“Perfect,” said Emanui. “We could implant a camera in it.”
Jasper sighed. “It’s all we can do until we know exactly what they’re up to. Are they returning to Vambiri? If so, why leave now when Romano is completely under their thumb?”
“They would have sensed the anomaly during Kevak’s arrival,” said J’Vor. “They were designed to detect the slightest changes in the geomagnetic field and are surely now aware that the particle accelerator on Vambiri is once again in working order.”
“Do you think they’ll try to sabotage it from here?” asked Jasper.
“If they could completely destroy Vambiri’s particle accelerator, they won’t have to worry about anyone coming through either to expose them or foil whatever plans they have for Romano,” said J’Vor.
“No!” cried Devonna. “It’s not that! Destroying the particle accelerator would only be a temporary solution — they’re planning genocide!”
“Not even Romano could order a weapons strike on Vambiri,” said Emanui.
“They could secretly unleash a contagion like the one Merk used to kill Arkani!” insisted Devonna.
“But we can’t be sure Jirza knows about—” began Jasper before suddenly stopping. Jirza would have seen the intelligence report that mentioned Arkani dying from a contagion. Since no natural contagion could have harmed Arkani, the only explanation would have been that the nanobots had been weaponized against her.
“They would have to devise some sort of delivery system,” said Emanui.
“A miniature rocket on a timer?” suggested Tariq. “Upon exiting the wormhole it would explode like a firecracker and spread killer spores throughout Lun. It would only take one infected person to start a pandemic.”
“We have to stop them!” exclaimed Devonna. “Eliminate them!”
“No!” cried J’Vor. “We don’t know if Kwetz is involved. Kevak insisted that Kwetz underwent transmutation in order to heal his mother.”
“Have you forgotten what he did to his mother?” asked Emanui.
“No, Emanui,” said J’Vor, “I haven’t forgotten how he removed Vrin from her med-pod in order to escape from the lifeboat with Pocatello, but for Kevak’s sake, don’t commit to eliminating Kwetz until we have confirmation that he is taking on an active role in Jirza and Tolum’s machinations.”
PLOTS
The Lost Sea
Sweetwater, Tennessee
May 1, 2049 AD
American’s largest underground lake, the Lost Sea, is part of an extensive and historic cave system called Craighead Caverns, which have been used since the time of the native Cherokees. From a tiny natural opening in the side of a mountain, the cave expands into a series of huge rooms. The full extent of the Lost Sea is still not known. More than thirteen acres of the underground lake has been mapped, yet still no end has been found. In the twentieth century, a diver ventured into one of the water-filled rooms with a sonar device and took soundings in all directions, finding nothing but more water. In 1915, the cave system was developed for tourists, and the abundance of rare crystalline structures called “cave flowers” led to the designation of the Lost Sea as a Registered National Landmark.
Its proximity to Oak Ridge and natural shielding made it an ideal base of operations. One of the unmapped flooded chambers was rendered safe by using a force field to facilitate drainage. As tourists floated above in glass-bottom boats, they were blissfully unaware that a network made up of humans and hybrids was working around the clock to uncover Jirza’s plans regarding ORELA.
Their most important operative was Elgin, whose ocular prosthesis had been implanted with a miniature video camera. The mechanical lens operated in sync with Elgin’s good eye, recording everything he saw. It was too risky to fit a transmission device — both Jirza and the security detectors would have sensed it. Instead, Elgin would report to the Lost Sea at the end of his shift to offer commentary on the playback of the day’s recordings.
“They’re building something on site,” said Elgin during the playback. “If you watch it in real time it’s barely noticeable, but if you fast forward, you can see how Jirza and Tolum keep opening and closing the same panel. I couldn’t risk moving closer, but I believe whatever they are constructing is nearly finished.”
“Kwetz never once touched that panel,” said J’Vor at the conclusion of the playback.
“Elgin, what is your opinion of Kwetz’s role in all of this?” asked Emanui.
Elgin shrugged. “He moves robotically and never speaks. All of the orders are given by either Jirza or Tolum.”
“I need to talk to him,” said J’Vor.
“You risk exposing our entire network!” exclaimed Jasper.
“Any day now they’re going to generate a bridge to Vambiri,” protested J’Vor. “If they’re constructing a rocket to deliver a contagion payload, then we’re risking the lives of everyone on Vambiri.”
“He’s right,” said Tariq. “Our operatives inside ORELA could never overpower them. If we could turn Kwetz, then there’s a chance we can stop this.”
“You don’t know Kwetz any better than we do,” said Emanui to J’Vor.
“True,” admitted J’Vor, “but Kevak believes he has changed. I trust my father. I know you’re all thinking that Kevak has been blinded by emotion, but he would never allow his personal feelings to rule him when the fate of two planets is at stake.”
*******
ORELA
At the end of the work shift the next day, Jirza and Tolum electronically locked the doors to the particle accelerator. A Vambiri-based random code generator ensured that the passcode changed each time it was activated. They had a window of two seconds to memorize each new eleven-digit code — a simple matter for them.
Armed guards stood at the radiation detectors — the one concession Administrator Nyak had been able to extract from Romano. The four human operatives passed through without incident, followed by Jirza and Tolum. When Kwetz’s turn came, the alarms began to sound.
“It’s a false alarm,” insisted Jirza.
One of the guards checked the detector. “The reading is faint, Minister Jirza, but it falls within the protocol for decontamination. He’ll have to report to Medical and get scrubbed down.”
Jirza stepped forward to intervene, but the guard lifted his weapon. “Not even President Romano could get out of decontamination if he set off the alarm.”
Not wanting to cause an incident that would delay her plans for the particle accelerator, Jirza acquiesced. “Very well. We will wait here until decontamination is complete.”
Kwetz disappeared from view behind a heavy set of double doors. As he prepared to turn left to head toward Medical, the guard stopped him and motioned for him to proceed straight.
“That’s not the way to Medical,” protested Kwetz.
“Debriefing first,” explained the guard, pointing to a door at the end of the hallway. “They’ll want to know exactly where you worked and what you touched today.”
Kwetz entered the door, and the guard closed it behind him. In front of him was an office desk with a man turned away from him looking at a computer screen. “Hello, brother,” the man said as he swiveled his chair around to face Kwetz.
“J’Vor!” exclaimed Kwetz. “I never thought you would be so bold. Jirza and Tolum have been searching for your network since we arrived.”
“Jirza and Tolum are plotting to destroy Vambiri,” said J’Vor, getting straight to the point. “I’m here to find out if you are part of it.”
Kwetz let out a sarcastic laugh. “Hardly! You’ll be pleased learn that we are leaving Earth for good. When the Newisla arrived on Vambiri, we discovered survivors with wormhole technology and nanobots that can attack diseased cells. My comrades and I came to Earth in order to undergo a process that combines the best human and Vambir traits in order to defeat all illnesses. We can now bring about the same transmutation for rest of our kind simply by touch! Vrin will be the first one I heal. Not only
will she run again, but she will do so in the light of the Vambiri sun. We know about the wormhole message the Vambir transmitted to the Arctic — we’re going to return and put things right before they risk sending anyone through, namely Kevak.”
J’Vor slowly shook his head. “You’ve been deceived. What have you been told regarding Arkani’s death?”
“An explosion ripped her apart,” said Kwetz.
“She was killed by one of our human operatives out for personal revenge,” said J’Vor. “Romano’s would-be assassin was a dear friend of our operative, and he believed that someone high up in government channels was exerting some sort of mind control over him. We had acquired samples of your nanobots from Pocatello’s remains, and our operative was able to weaponize them. That is what infected and killed Arkani.”
“That’s ludicrous!” exclaimed Kwetz. “Why would your operative think we wanted Romano assassinated? We believed your network was behind it. The failed assassin had Vambir nanobytes in his system.”
J’Vor shrugged. “If Arkani tortured Merk, he would have deployed the contagion before revealing our whereabouts. His original purpose was to find those responsible for the mind-control used on his friend. There was a dead NSA operative at the scene as well. The would-be assassin was manipulated by that organization.”
“The NSA?” asked Kwetz.
“Director Kerkorian knew about the contagion,” said J’Vor. “She took it upon herself to redact any mention of it in the report submitted to Romano. Of course, Kerkorian didn’t know just how resourceful Jirza could be when it came to hacking a supposedly secure government account.”
“Jirza might have known about a contagion created using nanobots,” conceded Kwetz, “but don’t expect me to believe she has manufactured her own batch and is about to unleash it on Vambiri.”
“If you won’t believe me,” said J’Vor, “then believe your own eyes.”
J’Vor played Kwetz the fast-forward surveillance footage recorded by Elgin’s eye camera that unmistakably showed both Jirza and Tolum repeatedly opening and closing a specific panel that was positioned just out of range of ORELA’s internal security cameras.
“Bit by bit, they’re building some sort of delivery device,” said J’Vor. “They know they can’t smuggle a completed unit inside.”
“Why?” asked Kwetz. “Why would they want to destroy Vambiri? Our entire objective has been to undergo transmutation in order to return and advance our species.”
“Their power base is on Earth,” said J’Vor. “They have no familial ties to Vambiri, and they are loyal to each other alone. Why should they care what happens to their own species or any other, for that matter? Now that the Vambir have worked out how to send a transmission via the wormhole, it’s only a matter of time before they send individuals through. That could severely disrupt Jirza’s plans if she and Tolum are exposed as aliens. All of the faith healings that have been done in Romano’s name would be called into question.”
Kwetz remained silent.
“The only way to make sure no one from Vambiri comes through the wormhole is to kill off the entire population. They know you would never agree to such a thing because of your mother,” said J’Vor.
Kwetz closed his eyes and nodded. “What can I do? They’ll expect me to go through first when the wormhole is activated.”
“Maybe we can use that to our advantage,” said J’Vor. “If you warn the Vambir scientists as soon as you materialize, could they erect some kind of force field to seal off the contagion once it emerges from the wormhole?”
“I don’t know,” said Kwetz. “There might only be a few seconds, or at best a minute.”
“That should be enough,” said J’Vor, “as long as they have the technology.”
Kwetz shook his head. “It’s not that — they have the technology, but they won’t trust me. The Newlunders have never forgotten what I did to Vrin when I tried to escape from the lifeboat. If Kevak is there when I come through, then it will be alright, but if there’s only D’Hal, she will have Enforcers take me into custody immediately and won’t listen to a word I say.”
“Then you’ll just have to convince her,” said J’Vor. He removed a capsule from his coat pocket and slid it across the table. “Here.”
“What is it?” asked Kwetz.
“The best we could do — a stalemate,” said J’Vor. “It contains a nanobot code if you get infected. The contagion code will enlarge the radius of healthy cells targeted. This code will force the new measurement to become its reciprocal. A radius of two centimeters will be instantly changed to one half. The contagion code will continue to try to expand the radius of healthy cells being attacked, and our code will rein it in with each new measurement.”
There was a loud knock at the door. “Time’s up!” the guard called to Kwetz as he opened it. “You’ve got to get scrubbed down now.”
“Wait!” insisted Kwetz as he turned away from the guard. “J’Vor, why have you revealed these things to me?”
“Our father believed there was good in you,” he said.
“Let this be proof of it,” said Kwetz as he swallowed the capsule.
*******
The Lost Sea
“Does Kwetz know that Kevak is here on Earth?” asked Emanui.
“No,” said J’Vor. “I did not disabuse him from believing that only a transmission was sent through the wormhole.”
“Then you don’t trust him?” asked Emanui.
“That’s not it,” said J’Vor. “If Jirza and Tolum torture him, there will be nothing for him to tell.”
“Did he accept the capsule?” asked Devonna.
“He swallowed it in front of me,” said J’Vor.
“We have to shut down ORELA,” said Jasper. “Some sort of false radiation leak alarm would buy us a few days.”
“Coming on the heels of Kwetz’s false scare?” asked J’Vor. “Jirza would soon work out it was a hoax.”
“They’re going to kill our operatives,” said Emanui. “As soon as Kwetz is through the wormhole, they’ll deploy the contagion device. They can’t have any witnesses to that.”
“What about a sonic pulse?” asked Tariq. “It could be emitted in the ORELA chamber right after Kwetz goes through. We could adjust the frequency to incapacitate only humans. Jirza will think it is some kind of feedback.”
“So once Jirza sees that the humans are unconscious,” said Devonna, “there’ll be no need to kill them because they won’t have witnessed anything.”
“That’s only true as long as her actions are dictated by logic,” said Tariq. “We haven’t accounted for spite.”
“We have to leave it up to our operatives to decide if they want to continue,” said Jasper.
“Agreed,” said Emanui.
“Agreed,” said J’Vor.
Devonna silently nodded her approval.
INTERSTELLAR
Planet Vambiri
Earth Date May 3, 2049 AD
Ikato felt pressure on his arm.
“Ikato!” exclaimed Betana. “Wake up! The instrument panel is going off the chart! Something’s happening!”
As Ikato got to his feet, a vortex opening formed in the center of the particle accelerator and a figure materialized. It was Kwetz.
“Seize him!” Ikato ordered the Enforcers.
“Listen, Ikato!” shouted Kwetz. “A contagion is coming through that will turn the nanobots into killer organisms! You must erect a force field, now!”
Ikato ordered the Enforcers to stand down and punched in commands to enclose the particle accelerator.
“I can see it coming!” exclaimed Kwetz. “Hurry!”
The hum of the force field powering up could be heard, but when the mini-rocket emerged from the wormhole, there were still large gaps through which it could pass. Kwetz was the only one inside the incomplete field with the weapon.
“Here!” yelled Kwetz as he flailed his arms, guessing that Jirza had designed it to target motion.
Now targeting Kwetz, the probe accelerated toward his midsection. Kwetz twisted himself to avoid its needle-sharp nose, but it grazed him then crashed into the force field.
The force field is holding!
Kwetz’s elation came to an abrupt halt when he heard the hiss of toxic material leaking into the air around him. His head began to pound, and he fell to the floor in a heap, unable to move his limbs.
“The veins in his face are turning black!” exclaimed Ikato. “We have no choice!”
He motioned for the Enforcers. “Lasguns to maximum setting. Do not cease firing until all organic matter has been disintegrated. Force field removal on my mark! Five, four, three…”
“Wait!” cried Betana. “The virus is in retreat!”
Although the black, swollen veins in Kwetz’s had withdrawn, he was unable to speak, and it was obvious that he was in a battle with the contagion for control over his body.
“I’ll keep him quarantined inside the force field for the time being,” said Ikato. “But if he starts spewing black slime, it means the contagion has won and must be destroyed.”
“His mother should be informed,” said Betana.
Ikato nodded. “Prepare her for the worst.”
VIVIFY
Lifeboat, Arctic Circle
May 3, 2049 AD
Nadia was in the control room when the alarm from Kevak’s room in Medical sounded.
He’s coming out of semi-stasis!
When she reached his room, she initially thought there was an intruder. The figure had its back to her. The helmet to his space suit was removed, and he was contemplating his reflection in the wall mirror. The face was human, with elfin features.
“Kevak?” she asked tentatively.
He turned toward her and smiled. “I hardly recognize myself. Where is J’Vor?”
“Romano’s ministers are generating a wormhole to Vambiri at a facility in Tennessee,” she explained. “Everyone else has gone to monitor the situation. I’m holding down the fort till they return. Would you care for some hemo-nectar?”
The Nosferatu Chronicles: Return to Vambiri Page 20
