“How are you feeling, Cris?” Chen asked then, a look of concern coming over her features.
He turned to the window, looked out, and let out a heavy sigh. “It still hurts, of course. I can’t stop thinking about them…”
She took a step closer, and placed a gentle hand on his back. “What were they like?” she asked.
Cris took a deep breath. He felt touched by the genuine interest she was showing. He swallowed dryly, and looked down at his hands. A tear began to roll down his left cheek. “Beautiful,” he said. “They were beautiful people, and so funny, so smart. They made me happy. Especially Kim… she meant the world to me. She still does.”
“Kimberley was your daughter, right?” Chen asked.
He nodded, trying to hold himself together. “Yes. My little angel.”
She gave his shoulder a little squeeze. “We’ll do something to remember them by. Hold a service, perhaps, in their memory?”
He noticed he was grinding his teeth, then stopped. “You know… it might not… have to be that way.” He looked at her almost pleadingly.
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve been thinking about what Orillan told me,” he said, avoiding her gaze. “About me travelling back through time…”
She grimaced, unsure of where he was going with this.
Cris pointed a finger out of the window, toward the gathering clouds, and the orange-red sky beyond. “Paramo mentioned there was a wormhole out there…” he said. “On the outskirts of the Solar System.”
Chen nodded. “Yes. Heaven’s Gate. Where Damarus came from.”
“Maybe I can use it to get back to my own time, to see my family again.”
She shook her head. His intentions were admirable, but his logic was heavily flawed. “You’re joking. That’s not possible.”
“Why not?”
Clearly, he was having trouble letting go here, and was plucking at ridiculous ideas. “Cris, nobody can get near Heaven’s Gate,” she told him. “It’s considered a sacred site – and off limits to everybody. Besides, every ship that has approached the wormhole has either been destroyed or severely damaged.”
He still looked determined. “There must be a way. Lora, you’re a scientist. Isn’t it at least possible this thing could send a traveller back through time?”
Chen took a deep breath, blinking. She didn’t know what to say. “I suppose it’s possible, in theory. But even if you could go near the wormhole, how do you know it will send you where you want to go? Orillan said he met you at the beginning of the twenty-fourth century, not the twenty-first.”
He shook his head, looking deflated. “I don’t know. It was just an idea…”
She touched his arm lightly with her right hand. It was warm. “Cris, I’m sorry about your wife, and your daughter. But you need to start mourning them. If you follow these thoughts through to their conclusion, I fear what might happen to you. I care about you too much to see you suffer needlessly. Please, come back to me.”
He met her gaze, and felt his pulse quicken. His feelings for her came crashing through his mind, and his heart, like the Hammer of Thor. Without thinking, he put his left arm around her waist, and held it there. “I care for you too, Lora,” he said.
She put her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately on the mouth. Cris responded, sliding his hands up her back. Chen broke off the kiss then, pushed away from him and pulled closed the curtains on the window, a wave of shame coming over her. Then she closed her eyes and cursed herself with her back turned to him. “What am I thinking?” she muttered. “Cris, I… I’m sorry. That’s the last thing you need right now. You’re confused enough as it is.” She shook her head.
He swallowed dryly. “No. Don’t be.” He took a step toward her, then started to unbutton her dress in a tense silence. She didn’t resist, standing nervously still, eyes closed while he moved behind her. When it tumbled from her shoulders, a tremendous flash of desire went through her body. Cris slid his hands under her and pulled her across the room.
“I… you shouldn’t,” she breathed, but she felt her legs going weak as desire overcame her. She felt Cris’ mouth on hers, then felt his warm hand moving between her legs, caressing her vulva. She put her arms around his neck, gave a moan of pleasure and hung there as he opened his robe. Then he placed both hands beneath her bare buttocks and lifted her. She gave a little hop, so that both her legs were wrapped around his upper thighs. His tongue stabbed into her mouth and she sucked on it.
He gave a savage thrust that banged her head against the wall. She felt something burning pass between her thighs. She let her right hand drop from his neck and reached down to guide him, her hand closing around him, pointing him into her wet, turgid flesh. The thrust of him entering her, the unbelievable pleasure made her gasp. She brought her legs up around his neck, and then like a quiver, her body received the savage arrows of his lightning-like thrusts; innumerable, torturing; arching her pelvis higher and higher until she reached a shattering climax, felt his hardness break and then the crawly flood of semen over her thighs. Slowly her legs relaxed around his body, slid down until they collapsed on to the bed. They leaned against each other then, out of breath.
When the moment was over, Chen sat up, unsure of what she was feeling. “I can’t believe we just did that,” she breathed, and gave an uncertain giggle.
Cris’ breathing was still heavy. “It felt… right.”
She didn’t answer him. There were things about her that she hadn’t told him. She wondered if he would feel the same way if he knew the truth. She wasn’t proud of herself. She had allowed her passion to take control of her actions here. Despite how she felt about Cris, it shouldn’t have happened this way. He was still too fragile. The man had been through so much over the past few days. He was confused, a widower…
“I love you, Lora,” he said, and meant it.
She closed her eyes as he kissed her lightly on the neck. What had she done?
Cris leaned against the wall and stared out the timber-framed window while Chen finished getting dressed. The sky was blanketed with thick black clouds now, and heavy, darkish rain had started to fall. What seemed curious to him were the fine particles of soot and gas that formed around the water droplets. Thin steam was rising from the ground, some kind of toxic effect.
“I’ve never seen rain like this,” he observed.
Chen glanced his way, and nodded. “Acid rain,” she said. “You’ll find it’s quite normal in this day and age. I’d stand a little further back from the window if I were you. It’s not healthy to get caught in it.”
Cris stepped away, then turned toward her. “Are you alright?” he asked. “You seem preoccupied.”
She ran a hand through her hair and nodded. “I’m fine, Cris.”
“You don’t regret what happened then?”
She thought about it for a moment. “No. No, I don’t regret it. It was nice, don’t get me wrong. I care about you a lot. I can’t ignore the connection we have. I just… there’s a lot you still don’t know about me.”
He leaned forward slightly. “Then tell me.”
She blinked, and took a deep breath. “I will. I promise. Just not now. Besides, I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to fall… in love, yet. I think you should be mourning your wife.”
He gritted his teeth. She was right, of course. He lowered his gaze, his thoughts turning to Alexis. He still loved her deeply. She may have been dead for four centuries, but to him… it had only been weeks since he last saw her. What would she think of all this? He shook his head. Guilt entered his mind. Part of him felt like a cheat, like he’d begun an extramarital affair here with Lora – but another part of him knew that he was a man, alone now in this world, and his feelings for Lora were strong and could not be ignored. Surely, Alexis would want him to be happy right now. He sighed heavily, feeling emotionally confused.
“Hey,” Chen took his hand, and squeezed it gently. “It will be okay.”
He nodded silently, then blinked as a heavy, hollow knock sounded on the entryway. The door swung open before they could respond, and they were greeted by one of Paramo’s men who introduced himself to Chen as Heimatar.
“Far’gAn da eentroo’zun,” Heimatar said. He was dressed in a brown, body-encasing garment fashioned from some shiny material. He was a tall, long-bearded man with red hair and green eyes, somewhere in his late forties. “YA prázAnz ees requit’nit An da bain Ménge. Ah hupen yA å hynjit.”
“Our presence is requested in the dining room,” Chen translated for Cris. “He hopes you are hungry.”
Cris smiled. “Ravishing.” It occurred to him that the only thing he’d eaten since being awoken from cryofreeze were Chen’s unappetising food sticks. Hopefully, Paramo was going to lay on a proper meal for them. “I’ve certainly worked up an appetite this morning,” he said, giving Chen a wry smile.
Much to Cris’ delight, Paramo had arranged a sit-down breakfast, consisting of a savoury curd cheese noodle dish, and some kind of pancake filled with meat, fried with onions and mushrooms. While it didn’t look particularly appetising, it tasted good and wholesome.
Paramo sat at the head of the large wooden table chewing a mouthful of food, watching Cris eat, with a curious expression on his face. “I trust you are finding the accommodation acceptable, Cristian?” he asked.
Cris nodded, and swallowed. “Yes, sir. It’s nice to be around the familiar, and it beats sleeping in caves, for sure. Thank you for your hospitality, by the way. You really didn’t need to go to so much trouble just for me.”
“I had hoped you would be pleased,” Paramo beamed. “I take great pride in this place, even if it is somewhat dilapidated. And don’t thank me. I feel that somehow, you are going to prove very valuable in my attempts to expose Damarus as the fraud he is, and free our people from his imperialistic rule.”
Chen almost choked on her food. “What?”
Paramo ignored her. “I’ve been thinking about what you told me about the Makaton,” he said. “Very interesting indeed. Time travel, you said?”
“Yes,” Cris said. “I thought perhaps the wormhole could be responsible for that.”
Paramo thought about it for a moment. “Heaven’s Gate? Difficult to say,” he muttered. He chewed another mouthful of food. “Extremely bright and powerful electromagnetic turbulence emits from Heaven’s Gate. The turbulence seems to originate from within the wormhole, so it is believed that the wormhole is indeed open and the electromagnetic storms are coming through from wherever the gate is linked to. In any case, the turbulence makes it extremely difficult to study it. Fortunately, the storms pulsate rhythmically, meaning that every other year or so they recede enough to allow closer scrutinising – perhaps making it possible for a ship to slip through. The trouble is that even then, the turbulence is enough to rip to pieces any vessel foolish enough to wander close to it. I have seen it with my own eyes. But nevertheless, it could still be possible. After all, if Damarus himself managed it, I’m sure you could. Whatever the case, I believe your arrival here has heralded a major catalyst for events yet to come. I will help you in any way I can.”
Chen cleared her throat. “Need I remind you, Paramo, that Damarus is far from human. I consider him divine, but even if you are right and he isn’t, he is at the very least a life form of extraordinary power. His arrival through the wormhole does not necessarily imply that a human could survive the same journey. And who knows what lies on the other side.”
Paramo nodded. “You are right, of course. I am only speculating.”
“Maybe so, but I see no other way how time travel into the past could be achieved,” Cris said. “To be honest, I’d rather not believe that I am caught in an unavoidable paradox at all. I’d like to think I have the free will to shape my own future. And given the choice, I would travel back to my own time. I would take Lora with me.”
Paramo roared with laughter. “We can only assume that the wormhole would send you back to that ‘first’ encounter with the Makaton, as he said. But I am curious to what could have possibly happened next, and what you ‘did’ there.”
Cris took a deep breath. “It gives me a headache just thinking about it. I just want to take each day as it comes.”
Paramo nodded, then changed the subject. “What will you do now?”
Cris glanced at Chen. “I hadn’t really thought about it. I thought perhaps about travelling to one of the major cities, and learning the modern language.”
“I’m sure it could be arranged,” Paramo said. “I can take you anywhere but Einek, and the Silver City – for obvious reasons.”
That got Chen’s attention. Her eyes widened. “Why not Einek?”
Paramo licked his lips. “Ah, yes. The bioship currently in my possession is of Einekian origin. I wouldn’t want to get into trouble for ‘borrowing’ it without permission…”
Chen couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You’ve stolen an Einekian bioship?”
“Yes…”
“What class?”
“Horot. Is there a problem, Lorelei? I thought you had exiled yourself from Einek?”
“Yes, but…” she blinked, alarm bells suddenly ringing in her mind. “If it crashed… the Sentinels will be looking for it, I’m sure. All Einekian ships are equipped with transponders protected by a bioelectric field, which sends a continuous positioning signal back to Einek.”
Paramo mirrored her dread. “Sentinels? Are you certain?”
Chen nodded. Her expression had turned deathly pale. “They’re going to find us.”
Cris swallowed dryly. He didn’t like the sound of this one bit.
9
Cris followed Chen into the guest quarters. There was a hushed urgency to her movements like he’d never seen before, and her facial expression betrayed a high level of anxiety. Swiftly, she moved past the raised bed and went to the small table behind it, where her bag of personal possessions lay.
“What exactly are you running from?” Cris asked, his brow furrowed. “What’s a ‘sentinel’?”
Chen opened up the bag and pulled out their Rãvier units. She turned and tossed one to Cris, then said, “The Sentinels are the enforcers… the primary army and workforce of the Seventh Faction at Einek. They are plasmobots - fully biological, amorphous massively-parallel robots - extremely efficient at what they do, and I have no doubt that if they find us here, they will probably arrest us – or worse.”
“We haven’t done anything,” Cris said in a pleading tone.
Chen shrugged. “That’s not strictly true. By associating with Paramo, a known criminal, we have broken the sacred laws of the Silver City, and would be answerable to a Holy Court.” She turned away and started to unbutton her dress, then slipped it off without a second thought.
Cris blinked, and watched as she placed her Rãvier casing to her chest and submitted to the metamorphosis, muttering something under her breath. The oil-like substance snaked almost violently around her naked body, solidified, encasing her in the familiar military-like exoskeleton she’d worn on that first day he’d seen her.
“I suggest you do the same,” she told him. “We may depend on these suits in the hours to come.”
Cris hesitated for a moment, but complied. “Can’t we just escape on foot?” he asked as he placed his own Rãvier unit to his chest. “Leave the bioship here for the Sentinels to find? Surely, there’s still some time to get away.”
She shook her head. “Look outside, Cris. We can’t go anywhere in this acid storm. That rain will eat through your Rãvier in minutes, even with the defensive shield active – it works on a frequency oscillation principle which would not protect you. No, running is not an option, at least not at the moment. We have to stay put, and I’m not happy about it.”
Cris stretched the muscles of his body, feeling the additional strength being fed to him by the suit. There was still something she wasn’t telling him; something that made this situation more urge
nt than she was letting on. He took a step toward her, intent on getting to the bottom of this mystery once and for all. “Lora, I think you owe me an explanation,” he said. “Why are you running from Einek? What are you not telling me?”
She sighed, then turned to look into his eyes. Her sense of urgency faded, replaced by an aura of sadness. “You’re right,” she conceded. “You deserve to know the truth.”
He nodded. “What truth? What is it?”
She took a deep breath, let it out heavily, and moved her left hand toward his face to caress his cheek. “Oh, Cris, I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you sooner, I really did, but…”
“Tell me what? Spit it out, Lora.”
She took a small step back, and licked her lips. “I… I’m married.”
Cris blinked. A mortified expression came over his face. “What? You’re married?”
“It’s not what you think,” she said quickly. “In Einek, arranged marriage is viewed as the norm. It is the responsibility and duty of the parents to see that their child passes through the marital rites at the age of sixteen.”
Cris looked away, unsure of what to think. “I… I see. You’re married.”
She moved closer to him and took his hands in her own. “Please, Cris, try to understand. This… marriage… was arranged for me, before I had even met my spouse, when I was just a child. I… do not love my husband, the same way that I love you.”
He looked at her. Any bad feelings he had in that moment were washed away by those three words. “You love me?”
The Complete New Dominion Trilogy Page 7
