by Adair Hart
“Like a frog,” said Emily. She harrumphed. “It tries that with me, I’ll slice it off.”
“There will be no need for that,” said Evaran as he furrowed his eyebrows at Emily. “The Jankra is ahead, but we can take the passageway to the right and go around it. The alternative is we cut through it, and even then, we would be fighting it at the same time.”
Emily shrugged. “Okay.”
Evaran waved off to the right. “Let us go.”
As they continued on, Dr. Snowden thought he heard mushy sounds broken up by a crackling noise. He rubbed the goose bumps on his arm. While the situation kept him on edge, Emily seemed to be relishing it. She was ready to fight. He knew that was her father’s side in her. Since they were in a group that would be able to hold its own, she seemed more confident than she would normally be. He shook his head and focused on moving forward.
After thirty minutes, they reached a large storage room.
Dr. Snowden’s skin crawled at the flashing lights, muted alarm sound, and mist that rolled across the ground. Although he had seen the mist and heard the muted alarm before, the flashing lights seemed to cast moving shadows off a container in the room.
Evaran motioned for Edev to go forward.
Edev flew ahead and scanned the room.
Dr. Snowden could see that thermal signatures were registering. The odd thing was that the shape of the thermal signatures reminded him of a large capsule. The material it was made of was organic.
Evaran narrowed his eyes. “Interesting. This must be some type of egg chamber.”
“Draug?” asked Dr. Snowden.
“They are too big for draug.”
Dr. Snowden gulped. Although he knew he was with a tough group, the unknown element of the room bothered him.
“Edev, distraction hologram,” said Levaran.
“On it,” said Edev. She flew to the center of the room and shot down a hologram of a grizzly bear. A chittering sound along with crackles and pops emitted from a hallway that was perpendicular to them.
Levaran glanced at Evaran. “It appears whatever birthed these things is nearby but isn’t fooled by the projection. We should be able to cross.”
“I concur, but we should not spend more time in the room than needed,” said Evaran. “V, take point.”
“Acknowledged.”
“Everyone else, shields out.”
Dr. Snowden activated his shield and pulled out his PSD. Emily had her shield out, and her baton was already active. He realized she had done it before Evaran had asked.
They crept through the room with a watchful gaze on the hallway that the sounds came from. As they neared the opposite side of the room, a large brown creature with an armored, segmented, centipede-like body emerged from the hallway. Each segment had a short leg attached to a sharp claw that was connected like a knee joint. Half the body was on the ground, while the other half was raised. The appendages on each upper body segment were larger and more muscled, with a long talon at the end of them.
Its head reminded Dr. Snowden of a dragon’s, except this one had four eyes. It was like a mega version of the Dukashzeer, except on steroids.
“Go!” said Levaran, pointing forward.
Dr. Snowden and Emily hustled along with Evaran toward the hallway opposite from where they had entered the room.
Levaran fired a few repulsion and stun beams at the creature, but that just made it more active. As she and V walked backward toward where the others were, the creature picked up its pace.
Evaran placed his UIC on the wall console outside the room and interacted with his ARI. “Hurry!”
Levaran and V turned and ran.
The creature exhibited unusual speed and slammed a claw into V, sending him sprawling to the side.
Levaran pointed at V. “Get him!” She turned around and rushed headlong into the creature.
Evaran pulled out his utility handle. He extended a baton with a light-yellow glowing end and aimed at V.
A beam shot out and attached to V’s shielding.
V righted himself as Evaran pulled him in.
Levaran had reached the creature and, with several hits, knocked it back a bit. The creature roared as Levaran hit it in the chest, sending it another few feet back. It spit a green substance at her that she blocked with her shield.
Dr. Snowden’s eyes raised. This creature must be very strong.
Evaran shot out a grappling beam to Levaran, who grabbed it and, with a flip kick off the creature’s chest, propelled herself toward the others. Once she was safely behind Evaran, he interacted with his ARI, causing the door to close.
Levaran stood and shook her head. “That was an angry mother.”
“Strong one too,” said Emily.
Levaran nodded. “More so than I expected. I suspect it could have even pierced V’s shielding with that amount of force given enough time. According to the Krotovore, that was a Sarzarak. Without my shield, that acidic spit would have gone through me.”
“One thing’s for sure. We aren’t going back that way. At least not easily,” said Dr. Snowden.
Evaran pursed his lips. “There will be no need to. We are about an hour away from the research lab where your duplicates should be. From there, the bridge and engine room are on the way back on a different route.”
Dr. Snowden exhaled from his nose as he followed the others. Although it had only been two encounters, he could see that there were creatures that would give even Levaran and Evaran trouble. Not to mention they now knew there was an elite hunter on board. He sighed. It could never be easy, but then again, if he had to do this with anyone, he was glad it was with this group.
Memories and sensations flooded Emily’s mind as she walked through various corridors for the next hour. The black strip near the ceilings, the low lights, and the mist did not bother her as much as she thought they would. Going into the situation prepared was a much different experience from trying to come to grips with the fact that aliens and nonhumans existed, they were in another galaxy, and nanobots coursed through them.
Several sharp noises had rung out as they walked.
From what she could tell, it sounded like something had become prey to something else. Even with the power somewhat on, it seemed the door shieldings were still powering down across the ship. When they crossed a large, open plaza-like room, several creatures had flown at them, but with Edev flying around and repulsing them and everyone else firing, the creatures flew away in haste.
As they approached the corridor that led to the research labs where Dr. Snowden and Emily’s duplicates were held, Emily tapped Dr. Snowden’s arm. “Remember all this?”
Dr. Snowden clenched his jaw for a moment. “I’d rather not, but here we are.”
She pulled her lips in as she recalled how scared she had been back then. Now the apex predators and whatever else got in their way had something to fear. As they stood outside the lab, she observed how the light from everyone’s shielding lit up the environment. It gave a slight glow to the mist, but it comforted her.
Evaran placed his UIC on the console, and after a moment, the light-blue shielding that covered the door dissipated. He turned toward Dr. Snowden and Emily. “Are you ready for this?”
Dr. Snowden gulped. “I think so.”
Emily nodded. “Let’s do this.”
V swatted Dr. Snowden’s arm.
Dr. Snowden chuckled nervously while shaking his head. “You don’t need to do that every time someone says that.”
“Acknowledged.”
Levaran gestured back the way they had come. “Edev, patrol this area and alert us if anything approaches.”
“On it,” said Edev. She shimmered and disappeared as she flew away.
Evaran pointed at the door. “V, hold this position.”
“Acknowledged.”
With a final look around, Evaran entered the room, followed by the others.
Emily wanted to rush over to the slabs, but they had a clouded barrier su
rrounding them, preventing visibility.
Evaran and Levaran had moved to the freestanding console off to the side.
While they interacted with it, Emily walked over to the slabs with Dr. Snowden. “Well, guess it’s almost time.”
“We’ll be okay,” he said.
There were only three of the six slabs with a barrier. It occurred to her that she never saw the shielding around each slab. During her abduction, they must have fallen when Evaran entered the virtual simulation. She turned toward Evaran. “Umm … there’s only three shielded slabs here …”
Evaran gestured for Dr. Snowden and Emily to head over to the freestanding console. “That is correct, and there is a reason there are three. That selection is not coincidental.”
Emily wrinkled her eyebrows. “So … who’s missing then?”
“You both are,” said Evaran. “Sanjay and Jay are not in there either.”
Dr. Snowden cleared his throat. “Okay …”
Evaran cast a sidelong glance at Levaran for a moment, then pulled his lips taut as he faced Dr. Snowden. “Your brother, Dan, and his wife, Sarah, along with Dr. Bryson are in there.”
“What!” said Dr. Snowden with widened eyes.
Emily gasped as she trembled. “Dad and Mom … are in there? Alive?”
Evaran nodded. “This universe’s version of them is. They will go through an awakening, and we will need to guide them out.”
Dr. Snowden swallowed hard as he circled a finger out. “Wait a minute. Dr. Bryson was nowhere near where Dan lived, unless things are really different.”
Evaran raised a finger. “They are from different locations. I suspect that is why there were two ships. However, I believe I know why they are here, and it answers a question I had during your abduction experience.”
Dr. Snowden stepped forward as Emily latched on to his right arm.
“Their presence here means that the Krotovore emergency beacon was on something near them. It would have been placed prior to this point in time and space, and I believe the person who will do that is Levaran.”
“How do you figure that?” asked Dr. Snowden.
“The beacons would have to be precisely placed. This means there was intent. The only person who would know of these three individuals in this universe is Levaran due to the syncing we did earlier. This also implies that,” said Evaran, waving a finger between them, “you two do not exist here.”
Dr. Snowden narrowed his eyes. “Does this mean … you placed the emergency beacon on our car in our universe? And that’s why the Krotovore came after us?”
Evaran ran a hand across the back of his neck. “It would appear that I do, sometime in my future.”
Dr. Snowden gritted his teeth. “Oh … well … that’s just great.”
“It’s part of a time loop, it would seem,” said Levaran. “One that stretches across the plane.”
Emily lightly squeezed Dr. Snowden’s arm. “It’s hard to be angry at something he hasn’t done yet.”
Dr. Snowden shook his head and sighed. “I know. It seems we were destined to be a part of this time loop. It just … sometimes feels like I have no control over my own life.”
Evaran bowed his head. “I apologize for my future actions, but as Levaran mentioned, it is now part of a time loop. When this is over, we shall attend to it.”
“When are we going to place it?” asked Emily, swallowing hard.
“The beacon was placed half an hour prior to the abduction,” said Evaran.
Emily sighed. “We were still at Dad’s grave site …”
Dr. Snowden adjusted his glasses. “This is nuts but, relative to everything else, I guess, pretty routine.”
“It’s about to get nuttier,” said Levaran.
Dr. Snowden eyed Levaran. “Oh, no … what now?”
“I’ll be going into the virtual simulation to meet with Dan and Sarah. If they’re to travel with me, it has to be me. Dr. Bryson on the other hand …”
Dr. Snowden sighed. “I guess that’s me …”
Levaran nodded. “There are several open slabs, and your nanobots can hook into the virtual simulation.”
“Deeper and deeper,” said Dr. Snowden.
Levaran raised a finger. “You will have an advantage—an administrative console.”
Dr. Snowden perked up. “You mean I can, like … control things or something?”
“That’s one facet,” said Levaran. “You can pull it up and teleport using a map or move things or interact with objects from afar.”
Emily could see the gears turning in Dr. Snowden’s head. “What if I went instead?”
Dr. Snowden shook his head. “You might not have even existed, and if I had, he would know me. It has to be me.”
“Maybe I could go with Levaran?”
Levaran eyed Emily. “Do you think you would be able to control your emotional state upon seeing your father’s duplicate? It might make things confusing for them.”
Emily sighed. “You’re probably right. Can I at least see what’s going on in there?”
Evaran gestured at the large screen on the opposite side of the room. “We can watch it together from there.”
“I guess that’s better than nothing,” said Emily. She noticed Dr. Snowden had lowered his helmet and was rubbing his temples. “You’ll be fine.”
“I guess. Let’s just get this part over with. I’m not even sure what to say to James.”
Evaran walked over to the open slab. “Come. We can hook you up. All you need to do is let Dr. Bryson know that the virtual simulation is ending and that when he awakes, he will be in the real world. If anyone can convince him of that, it is you.”
Dr. Snowden sighed as he trudged over to the slab. All the preparation he had done to converse with himself was now useless. Dr. Bryson might be someone completely different. He hopped up onto the slab and lay back. “Just like old times. Great.”
Emily hustled over and laid a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be right here. Besides, you’ll have an administrative console to play with.”
He snorted, then bobbed his head. “Yeah, you’re right.” He rolled his head to the side to face Levaran. “Speaking of which, how do I turn it on?”
“When you enter, the console will be to your right,” said Levaran. “It will appear as a floating screen with a keyboard. I’ve modified it to an input system you are familiar with. The interface will make sense once you’re inside.”
Dr. Snowden gulped. “I hope so.” He took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling.
Emily wanted to go with him, but she knew it would probably only exacerbate the situation. Seeing her dad and mom would probably make things even worse for them and Levaran, even if it was just the parallel version of them. She sighed as she stood back.
He flashed Emily a thumbs-up as Evaran hooked him up.
She smiled at him. Despite everything going on, he was able to maintain control. She knew he had a short temper, and if this had been a few adventures ago, he would be flipping out. Traveling with Evaran allowed him to be in greater control, although she knew it was more the nanobots.
Levaran gestured at the three shielded slabs while facing Emily. “I’m going to lower the shielding and then interface with the system. If you were curious as to what they look like, this would be a good time to see them.”
Emily nodded and followed Levaran.
Dr. Snowden harrumphed. “Oh, wait until I’m hooked up to do that. I see how it is.”
“It’s a matter of efficiency,” said Levaran. “These shields will take about thirty seconds to lower, and that is time you can be helping Dr. Bryson.”
Dr. Snowden sighed. “I figured. Ahh well. So … when do I—” His body went limp as a light glow formed around the nodes attached to his head.
Evaran pointed at the screen. “He is in.”
Levaran nodded and interacted with her ARI. After thirty seconds, the shielding around the slabs dropped.
Emily’s heartbeat ramped up
as she studied both Dan and Sarah. Dan was just as she remembered him, maybe a bit older. Sarah caught her by surprise. She was a spitting image of Emily, except maybe a little slimmer in the face. Emily’s breathing went haphazard.
Levaran laid a hand on Emily’s shoulder. “You’re definitely their child. Just remember, in this universe, they may not have had a child, so while they may look the part, they’re not your parents. However … their three-Ls are close, which means your knowledge of how to interact with them is probably still relevant, at least for your father.”
Emily struggled to breathe as her eyes watered. In a weak voice, she said, “Looks just like him.”
Levaran extended her arms out.
Emily trembled as she hugged Levaran.
After Emily stepped back, Levaran placed her UIC on a console on the wall. Once it had connected, she faced into the room and nodded at Emily. “It’s time.”
Emily wiped her eyes and then joined Evaran by the screen, which was split into two feeds, with the top feed showing the view from Dr. Snowden and the bottom one from Levaran.
“Do not worry,” said Evaran, placing an arm around her. “Hopefully this will go smoothly and we can talk to them when they come out.”
V walked into the room and stood next to Emily. “Analysis. Your heartbeat has increased.”
Emily drew her lips flat. “I’m good. I just didn’t expect to see … my parents.”
V tilted his head. “That would be unexpected. Perhaps a hug will make you feel better.”
She laughed as she hugged V. “Thanks. Now I guess we just watch and see what happens.”
Evaran raised a finger. “Be aware that the feed will be sped up a bit since there is a time-dilation effect, but your nanobots should be able to compensate.”
She nodded. “Here we go, I guess.”
Dr. Snowden closed his eyes and braced himself as the familiar pulse of the nodes cascaded over his head. The last time he felt it was when they came off of him during his awakening. He jumped as the sound of cars driving by rang out.
After opening his eyes, he realized he was standing on a sidewalk outside the college where he taught. It made sense to him that if he was looking for Dr. Bryson, it would be near there. Looking down to his right, he saw the floating black screen with several menu options on it. The screen was semitransparent and had a small text box to type in with a keyboard extending from the bottom. Levaran knew exactly how to conform the console.
