both hand. No!
He felt her mind shut to him like a door slamming closed.
I’m crazy. Justin stood. I’m hearing voices. “I need to get to the cargo bay.” The duffle bags hardly moved under the pull of his tired arms.
Standing, she said, “I must flee this place also. Please allow me to accompany you.”
“Why would you want to come with us?”
Frantic words poured forth. “I am sure Ferren will attempt to kidnap me again. It is best that I leave before his next attempt.” She looked about. “If you and Mara are gone, there is no one to hold me to this place. You and Mara are the only friends I have.”
It was true, there was nothing for her here. She would surely be snatched and sold to Ferren’s mystery buyer. Even without that threat, her youth, beauty, and innocence would lead to her quick victimization. He looked into her eyes and knew that he did not want to leave her behind. “Perhaps we can find a safe place for you. Come on,” he said and moved slowly forward with bags in tow.
She nodded as he passed. “Do you need help with that?”
Exhausted from the fights, Justin offered her the lighter of the two bags.
He dragged his bag into the bay. Mara had arrived first and, still in her torn and blood stained dress, wrestled with docking cables.
Pulling hard on a cable tie down, she turned and smiled, “You found Naomi!” Looking at the other woman she asked, “Have you decided he’s not a demigod?”
“No.”
Justin frowned at Naomi then shrugged as he turned back to Mara.
She yanked the cable with renewed vigor and it fell to the ground.
“What is that?” Naomi tilted her head up with her eyes half closed.
Justin and Mara stopped. Only the sound of the air handler was audible at first. Then came the distant wail of an alarm and muffled shouts.
“Naomi, get those bags on the Ship. Mara, spin up the engines. We’ve got to leave.”
“Where are we going?”
I have no idea.
Chapter 7
Justin grabbed a long-handled wrench and ran back down the passageway where he had met Naomi moments before. At the far end he slammed the hatch closed, locked it, and then jammed the door with the tool. It wouldn’t stop whoever was coming, but it would slow them down.
He dashed back up a flight of stairs, and into the control room. Quickly he surveyed the bays below. Police were already in the first one looking at the bodies. Glancing to his right he noted the glow from the ship engines in bay three. Mara would soon be ready to launch. His fingers flashed over the controls as he entered the code to open the external doors.
Alarms sounded.
Red lights flashed.
The police looked up and fired at Justin.
Glass shattered.
He dropped to his knees.
A computer voice advised, “Warning! The external doors of bay three will open in 30 seconds.” Pumps sucked air from the dock.
Still crouching, a thought came to him and he entered the codes to open the other external doors. He smiled. That’ll keep them busy for a while.
Red lights flashed as the computer repeated the warning for the other docking bays, Justin ran from the room. Grabbing the railings at the top of the stairs, he flew down them hardly touching a step. The entrance to bay three had automatically sealed, but he entered via the airlock. As he dashed across the hold he gasped for air and his ears popped painfully. Running up the ramp, he stumbled, then lunged into the open airlock of the ship.
* * *
Justin’s head throbbed with each beat of his heart. He pushed the nightmare of red lights and suffocation from his mind and forced open his eyes only to wince in pain as subdued light hit his pupils. It was several minutes before he tried again to gradually open them. Even the dim light was painful, and he had trouble focusing the image. He lay on a bed in an unfamiliar compartment. The walls were an ivory white, the furnishings simple but stylish. The blanket over him was woven in shades of blue. He sighed. I’m not in jail. He tried to stand, but nausea swept over him and he collapsed back on the bed. I’ll stay here for awhile.
Several minutes passed before the door opened, but he couldn’t see who it was from his sprawled position. He decided to let whoever it was believe he was still unconscious and besides, his head hurt every time he moved. Whoever it was stood silently for a moment then stepped toward into his field of view.
He smiled at the sight of Naomi.
She held a tray with a pitcher, glass and other items. Sitting it on the dresser, she poured a glass of water. Turning toward him, her eyes caught his and she smiled. “How are you?”
“Head hurts.”
She nodded. “It will pass.” She handed him the glass of water and a tablet from the tray. “This will help.” She waited while he swallowed, then said, “You are not a Nephilim.”
“No. Just a man.” Talking hurt his head. “How long have I been out?”
“Less than thirty minutes.”
“Are we safe?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. The police and Ferren are in pursuit, but Mara is staying ahead of them.”
Started the day a prosperous business man and ended it a fugitive. Slowly he sat up. Definitely not my best day. “Is Mara hooked to the ship’s systems?”
“Ah, yes. I…I helped her connect.” Her face flushed. “I didn’t know she had an implant.”
Justin nodded. “A present from our former owner.” He reached out his arm. “Help me.”
He put his arm around Naomi’s shoulders and they walked out.
Naomi helped onto the ship’s bridge. He’d been here several times while his crews worked on the yacht, but never while the ship was in flight. Even preoccupied with his pursuers and a throbbing head, the compartment was impressive. Shaped like an egg, the narrowest part of the room was toward the bow and opposite from where Justin stood at the entrance. Visual displays covered the bulkheads of the forward half. Just below these images were half-a-dozen workstations. At the center of the room was a captain’s chair with a desk-like control panel arching in front of it.
Justin walked past the captain’s chair to the forward end of the room. Mara lay in what appeared to be a pod-like reclining chair, arms beside her, eyes closed. Her general look gave the appearance of someone asleep, but Justin knew better. Optical fibers connected to the implant on the back of her skull linked her brain to the ship’s helm, navigation and engineering systems.
“Mara,” he called softly as his eyes darted about the room.
A holographic image formed on the right side of the captain’s chair. “How are you doing brother?”
“I’m alive.” He stepped in the direction of her image, but plopped into the captain’s chair. “Where are we headed?”
“Just away at the moment.” She pointed to a display showing aft sensors. “The nearest ship is a police cruiser the other is the Acheron.”
Ferren. “Are they gaining on us?”
She nodded. “Got any ideas? They’ll be in firing range in less than twelve minutes.”
“Then we need a plan, a place to go, in less than eleven.”
“Justin,” Naomi said softly, “I know where we could go.”
They both looked at her.
“I have not been…ah….” Naomi bit her lip. “I have not been entirely honest with you.”
“Yeah, I know,” he said without emotion.
Mara looked at Justin, her eyes wide. “You knew she was lying and…”
“Not right now, Mara. Go on Naomi.”
“The man I was traveling with, Dr. Carl Saul…well, that was not his name and he was not my father—he was my creator.”
Chapter 8
“Creator?” Even though it was merely a holographic simulation, Mara’s eyes seemed to fix like beacons on Naomi.
Justin’s head sank into his hands. I’ll be glad
when this day is over. Gently he rubbed his temple. “What do you mean, Naomi?”
“Dr. Galen, that was his real name, was not taking me to Gatewai, he was taking me to a jump gate in the Spitzer system. I had never heard of the star before we left Earth.”
Justin smiled knowingly. “Yesterday you said you were from Epsilon.”
Her face flushed. “Dr. Galen was from Epsilon.”
“Okay, but why were you traveling to Spitzer?”
“Galen said there were people on the other side of the jump that could hide me.”
Mara’s eyes flared. “Most of those gates haven’t been used since the Titanomachy war—over four hundred years ago.”
“Navsys on,” Justin commanded. He turned to the console before him and mumbled, “Dr. Galen was taking you to Spitzer.” Tapping his finger on the holographic map, he brought up the appropriate region of space. The display zoomed in and annotations appeared over several celestial bodies. “Spitzer is a white, dwarf star. The system has one gas giant and two rocky planetoids.” He shook his head. “No habitable planets.”
“Are you actually thinking about going there?” Mara raised her holographic eyebrow incredulously.
Justin again tapped his finger on the holographic map. “Do you have a better plan.”
“Well….” She turned to Naomi. “Did you say ‘hide?’ Why did you need to hide?”
The holographic image of a uniformed man appeared to the left of the captain’s chair, opposite of Mara. He seemed to look Justin in the eye as he said, “Surfeit, decelerate and prepare to be boarded. Comply or we will open fire.”
A flash of light swept the bridge and alarms sounded.
Justin’s eyes locked on the fireball just ahead.
The words ‘fugitive’ and ‘Titan’ echoed in Justin’s mind. He glanced at the display then silenced the alarms. “That was a shot across our bow. The next one will be into our engines.”
Naomi’s stared at the Navigation display. “What do we do?”
Justin felt his every muscle tense. Mara’s eyes remained calm, but fixed on him. He could feel fear from both and see it on Naomi’s face. Purposely he gave a casual shrug in answer to her question and took a slow deep breath and turned to Mara. “Do you have a better destination than Spitzer?”
Mara shook her head.
In the most confident voice he could muster he said, “Set course for Spitzer.”
Mara nodded. Her image faded, blinked then snapped back to full intensity. “The course is set. I sure hope we find a working gate when we get there.” She pointed to displays in front of Justin. “We won’t have enough fuel to jump to another system after we arrive.” A restraining harness slid across the real Mara as the holographic one said, “Strap in everyone. I’m going to need them off our tail.” She gestured toward the pursuing ships.
Justin clicked his belt into place just as the thrusters roared, pushing him deep into the seat. The ship zigged one way as he zagged into the harness. Another wild turn and the police fell far behind, but Ferren’s ship, the Acheron, continued to gain. Mara fired the retros, throwing Justin forward into the harness.
Their pursuer shot past.
Thrusters blazed as the Surfeit dashed off at a right angle from the Acheron.
“On your order Captain.” Mara turned and waited for his command.
There was no hint of sarcasm at the word, “captain” and just for a moment, he marveled at how such an intelligent and talented woman had followed him all these years. “Jump.”
The stars slid into one bright mass off the bow as Justin tried to gulp air, but he couldn’t breathe. Abruptly he felt weightless and disoriented as the ship crossed the event horizon. The next instant he slammed hard into his harness and gasped.
“Jump complete.” Mara smiled. “The vortex collapsed behind us before any ships could follow.”
Justin took a deep draft of air and forced a smile. “How long till we arrive at Spitzer?”
“Just over Fifty-seven hours.”
When we get there all we need to do is find the gate and hope the ancient thing works. Fatigue flowed over him. There were a thousand questions he needed answered, but, for now, there was only one thing he wanted to do. Looking at Mara he asked, “When will you need to eat and…ah go…”
“As soon as I do a ship wide systems check, I’ll disconnect. Flying through subspace is easy.”
He nodded. “I’ll be in my room,” he said walking from the bridge.
* * *
The room was dark when he awoke. Justin felt his head and smiled. It didn’t hurt. For a moment he struggled to remember the name of the ship he was on. “Surfeit lights, normal.” The pitcher and glass that Naomi had brought him remained on the dresser. He stood, filled the cup and drank deeply. A glance in the mirror drew a moan as he rubbed the deep stubble of his beard and attempted to straighten his tousled hair. Hopeless. As he dressed he struggled to understand how the fall from respected businessman to fugitive had occurred so quickly. I need answers. With that resolve he marched from the compartment.
Someone had latched the door to the bridge open. The voices of the women greeted him as he approached the hatch. Stepping into the compartment he noticed a table had been setup at the rear with coffee and food. He grabbed some cheese as he passed.
“How do you feel?” Naomi asked.
“Much better.” He looked about the bridge then back at Mara. Stepping forward he touched her on the arm.
Mara nodded. “Yes, this is the real me.”
“What’s our status?” he asked, then consumed the cheese.
Mari shrugged. “We’re on auto-pilot still traversing the wormhole. When we get to Spitzer we’ll be low on fuel.”
Justin nodded. Those problems were still some hours in the future. He turned to Naomi. “Yesterday you said that Dr. Galen was not your father, that he was your creator. What did you mean? Are you a clone?”
Mara frowned. “I’ve already asked. She won’t answer.”
“It is complicated.” She looked at both of them, “If I had to tell, I wanted to do so only once.”
Justin stared at her. “Okay, let’s get started.”
Naomi sighed deeply. “I told you his name was Dr. Carl Saul, but that was just part of the cover story. Like I said his real name was Dr. Luke Galen.” Tears welled in her eyes. “He was a good man.”
Touched by her emotion, Justin sat beside her and took her hand.
“I do not know where to start.”
He squeezed her hand gently. “We have time. Start at the beginning.”
She nodded and wiped her eyes. “Okay,” she sighed. “Twenty years ago an imperial warship detected a cloaked vessel running at high speed in the restricted zone between the CFS and the empire. Thinking it was a CFS spy ship they attacked and disabled it.”
Mara held up a hand. “Do we need the history lesson? Just start with why you call this Galen guy your creator.”
“This is where my story begins.”
Mara looked confused.
“Go on,” Justin said.
“When imperial marines boarded the ship the crew destroyed most of the onboard systems and vented the atmosphere.”
Mara’s eyes widened. “They committed suicide?”
Naomi nodded.
“But I still don’t get it. What does all this have to do with you?”
“Unfortunately everything.” Taking in a deep breath she continued. “Imperial Intelligence determined that the crew were Titans.”
Justin’s breath caught in his throat and he felt Mara’s surprise wash over him. I could use a drink. A good strong one. He examined Naomi’s face, trying to grasp the fullness of what she had implied. “Are you saying that you’re a Titan?”
“In a sense.”
“No,” Mara said flatly. “That’s something you either are or you aren’t.” Her eyes locked on Naomi as she slowly stood. “What are you?”
“Calm down, Sis. If she were some genetically-e
nhanced murderer, we’d be dead already.”
“They were cunning.”
“Remember,” he said gesturing toward his chest, “I might be a Titan.”
She shook her head and moved to the side and slightly behind Naomi, “Whatever you are, you’re not a genocidal, killing machine.”
“Let’s hear her out.”
Mara’s hand slid into a pocket. “Okay.” Slowly she moved back toward the bulkhead.
Naomi continued. “Remember that the Titans were created as soldiers and support laborers to protect Earth from the Grays. After their surrender, EarthGov ordered the Titans to return to base for resettlement.”
“They refused,” Justin nodded recalling the history, “and sent the ten plagues against the people of Earth.”
“That was the start of the Titanomachy War.” Mara said flatly.
“Any Titans they captured were burned at the stake,” Justin shuddered as he imagined flames inching closer to his body.
“Before the war was over, billons had died.” Mara sighed. “EarthGov and the Confederation collapsed and the Nephilim were victorious.”
Naomi nodded. “The Nephilim defeated the Titans at the Battle of Earth and eventually were able to restore order but everyone remembered the horror of the war, the famine and unrest, and sought to guard against it. They ordered the scientists of the empire to create a Titan-like army for them, but Earth scientists have not been able to isolate the DNA sequences that give the Titan their powers. “Many scientists have paid for that failure with their life.”
“Okay, I see.” Justin said. “The scientists failed until twenty years ago.”
Naomi nodded.
Mara shook her head. “I still don’t understand. What has all that got to do with you?”
“One of the bodies from the cloaked ship provided viable DNA. The Nephilim were able to advance their plans.”
“So you are…”
“I am a clone and the prototype for the new army of the Nephilim.”
Chapter 9
Mara stared at Naomi for several moments then, in a flat, emotionless voice said, “I’ve got to admit, you don’t look like a genetically-enhanced monster.”
