by Adair Hart
Evaran paused and tilted his head. “You wish to see what is inside.”
“Well … yeah,” said Dr. Snowden. “We’ve been here all this time and never seen this door used.”
“Very well,” said Evaran. He interacted with his ARI, causing the normal white shielding over the doorway to dissipate.
Dr. Snowden peered in and noted that there was a featureless hallway that led to a lit-up room at the end.
Evaran stood to the side and gestured forward. “Please proceed.”
Dr. Snowden adjusted his glasses and, after a quick look at Emily, entered the hallway. When he reached the end, he stepped into an immense circular hub. His eyes widened at the hundreds of evenly spaced doors. There were multiple levels with ramps connecting it all. He pointed to a platform at the other end of the room. “What is that?”
“A control center of sorts. It is a … backup. If the Torvatta were ever lost, this dimension would still exist. It has some travel capability, it would seem, but I am unclear as to the rules of its operation. It is different from the Torvatta’s approach.”
“Huh. I guess if the Torvatta were ever immobilized, it would be like an escape pod,” said Dr. Snowden. He arched his head back to examine the ceiling. It was an arched dome, with transparent sections between the supports that allowed him to look out into space. A light strip ran along the ceiling edge and illuminated the room. “This is … amazing.”
Evaran stepped into the room. “It is amazing, and also the maintenance hub, with power management and other rooms I have not yet identified. What we want is over here,” he said, walking toward a circular port with a handle in the wall. He grabbed the handle and pulled it out slightly, then flipped it up, exposing a hole. After reaching in, he pulled out a device that was attached to the wall by a thick wire. He walked forward with the device and waved forward. “Back to the generator.”
Emily looked around. “I’d sure love to see what all these other rooms are at some point.”
“Same here,” said Dr. Snowden.
“I will keep the dimensional doorway open. We can explore it together. For now, let us get my last plane form.”
Dr. Snowden nodded. “Of course.” He noted Emily’s eyes had lit up at the prospect of learning about the Torvatta with Evaran. The urgency in Evaran’s actions did not escape Dr. Snowden’s notice. Evaran wanted in that facility, and fast.
Once they were back at the generator, Evaran plugged in the device. The interface on top lit up with options as the generator began to hum.
Dr. Snowden examined the area outside the Torvatta’s shielding. The Torvatta had landed and was only a few feet away from the facility shielding. He saw that V, in orb mode, had joined them and was hovering to the side of the generator.
Evaran raised his head at V. “The hole will only be open for a few moments. You will need to be in scouting mode. Are you ready?”
“I am,” said V.
Evaran interacted with the generator console.
A small, circular purple beam shot out from the generator at a downward angle and pierced both the Torvatta and facility’s shielding. After a moment, the circular beam expanded its circumference, creating a small opening in the shields. The beam dissipated.
“V, go now,” said Evaran.
“Acknowledged. Scouting mode engaged,” said V. He shimmered and disappeared as he flew through the opening.
The facility and Torvatta shielding closed back up.
Evaran motioned back at the Torvatta entrance. “We can watch V in the holo room.”
Dr. Snowden nodded. He remembered when they used it in their last adventure. Having a 360-degree view was extraordinary. He was impressed with the generator. Although he had not said anything, he had observed that the beam sliced through the Torvatta’s and the facility’s shielding like it was nothing.
When they got to the holo room, it had already adjusted itself to the view from V. Several chairs had been created that hovered in the air.
Everyone took their seats.
Dr. Snowden observed that as V flew toward the multilayered mound, he could see V’s analysis via his scan. Even the beam used to scan could be seen. The holo room gave a very deep insight into how some technologies worked. The details being displayed about the mound were fairly high-tech. It had a built-in defense in the form of turrets that could be deployed. There were also small chutes that seemed to be filled with disc-shaped objects. Several of the discs had emerged and were scanning around where V had flown through.
V hovered in front of a wide doorway at the base of the multilayered mound.
Dr. Snowden thought it was interesting that although V’s scan could not penetrate deep into the facility, it still showed what he could see a few feet in, and overlaid was what the Torvatta had scanned. This coverage provided a fairly detailed layout of the top part of the facility.
V flew up to the door and knocked.
After a moment, more of the disc-shaped objects flew out. The ones that had been scanning the shielding converged with the other drones. Their scanning range was shown in a light orange as they flew around the top of the facility. V had hovered out of range and hid near one of the pillars. The door that V hovered near earlier opened up.
Dr. Snowden held his breath as a Time Warden crawled out. It reminded him of a trapdoor spider coming to claim its prey. The Time Warden appeared to move efficiently using only four of its tentacles. Other tentacles waved around in the air. Their scanning beams were highlighted.
V dodged the beams as he moved inside the facility, past the Time Warden. Once inside, he began to scan the interior.
Dr. Snowden jumped when the door slid shut behind V. Emily touched his arm. He jumped again.
“Nervous?” asked Emily.
He licked his lips. “It’s … so real in here. That Time Warden gave me the creeps.”
“Yeah, me too.”
V flew along a darkened corridor, with only a few spots of light along the walls.
Dr. Snowden did not like the low illumination. “Why is it so dark?”
“As timeline-void denizens, they are not used to light. The fact that we see any is mostly due to the systems that power the facility giving it off,” said Evaran.
“Given their size, the corridors seem a bit large for them,” said Dr. Snowden.
Evaran nodded. “The corridors are built to carry prisoners they can feed off of. Also, you have only seen the maintenance variety of Time Wardens.”
Dr. Snowden gulped. “Right.” He noticed that as V continued to fly through the facility, there were not many consoles or interfaces. The hallways were arched, with spaced pillars that had unusual designs etched on them, giving off a gothic feel. Between each pillar was a featureless paneled wall. He pointed at one of the circular ports he saw interspersed throughout the walls. “What’re those?”
“Interface ports,” said Evaran. “The Time Wardens can extend one of their tentacles into it in order to interface with the facility systems.”
“I guess the UIC wouldn’t work on that,” said Emily. The universal interface card was a razor-thin credit-card-shaped device that could access any technological system. It did not work on mechanical systems or technological systems that had artificial intelligences.
“In its current form, you are correct. Also, my UIC would not work in this universe. I have a Time Warden extension that I modified that should work in those ports, though.”
Emily nodded. “From your previous encounters with them in our universe, right?”
“Correct. I am not sure if it will work here, but I suspect it will. If this were the timeplex, I would be considerably less confident about that.”
Dr. Snowden wrinkled his eyebrows. “Was it hard to get?”
“It was,” said Evaran. “Time Wardens are tough, but if their form is exposed, they will simply cease to exist in the timeline and be tossed out.”
“Oh,” said Dr. Snowden. “So I guess puncturing their body would do that.”
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Evaran nodded.
Dr. Snowden sighed as he eased back into his chair. Over the next hour, he watched V fly around. The featureless hallways seemed to be the aesthetic choice for the facility. It made him wonder who built the facility. Maybe there were construction drones. He noticed that V had paused in front of a large metal door. According to a layout of the facility, it was several levels down from what was visible on the surface.
“Analysis. Coordinates are behind this door,” said V. He flew out a bit from the door, then faded in while he shot at the door with a stun beam. After flying up a bit, he faded back out.
Dr. Snowden ran a hand along his arm as he observed Emily. She was standing and had her hands on her knees as she peered into the darkness. V had switched to infrared view.
After a few minutes, a Time Warden scanned around as it approached. Once it reached the door, it moved to the side and extended one of its tentacles into an open port on the wall. A clicking sound rang out, and the door began to rise. V flew in as soon as there was room to.
Dr. Snowden surveyed the large, empty, circular room. He noticed that the floor had round seals with several interior rings. They emitted a light that caused the room to be much brighter than he expected. He pointed at them. “What are those things?”
“Siphon tanks,” said Evaran as his eyes flared.
The intensity of Evaran’s eyes startled Dr. Snowden. He had seen that look before.
Evaran dipped his head. “V, head to where you detected the last plane form’s signature.”
“Acknowledged,” said V. He flew across the room. Once he was hovering over the seal, he began scanning.
Dr. Snowden jumped as the holographic image of the Time Warden passed through him. “These Time Wardens …” He shook his head as he tried to focus his attention on the image that appeared above the seal V was scanning. He knew the Time Warden would not see V or the image and was thankful that V would not have to fight it.
The image showed a cylindrical tank filled with a mushy substance. Inside it was a humanoid form.
Dr. Snowden gestured forward. “Looks like that’s it.”
“Analysis. Life signs are weak.”
Evaran clenched his jaw for a moment. “V, head back. It is time to retrieve myself.”
Emily followed Evaran and Dr. Snowden to the research lab. She knew Evaran was anxious to get in there and rescue his last plane form, but breaching the facility seemed like it was going to be tough. “So … what’s the plan?”
Evaran paused at a panel on the wall and interacted with the console there. “I am going to go in and retrieve my last plane form.”
“What’s this I stuff?” she asked. “We’re going with you.”
Evaran shook his head. “It is too dangerous. Besides, I need someone to manage the planar beam generator.”
She pointed at Dr. Snowden. “There’s your someone. I’m going with you.”
Evaran stepped back as the wall panel slid out. He extracted a Time Warden tentacle end that had a flat base with a rod extending from the middle. Several metallic fingers on the edge flailed around as he fidgeted with it in his hands. He eyed Emily. “I understand your concern. However, the Time Wardens are not to be taken lightly.”
Dr. Snowden cleared his throat. “Emily might have a point, though. How are you going to fight them while carrying your last plane form? Be a good time to have that Krotovore shielded transport and someone to push it around.”
Evaran’s eyes darted between Dr. Snowden and Emily. “A good idea. I have the schematics for it.” He shook a finger at Emily. “If you are determined to come, you can pilot it and cover my backside. V and I will cover the front and initiate combat if needed.”
Emily nodded. “That’s more like it. Will stun or repulsion beams work on them?”
“The repulsion might, but the stun will only anger them,” said Evaran. “You have to puncture the body. Your PSD has a special pattern for a sharpened rod. That should be sufficient to puncture the sphere if need be. Hopefully, it will not come to that.”
She pulled out her PSD and opened it up. It took her a moment to find the pattern, but when she did, she activated it. She had seen the pattern before but never understood its purpose. It seemed inefficient compared to the other patterns she had at her disposal. A three-foot-long metallic rod with a sharpened point extended with a light glow emanating from it. She furrowed her eyebrows. “What’s the glow all about?”
“It is the same energy as the Torvatta’s shield. While it may be harmless to denizens of this timeline, it is lethal to the Time Wardens. The more important function is that it can bypass their timeline energy internal shielding.”
“Oh,” she said.
Evaran walked over to the room where the plasma beam generator had been created. After a moment, he replicated a shielded transport.
She narrowed her eyes when she saw it. Evaran had used one to transport friends they had met during their alien abduction experience. It was heavily shielded and could transport up to two creatures. The one in front of her was smaller than she remembered.
“It’s a bit smaller, but we’re not transporting a krall,” said Dr. Snowden.
She remembered the grizzly-sized canine-like krall with plated armor that had saved her and Dr. Snowden’s lives. It was injured again saving her from a cepharus, an alien creature that reminded her of a large walnut with tentacles. She swallowed hard as she recalled holding the krall’s head when it was injured. “It’ll work.” She slid behind it and accessed the interface, causing it to begin moving.
After they assembled on the ramp, Dr. Snowden took his position behind the plasma beam generator.
Evaran interacted with the console, then faced Dr. Snowden. “I have set the pattern to an opening wide enough for us to go through. As you saw from before, it will fire and leave an opening in the shield. That gives us approximately ten seconds before it closes back up. All you will need to do is press the activate button once for us to go through and once again when we get back. You can use your PSD to keep in contact.”
Dr. Snowden nodded. “That seems pretty straightforward. I’m going to put on my survival suit then just in case.”
“We’ll be fine,” said Emily.
V joined them in robot mode. “Defensive mode engaged.” A semitransparent shield appeared around him.
She remembered seeing that for the first time in their last adventure. As powerful as V’s humanoid robot form was, she knew he preferred being more mobile in his orb mode. Given what she knew of how U4, V’s predecessor, had died, she figured this was Evaran’s adjustment to that situation.
“I believe we are ready. Dr. Snowden,” said Evaran.
Dr. Snowden adjusted his glasses and then pressed the activate button on the console.
The plasma beam generator shot out a pentagonal pattern large enough for them to go through. After a moment, the beam dissipated.
Evaran waved forward. “If we hurry to the entrance, we will be inside before the perimeter defense is activated. Let us go.”
Emily pushed the shielded transport through the hole in the facility’s shielding. Once they were on the other side, the hole behind them sealed up. Glancing back, she could not see the Torvatta or Dr. Snowden but knew they were there.
“V, take point,” said Evaran.
“Acknowledged,” said V. He strode to the front and headed toward the door he had flown through before.
Evaran pulled out his utility handle and extended it into a staff, with sharp points at both ends.
Several drones had launched toward them as they crossed the open area and were downed with a few stun shots.
When they got to the door, Evaran walked up to a small circular opening and placed the Time Warden tentacle end inside. With a few twists and motions, the door began to rise.
Emily narrowed her eyes. Her nanobots were tingling, and although it was pitch-dark looking in, she could detect movement. She had thought that since her helmet was up,
she would not be able to sense anything, but it seemed she could. What surprised her more was the lack of a response when they walked across the open area. If they were in sleep mode before, they would not be now.
Once the door was open enough for them to enter, V strode forward into the darkness. A barrage of yellow lasers lit up his shielding.
Evaran tossed out two illumination orbs behind V.
Emily’s eyes widened as she saw that a Time Warden had closed the gap to V and was trying to wrap its tentacles around him. The base was on alert, but the fact that there was only one Time Warden meant it was probably understaffed. The door behind them was closing, hopefully cutting off the drones she saw earlier from flying in.
Evaran moved behind V. “Hold it.”
V reeled in the Time Warden by winding up the tentacles.
Evaran stepped to the side and jabbed the body, causing the Time Warden to emit high-pitched squealing noises. After a moment, it stopped moving, and a yellow goo oozed out where Evaran had punctured it.
The goo shimmered for a moment, then evaporated.
Emily gulped at the sound of evaporation. It was like a muted deep sigh with reverberation. The way it went limp reminded her a bit of the moment her father had passed while she held his hand. She exhaled and looked around. The architecture of the hallway they were in made her skin crawl. It had arched pillars with metallic panels between them. The pillars had unusual designs on them, giving her the impression of webs and bones. The dim illumination caused by the embedded lights made the facility creepier.
“We need to move,” said Evaran. “The Time Wardens are networked together. I do not know how many are in this facility, but there is always one active. The death of the drones would have triggered the alert, but this one most likely raised the alert level.”
“Lead on,” said Emily, gesturing forward.
V untangled himself and continued ahead.
When they were halfway to the last plane form and in a large corridor, Evaran raised his hand. He narrowed his eyes as they scanned the ceiling. “We are not alone.”
Emily could barely see the medium-sized holes above her, but they were large enough for a Time Warden to crawl through.
