Transient Echoes

by J. N. Chaney

  A pile of blocks manifested between them. Janice fell to the floor and grabbed a few and waved them around. “Come on and play!”

  This was too much. He needed to leave and quickly. He closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to pull himself out of the fantasy.

  “You can’t go,” she said.

  He ignored her, reciting the mantra to relax himself. “Peace of body. Peace of mind.” He repeated the phrase several times, but nothing happened.

  He could feel his heart racing. No, he shouldn’t feel this way. He shouldn’t feel anything here. What was happening to him?

  “You’re here to stay now,” said Janice. “You and me, together forever.” She tossed one of the blocks into the air.

  Terry ran to the living room at the front of the apartment, to the door where he’d entered. He gripped the knob, but it didn’t turn. He kicked and pushed it, but nothing happened. “Let me out!” he cried. “Let me out let me out let me out!”

  Janice giggled behind him. He turned to see her standing there, arms behind her back, wide and innocent eyes looking up at him. She grinned awkwardly, the way people did when they got photographs taken, showing too many teeth.

  “Leave me alone!” he shouted.

  She shook her head, still grinning. “You don’t mean it. I know you don’t.”

  He tried to open the door again, but it was no good. The damned thing wouldn’t budge. He screamed and punched it. Why couldn’t he leave?

  “Because you don’t want to,” said Janice.

  “Liar,” he said. “Get away from me!”

  “No, I won’t,” she said. “This is my home, and you can’t make me.”

  “This isn’t a game!”

  “Says you!” She walked over and pushed him, knocking him to the floor. He stared at her in disbelief. She touched him and he felt it. The pressure of her fingertips, the force of her arm. Unbelievable. “You can’t boss me around!” she said, placing her foot against his neck.

  He tried to move, but couldn’t. The weight was too much, like a thousand bricks pressing on his body. He screamed.

  “You should just go ahead and die,” she told him. “No one will care.”

  “Shut up!” he shouted.

  She ignored him. “They all hated you anyway. You couldn’t even do the mission right. Alex and Cole died. Roland, too. You didn’t save any of them.” Her voice grew deeper and thicker as she spoke, and her eyes changed from a light gray to a deep blue.

  “Stop it!” he cried.

  “Mei and John are dead, you know,” she said as her face began to morph. “They died trying to get away…died from the explosion you caused. It was all your fault.”

  “No,” he said, wheezing through the pressure in his neck.

  She laughed, but it was no longer Janice. The definition in her face had changed as her skin turned into putty, molding into something else. Within seconds, her hair receded and she grew much taller. Her clothes transformed into those of an academy student. “Poor little Terry,” it said in a familiar voice.

  Terry gripped the boot and tried to push it off.

  The empty face grew eyes and a nose, forming definition like a painting come to life. It was a boy. A child from his nightmares. “You could never save anyone,” said Alex. His dark blue eyes stared at Terry. “Not me or anyone else.”

  Terry gasped for air beneath Alex’s foot. “No!”

  “Don’t pretend with me,” said the dead boy. He chuckled, lifting his shoe from Terry’s neck and backing away. He clapped his hands. “Remember what I told you before I died?”

  The words entered Terry’s mind without him asking, circling like water in a drain. You’re like me, they said.

  “I’m not,” said Terry, slamming his fist on the floor.

  Alex chuckled. “Come on, man. Don’t lie to yourself.”

  “You tried to kill me. You tried to kill Mei and John. You wanted to. Even after we helped you. But I had to…I had to stop you. I never wanted it to end that way. I never wanted you to...”

  “To die?” asked Alex.

  Terry got to his feet. “I tried to save you! I tried to stop it. But all you wanted was to hurt people. Why? Why couldn’t you stop? Tell me! Tell me why!”

  “Because you were weak,” said Alex. “Because I wanted to. I don’t know.”

  Terry screamed, throwing himself at the dead boy, wrapping his hands around Alex’s neck and flinging him to the floor. Alex didn’t try to resist. He only laughed. Terry punched his face. “Stop!” he yelled, but Alex continued grinning. Blood ran from the boy’s split lips, pooling on the brown carpet.

  Through red and white teeth, Alex laughed. “You’re a failure!” he screamed. “A failure a failure a failure a failure! Couldn’t save me and you can’t save yourself!”

  Terry grabbed him by the neck. “No one could save you! You were insane! I tried everything, but you wouldn’t stop. You wouldn’t….” Tears filled his eyes. “Now you…”

  Alex frowned. “Now, I’m dead,” he said. “Me and Cole. Dead dead dead.”

  Terry paused, then shook his head. “No,” he muttered. “It was your own fault. Both of you. It wasn’t mine. It wasn’t my fault!”

  Alex’s face disappeared, melting into mush before the rest of his body followed, disintegrating into the tiled floor, leaving nothing behind.

  Terry stood there, gasping, huffing air and sweating.

  “You’re being silly,” said Janice’s voice inside his head.

  He glanced around, but no one was there.

  “Why are you fighting?” she asked. “I thought you loved me.”

  “Leave me alone!” he screamed.

  “Never,” she whispered into his ear. Her hot breath made him flinch and he turned to see her standing there. “I can’t leave my big brother all alone.”

  “Stop it,” he said. “You aren’t her. You aren’t my sister. The real Janice is home and alive. You’re just a thing. Not real. Just a thing inside my head, and it’s time for you to go.”

  “Real enough,” she said.

  Maybe she had been once. Back when he was alone in the jungle and needed her, but no longer. Not anymore. He shook his head and closed his eyes, taking a breath and releasing it slowly. “Get out.”

  The girl tilted her head, staring at him with a blank expression. “Meanie,” she said, and bits of her skin dripped like mud from her cheeks, splashing into the floor. “Meanie, meanie, meanie.” She took a step back. Clumps of hair fell from her head, vanishing in the air. “You’ll be sorry. So sorry so…sorry…”

  She collapsed, hitting the floor with a loud squish as her flesh dissolved into a puddle. The pile sank into the tiles, fizzling like acid. The smell hit him and he cringed. Rotting eggs and wilted leaves. He shuffled backwards to the door, grabbing the knob and turning. It opened.

  He left the house and emerged into the valley. When he looked behind him, he found the apartment gone without a trace. Good riddance.

  He sat on the ground, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. He would not come here again, not to this world. The next time he meditated, he would make another one, completely separate. Nothing like this place, but something better.

  Something new.

  Chapter 17

  Ortego Outpost File Logs

  Play Audio File 652

  Recorded: February 1, 2351

  THISTLE: Lieutenant Finn, are you receiving? Johnny, say something if you can hear me.

  FINN: Hey, boss, sorry for the noise. I’m reading you now.

  THISTLE: Damn radio. Why the hell aren’t you using the camp’s com?

  FINN: We think it might be bugged, sir. I couldn’t risk anyone snooping.

  THISTLE: Bugged? Why would anyone tap your com system?

  FINN: Did you get the report I sent you? It’s all in there.

  THISTLE: Uh, yeah, I did, but I’m not sure what half of this is. By the look of it, it sounds l
ike you’re telling me those scientists you’re with accidentally made a portal to another planet. But that’s crazy.

  FINN: I agree, but it’s true. They really did.

  THISTLE: Well, shit.

  FINN: I know.

  THISTLE: So this other stuff here about the alien tech…you mean to tell me this is right, too?

  FINN: Far as we can tell, yeah.

  THISTLE: Damn.

  FINN: I know it’s a little out there, but stick with me. When we opened the portal, we saw all those alien machines and stuff, but we also found an old military-issued pack.

  THISTLE: A pack? You didn’t say anything in the report about finding lost gear.

  FINN: I wanted to tell you myself, sir. Too important.

  THISTLE: Alright, go on with it, son. What happened?

  FINN: You remember four years ago when my original squad blew up the Ortego building?

  THISTLE: Hard to forget.

  FINN: When that happened, we lost someone.

  THISTLE: You’re talking about Mara Echols’ boy.

  FINN: Terry. Right.

  THISTLE: You mean to tell me you found his gear?

  FINN: Better than that, boss. We think he’s still alive.

  THISTLE: Alive? How?

  FINN: The pack was filled with equipment from over there. A knife made from bone. Some kind of old fruit. A few rags. None of it came from here.

  THISTLE: Well, I’ll be.

  FINN: The only problem is Doctor Tremaine’s trying to shut the portal down. She wants to blow it up. If we don’t take action and get the brass involved, we’ll lose the chance to bring Terry home.

  THISTLE: I get what you’re saying, Johnny, but how are you planning to convince Colonel Ross?

  FINN: This is the son of Mara Echols, one of her best friends, right? She’ll help us. If you need some extra push, explain how bringing home a hero would boost morale to an all-time high.

  THISTLE: Ha, listen to you sounding like a politician. Alright, Johnny. You’ve got a deal. I’ll get this info to Ross and see what we can do to help.

  FINN: Thank you, sir. There’s just one more thing.

  THISTLE: What is it?

  FINN: When she gives the green light on this, I want it to be my team.

  THISTLE: You sure about that? Could be dangerous.

  FINN: If it means bringing my friend home, boss, I’ll take the risk.

  End Audio File

  Ortego Reconstruction Outpost

  February 1, 2351

  Mei used John’s remote communicator to contact the Matron’s office. This allowed her to get a message to Mara Echols without having to worry about Tremaine reading over her shoulder. She explained the situation, emphasizing the evidence for Terry and how she believed he was still alive. The message went through successfully, but there was no immediate response.

  The wireless com John brought from Central worked off of the military towers, rather than those used by the Science Division. She had to stay within a kilometer of them to send and receive, which meant taking a drive, parking, and waiting. She had no other choice. If she left the area, she’d never receive the response. Instead, she sat in the dirt cab, falling asleep in the process.

  But after four and a half hours, a response did come.

  “Doctor Curie, are you receiving us?” asked a voice on the other end.

  The noise woke her, and she fumbled with the controls in an effort to reorient herself. “Here,” she said, wheezing. “I’m here. I’m here!”

  “Doctor Curie, this is Mara Echols. I understand you have some information regarding my son.”

  Mei’s chest fluttered nervously. So the message really had reached the Matron after all. “Yes, ma’am,” said Mei, trying to keep her composure. “We found his equipment. Did you get the documents I sent?”

  “I have, yes,” said the Matron. “My staff has spent the last few hours trying to verify your claims, but things have proven difficult. The Science Division is denying all knowledge of this wormhole or anything involving Terrance.”

  “Doctor Tremaine wants me to destroy the gate. She believes the risk is too high,” said Mei. “But I promise you, everything I’ve said is true! The information in those documents is accurate to the letter.”

  There was a short pause on the other end of the com. “I believe you, Doctor. Don’t worry. When I couldn’t get in touch with Tremaine, I contacted Colonel Ross. She managed to shed some light on your situation. Though, honestly, she only found out about this a few hours ago herself.”

  “Yes, ma’am. All of this information was considered classified under Section Nine of the Stone Charter.”

  “I suppose this means you’re breaking the law by giving this to me,” said Echols.

  Mei hesitated. Despite knowing what she was doing, the treason part never quite occurred to her. “I’m not sorry, Matron,” she finally said.

  “I would hope not. It would be a shame for you to back out right when I’m about to give you my full support.”

  Mei’s eyes widened. Did she hear her right? Her full support? She could hardly believe it. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say you’ll bring my son home, Doctor.” Her voice wavered as she spoke, a peek behind the curtain. She was the Matron, certainly, but she was also a mother.

  Mei gulped. “Terry was my friend,” she said. “He’s why I’m here.” She’d never told anyone that, not even John, but it was the truth. Pure and absolute.

  “Then find him for us both,” said the Matron. “Whatever it takes.”

  ******

  Ortego Reconstruction Outpost

  February 2, 2351

  Mei Curie sat on a slab of metal debris, staring into the solar fields. The light of the morning sun beamed a soft hue of amber across the panels as they lay there motionless, the same as they had these last four years. She stared into it, her mind free of worry and stress. She hadn’t felt this way in months. She took a deep, cold breath and sighed, a puff of warm fog escaping her lips and dissolving in air.

  She had done it.

  In less than an hour, a squad of armed soldiers would arrive at her camp, not to arrest her but to assist. They would go through the rift and search for her friend. With any luck, they would find him.

  As a scientist, Mei understood the odds were not in her favor. She would likely never see Terry again, or if she did, it might only be a corpse.

  She didn’t give a damn. The world had taken enough from her. She wouldn’t give it the satisfaction of taking this. Not without a fight.

  She would search the stars for Terry if she had to, because they were family. They had been born together, and she would not let him die alone.

  ******

  Somewhere on Kant

  February 2, 2351

  The guards came in the morning to Ludo’s cell. They dragged him through the hall, laughing as they went. They took him to another place to interrogate and to beat him. Terry listened from his little room, helpless.

  Two hours later, they brought him back, tossing him into the cell and slamming the door behind them. “Won’t be long until he’s dead,” said one of the guards.

  The other chuckled as they left.

  Every day Terry wondered if this would be the last time. The final beating before the execution. But Ludo continued to deny them.

  Terry wished he could be so strong.

  “Terry,” muttered Ludo from his cell. His breathing was weak and garbled, like his mouth was full of blood.

  “I’m here. Are you alright?”

  “How is your meditation going?” he asked, ignoring the question.

  “I’m making progress,” he said, leaving out the part about fighting his imaginary sister.

  “You have done well,” said Ludo. “Your chakka is clean. I sense it. Today you are lighter, stronger. Today I—” He coughed violently and wheezed. “—Today I will teach you to fly.”

 
; “Ludo, you need to rest, please,” said Terry. “You sound—”

  “There is no time for that,” insisted Ludo. “We don’t have long before they take us, before they…” He paused.

  “What?”

  “It does not matter. Listen to me and understand. Please.”

  Terry sighed. “Okay,” he said. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Prepare yourself,” said Ludo.

  So Terry did. He sat against the wall, closed his eyes, and concentrated. Together, the two men recited the mantras.

  Terry let his mind go numb and empty, easier now than ever before. What had once taken him hours now took only seconds, and in a moment, the prison cell evaporated into nothing, replaced by a void as empty as the space between the stars. He stood in the place his dream had been, in the spot where he had killed the little girl, and from this, he built again.

  And in an instant, another world was born.

  ******

  In a vast plain, on a planet with two suns, Terry sat outside of a farmhouse, staring at the horizon. None of it was real, but he didn’t care. The old world he’d created didn’t work out so well, but it was based on a long-forgotten life. This one felt more like home now. This one felt right.

  “Terry,” called a voice from the air—Ludo, talking to him from the real world.

  “I’m here, Ludo,” said Terry.

  “Do you see the things you have made?”

  “I do.”

  “What are they?”

  Terry listed his creations as he had made them. He began with the sky, the suns, the grass, and the trees. He listed the insects, the animals, the birds, and even the fish in the sea.

  “Now, look at these things. There are many, and they are yours. But now you must build more. Fill this place until it is overflowing. Until your mind is stretched, and you can barely contain what you see.”

  So Terry did. He created thousands of individual animals, insects, birds, and fish, and counted them and remembered them all. In the valley, there were deer and lions, beavermites and cheches. Every animal he could conceive of, a hundred thousand creatures from across two worlds, brought together in a young man’s mind.

  When he came to the point where he could barely sustain their numbers, he wavered. “Now what?” he asked.