Tales of the Vuduri_Year Five

by Michael Brachman

  The cut was so quick that Steele did not even feel any pain. He stared at his arm which now ended so abruptly, totally slack-jawed, trying to come to grips with what just happened.

  Is that cool or what? Steele couldn't shoot or stab Rei in the chest because he had no chest. I'd been setting this up the whole book with the portable PPT tunnel. Now Steele only has one hand. Rei has the advantage right? Right?

  Entry 5-282: October 9, 2017

  Finale 1 - The end of the beginning

  When I first came up with the idea of Rome’s Evolution, I had only thought it through to Rome and Rei capturing Troutman and Steele. But when I started writing it, suddenly, I realized that this was not the end but the beginning of a deeper, more insidious plot. So here is a 6 part series on what was supposed to be the finale.

  Yesterday, Rei and Steele tussled with Steele getting the upper hand, so to speak. Unfortunately for Steele, he did not know that he couldn't stab Rei and Rei inadvertently cut off Steele's right hand. Was that going to stop the bad guy? Nope:

  A lesser man might have crumbled but Steele’s military training kicked in. He was so completely consumed with the need to end Rei and Rome’s life that he blocked the mutilation out of his mind. Even with the stump of his right arm spurting arterial blood, using his remaining hand, he willed himself to reach down. He grabbed the knife that was stuck in the ground, still held within the useless, severed limb. He pulled it free and lifted it in the air, preparing to stab Rei who had only managed to get himself to his knees.

  Steele changed his mind. Based upon what he had just witnessed, he decided he would better off slitting Rei’s throat. He twisted his wrist to an underhand grip. However, before he could deliver the fatal, slashing blow, Rome came up behind him and used all of her strength to strike him in the back of the head with a rather sizeable rock. The sound of granite against bone was a nearly indescribable crunching noise. Steele crumpled to the ground.

  Rome sank to her knees and began crying. Ignoring the blood pouring out of his nose, Rei put his hand to his temple and MINIMCOM’s livetar instantly appeared. The all-black being “borrowed” a willing ‘falling blanket’ and quickly secured Steele before he could regain consciousness. In just a matter of seconds, the livetar transported the would-be assassin, falling blanket and all up to his cargo hold for more permanent incarceration.

  Rei scrambled over to where Rome was huddled and put his arms around his sobbing wife, dripping blood on her shoulder. “It’s OK, honey,” he said as soothingly as he could. “It’s all over. We got him. We’re safe now.”

  Rome looked up him, her face twisted in anguish. “No, you don’t understand.”

  “What? Why?” Rei asked, confused, wiping his nose very gingerly.

  “When he had his arm around my throat; I was connected to him. I was able to see into his mind.”

  “So what?” Rei said. “We captured him. He’s no longer a threat.”

  “No,” Rome said haltingly. “Not him. The Vuduri woman that was aiding them. I saw her face in his mind.”

  A sudden chill went through Rei’s spine. “Who was it?” he whispered.

  “It was Sussen,” Rome moaned. “She knew you did not die in the explosion. She used the Deucadon cloak and was hiding at my mother’s house the day we were there, making our plans. She knows we sent Aason to Earth. She went after him days ago.”

  Rei rocked back on his heels and his shoulders sagged. “Goddammit,” he said.

  So there you have it. All the pieces tied together. Troutman and Steele are now in custody but Rome and Rei's precious Aason was sent to the worst place possible. They have no choice. They must go after their son.

  Entry 5-283: October 10, 2017

  Elon Musk saves Puerto Rico

  Frequent readers of this blog know that I am a big fan of Elon Musk. Not only is he a genius and visionary not to mention a billionaire, but he is also a genuine humanitarian. I don't know how much he gives in terms of charities but most of his current ventures are dedicated to saving the entire human race, not just an impoverished few.

  The title of this article may be a bit overstated but I do know that some of Mr. Musk's business ventures start with a seemingly innocent tweet. On October 5, 2017, after seeing the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria, Mr. Musk stated that he would be willing to help rebuild the electric infrastructure of Puerto Rico through the use of Tesla PowerWalls and Tesla PowerPacks and solar panels. He stated there was "no scalability limit" meaning there is nothing standing in the way other than will, and perhaps money.

  The Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, read the tweet and while I do not know who initiated the phone call, the Governor did confirm that indeed he and Mr. Musk spoke on the phone Friday.

  Think about it. Maria wiped out power over most of Puerto Rico. As of this writing, 90% of the homes on the island of Puerto Rico are without power. Some may not get power back for four to six months. Can you imagine living that way? I can't. We lost power for three days one time and had to abandon the house and go to a hotel.

  Anyway, the power grid in Puerto Rico must be rebuilt. Why not rebuild it with 21st century technologies rather than replicating what was there before? Mr. Musk is already shipping PowerWalls to Puerto Rico now without waiting for a grand plan. But creating a sustainable, renewable energy grid on the island hooked into Tesla PowerPacks would prevent such a disaster from happening again. Puerto Rico's current electric company was nine billion dollars in debt before the hurricane hit and had filed for what amounted to bankruptcy. Decentralizing power distribution on the island would make the island far less susceptible to mass devastation and would be upgradable in smaller, more easily digested chunks rather than having to overhaul what was designed a century ago.

  Anyway, my opinion is, why not? You have to do it anyway. Why not do it using ultra-modern techniques rather than harken back to an age which is coming to a close?

  Entry 5-284: October 11, 2017

  I need to do something

  Even though Rome and Rei had neutralized Dan Steele, the second of the would-be assassins, it was of little consolation. Rome had discovered that the Vuduri woman helping the two rogue Darwin members was Sussen. What is worse, Sussen learned that Rome and Rei had sent Aason to Earth along with Rome's parents, for his own safety. Now they knew it was the worst possible place. They set out to rescue their boy without quite knowing where he was:

  No parent should ever have to bury a child. The emotions invoked by even contemplating such an action are overwhelming, suffocating. Poor Rome who had only openly acknowledged even having emotions five years ago was beside herself with worry. Although Aason had been kidnapped once before by the Darwin Project members, this time was different. The last time it happened she was able to contact her little boy and she knew he was safe. This time she did not. Rome simply did not know how to handle what she was feeling as MINIMCOM hurtled through null-space at nearly 20,000 times the speed of light.

  Rei and Bonnie sat at the little table within the dining area in the forward portion ahead of the cargo section. Thoughtfully, MINIMCOM had synthesized a new electrostatic shirt for Rei. The previous one had two bullet holes, a knife gash and blood all over it. Currently, ‘Doctor’ MINIMCOM was applying an elastic bandage over the bridge of Rei’s broken nose. After gently stroking each end of the bandage to make sure it was secure, the livetar stepped back.

  “Normally, it would take several weeks to heal but I was able to awaken a few constructor units that were still floating around in your system,” MINIMCOM said. “Your cartilage has been rebuilt but it will take a day or two for your nose to set. Try to avoid bumping it until then.”

  Rei nodded but didn’t answer. He was watching Rome who was pacing frantically from the dining area into the corridor and back again. So preoccupied with her son and the what-ifs, she was not even paying attention to Rei’s injuries or MINIMCOM’s ministrations.

  Rei stood up. “Thanks, MINIMCOM,” he said and pat
ted the livetar on the shoulder. He waited until Rome reentered the room then intercepted her and put his arms around her so she couldn’t budge.

  “Look, Romey,” he said, tilting her grimaced face up toward him. “I’m worried too. MINIMCOM is going as fast as he can. We’ll be there soon enough.” In the background, the subtle but constant shushing sound of the null-fold drive was noticeable and served to underscore Rei’s statement.

  “We will be arriving at Earth in less than four hours,” MINIMCOM added, trying to be helpful.

  “Thanks for that information,” Rei said. “Rome, you have to get frosty. Our son’s life is at stake. We have to think this through rationally. There’ll be time enough to worry later.”

  Rome inhaled deeply, her breath catching as she did. “You’re right,” she said. “But I feel so helpless right now. I want to do something. I need to do something.”

  Rei snapped his fingers. He looked over at Bonnie who had kept mostly quiet up until now. “Bonnie, why don’t you see if Steele has come to. Maybe we can get something out of him.” Bonnie nodded and stood up from her chair.

  With Rome's mind-reading ability, they should probably be able to get something useful out of him, don't you think?

  Entry 5-285: October 12, 2017

  Steele Interrogation 1

  Yesterday, Rome and Rei were speeding their way toward Earth but no matter how fast they were traveling, it wasn't fast enough for Rome. She simply had to do something to get her mind off of the danger descending upon her son Aason. Rei offered to her the possibility of interrogating Dan Steele, the would-be assassin. Rome thought this was an excellent idea:

  Rei turned back to face the livetar. “MINIMCOM, can you help her? Make sure he can’t get loose?”

  “Of course,” the animated shell replied. The livetar and Bonnie left the room. A few minutes later, they returned with a groggy Dan Steele, his amputated arm wrapped in gauze. MINIMCOM maneuvered him to a seat and quickly wound white elastic bands around his chest, arms and feet so that he was completely immobilized.

  With rheumy eyes, Steele looked up at them, scowling as best as he could. Rome shook herself out of her funk and pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

  “Sussen,” Rome said. Then she waited for a beat. “She is after my son. Why?”

  Steele just glared at her but didn’t say a word. Rome gasped and turned to look up at Rei.

  “She assumed the Essessoni would fail,” Rome said sadly. “She left Steele behind to delay us. That is all. She is setting up a trap. She is waiting for us.”

  Steele furrowed his brow as Rome turned back to face him.

  “Yes, she knew you would fail,” Rome said, derisively. “Even though she told you otherwise. She had no confidence in you. You were set up.”

  “No way,” Steele spat. “She wanted you dead more than I did. She was the one that said your deaths would cause a ripple effect and get us back our planet.”

  Rome lowered her head and closed her eyes, concentrating on Steele’s thoughts.

  “Did you ever see her eyes?” Rome asked.

  “Yeah, so what?” Steele answered. “She looked like a Vook to me.”

  “She is not Vuduri. She is not Essessoni. She is not even human.”

  “What do I care?” he growled back. “She was helping us. That’s all that mattered.”

  “She wanted us dead now,” Rei said, taking a step forward. “But in the end, she wanted you dead too. She wants all of us dead so her race can take over.”

  “What do you mean ‘her race’?”

  “They are called the Onsiras,” Rome answered, eyes still closed. “They have a gene which makes them into living machines. Their leader was an insane computer named MASAL. He wanted to become a god and was going to use the Onsiras to wipe out the rest of mankind.”

  “So what happened to this insane computer?” Steele asked in a patronizing tone.

  “We vaporized him by detonating a volcano on Earth,” Rei said.

  None of this should come as a surprise to Dan Steele. I think he is just playing dumb. Or maybe he is just dumb.

  Entry 5-286: October 13, 2017

  Steele Interrogation 2

  Yesterday, Rome and Rei began their interrogation of Dan Steele, the would-be assassin to see if they could pick up clues where the Onsiras might have taken Aason. Steele was not very cooperative. It was time for Rome to use her new mind-reading ability to dig deeper:

  “So what happened to this insane computer?” Steele asked in a patronizing tone.

  “We vaporized him by detonating a volcano on Earth,” Rei said.

  “You knew that,” Bonnie chimed in. “Everyone on Deucado knows that. Including those of us in Darwin.”

  “Yeah, I guess I heard,” Steele said reluctantly. “So who’s leading them now?”

  “You tell us,” Rei shot back defiantly.

  “I have no idea,” Steele said, shrugging.

  Rome struggled for breath. “MASAL’s Sipre,” she whispered.

  “What?” Rei asked.

  “MASAL’s Sipre,” Rome said louder. “Sussen told Steele about MASAL’s Sipre. He does not speak Vuduri so the words meant nothing to him.”

  “Sipre means shadow,” Rei uttered. “What’s it supposed to signify?”

  “It means the spirit of MASAL lives on,” Rome said grimly, standing up. “An echo.”

  “But MASAL recanted his plans,” Rei protested. “OMCOM told us. In fact, I’ve seen the tape.”

  “But perhaps the Sipre does not know that,” Rome replied sadly.

  “What are you two carrying on about?” Steele asked.

  Rome looked down at him. “The Onsiras, they have an Overmind of their own. It was guided by MASAL, manipulating them to accomplish his goals. But when he died, their Overmind did not die with him. It must be carrying out his mission despite the fact that he is gone. It will not rest until all the Vuduri and mandasurte are dead.”

  “So who cares if one Vook kills another?” Steele said with an evil grin. “More for us when it’s all over.”

  “You idiot,” Rei said. “They want everyone dead. Especially us, the Essessoni. That includes you and Darwin. They call us The Ark Lords, the most hated group in their history. They set up our entire world, Deucado, just so the mind-deaf, which includes you, could be smashed by an asteroid and blown to bits.”

  “Whoa,” said Steele. “That is a lot of trouble.”

  “Did she tell you anything else?” Rome asked Steele. “Anything we can use to track her down?”

  Steele clamped his jaw down as if he was suppressing something. Rei saw this. “Rome?” he asked.

  Rome reached over and put her hand against the side of Steele’s face. She looked into his eyes then she shook her head dejectedly. “His head is filled with only hate. He knows nothing else.”

  “All right,” Rei said. “We’ll deal with you later,” he directed at Steele. “First we have to get our son.”

  Rome took a step back. With a whoosh and a pop, both Steele and the chair disappeared. Just as quickly, the chair returned, this time empty.

  She didn't get much in terms of factual information but she is learning about what it means to be human in a whole new way. It isn't always uplifting but deepens Rome's appreciation of the good ones.

  Entry 5-287: October 14, 2017

  A desperate call

  Yesterday, Rome's mindreading-assisted interrogation of the would-be assassin Dan Steele yielded no actionable intel. That did not slow down MINIMCOM's hurtling toward Earth, but for Rome it wasn't sufficient. Having no clue where to start, Rome comes up with a plan that might speed up the results:

  Even though MINIMCOM had rebuilt the cartilage in Rei’s nose there was still a lot of swelling and blood pooled beneath his orbital sockets, giving him a bad case of ‘raccoon eyes’. Rei, Rome and Bonnie sat in the cockpit, watching the virtual instruments as they came upon the Earth. When they were about one-half light-
year out, Rome instructed MINIMCOM to drop out of null-space.

  “Why?” Rei asked. “We have to get there as fast as we can.”

  “I want to call to Aason,” Rome said. “We are close enough that he should be able to hear me.”

  The shushing sound in the background died down and suddenly, the cockpit windshield was filled with a brilliant field of stars. Ahead of them was the yellow-white of the Sun and presumably the blue dot off to the right was the Earth.

  Rome closed her eyes and used her PPT transceivers to send a message. “Aason?” she called out. She listened carefully but heard no reply. Worried, she said her child’s name even louder. She waited but again there was no response.

  “Anything?” Rei asked.

  “No,” Rome answered sadly. “We may have to get closer.” She looked up at the front console. “All right, MINIMCOM,” she said. “Take us there as fast as you can.”

  “As you wish,” replied the starship. Once again the unearthly shushing sound of the null-fold drive permeated the cockpit and the windshield turned blacker-than-black.

  It was only a few minutes later that the virtual instruments finally showed they were within the orbit of the Moon. Once again, MINIMCOM dropped out of null-space. The Earth lay ahead of them like a puffy white-flecked blue marble.