Linkage (The Narrows of Time Series Book 1)

by Jay J. Falconer

  THIRTY

  When Lucas arrived on the other side of the rift, his feet slipped out from under him, sending him crashing onto the floor. He knew he needed to roll out of the way, and did, as fourteen of Bruno’s security detail stormed through the portal behind him. They, too, slipped on the floor, one after another, sending them sliding past Lucas on their butts.

  “Welcome to the party, pal,” Lucas told the last guard to arrive.

  The exchange room looked like a biological bomb had detonated: the walls were covered in a flood of orange blood, as runny chunks of the Krellian tissue oozed down from the ceiling, dripping into piles on the deck plating. It reminded him of Dexter’s putrid-smelling kill room, minus the plastic.

  When he stood up and walked to the banquet table, gravity tugged at the seat of his blood-soaked pants. He found the geriatric men squatting on the floor, cowering in the fetal position. The naked female translator was still alive, but lying on her side with a stubby piece of tentacle hanging from her spine. Her face and body were covered in orange tissue and she was sobbing into her hands.

  Bruno’s security detail deployed to cover the corridor outside the wall opening. Lucas lowered his weapons and searched the room for his brother, but couldn’t find him. Kleezebee and Bruno were missing, too.

  He found his disruptor vest lying next to the female translator. He looked down at it, expecting it to be smoldering. It wasn’t. He hand-checked the condition of the wires and sonic pads; they hadn’t overloaded as Claude had feared.

  “Too bad Dad’s not here to see this,” he said. His father’s invention was a resounding success. Well, after a little of Kleezebee’s tweaking and Lucas’ decision to use full power.

  “Let’s fan out, search the ship,” one of the commandos yelled. Lucas assumed he was the leader. The name on the man’s uniform ID’d him as Harkins.

  “I’ll join you,” Lucas said, following them into the hall.

  “Team leaders, I want three teams of four men. Sergeant Nash, you and Phillips remain here and guard the portal.”

  “Yes, sir,” Nash replied.

  The security teams scurried off, each taking a different hallway. Lucas decided to follow the group containing the commander. They went to the right and so did he.

  The Krellian ship was divided into a labyrinth of short, angled hallways lined with flaming torches. Lucas expected the passageways to be filled with smoke, but they weren’t—they were only filled with the runny splatter of orange blood and tissue.

  Each shiny green corridor looked identical, making it tough for Lucas to maintain his bearings. He felt like he was running through a carnival funhouse, trying to navigate a maze of endless mirrors. Even if he rescued his brother from the bugs, he wasn’t sure he could find his way back to the exchange room.

  The end of each corridor had an octagon-shaped hatch that forked into two adjoining hallways. Harkins made only right turns, which Lucas assumed was the most efficient method for searching the seemingly endless network of passageways.

  Lucas kept expecting to be ambushed by a Krellian welcoming party as they turned each corner, but all they saw was orange blood and tissue on the floors and walls—seemingly everywhere. It appeared the range of the disruptor vest was far greater than they hoped. Or maybe his decision to max out its power did the trick. Or both.

  Either way, it didn’t matter: the ultrasonic blast took out the Krellians with extreme prejudice.

  Eventually they came across a twenty-foot-wide nook on the right. Access to the room was blocked by a lattice of black riveted metal bars, stamped flat instead of round. Beyond the door was a hay-like substance covering the floor. Interspersed with the hay were random patches of black and brown spots.

  Just then, movement caught his eye from the back-left corner. He could see a group of human women bunched together—all of them naked.

  About half of the females—two of whom were clearly under sixteen—had fully extended bellies. His mind flashed a single word that Alicia had said earlier, after they’d rescued her from the clutches of the sentinel warrior. Breeders.

  Shit. That’s right. She said the Krellians used the females as breeders in order to further their food supply of humans. His heart sank, realizing the pregnant girls were nearing full term, ready to give birth any day.

  A second later, an awful odor found its way into his nose. He realized it was coming from the hay. It reeked of urine and excrement, making Lucas want to puke. Somehow he managed to hold the vomit back even though the smell was a hundred times worse than the chemical smell in Griffith’s chem-lab back home.

  “Let’s go, men. Kleezebee’s not in there,” Harkins said, turning his head and shoulders to continue down the hall.

  “Hey, wait a minute! We can’t just leave them here,” Lucas said.

  “We’re not here for them.”

  “But they’re human. We have to get them out.”

  Harkins moved closer to Lucas, shuffling through his men. “Look, we don’t have time for this.”

  Lucas raised his stunner and fired it at the ceiling. “Make the time, goddammit.”

  Harkins leaned in close and sneered at Lucas.

  One of his men—the shortest of the group—said, “He’s right, boss. We can’t leave them here.” Three more of his team stepped forward and said the same thing.

  “No, we can’t,” Lucas added, waiting for the commander to respond.

  Harkins bit his lower lip and shook his head. A few seconds later, Harkins told Lucas, “Fine, but they’re your problem.”

  Lucas nodded without hesitation, knowing the delay could mean he might never see his brother again. But he had no choice; it was the right thing to do. Earlier, when Alicia first appeared through the rift, he failed to act when she held out her hand and pleaded for his help. He wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. He couldn’t leave the women there to die.

  Harkins told one of his men, “Hand me a brick.”

  Harkins took the C-4 from the man and broke it into three smaller blocks before attaching them to the inside of the door’s hinges. He inserted a detonator into the center of each block, then said, “Stand clear.”

  One everyone was a safe distance away, Harkins detonated the explosives. The power of the blast sent the bars clanking across the hallway in a cloud of acrid smoke. “Let’s move it,” Harkins said, “they probably heard that and are on their way with reinforcements.”

  Lucas ran inside the cage, leading the way. “Ladies, you need to come with us.”

  None of the two dozen women budged from the back wall. He held out his right hand, trying to appear friendly and spoke again, this time using a much louder voice. “It’s okay; we’re here to help you. But you need to come with us right now.”

  A soft voice called out from the left, “Lucas? Is that you?”

  “Yes. It’s me,” he said, stunned. He brought his eyes around to search for the source. The throng of women parted, allowing one of the smaller women in the back to work her way forward.

  Lucas couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw a dark-haired beauty that he recognized. She stepped forward and smiled, even though streams of tears were covering her face. “Abby? . . . How the hell?”

  She flew into his arms and cried hysterically.

  He held her tight, feeling the hand-carved alien tattoo etched into her shoulder. “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”

  Lucas ran it all through his head in a flash and came to the realization that the theater flash must’ve been some type of sampler probe, not a destructive energy dome like he first thought. It must’ve snatched her up, along with the rest of the students standing completely inside its perimeter. Jasmine had been cut in half because she was straddling the edge of the field, but not Abby.

  Abby leaned away slightly, looking up at him with her fear-stricken eyes. “They’ve got Drew.”

  “I know. That’s why we’re here. Do you know where he is?”

  “No,” she said, shaking her hea
d and sniffing. “I only saw him once, when they carried him past our cell.”

  “We have to leave, now!” Harkins yelled.

  Lucas broke free from her embrace and led her out of the confinement cell. Abby stood half-crouched among the men in the hallway, with her arms and hands trying to cover her privates. Lucas removed his shirt and gave it to her to wear. The other women joined them in the corridor, flocking around him, thanking him for saving them.

  “Do you remember the way back to the exchange room?” Harkins asked Lucas.

  “No clue. I lost my bearings.”

  “I can take him, sir,” the shortest man in the team said.

  Harkins didn’t respond right away. Instead, he turned slightly and spoke into his communicator watch. “Harkins here.” A few seconds later, his eyes grew wide and his voice was charged with excitement as he spoke. “Where? . . . Okay then, secure the area.”

  Harkins stepped in front of the group and spoke in a command voice, making eye contact with several members of his team. “Let’s get everyone back to the portal.”

  “What’s wrong?” Lucas asked, keeping Abby close.

  “We have a situation,” he said, returning his attention to his team. “Let’s go, men. Double time it.”

  * * *

  After rushing through a maze of hallways, the group finally turned the last corner on their way back to the rally point, escorting the girls they’d rescued from the Krellian holding cell.

  Lucas could see a group of soldiers standing guard outside the exchange room. He wasn’t sure what “situation” had caused Harkins to order the fall back, but the pain in his chest was telling him it wasn’t good. He feared something horrible had happened to Drew. Or Kleezebee. Or Bruno. Or Trevor. Maybe all four. Or perhaps another alien hive ship was closing in on their position.

  Abby kept a tight grip on Lucas as he held her back, letting four members of the tactical squad go through the door first. A few seconds later, the other girls were ushered inside by the remaining solders. All seemed quiet, so Lucas thought it was safe to bring Abby forward. He did, keeping his arm wrapped around her as they turned left and went through the door.

  The second his eyes focused on the inside of the exchange room, two things happened simultaneously: his heart lit up with a massive rush of joy, and Abby screamed, “Drew!”

  There he was. Safe and unharmed, standing with the help of Trevor’s powerful arm, next to Kleezebee and three members of the rescue team. His little brother’s smile was full and infectious, and aimed squarely at him.

  Abby ran to Drew, as did Lucas, passing a small collection of girls who were standing together.

  Abby planted a passionate kiss on Drew’s lips.

  Lucas slowed his approach, waiting for his brother to finish the smooch and come up for air. When he did, Lucas asked him, “Are you okay?”

  “I’m hungry and exhausted, but other than that, I’m fine,” Drew replied with Abby’s arms wrapped around his neck.

  “Where the hell did you guys go?” Lucas asked Bruno.

  The guard held out his watch. “We never left. We knew they’d attack, so we ducked into subspace.”

  “Shit, I ran right past you.”

  Kleezebee lifted one of his shoes, letting the orange blood and tissue drip from his heel. “You detonated the vest, didn’t you?” he asked Lucas.

  Lucas nodded. “Yep. Both of them. And I cranked ‘em up to full power.”

  Harkins added, “I think it took out the entire ship, sir. We encountered no hostiles—anywhere.”

  Kleezebee’s eyes darted about the room, obviously thinking the facts over. “The supercharged disrupter signal must’ve been transmitted across their bio-comm network, destroying them all.” He patted Lucas on the back. “Nice work.”

  “Thanks, Professor. But it was just dumb luck. I really wasn’t thinking clearly. I just knew I had to do something once the video feeds went dark.”

  “I’m sure it was more than just luck,” Kleezebee said.

  “I’d say more like instinct,” Bruno said, sending a congratulatory nod at Lucas. “Well done, Dr. Lucas.”

  “Orders, sir?” Harkins asked Kleezebee.

  “Search the rest of the ship. There are probably more humans on board.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “What about the energy domes? Any change now that the creatures are all dead?” Drew asked.

  “I suspect we’ve seen the last of the energy fields,” Kleezebee said, nodding. “Assuming this ship was controlling them.”

  Lucas turned to his little brother and smiled. “How about that? Dad’s invention might’ve just saved Earth!”

  “Too bad we can’t tell anyone,” Drew replied.

  “Can we go home now?” Abby asked in a soft, meek voice.

  Kleezebee cocked his head in Bruno’s direction. “Escort them, please.”

  Lucas whispered into Drew’s ear, “When we get home, there’s something I need to tell you about your biological father.”

  Drew looked confused for a moment, then nodded.

  Bruno helped Drew and Abby through the rift.

  Lucas stayed behind. “So, Professor, what are you going to do with your new ship?”

  “I’m going to take my people home, assuming we can figure out how to fly this thing.”

  Lucas looked around at the blood and guts covering the walls. “It’s gonna need a fresh coat of paint and a ton of disinfectant.” He sniffed the air. “A little Febreze wouldn’t hurt, either.”

  Kleezebee laughed.

  THIRTY-ONE

  Lucas returned to the silo through the portal and found Drew sitting in his wheelchair. Abby was sitting in an office chair next to him, still wearing Lucas’ shirt. He wondered if Kleezebee intended to find her some real clothes.

  Lucas checked the video screens but didn’t see any active energy fields. In fact, half the screens were switched off and the room was abuzz with talk of the crisis on Earth finally being over.

  They’d done it—as a group and as individuals, they’d saved the world. He felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. There was no way to ever make up for the people who were already dead, but at least no more were going to die because of him.

  Atonement comes in small doses, he decided.

  “You said you had something to tell me?” Drew asked him.

  Lucas looked to make sure Kleezebee wasn’t nearby. The professor was across the room, standing next to Bruno and talking with the white-robed elders from his home world. If he kept his voice down, the professor shouldn’t hear him.

  “You know how you always thought your bio-mom was impregnated by anonymous sperm?” Lucas said, keeping his voice calm and steady.

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, as it turns out, it wasn’t so anonymous after all.”

  “What do you mean?’

  Lucas pointed in Kleezebee’s direction; he was still in deep conversation with Bruno and the elders.

  “Bruno?” Drew asked.

  “No, not him . . . Kleezebee.”

  Drew stared at Kleezebee for what seemed like a full minute, then said, “No, I don’t believe you.”

  “Well, believe it. It’s true. He owns the fertility clinic your mother used.”

  Drew shook his head vigorously. “Nah, you’re putting me on again, aren’t you? Kleezebee would never do that.”

  “Trust me, it’s true. Hey, look on the bright side. At least he didn’t do it the old-fashioned way.”

  The look on Drew’s face went from friendly disbelief to one of bewilderment. Then it changed again, this time showing anger and concern.

  Lucas tried to stop Drew when he rolled his chair toward Kleezebee. Drew fought off Lucas’ grip, sped across the room, and nearly smashed into the back of Kleezebee’s leg. He tugged on his mentor’s sleeve.

  “Excuse me, Professor, but I need to ask you something.”

  Kleezebee whirled around. “Sure, what is it?”

  Luc
as saw Drew take in a deep breath before he spoke, like he was about to dive underwater for a long swim. “Lucas told me you’re my real father. Is this true?”

  Kleezebee glared at Lucas, looking more than pissed.

  Lucas shrugged. “Sorry, Professor. He had a right to know.”

  Kleezebee turned to Drew and his face went soft. “Yes, it’s true. I’m your biological father.”

  Drew leaned back in his chair, wrinkling his nose and flaring his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Kleezebee took a moment before he answered. “You already had a family, and I didn’t want to butt in. I knew you were healthy and happy, and that’s all that mattered to me. Besides, I got to see you almost every day. That was enough for an old man like me.”

  Drew’s face turned a deep shade of red, then he looked at Lucas as if he were searching for guidance. Lucas wanted to help but didn’t say anything. Drew needed to handle this on his own.

  Drew turned back to Kleezebee and wrapped his arms around Kleezebee’s legs, nearly knocking the man off his crutches.

  Lucas could see Kleezebee fighting back tears, trying to maintain his self-control. The professor pried Drew’s arms loose, then bent down and hugged him back.

  When the family reunion was finished, Lucas went to Drew and the professor, realizing they hadn’t brought the four-wheeled cart back from the Krellian ship. “Dr. Kleezebee, didn’t we forget something? What about all the canisters?”

  Bruno laughed. “They were filled with spoiled milk from the mess hall. Only the first canister I carried was real.”

  “So let me get this straight. Trevor wasn’t transporting the enzyme?”

  “No. I would never do that,” Kleezebee said. “Not even for my own son. I figured they wouldn’t check them, too. Not after sampling the first container that Bruno brought with him.”

  “Wow,” Lucas said, thinking about how his boss had gambled with Drew’s life, and done so based on a paper thin assumption. But it worked out in the end and he was thankful.

  Kleezebee leaned on one crutch and put his free hand on Lucas’ shoulder. “I hope you realize that you two, with help from your father’s marvelous invention, saved billions of lives in both dimensions. All of the Ramsay men are transdimensional heroes. Congratulations!”