by Craig Gaydas
“How the hell could this happen?” He roared.
Calypso composed himself and lowered his head. “I underestimated Meta. I never imagined he would attack Earth.”
Corvus ran his hands through his snowy hair and paced the room. Rage flowed through his veins but he had to shove it aside so he could think clearly. He agreed with Calypso. He never thought the High Prince would attack Earth. Perhaps Meta's attack on the planet was a blessing. The Consortium was now fractured and weakened. He breathed in deeply and let the rage ebb before looking at Calypso. Were their forces strong enough to attack Meta directly?
Calypso flinched under his gaze. “What?”
By his calculations, the Scarlet Moon provided him with six ships and over five hundred soldiers. The remaining Lumagom forces came with ten ships and seven hundred soldiers. Without the use of the time hole on Earth, he could not hope to gain allies without manipulating events in the present. “What do you think of the Consortium's manpower at this moment?”
Calypso closed his eyes and flexed his fingers as he mentally calculated. “Meta's personal fleet is made up of ten ISS class warships, twenty-five IPS class scout vessels and ten royal barges which are nothing more than entertainment and transport ships. I am not sure how many of the Defense Fleet forces Embeth took with him. I assume Meta still holds at least half of the Defense Fleet which means he has an additional thirty ISS warships at his disposal.”
“What about the Explorer's League?” Corvus asked.
Calypso shrugged. “They are nothing but science and research ships, limited to self-defense weapons.”
“It is the quantity I am interested in,” he countered.
Calypso held up his hands. “I think it's safe to assume they followed Satou. They were loyal to him.” Calypso chuckled.
“What's so funny?”
Calypso stopped and shook his head. “Oh nothing, I was just thinking what some had been calling them.”
“Insurgents,” Corvus finished. He had heard the term himself, mostly from intelligence gathered by Shai. “It appears they may not be made up of only disgruntled Consortium folks though.” He had heard the rumors.
Calypso nodded. “The Timeless.”
“Again with this term,” Corvus grumbled. “How is it I never heard of these people before?”
Calypso dropped his head and stared at the floor, but not before Corvus spotted his incredulous eye roll. He hated him for that. Calypso the great universal explorer. He continued to treat him as if he were a moron. As if for some ungodly reason, a human—even one from the future—could not possibly know more than the great Calypso. His insolence created a red waterfall of rage to wash over him.
Calypso let out a choked gasp as hands closed around his throat. He dropped to his knees, flailing at appendages that weren't there. Corvus stood across the table with his eyes closed as his fury consumed him. He also stood next to Calypso with his hands wrapped around his throat, choking the life out of him, but no one could see his projection.
“Urk,” Calypso gasped. His hands reached for his throat, but came away with empty air. He tried to stand but the pressure from the phantasm kept him on his knees.
“Your disrespect is really starting to grate on my nerves,” Corvus said calmly. “Next time I will not let go.” He opened his eyes and the phantasm disappeared.
Calypso collapsed on the floor, gasping for air. As he struggled to breathe, Corvus circled the table and stood over him.
“You think of us as nothing more than sheep,” he sneered. “You may be right about humans. The Ascended, however, are not.”
Calypso raised his head with the fires of rage burning in his eyes. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he coughed and rubbed his throat. “Ascended or not,” he rasped. “You do not know everything.” He stood up on one knee and slowly massaged his injured neck. “The Timeless are real. We were attacked by them. If you decide to disregard them, they will destroy you.”
You. No more “we”. It could have just been a mistake on Calypso's part. Or perhaps he was already distancing himself. Either way, Corvus made a mental note to keep a closer eye on his colleague. He was correct in one regard. If the insurgents had new allies, it would be prudent for him to gather more as well.
“You're right.”
Calypso seemed taken by surprise from his quick agreement. He narrowed his eyes with suspicion. “I guess you came to your senses.” He stood up and backed away, as if distance would keep him safe from Corvus' wrath. “What do you plan to do?”
Corvus smiled. “I plan on finding us some new friends.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?” Calypso asked.
“Leave that to me.”
Invited Guests
Our trip along Carlsbad Cavern Highway was rather uneventful until we reached the intersection of National Parks Highway. That was when things took a turn toward bizarre.
“What is that, Nathan?” Wraith pointed ahead.
He pointed toward a small brick building with six garage doors. All of them were open but empty. A big white sign hung along the front of the building. Joel Volunteer Fire Department. A ladder truck was parked outside. It was nothing more than a scorched shell of metal on four smoldering tires. The only reason I knew what it had been was half of the ladder remained. It was a charred skeletal reminder of the attacks. Before our discovery, it felt like nothing more than a peaceful Sunday where the streets were empty because everyone had gone off to church.
“It's the remains of a fire truck,” I replied. Before I could turn away and continue down the road I spotted the charred corpse next to it.
“There is no sense lingering here.” Kedge grabbed my arm but I brushed it away.
“No,” I growled. I have to see this. I embraced the rage I felt at that moment.
The remains of a patch, half-blackened from whatever had killed the poor guy, stood out on his shirt. Joel Volunteer, it read. The rest of the patch was burned beyond recognition. I saw others burned inside the fire truck. Their charred remains were unrecognizable. With a grimace I headed toward the building.
“Hey, be careful,” Wraith called out. “We don't know who or what we may run into down here.”
“I am picking up no life signs in the area. There seems to be no immediate danger,” Gard offered.
All I had to do was look up to the dark tears in the sky to know what “immediate danger” we would be facing soon. “How did they do it?”
Kedge poked the charred corpse with his staff. “Do what?”
He followed my gaze toward the sky. His mouth tightened and his monocled eye focused furiously in the glare of the sun. “I'm not sure it was intentional.”
I turned toward him incredulously. “Not intentional?”
It was Gard who responded. “Chlorofluorocarbons did this, Nathan. The emissions from so many battleships combined with weapon discharge contributed to the degradation of the ozone layer.”
“I suppose it doesn't matter,” I replied, my words laced with venom. “They are responsible, whether it's intentional or not.” I moved next to Wraith who had been busy scanning the corpse. I pointed at it. “They did this!”
No one argued my point. Wraith completed his scan and shoved the scanner into his belt clip. “This person is dead,” he said flatly. He looked into my rage-filled face and frowned. “There is no point dwelling on this. It will be worse in more populated areas of the planet.”
I looked from the corpse to Wraith. “You think?” I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
He pursed his lips with a confused look. “No I don't think. I can confirm it with facts.”
I rolled my eyes and moved toward the bays. Wraith remained behind, apparently confused by my outburst. He could be so thickheaded at times.
“What goes inside there?” Kedge walked behind me and motioned toward the building.
“Fire trucks,” I responded.
He rubbed his chin. “Fire trucks? Are they always on fire?”
His frown changed into a wry smile. “Oh, I see. We had something like that on Mars. We called them water transports.” He grabbed a fireman's helmet off a shelf and turned it over in his hands. “Warriors piloted these fire trucks?”
“No.” A smile played at the corner of my lips as I watched him study the helmet. “Normally it was volunteers from the community.” Kedge held the helmet up to his monocled eye and examined it.
“Interesting,” he mused. “These helmets are hard. They would be useful in battle.”
We stepped out of the bay and joined Wraith, who was preoccupied with examining the charred husk of the fire truck. He scraped off a burnt piece of metal and pinched it between his fingers. He brought it up to his nose. “Smells like plasma.”
“So?” I asked.
Wraith frowned. “I just wanted to verify the cause.”
“The cause?” My anger started to rise. “What else do you think caused this? Do you think this fireman was out here just washing the truck when suddenly it spontaneously burst into flames?”
Wraith opened his fingers and let the debris fall to the ground. “We should go,” he chuffed.
I felt bad for snapping at him. I had to remind myself that he helped bring me back home. He may be snobbish at times but he had been instrumental in rescuing me from Calypso and bringing me here. “I'm sorry,” I apologized.
He brushed me off and started down the road. “It's this way, right?”
I nodded and followed him. Gard fell in behind us. As we passed Kedge he grabbed my arm. “It is alright to be angry. Anger keeps us focused on the task at hand.”
I turned to him. “And what is the task at hand?”
He stopped walking. “Why it's to defeat the—,” Gard's communicator interrupted him.
“I don't know where you guys are but you better wrap it up quickly. Two ships have entered the sector and are headed in your direction,” Vayne's voice barked.
“Consortium ships?” Wraith asked.
“Are they Consortium ships?” Gard repeated.
“They don't appear to be,” Vayne responded. “That doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful. If I were you, I'd start making travel arrangements out of there.”
I squinted and looked to the hills on the horizon. Two black circles appeared just above the Shell gas station sign in the distance. They looked like thick dishes with antennas attached on the top. Remote controlled Frisbees. I laughed out loud.
“What's so funny?” Wraith grumbled.
I gestured toward the incoming objects. “You've got to be kidding me…real flying saucers!”
“Those appear to be Kamilian vessels,” offered Gard.
I recalled the Kamilian I observed onboard the Argus during my first voyage with the Consortium. I remembered how their similarity to Bugs Bunny made me giggle. The question was: whose side were they on now? It didn't seem so funny now.
“Friends?” I asked.
No one offered a response. Kedge grabbed my elbow. “We should go.”
“It's too late,” Wraith said.
He was right. The ships were no more than a quarter mile away. As they passed over a nearby Rodeway Inn, the lobby doors burst open and a young couple ran out. When they turned and saw us the man pointed and ran in our direction. The ships veered to the left and followed. As they approached I appreciated the size of the ships. They were enormous and had to be the size of a football field.
“We better get inside,” Kedge said, motioning toward the fire station.
“I agree,” I replied.
We hurried through the nearest bay door. Inside was another door leading to an interior office where I led the group. There was a lone window in the office which faced the highway. Blinds partially concealed us, but we could still be seen from the outside. I reached up to close the blinds and spotted the couple outside. The ships were directly over them, blocking out the sun and covering them in their shadow. The woman let out a scream as the man pulled her along.
“Those people are leading them right to us,” Wraith grumbled.
I pulled the string controlling the blinds, but it became twisted around the gear. After muttering several curses under my breath I managed to unhook the string. Before I could close the blinds a beam of light exited the bottom of the ship and engulfed the couple and they vanished. One minute they were running toward the fire house, the next minute they were gone.
“Fascinating.”
I turned toward Gard wide-eyed. His tone of voice was detached, as if he had just watched a gymnast do a triple somersault rather than observe two humans get vaporized.
“Fascinating?” I croaked.
He ignored me and continued to stare out the window. The ship that fired continued to hover while the other ship departed the area.
“It appears that they are looking to land,” Wraith whispered.
He wasn't wrong. The ship hovered above the firehouse for a moment before darting across the main intersection toward the Rodeway Inn. It descended, kicking up large dust clouds and scattering debris everywhere. Two parallel bars extended from the bottom, allowing the disk-shaped craft to land safely in the parking lot. Due to its size, the corner of the ship crushed a portion of the iron fence surrounding the outdoor pool.
“Sorry folks, the pool will be closed for the remainder of the season,” I uttered before laughing hysterically.
Kedge smacked me on the back of the head. “This is no time to lose your head, Nathan. Stay focused.”
“Stay focused he says,” I mumbled. “Two people were just disintegrated—,”
Before I could finish, a ramp descended from the ship. Two of the Kamilians cautiously moved down the ramp and surveyed the area. One of them was armed with a rifle which he kept straddled close to his chest. He was naked from the waist up except for thin, gray hair that covered him from his neck to his waist. He wore baggy cargo pants and high combat boots, which reminded me of a furry Rambo. He broke off from the other and examined the damage to the pool fence. The other was naked from the waist up as well, with the exception of darker hair and a bright red sash straddled across his shoulder. He wore similar attire but carried no visible weapon. His long ears stood erect at the top of his head, but when he turned I saw one of them had a big hole in the center.
“Are they Meta's people?” I asked.
Wraith craned his head forward and peered out the window. “I don't recognize them.”
“Yeah, well, he is looking right at us.” Kedge unhooked his staff and backed away from the window.
Mr. Red Sash exited the parking lot and started walking up the street toward the fire house. His friend ceased his inspection of the mangled fence and shouted something. Red Sash turned and yelled something in return. His armed companion joined him in the street, holding his weapon defensively and surveying the area.
“Damn, let's hope there's only two of them in that ship,” Wraith muttered doubtfully before removing his weapon from its holster.
“I don't care,” I growled. “I will kill them all.” My gun was in my hand before I even realized I pulled it out.
The Kamilians were no more than one hundred yards away from the fire house and closing. The armed escort continued to sweep his rifle to the right and left while Red Sash stared in our direction, moving slowly. He couldn't possibly see us with the blinds and distance masking our presence, but I couldn't shake the feeling that he “sensed” our presence. He would stop periodically and sniff the air, like he was trying to smell us.
“Kamilians have an enhanced sense of smell,” Wraith said, as if he read my thoughts. “He is trying to locate us.' He moved toward the door leading to the bay and placed his hand on the doorknob. “Gard keep watch and see what they are doing. As soon as they cross the street, let me know.”
“Acknowledged.”
“I got your
back,” I said.
Kedge moved toward the door and kept his back against the wall. “I'm ready.”
“They stopped,” Gard said. “The Kamilian with the red belt has stopped smelling the air and has engaged in conversation with his companion.” Gard's eyes flickered. “Wait, they stopped talking. They are crossing the street.” Several tense seconds passed before he continued. “They are examining the corpse.”
“At the count of three we will rush outside,” Wraith said. “Gard you stay here.”
When we nodded our agreement he began to countdown. “One,” Wraith whispered. “Two.” I felt Kedge place his hand on my shoulder before I moved closer to Wraith. “THREE!”
We burst from the door and into the bay, practically tripping over one another. Startled, Red Sash looked up from the corpse. His companion swung the rifle in our direction. That was when everything turned to chaos. Kedge's staff came to life. One minute it was nothing more than a piece of wood with a snake head engraved along the top and the next minute it was a living serpent. The eyes lit up with an emerald fire and it let out an ungodly sound. The hiss which escaped sounded like steam escaping from a broken valve. The living weapon left Kedge's hands and lunged for the Kamilian holding the rifle. It wrapped itself around the weapon and let out another hiss. The Kamilian dropped it and screamed.
“NO, WAIT!” Red Sash shouted.
That was when the action slowed to a crawl. I watched everything unfold in slow motion. The rifle shattered as the staff serpent squeezed its body around it. Red Sash held up his hands and his lips curled slowly. Wraith shouted something but I didn't hear it. I was no longer paying attention. My gaze looked past the screaming, weaponless Kamilian. My gaze switched to their ship. Two people were coming down the ramp. It was the couple, whole and intact. They stopped and stared at the scene with confusion.
“NO, WAIT!” I echoed.
The serpent slithered back into Kedge's hands where it became a staff again. Wraith fired his weapon well wide of his target. My shout, thankfully, threw off his aim. Red Sash put his hands down and his companion stopped screaming, looking at the shattered ruin of his weapon with disbelief.
