by James Garvey
"Good seeing you on the mend, Amy," Samuel grins. He's trimmed his beard and looks ten years younger.
Theo hands me a cup of white liquor. "This is Grey's special sauce. Go easy on it."
Grey takes the cup from me. "Until the meds cycle out of your system, best not to tempt fate. Amy, I think you're acquainted with everyone here except Minns."
The woman stands up and extends her hand. "Pleased to meet you. They tell me that you're a pilot, though you don't know it. I'm not sure to tell you whether you're fortunate or cursed. Perhaps a bit of both."
Etch growls. "Minns, she has a gift. Amy, forgive her rudeness."
Minns continues grasping my hand. "We have a bit of a history with another pilot that's all. It's one of the reasons we're stranded here." She lets go and sits back down next to Bets.
"You've created a small village here. How do you remain hidden?"
Minns answers. "Smoke and mirrors. The protective field you've entered hides us from view overhead. We are only seen by ships in space when we want to be found. We're in exile from the rest of our kind you see."
"Let me try to explain." Grey sits in a strange canvas chair. "We discovered something that's considered tempting to some factions up there." He points to the sky. "It was on a planet that my father was trying to make suitable for life and eventual colonization. You know what a planet is?"
I think of Troll and its education. "Yes, I do."
"Well, things went horribly wrong. We called it planet C9 - it opened up a hole of sorts. All kinds of nasty creatures came out."
"In a brown fog that your dad created and the monsters highjacked." I say confidently.
Grey seems surprised at my ability to make the connection. "Well, yes. The hole provided a potential way to travel all around space, but it was unstable and eventually destroyed."
I continue. "And your people don't want you spreading the news because they may look for another door of this sort? Were you with the Institute?"
Grey's gaping mouth betrays his continued surprise. "Yes and yes. The Institute did not want us to let others know. Hence, our exile in the one place where people are least likely to look - the one technologically quarantined planet in the known universe."
I turn to Etch. "Time to tell them what we know."
We explain my dream, omitting Fromer's participation. Both Etch and I feel that it is our secret. As I finish talking, a female voice asks, "Is there another portal here on earth?"
Grey stands. "Hi Gorian. Amy and Etch are talking spooky pilot stuff. Yes, it seems that the phenomenon that occurred on C9 is cropping up here." Gorian’s the woman who accompanied Grey when we first arrived. She's fair haired, with flawless skin. Her hands are covered with grease, which she's wiping away on a cloth.
"How'd it happen?" Gorian takes a sip from Grey's cup.
Minns laughs. "Gorian, you're never satisfied with things to just happen. You've got to work all the angles."
"Forgive me for being curious Minns. What're we going to do about this?"
Grey turns to me, grinning. "Gorian is our engineer. She's responsible for fabricating this compound and keeping us comfortable in our exile." He squeezes her shoulders. "And she keeps me sane."
Minns groans, while Etch chuckles. He's eating some kind of fish now. I'm unsure whether it's been cooked.
Grey looks at Theo. "I think we need some time to interpret what's facing us and what we need to do." Theo nods.
"It's time for me to ask some questions," I say. "Are there others we haven't met?"
Grey sits back down. "There were originally a large number of us on the planet C9. It's hard to explain, but one of our colleagues, another pilot, lost her way."
"Went wankers from the sounds of it," English interjects.
"Melat was her name. She collapsed the planet with her ship called the Raven." Grey smacks his palms together and makes a whooshing sound. I'm more than shocked. How can something so massive be destroyed? Grey continues, "Gorian, a nauron named Iggy, Minns, my uncle, and I were the only survivors. Etch rescued us."
"Where's this nauron and your uncle?" I ask.
"My uncle passed a few months ago."
"I'm sorry."
"He never quite recovered from some injuries. Iggy, well, he or she, we can never quite decide what sex he prefers, jumped in the ocean a month ago and we haven't seen him since."
"So, a nauron's a fish?"
Gorian jumps in. "More like an intelligent, human-sized frog. We suspect he, she, went off to reproduce."
"How's that possible? Are there more of its kind in the ocean?"
Etch laughs heartily. "No, his – or her- species can reproduce on its own. No sex needed."
Kind of like some plants, I suppose. I'm sleepy and it's showing. Grey gathers his things and shows me back to my beloved cot. I'll learn more in the morning.
CHAPTER 11-THRESH
I open my eyes and I'm dismayed to find myself back in Thresh. She's in a dark room, with a blindfolded and bound man in the corner. Thresh is tired and angry. She's in the village we'd visited a few days ago. The man is dressed in blue and white robes with thin alabaster skin. I recognize him as the town elder.
"Where did they go? This is your last chance."
He croaks, "They headed south. The man, Theo, could talk with birds. He warned us of you and your evil. You will not prosper in this world."
"Did they tell you what they were looking for?"
"No. They did warn us of you, thankfully. As your army descended on us, most of our townspeople were able to escape thanks to them. You'll get no help from the rest of us. May your soul go to hell."
"No need for your assistance anymore." Thresh pulls out a short, thick staff and beats the man’s head. He screams once and then falls silent. I watch in revulsion from Thresh's eyes, unable to do anything as the man's head is reduced to bits of skin, bone, and brain.
She steps out into the cool night, the crisp air wrapping around her like a blanket. There are more grubs. Apparently, the fog is gathering around her. She has more men and women with her -recruits from nearby towns, I'd guess. The beautiful, colorful houses are now smoking hulks. Bodies are arranged in piles around the town commons, legs and arms entwined.
I feel something like elation welling up inside of her. She lifts her hands and fog oozes in from the shadows. It swirls around the bodies and they begin to tremble and twitch. One stands and then another. Before long at least a hundred corpses are assembled before her. I can hear her whispering to them and they shuffle toward her. The living people in the courtyard are clearly terrified. Only the thought of being torn to pieces by the grubs prevents them from running in terror.
"My children," she says lovingly to the slumped, swaying bodies. "I have a job for you. Go south from here and look for the one who is like me. "When you find her, kill her companions and bring her back to me." It's not the dead minds she's directing but the ooze animating them. The fog's using the sad, empty shells as a way to transform and hunt.
We need to close that portal.
The bodies begin shuffling into the darkness, a symphony of soft moans and groans purring from their dead lips. As they move along the coast, they'll be sure to encounter our camp. Whether they'll be able to penetrate the invisible fence that Etch has fashioned, I don't know. But once they find us, Thresh will know where to go. And the grubs are relentless.
Thresh glares at her ragged soldiers, who are clearly mortified. "As you can see my loyal companions, you can serve us even if you're dead. So, do not fail me. Now, go and search for those people who escaped the town. Bring them back to me. It doesn't matter whether they're alive or dead."
The men and women gather their packs and horses, scrambling like crabs on the beach by the Fuerst. Within moments, they vanish in the haze of the dawn's light. I don't want to be here in this woman's head any longer but I can't seem to tear myself away. The sensation is similar to the suffocating fear I felt while descending into Troll’s dungeon.<
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Thresh enters one of the few houses that haven't been destroyed. It's an oddly cheerful building, with a light pink exterior, blue shutters, and an expansive porch. Oil lamps light the threshold. She closes the door behind her and sighs, as if the horrors she's inflicted are simply the burden of a hard day's work. A slight, young woman in a light blue dress greets her cautiously. She's clearly frightened but trying desperately to hide her emotions. I realize that this woman is the owner of the house and that she used to have family here. She’s now alone.
Thresh speaks in a tone I've never heard from her - one of carefree happiness. "Is she awake yet?"
"Yes ma'm. She's eating some mush and cream."
They're speaking of Eliza. My entire being expands with anger. I want to stab Thresh and yet I'm trapped inside her mind. For a moment, she pauses, sensing my strong emotion. I need to control myself to avoid being found out.
And there's my beautiful little girl, looking at Thresh with her clear blues eyes and cereal dripping from her face. She smiles and says, "Hi mommy."
A thread deep within me snaps. I push my entire being into Thresh and find myself occupying her completely. Thresh is gone and I'm standing in that kitchen with my daughter. I'm expending every ounce of energy to stay this way.
I see Thresh’s reflection in the woman’s eyes. Thresh is still wearing the tattered red dress, her hair braided down the side. Her eyes are wild but blank. I make Thresh say, "Stab me, now. In the heart."
The woman in blue steps back, trembling.
"Do it. Before Thresh returns."
The woman is motionless. I search the room for a knife, see a butcher's blade, and lunge toward it. I'm about to plunge it into Thresh's chest when I'm feeling tugged away - I'm stirring in my cot back at camp. I can no longer control Thresh's arms but can still speak. I turn toward the woman. "Listen to me. I'm Eliza's mother in Thresh's body. I don't know how long I have."
The woman stammers, "If this is a trick, I'll soon be dead like the rest of my family. I'm Magarat."
"Magarat, protect my daughter, please. I'll come get her and rescue you as well. Be strong."
The tugging grows stronger. I stare at Eliza, who's oblivious and making quite a mess. The knife drops from Thresh's hand and the pull's irresistible. The room fades and I'm in my cot, with Gorian standing over me with her impossibly large eyes. "Hey there," she says.
I look at her, shaking. "I've got to kill that woman."
CHAPTER 12 - NAURON'S RETURN
After the dream-travel, I'm agitated and not at all hungry. Gorian's been told to feed me breakfast and I'm not complying. Her pretty, flawless face is contorted with frustration. This is a woman who’s not used to resistance.
"Amy, for mars-sake, you've got to eat. Grey says that it's critical for you to get healthy."
"Woman, I just saw my child for the first time in months. She called that lunatic Thresh her mother. I've got to stop her."
Gorian purses her lips, looking doubtfully at me. "You were just having a vivid dream. All this stress and Grey's drugs are affecting your sleep patterns."
"So, you don't believe I can travel outside my body and occupy others?"
"Scientifically impossible. The only way to transmit neurological electrical signals is through some transmission system like in the pilot house of a starship. You've not got the technology to do it."
I frown and push the food away. "I've no idea what you're talking about. But you'd better get used to the idea that I do more traveling in my sleep than awake. It's pretty damn miserable. I’d trade it with you anytime."
"Let's make a deal. I'll believe you if you eat something." She pushes the tray back toward me.
"Please don't be condescending. I've got pressing news. They're coming."
Gorian raises an eyebrow. "Who exactly might that be?"
"Thresh used the fog to raise the dead. They're acting as scouts for her. They'll find this camp in a matter of days. And, although your fence is impressive, something tells me it'll be no match to the fog and her grubs. They’ll break through and kill you all."
Gorian's silent, obviously spooked by what I've just said. She holds her chin and looks out the window, the light shining on her pale hair. She muses, "Perhaps there's something here on the planet that's acting like a transmission network for telepaths. I wonder…" She claps excitedly and runs out the door.
I shuffle out of the door after her into the blazing glare of full sunlight. Etch's sitting on the edge of a table talking with a grey, slick creature with bulging eyes and webbed hands. It’s dressed in the same green material that Gorian and Grey are wearing. Three smaller, unclothed versions of the creature are playing in a puddle in the shade of a nearby building. Etch turns toward me. "Amy, good morning. This is Iggy. He returned last night, with his children. Are they not adorable?" He laughs and puts his hand on the nauron's shoulder.
The being extends its hand to me. I shake it, discovering that the extremity is cool and indeed slimy. A strange voice, similar to Troll's, says, "Glad to meet you Amy. I apologize for having to use this device to speak. My language's very different than yours and I need it for you to understand me."
"That voice - it's yours, not a machine?"
Etch responds. "Iggy, Amy had an unfortunate experience with an early model of a human machine interface. She is not used to artificial voices."
Iggy smiles, showing his toothless jaws. His eyelids droop, slowly lubing his eyes. "Yes, I'm quite organic. As you can see, there are more of me now. They will be unable to speak for quite some time, until they mature. At that time, we will teach them to use transmitters as well."
"What in the hell is going on here? What are those things splashing in the puddle?" Bets steps out of her cabin, scratching her head. Theo and Samuel follow. They’re equally perplexed.
"Meet Iggy," I say.
"And his children," Etch adds.
"Where are English and Minns?" Grey appears with a platter of steaming cakes. "Breakfast will get cold."
Samuel snorts. "They was drinking brandy until the wee hours. Won't see them 'til noonday."
Grey’s face droops. He’s genuinely disappointed.
While the group eats, I explain my dream. They seem to believe me, unlike Gorian. Even Grey barely touches his food while I recount the gruesome images.
Theo's clearly angry. "What's that woman doing to poor Liza? Can we take this ship and kill Thresh and rescue that poor girl?"
Etch responds. "We do not understand the organic matrix - the fog - well enough to know whether we can defend the Fuerst from the beings you call grubs."
“But, I thought you said Grey’s dad invented it?” Bets asks.
Grey swallows a bite of egg. “When he released the substance on C9, he didn’t leave us any records of it. We didn’t have enough time to get a sample before Melat took the planet with her.”
"Well, we'd better learn quickly how the fog works given that several hundred rotting dead people are lumbering toward us," I say too loudly, my voice cracking.
Grey looks at me with concern. "Amy, would you like to see my garden while we all think about our next steps?"
I know Grey's trying to calm me down and to keep me from agitating the others. "Yes, Grey."
"Great Amy. I say we all reconvene here at lunch and decide what to do next. If anyone sees Gorian, please let her know what's going on."
"She already does," I murmur.
Grey and I walk up a worn path into the uplands overlooking the ocean. We enter a large field full of strange plants that I'd never seen before. The soil here's all wrong for the area. I kneel down and crumble it between my fingers. Rather than dry sand, it's rich, loamy, and full of moisture. "How'd you do this?"
"In my previous life, before we went into hiding, I was a kind of farmer called a terraformer. My job was to cultivate planets to make them suitable for people. With the right tools, I can reconfigure the plant life to increase its productivity. That's what I've done here with the
crude tools on the Fuerst and with Gorian's engineering skills."
"Grey, I barely understand what you're saying. But what I'm seeing before me is an abomination to earth."
“What?”
“Cultivating is about working with the earth to make food. What you’re doing is completely trampling it to meet your selfish needs. It’s no wonder your kind was exiled from the planet. Is anything here natural, of this earth?”
Grey’s crestfallen. “Why, yes. Many of the plants here were cultivated on earth before the end of our era.” We walk over to a small stand of plants that look like maize. However, the stalks are small, slightly luminescent, and loaded with ears of purple kernels.
“Grey, is this supposed to be corn? Nothing about it is like the varieties I grow.”
“Well, we’ve engineered it using genes from several planets. A single one of these stalks provides enough raw materials to feed three of us for a week. Can you do that with your garden? Speaking of which, the corn you grow comes from a weed that was cultivated thousands of years ago and has no semblance of its original self. It’s as alien to earth as my plants.”
“What about this?” I’m carefully holding a plant that resembles a furry toad.
Grey produces a knife and splits it open. The smell of shine nearly knocks me back. “This plant produces alcohol, a key ingredient for a lot of the polymers we need to fabricate and repair our tools. Pretty cool, eh?”
“Again, Grey, I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. This plant seems to make a strong drink – something English would like. Does this come from earth?”
“Oh no. This originated on Etch’s planet, zenat. We’ve modified it to accept the different wavelengths of the earth’s sunlight. On zenat, it would be blue, not green.”
“So, you’re telling me that you’ve brought a completely alien plant – species, I think they’re called by your kind – to earth. Seems to me that this may upset the balance of things. It’s no different than the brown fog to me. Nothing good can come from it. It'll spread and destroy earth life.”
