by Adair Hart
Dan narrowed his eyes. “Krall?”
Dr. Snowden chuckled. “The krall is not a threat, well, wasn’t in our universe. She’s like a big dog, with armored plates, and the size of a grizzly. More importantly, she saved my and Emily’s lives.”
“Oh,” said Dan. He shook his head. “I don’t want to imagine what it must have been like going through this without having you and the others to help.”
Dr. Snowden cast a sidelong glance at Levaran. “It was … trying.”
Levaran smiled. “You and Emily did well, though.”
He nodded.
When they got to the large engine room, they assembled just inside the entrance.
Dr. Snowden noted that it was just like he remembered it. A large black orb surrounded by metallic rings, with three curved metallic pillars shooting a red beam at the rings. There were three hallways leading off to other parts of the engine area. One was opposite of where they were, and the other two were on the sides.
Dr. Bryson’s eyes widened as he pointed at the orb. “What … is that?”
“Our antimatter drive,” said Kri’tokhaar.
Dr. Bryson exhaled from his mouth. “Absolutely incredible.”
Levaran placed her UIC on a wall console and then cleared her throat. “As incredible as it is, we need to disable those red beams. Three people are required for this.” She pointed at the hallway opposite them. “Kri’tokhaar, are you familiar with the beam shutdown process?”
Kri’tokhaar nodded.
“Okay, you can take that one. Edev will go with you in case we need to communicate,” said Levaran. She pointed at the right hallway. “V, you take that one.” She pointed at the left one. “Dr. Snowden, you can take that one. I’m going to stay here and make sure nothing comes in.”
“Albert, is what you’re going to do safe?” asked Dan. “I mean … could me and Sarah go with you?”
“I think so,” said Dr. Snowden, tossing Levaran a look.
She nodded. “It should be safe. The bio scans are operational here, unlike your universe. There is nothing in this room or the control rooms. From your encounter, the Grynge came after everyone left. If they do this time, they will deal with me.”
“These Grynge don’t sound friendly,” said Dan.
Dr. Snowden bobbed his head. “They weren’t.”
Dr. Bryson’s eyes darted between Dan and Sarah. “Well, if you two are going with Albert, I’d like to go with V.” He extended a hand out toward V. “If that’s okay with you, that is.”
“Your presence would be appreciated,” said V.
Dr. Bryson puffed his chest out a bit. “Awesome.”
“Very well,” said Levaran. “Dr. Snowden and V already know what to do. Contact me if need be.”
Dr. Bryson surveyed the dimly lit corridor as he walked alongside V. The raw smell of something rotting made him gag. He could not see what was causing it but wished he had a helmet to raise like he saw on Dr. Snowden and Emily. The distant shrieking sounds reminded him of a pig squealing. He gulped at the thought that maybe something was being murdered at that very moment. He jumped when V swiveled his head.
“Are you okay?”
“Me? Oh, yeah. Pfft. I’m great,” said Dr. Bryson, tossing a hand out.
“Analysis. Your heartbeat and breathing have intensified.”
Dr. Bryson sighed. “I can’t hide anything from you, can I?”
“You can if you wish.”
Dr. Bryson stared at V for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Sorry. I didn’t mean literally.” He shook his head. “I’m amazed at the technology that must have gone into you. You mentioned you were an AI or something?”
“I am what Dr. Snowden has classified as a strong AI, but it is more complicated than that.”
“Oh,” said Dr. Bryson. He bobbed his head. “I bet you’ve had a lot of interesting discussions.”
“We have. Dr. Snowden is very curious.”
“Oh, I know. The version I know couldn’t sleep unless he knew the answer to something, and in our field, that meant a lot of sleepless nights.”
V tilted his head. “In the virtual simulation Dr. Snowden was in, your name was mentioned.”
“Really? And … what was it in relation to?”
V shot out a projection above his head, showing the scene where Evaran had just met Dr. Snowden and was standing outside Dr. Snowden’s house.
Dr. Bryson’s eyes were glued to the projection.
It showed Dr. Snowden ask Evaran if he was a Jehovah’s Witness and if he had been sent by Dr. Bryson.
After it finished, Dr. Bryson said, “So … you had footage of what happened in the virtual simulation. Amazing. And Albert woulda been right. I woulda sent Jehovah Witnesses and others to his place.”
“Query. For what purpose?”
“You know,” said Dr. Bryson, shrugging. “Just messing around.”
V’s lights flickered for a moment. “I see. You were mentioned again when Evaran met with Dr. Snowden and Emily three months after they had returned to Earth. It was in relation to your wife, Karen, in their universe.”
Dr. Bryson raised his eyebrows. “Karen … Osgood?”
“You are correct. In the virtual simulation, you had a baby boy. However, in reality, there were conception issues. When Dr. Snowden tried to congratulate you on the baby boy in reality, you began to ignore him.”
“That’s … kinda weird,” said Dr. Bryson. He harrumphed. “In this universe, Karen was his wife.”
V nodded. “Previous records in Dr. Snowden’s universe indicated that it was Dr. Snowden who introduced you to Karen.”
Dr. Bryson snorted. “He really liked her, well, at least here he did. I bet he did over there too.” His eyes searched the ground for a moment. “I bet he knew I liked her and set us up, even though he was interested.”
“It is a plausible conclusion and fits with the personality profile of Dr. Snowden,” said V.
Dr. Bryson took a moment to scan the surrounding environment as they walked up a ramp. He enjoyed talking with V and could see why Dr. Snowden would too. When they got to the top of the ramp and continued, he said, “So Albert and Emily travel around with you and Evaran all across space and time? I mean … I picked up on the time travel thing when Levaran was talking to Kri’tokhaar.”
V nodded. “I was created by Evaran, and together with Dr. Snowden and Emily, we travel where we are needed, and also to satisfy curiosity.”
Dr. Bryson swallowed hard. “That’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m guessing Evaran asked them to join him when he came back three months after dropping them off.”
“It was Dr. Snowden and Emily who asked to join Evaran. I had calculated an eighty-six-percent chance they would ask given Dr. Snowden’s profession and general personality profile.”
Dr. Bryson chuckled. “Yeah … well … I mean, who the hell would pass that up?”
“I do not know.”
Dr. Bryson slapped V on the back. “If I get the chance to travel with Levaran, and Edev is like you, I would take it in a heartbeat.”
V nodded. “I assign a high probability to that, and it would be beneficial for Levaran.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Levaran has never traveled with companions before. It would help modify her perspective if humans provided input.”
“I see,” said Dr. Bryson. He bobbed his head. “Maybe Dan and Sarah could come. We’d be Levaran and the gang!”
V paused as he stared at Dr. Bryson.
“I didn’t mean any offense …”
“No offense has been taken. I was calculating the possibility that you would say that.”
“About Dan and Sarah?”
“About Levaran and the gang. Intriguing.”
They continued forward.
Dr. Bryson narrowed his eyes. “Let me guess. Albert probably said ‘Evaran and the gang’ before, right?”
“You are correct.”
Dr. Bryson smirked. “
Ol’ Albert. Maybe we’re more alike than either of us knows.”
“I would agree,” said V.
After fifteen more minutes of light conversation, they reached the control room.
Dr. Bryson followed V into the room and observed as V headed over to a panel on the wall with a red dot above. The clutterless room surprised him.
After a moment, the dot turned green, and V interacted with an object that slid out.
Dr. Bryson was not fully sure what the object’s purpose was, but he understood at a high level that it needed to be configured in order to shut down the beams that prevented the ship’s antimatter drive from running.
The idea of sending all this advanced technology into the sun without the opportunity to study it saddened him, but getting out alive was a higher priority. Just from his interaction with V and his observations of the others, he could see they were a potent group. His eyes lit up at the thought that he might be able to experience traveling with Levaran.
“It is done,” said V. “We can head back now.”
Dr. Bryson nodded. “Sounds good. That was pretty simple. Was it this easy in Albert’s universe?”
“It was not. They had to fight various creatures, and Dr. Snowden almost died.”
“Oh … ,” said Dr. Bryson. “That’s terrible.”
V nodded. “Dr. Snowden had gone with Emily, and I went with Jay Beerman.”
Dr. Bryson clenched his jaw. Jay may have been friends with Dr. Snowden in their universe, but in this one, he was dead to him. He swallowed hard and then let out a measured breath. He swept a hand toward the door. “After you.”
“Acknowledged.”
Kri’tokhaar observed Edev fly ahead to scan. His multiple stomachs were upset, and his set of black eyes blinked continuously. What his race had done to these humans and the other species was wrong, and as the only representative of his race around, the guilt tore at him. He emitted a low hissing noise from his proboscis.
When Edev came back, Kri’tokhaar had reached the halfway mark to the control room. He motioned a claw at Edev. “Your friends are quite powerful.”
Edev’s lights blinked. “They’re very powerful. Does this trouble you?”
He sighed. “It doesn’t, but the fact that such powerful beings are here because of my species does not escape me.”
“You believe what you did was wrong?”
Kri’tokhaar gestured with one of his clawed hands out. “Of course I do. I was the second commander. I … I should have done something.”
“It’s in the past,” said Edev. “What’s done is done.”
“Perhaps,” he said. “It’s still a stain. One which pervades my very being.”
“I’m detecting elevated pressure in your biological system.”
He slowly blinked his big set of eyes. “That’s the shame of my race bearing down on me.”
“You will be home soon with your own kind.”
He sighed. “And then what? Display my shame to the rest of my species? Let my brood cluster live on in shame knowing what I failed to prevent? This is unbearable.”
Her lights dimmed. “I have not had time to analyze your species.”
He cocked his armored head back. “You’re an unusual machine.”
“I’m more than that. Part machine, part … something else.”
He clacked two of his claws together. “I see. How long have you been in existence?”
“One day.”
He gazed intently at her as they rounded a corner. “And … how were you created?”
“Levaran created me. I travel with her.”
He emitted a guzzling noise. “Strange traveling partners. From what I’ve been told, Dr. Snowden, Emily, Evaran, and V are from a parallel universe. The others, including you, are from this one.”
“That’s correct,” she said. “In Evaran’s universe, this encounter is in their past.”
His six eyes scanned ahead. “I’m guessing there was a version of me then.”
“There was. Would you care to see him?”
“You have visual?”
Edev’s lights glowed a little brighter as she flew ahead a bit. She shot down a projection that showed a video feed of his parallel-universe counterpart.
Kri’tokhaar stood mesmerized as the conditions of the ship were described. Hearing how his assistant Ghaa’kiPruut died made his eyes blink slower. Ghaa’kiPruut was loyal and obedient to him, and probably sacrificed himself. At least Ghaa’kiPruut’s death was better in the parallel universe than this one. Ghaa’kiPruut had been swarmed by small humanoid creatures with large knives, and had sacrificed himself to give Kri’tokhaar some time to get away.
She paused the projection. “I’m sorry if this bothers you.”
“It’s … it’s okay,” he said. “Continue.” He listened to the report of the attack on the ship prior to going through the rift. The casual description of capturing a sentient species made his antennae flicker. It appeared there was a difference between that version and himself. Maybe over there, it was he, and not the first commander, who ordered the capture of sentient species. That could have happened only if the first commander was dead and Kri’tokhaar had assumed control. It struck him that Dr. Snowden and Emily should have been furious with him, yet they were not.
The projection ended as Edev’s lights glowed. “An interesting perspective, don’t you think?”
Kri’tokhaar’s voice slowed. “Sure.” He swayed his head around for a moment as if to clear it. “These … humans are resilient. They have empathy, even after what was done to them. They exhibit traits of nobility and compassion and handle adversity with finesse. It appears we did not live up to the same standards, although we were the more technologically advanced species.”
“Humans are an interesting species. I’m looking forward to traveling with and learning about them.”
“Dan, Sarah, and Dr. Bryson will travel with you and Levaran?”
Edev lit up. “Most assuredly. We will drop them off for three months, then come back. I calculate a ninety-point-two-percent chance they will ask to travel with us.”
Kri’tokhaar emitted a guzzling sound. “At least they have a future.”
“You do to. Matriarch De’zokaar will surely grant you a pardon, given the situation.”
“You know the matriarch as well?”
“Only from visual records. Do you wish to see her?”
He wiggled his proboscis for a moment. “If you don’t mind.”
She flew out again and shot down a projection of Matriarch De’zokaar apologizing on behalf of all the Krotovore for what transpired.
He clenched his four smaller eyes shut for a moment. For a matriarch to apologize was not trivial. It meant great shame had been brought onto the species. The difference this time was that if he were to reach his home world, they would have someone to pin it on.
When the projection finished, he gestured ahead. “We need to hurry. The others are probably waiting on us.”
“You have no comment on seeing your matriarch,” said Edev.
He emitted a wheezing noise. “I … need to think on this.”
“As you wish.”
When they got to the control room, he was a blur in getting the panel to open and the console configured. Dr. Snowden and V would be able to get their consoles set, and the engines would fire. The thought that the ship deserved to be burned by the sun no longer bothered him. After what his species had done, he felt it was needed.
“You have been quiet for some time now. Is everything okay?”
He motioned toward the door. “I wish it were. I really do. Let’s head back.”
“You got it.”
Dr. Snowden had lowered his helmet as he walked with Dan and Sarah toward their control room. The smells brought back a sense of déjà vu for him. He definitely did not miss the pitter-patter sound of footsteps echoing throughout. The mist that hugged the floor obscured it somewhat, but from what he had seen so far, the path was the sam
e as the one from his universe.
The thought briefly crossed his mind that maybe the Grynge were already here, but he would know of their presence before they would know of his, and if it came to it, the Grynge would learn what a PSD could do. The dimly lit corridor gave him flashbacks of walking through it with Emily at his side. He wondered how she was doing.
“Hmm,” said Dan. He waved a hand around in the air. “This place is right out of a horror movie.”
“I don’t like it,” said Sarah. Her eyes scanned Dr. Snowden. “You seem to be at ease with all of this.”
Dr. Snowden shrugged. “I’ve already been through this one. It’s a lot easier when you’re not being tracked by headhunters.”
Dan wrinkled his eyebrows. “I’m guessing this time around … they’ll run into Levaran first.”
Dr. Snowden nodded. “I doubt they will be getting past that.”
“So you had to fight these headhunters?” asked Sarah.
Dr. Snowden smirked. “Yeah. They’re called Grynge. They stand about two to three feet, have red skin and wild hair, a large mouth with razor-sharp teeth, and they carry a lot of bone armor and weapons. Three of them cornered me and Emily in the control room. Once inside, they attacked me while Emily got the console going.”
“You took on three?” asked Dan.
“Unfortunately. They stabbed me in the leg several times. Apparently their knives were coated in poison. I didn’t think I was going to make it,” said Dr. Snowden. He exhaled from his nose. “I tried to draw them to me so Emily could get out, but she decided to fight instead, and we both got out.”
“Unbelievable,” said Dan. “Emily’s tough as nails from what I saw.”
“That’s from our version of you,” said Dr. Snowden. “She was more like Sarah until a certain point. Now she’s more like you.”
Sarah contemplated his words as they went up a ramp. “She sounds like she’s had a lot of rough moments.”
Dr. Snowden drew his lips flat. “She never got to know our version of you since our version died at childbirth. With our Dan dying while Emily was in college, I was the only one left she could turn to. I will say the holidays have never been the same.”
Sarah sighed. “So she grew up without a mother.”
