The Riddle (Alternate Dimensions Book 2)

by Blake B. Rivers

  Great. I couldn't wait.

  Once they laid me in a bed, Bajol was a blur of motion around me. I heard him mentioning things like hydration and vitamin count, but I was spending most of my concentration on making sure I didn't miss the deep bedpan he had shoved into my hands. I briefly hoped that I might develop some abs from all this abdominal squeezing. There was a silver lining to every dark cloud, right?

  After another fifteen minutes or so, the heaving finally stopped, and I collapsed backward against the reclined bed I had been laid on. I was breathing heavily, like I had just gotten done with an extreme workout – which, in a way, I guess I had.

  I sent a droopy-eyed look to Bajol with an eyebrow raised, and he seemed to get my message. He nodded and crossed over to lower the lights in the room from blinding to almost-not-headache inducing. With a sigh, I gave one last spit into the bedpan and then let myself slip down into the rest I so desperately needed.

  ***

  When most heroes saved the lives of their friends, they were rewarded with hugs, cheers, and declarations of awesomeness. When I woke up from my well-deserved nap, I was greeted by glares and unhappy expressions.

  “Well, look who's awake,” Janix said flatly. “Quick, get her readings before she launches herself out a window since, apparently, she can survive space now!”

  Ah. I knew what was happening. They did not approve of the whole removing my helmet and risking my life thing. “I can't survive space,” I countered. “I just remember reading that you have about fifteen seconds before the body uses up its oxygen supply and renders you unconscious. Embolism is right around there, too. I knew how much time I had and what to do in it. The risks I took were calculated...ish.”

  Janix just stared at me dumbly, clearly shocked that I knew beans about exposure. His reaction actually made Viys'k laugh, and she patted my arm. “We didn't expect that. From our side, it just looked like the daredevil human took a running leap into space to karate chop the bad guy.”

  I nodded my head, swinging my legs over the side of the bed to test out if I was ready to get up and at 'em. “That sounds pretty accurate, actually. Except, it was more grappling holds, and video game finishers than real karate.”

  “I have no idea what half of those words are. Is this what you feel like when we get going?”

  “Like perpetually.”

  I got to my feet and was only slightly shaky. My friends were on either side of me anyway, providing support should I need it. I was really lucky that whatever force was pushing us around had roped us all together.

  “So, where are you carting me off to?”

  “Angel managed to decrypt some of the data she got from the Security Council and map out the coordinates holo-Jyra gave us. We're supposed to meet her in her quarters again.”

  There was the quick pitter patter of feet beside us, and I was surprised to see Zik pop up, her hydration vial in hand. “I'm coming too, right?”

  “Did Bajol give you clearance to get off bed rest?”

  “Do I have to answer that honestly?”

  I saw a mix of hope and worry in her eyes, and how could I say no to an expression like that? It was clear that this little alien cared pretty deeply about our missing scientist. “Yeah, come on, Zikky.”

  We made our way to the captain's cabin, and as we went along, I noticed I was seeing more staff. In fact, I don't think I had ever noticed any other ship workers before.

  “What's with all the people?” I asked, peering around.

  “Oh, Angel lifted her order.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When we first came on the ship, all these halls were forbidden so we couldn't betray her and out any other people on this ship. Apparently, our tiny senior friend is still running undercover campaigns on illegal slave traders along with her less noble ventures.”

  “So, this means she trusts us now? We're in?”

  “Yeah. It seems that almost dying together a few times can really solidify your opinion of a person.”

  “Lucky us.”

  Our conversation brought us all the way to her door, and we pressed the comm. A few seconds later, we were once more sitting across her lush furniture, while Angel displayed a holographic map against the wall.

  “So, first things first, did we have a talk about the whole risky business thing you got going on?”

  “Yup. And I promise only to take as many chances and leaps of faith as you did in your half-kin rebellion.”

  “I guess it would be hypocritical of me to ask for anything beyond that, but I'm still not happy about the whole helmet thing.”

  “I know. No one is.” I looked around, bored with this debate now that it was about the third time I'd had it. “Where's Bajol?”

  “Last I knew, he was in the lab, processing more samples of that black junk you like to upchuck.”

  I clicked my tongue, trying not to remember that cloying, sour taste. “You might want to call him, then. He gets absorbed in his work.” I thought back to when I could get completely swallowed by a new game or book. I wish I could go back to when my biggest worry was not completing my homework for the next day because I was too distracted by new media.

  Those were the days.

  I was probably too young to have a 'those days,' but considering my current hobbies involved fighting intergalactic evil and running away from mutated monsters, my lifespan might not have been as long as it would have been otherwise.

  Angel's tiny fingers brushed against one of the buttons of the gizmo she had in her hand. “Hey, doc. Get your butt up here.”

  “One moment. I'm almost done.”

  “Now, Bajol.”

  “If I leave now, both of these samples will be ruined, and I will have to restart my sample, and by then, the series I collected will be dead instead of full of live particulates.”

  “Fine. How long is this gonna take?”

  “Five minutes. Just five minutes, and I can put this on stasis and run right up.”

  “Do it. But next station, you owe me a treat for my incredible patience.”

  “Your benevolence knows no bounds.”

  The line cut out, and we sat in silence a moment.

  “Were you just flirting with our doctor?”

  “What? No. Why would you say that?”

  “Because you were just definitely flirting with our doctor.”

  “Please, he's only a few hundred years younger than me. He's practically a fetus.”

  “A fetus that's currently deconstructing the molecular composition of expelled byproduct. What more could you ask for?”

  “You all know that I'm sitting right here, correct?” the double asked, blinking languidly.

  “Yeah, so?” Then it sank in. They shared the same room, were around each other all the time even when it wasn't necessary, accompanied each other on missions. “Oooh. Never mind.”

  Thankfully a buzz sounded, and Angel quickly hit the button to allow Bajol access. “Sorry I'm late. So, what did I miss?”

  “Nothing important. We waited for you, actually.”

  “Ah, apologies for the inconvenience, then. Please, do not let me delay you any farther.”

  “Right, so anyway, as I was saying, I was able to pull some security footage. It's choppy, and definitely not the optic streaming we're used to, but I needed at least another ten seconds before I could get my hands on tha–”

  “Another ten seconds and none of us would have hands anymore. Or any other body parts, for that matter.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. I get it. I took my cords out, didn't I? Just watch the feed.”

  She clicked a button, and the hologram flicked to an overhead view of the very hall we had just spent so much time running down. “Oh, right. The data hasn't been sorted since the accident, so we're gonna have to go back a ways.”

  “You couldn't have done this while I was unconscious?” I teased.

  “And miss all this thrilling excitement?”

  I shook my head and
flopped back against the edge of the couch. Janix gave me a knowing look, and I realized that he was still wearing my braid in his hair.

  “Hey, do you want me to take that out for you?” I asked. “Now that you're not trying to shove that mane into a helmet?”

  He jerked his head away from my reaching hands. “No, thanks. I kinda like it. I figure I'll keep it in until I have to shower.”

  “So, like what?” Viys'k said flatly. “About a year from now?”

  “Har-har, that joke is so funny. Maybe you can leave your job as a career criminal and go into stand-up comedy.”

  “You know, I just might. Either way, though, I'll still make more than you ever will.”

  “Guys, I think we have something.” She slowed the feed, then pressed another button to make it go forward at its normal speed. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it was something along the lines of a hulking body guard, not the reedy human scientist with Jyra thrown over his shoulder.

  “Are you kidding?” I asked, leaning closer. “It was one of her staff that carted her off?”

  “That's Maven from the equation branch. I chose him myself! I can't believe he would betray us. Betray Jyra!”

  “Maven, you say? Maven what? And from what planet?”

  “Maven Smithison. He was a spacer from Pylar station. Came highly recommended.”

  Angel busied herself with something on her handheld interface. “Hmmm, I'm going through public records and I can't find anything on a Maven Smithison. No pilot's license, no citizen number, no medical records.”

  “But that's not possible. I'm very thorough with the hiring process. You need a mountain of paperwork just to be considered!”

  “Sorry, it looks like you've been had. I'm willing to bet that this Maven isn't real at all.”

  We all looked to the screen, considering this new phantom we had been introduced to. He almost made it to the three rooms at the end when an after-explosion rocked the hall, and Jyra managed to wiggle from his hold.

  Even from the security feed, I could see the terror in her eyes as she tried to make a break for it, but Maven caught her and pulled her flush to his body. They struggled for a moment before disappearing in a cloud of swirling black.

  “Yup. Definitely not a real boy. But still, interesting that it chose a scientist to infiltrate your ranks. That kind of disguise requires a great deal of knowledge on the subject at hand. I'll have to look at that further, but for now, we should focus on the other little treasure we were actually able to get in full.”

  Another button clicked, and the original map she had up reappeared. “This is the location Jyra gave us. As far as I can tell, it's not in restricted, dangerous, or even forbidden space. When I looked up the property ID, it’s just a standard vacation villa that's owned by a mooreerie named Blavo Queillin. Seemingly run of the mill on the surface, but if we do the same digging on Blavo as we did on Maven, you will see that they're both about as real as Utopia. I would say that, without a doubt, this is the one-hundred percent the hidden lab that Jyra was talking about.”

  “Awesome!” I said probably a bit more enthusiastically than necessary. “Then what are we waiting for?”

  “We're not, actually. I set a course for it while you were sleeping off your little hangover. In about five hours, we're finally going to have all the answers we've been looking for. And once we have those tied up with a bow, we'll hopefully have a couple of leads on where to look for this Maven fellow next.”

  “Speaking of infiltrating and betraying,” Viys'k murmured. “How is it we were tracked down so quickly by our cloud friend? Warping a dozen kodadt onto a comet and knocking said comet out of its orbit is pretty dramatic, even for it.”

  I squirmed in my seat for a moment. I had the faintest inkling what was going on, but I didn't want to say it. Partially because it was just a feeling, partially because I didn't want them to permanently ground me. I needed to be on these missions.

  But if I was a liability, was I being selfish by risking the lives of everyone else?

  “I think...I think it’s able to track me at all times.”

  “What?” Angel spat. “So, you mean it knows where my ship is?”

  “Well, it knows that I'm moving through space right now, not exactly what ship I'm on and why we're going where we're going. I get the feeling that it's more of a general knowing where my presence is in the universe.”

  Bajol was the only one who had a relatively calm reaction. “And what makes you say this?”

  “Well, I think–and I'm not positive on this, it's just a feeling. But I think I may be able to be starting to sense when it’s around.” I took in their surprised, incredulous, and worried stares in turn. “I've been sensing it in the background of my thoughts for a while. Kind of like this heavy sense of dread that poked at my subconscious, I guess. But it wasn't until our most recent escapade that I realized what it might be.”

  “Fascinating,” Bajol murmured. “It must be some sort of biometric frequency that you're both able to pick up on. But the question is how two creatures from vastly different realities could have the same internal frequency.”

  “I'm willing to bet whatever it is you guys use for money that it probably had something to do with me eating it whole, and then it somehow survived that.”

  “Oh, yes, that would make sense. I think I may have a way to stop this process, but I will need time. Perhaps after we visit this secret lab of your friends, we can implement a solution before that being can interfere with our next mission.”

  “But then aren't we just going to lead him to Jyra's secret?”

  “We're just going to have to be quick and make sure that we leave nothing behind.”

  I nodded, jaw set in determination. This wasn't our first concluded meeting or hastily formed plan, but I had faith.

  I was so close to so many answers. I just needed to make sure I got there in one piece.

  “Good, so we're all agreed on a plan. Now, if you guys don't mind giving us a little privacy, we would enjoy a nap of our own.”

  “Of course, you earned it.” I jumped to my feet and motioned for my companions to do the same. We filed out but didn't say much until we were in the lift. “Oh, where are we going?” I asked, realizing I only had an idea of how to get to the med-bay.”

  “The captain set us up with some comfortable quarters close to where you were being treated.”

  “That was nice of her.”

  “Yeah, well she's a nice lady,” Janix said. “I guess I should try saving the world more often. People usually treat you better.”

  “Goodness knows I owe you,” Zik said. “Anytime you need anything within my purview, just ask. And of course, that goes double for when you rescue Jyra. Without her, I wouldn't be alive.”

  “Thanks, we'll keep that in mind. Knowing us, we'll definitely take you up on that.”

  “But for now, we need to focus on making sure you're well enough to one day fulfill that oath,” Bajol said. “So, if you don't mind accompanying me back to the medical facilities, there are some follow up tests I'd like to run.”

  “O-oh, of c-course. Whatever you s-say, sir.”

  “Sir?” I cooed. “That's a new one.”

  “I rather like it,” Bajol said, straightening. “It makes me feel esteemed.”

  “Then I s-shall continue to c-call you that, sir.”

  I managed not to snicker, but it was just so cute and the semi-injured krelach tottered after the doctor when the lift stopped. Maybe I just had romance on the brain, but I was pretty sure that little Zikky had a crush. Goodness knows she had earned one, but I was surprised it was on the calm and occasionally distant doctor, and not the jacked, suave mooreerie that had saved her.

  My eyes flicked to that very same alien as the three of us headed to these new quarters they had told me about. He still had that same swagger to his step, but I felt like there was something that had changed about him. A sort of carelessness was gone from his demeanor, replaced instea
d by someone with much more weight on their shoulders. I couldn't help but wonder if that was a good thing.

  We arrived at our temporary living space, and I let out a whistle. It was possibly the nicest place we had stayed since springing ourselves from prison. “Not bad.” I murmured, crossing over to the nearest bed and flopping on it.

  The mattress was so comfortable it should have been a sin, with the perfect amount of cloud-like softness and body-supporting firmness. I was tempted to drift off right then and there when I felt a strong hand shake my ankle.

  “Hey, that's my spot.”

  I rolled slightly to see Janix standing at the foot of the bed, looking quite amused at my sprawled position. “I don't see your name on it.”

  “Come on, I've been sleeping here for weeks. It's finally got my scent all over it.” I subtly tried to take a sniff, and he was right. There was a faint masculine scent with a specific musk that I could only describe as definitely Janix. “Now, I don't mind you hanging out in there, but you gotta make room for me.”