Lucas clucked his tongue, drumming the wood table with his fist. “I didn’t come out here for legal advice. I need you to do me a favor, a big one.” Lucas sighed.
“A favor.” Keith dipped his head.
“Yep. So, do you remember that strange artifact we had, the top was circular, about knee high? The one you had everyone afraid to touch?” Lucas asked.
“Of course. I remember. Yeah, it was well protected in that padded sleeve. They took it, too, I’m guessing?” Keith asked.
“Yeah.”
“What?” Keith perked up, leaning forward,
“And we think they might have turned it on. Maybe they accidentally did loading it on the truck?”
Keith gulped. “I don’t think that’s possible, wait, um, how do you know they turned it on?” Keith asked.
Lucas glared up at the ceiling and chuckled. “Can’t believe I’m out here telling you this. It sounds crazy.”
“Say it.”
“Yesterday, we were attacked. Some type of lifeform showed up, demanding the artifact that was stolen. It tore through a third of what was left of my research, destroyed a Crux Mech, injured two of my men, and scared the shit out of everyone. I’m speculating, but if it was accidentally flipped on, it must have sent some type of deep space frequency that lured this creature to my facility,” Lucas said.
Keith stood up, staring down at Lucas intensely. “A lifeform, Lucas? Be more specific.” Keith cut his eyes.
“You worked with wreckage from beyond our solar system for over a year, Saven was built from it. Do I really have to say it? Is it really that hard for you to imagine a being from outside our planet is here when I had warehouses full of their technology?”
“Oh, oh. When you break it down like that, it’s much more soothing to the psyche. I’m actually prepared for this now. Thanks for easing it in like that.”
“You’ve gotten more cynical out here, or maybe it’s just age. Look, I’ve been around this stuff for years, too. It’s not easy. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around this, but I saw it with my own eyes, its real.” Lucas cocked his head to the side, holding his eye contact.
“Okay, I’m past that. Tell me what happened,” Keith demanded.
“After it destroyed our Crux Mech, it went on to tell us—”
“Wait, you spoke to it? With English?” Keith put his hands over his face.
“Yeah.”
“Okay, alright, continue.” Keith glared up at the ceiling.
“Supposedly, this being was a part of a race of slaves but rose to power by slowly re-augmenting their bodies and minds to overpower their masters.”
“Did it look augmented? Human shape?”
“Sort of. A lot longer than us, and different. Very bizarre. Hard to explain. I guess the closest thing I’ve ever seen is the ECHO, but still much different than that. Very crude in ways, like materials had been tacked on, but that didn’t diminish its effectiveness one bit,” Lucas replied.
Keith’s face paled as he put his hands behind his head. “Okay, go on. What else did it say? I’m listening.”
“It went on to tell us that this artifact was only a piece of another device, and if combined, it has the power to enslave their race again. In its current state, it was just a beacon that emitted across the galaxy, but you can gather how incredibly significant this is to them. That creature is worried, which obviously means we should be.”
“Yeah, absolutely. If true, I can see why.” Keith’s eyes widened as he walked over to the sliding glass door, staring out into the snow. He didn’t say anything for several seconds. “This is really heavy stuff. So, the ship that crashed here years ago, the Star Rust we’ve all been fighting over, those were the bad guys, the slave masters?”
“I’m assuming so. I’m thinking this creature was hunting for the artifact. He portrays his race as more of a victim in all this. Maybe he’s like a bounty hunter for his people.” Lucas said.
“We should have hidden it, Lucas. I told you. I remember telling you. Just because Dr. Amery is gone, there’s always another one ready to fill the void. You hid your guns but not that?” Keith flared his nose.
“I know.” Lucas dipped his head.
“That’s not like you. And now you want my help?” Keith replied.
“I have a good idea where the artifact is being stored.”
“Where?”
“A research facility in Colorado. My men overheard the soldiers,” Lucas said.
“And you have a plan?” Keith spun around.
Lucas glared at him. “I want you to ask Vala.”
“What?? No. No way in hell, Lucas. After everything they’ve been through, you would ask me to do that?”
“I don’t know any Cilans, and that’s our best bet to make this thing happy and leave.”
“What’s the plan?”
“I’d rather it be a one-person job, less visibility, and Vala’s the only Cilan I know that’s alive anyway. If it comes down to it, I’ll do it myself and lead a covert team into the installation. It’s worth it. If we don’t recover it, we’re in a world of trouble, literally,” Lucas said.
“The alien communicated that? A threat?”
“It told me to look around at my facility after it was in shambles and went on to say the entire planet would share the same fate if it didn’t retrieve the artifact,” Lucas explained.
“Doesn’t sound like one of the good guys.”
“No, but honestly, I didn’t get the sense he was evil either. It’s strange.”
“Threatening to annihilate an occupied planet is about as evil as it gets,” Keith replied.
“I hope it’s just a threat.”
“Have you attempted to contact the Army and explain the situation? Maybe they’ll hand it over considering the alternative. You’ll need to build the case as such,” Keith said.
“I’m scheduled tomorrow, but time isn’t on our side if things don’t go my way. We need Vala on standby, just in case. If possible, I’d like her to be in Colorado by tomorrow. It’ll be her last Star Rust mission, I promise.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure she should have any more of those, Lucas. But wait, the alien just let you go?” Keith asked.
“No one was severely injured in the attack, but it told me I have six planetary revolutions to hand over the device or human life would cease to exist. It’s hovering over my facility in a cocoon, waiting.”
“Oh my, Lucas. We’re nearing a worst-case scenario here. Anything that can travel from beyond our solar system is, by default, no joke,” Keith said.
“Not the best reunion conversation, I know, but you think you could help?” Lucas asked. Keith stared at him intensely. A set of footsteps could be heard marching down the hall.
“Keith,” Mia said, smiling, entering the kitchen. She’d fixed herself up a bit, combed her hair, and applied some light makeup.
“Lucas, this is my wife, Mia. Mia, Lucas,” Keith said.
Lucas stood up, extending his hand. “Even prettier than I imagined.” He sneered, shaking her small hand.
“Ah, thank you. Can I get you something to drink, maybe some, coffee?” she asked.
Lucas nodded. “No, no, I’m fine. Thanks.”
“So, is this what normally happens when you two meet up? Helicopters, frightened neighbors, soldiers with guns everywhere?”
“Usually, it’s worse,” Keith mumbled.
“Really. Well, you can be certain the county deputies are on the way.” Mia crossed her arms and grinned.
“Deputies? Oh no, yeah, we better get going before we’re arrested. Right, Garza?” Lucas chuckled.
“No, we really need to leave, now. We don’t have time to deal with local authorities,” she said sternly. They headed out toward the door, and Lucas spun around, staring at Mia. “Ma’am, a pleasure to meet you.” He tipped an invisible cap.
“Likewise,” she said after a brief hesitation. Keith ushered Lucas outside, shutting the door behind him. He glanced at Mia standi
ng at the door. Lucas and Keith stood side by side on the porch. Lucas blew into his hands, rubbing them together.
He gazed into the horizon. “Wow, look at that view. It’s just white for miles. Looks better down here than up there, in the sky.
“You know, Keith, I thought you would.”
“I didn’t say I was helping you,” Keith replied.
“No, that’s not what I meant. I thought you would be happy again, one day. I wanted it for you.”
“But you want to pull me away from her?” Keith asked.
Lucas turned, staring at Keith. “Maybe I won’t have to if you get Vala on board. If not, this puts all of us at risk. What if I don’t get the help I need, and this falls through? I saw what that thing could do. It’s unbelievable, Keith. We’re talking power and intelligence beyond our wildest dreams.” He glared at Keith as he stepped away.
“Think about it, Keith. Tell Vala what I just told you. No matter how we look at it, we’re still risking the things we love if we do nothing.” Lucas trailed off as the pilot flipped a few instrument switches. The blades whipped up the cold air as Keith stepped back. Lucas climbed aboard, as did the remainder of the soldiers.
Keith stood there, watching as Lucas lifted off. He stared at the choppers until they disappeared in the distance. He heard the sliding glass door open behind him as he closed his eyes and bit his lip.
“That’s your old boss, huh?” Mia asked.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s Lucas.”
“I’d seen him on TV years ago. He looks older. So, what did he want from you?” Mia asked.
“He wants me to ask someone to do him a favor.”
“Ah, okay. Whew. For a minute I thought you might be leaving, thought it might put you in danger.” She sighed.
“No, but someone else might be.” Keith rubbed his chin stubble with his hands.
Chapter Three
“Mike, what are you doing?” Vala asked from the bedroom.
“Just r-relaxing,” he replied, sitting on the sofa. He was interacting with a holographic tablet, controlling a drone that flew above a modest one-story log cabin tucked away in a snowy wilderness.
He guided his metallic finger across the tablet, lowering the hummingbird-like drone toward a window. Its metallic wings fluttered a hundred times per second as Michael tilted it at just the right angle.
Michael zoomed in, observing an older woman reclined in a chair. She was bundled in a quilt next to the fireplace, staring into the flames.
“Mom,” Michael whispered. He noticed a stack of photo albums to her left on the desk. There was no doubt Michael was in most of them. He and his father.
Neither would return.
Michael stared out of the window in the night sky as a liquor store’s neon sign strobed across the street. It read ‘Open 24 Hours,’ casting a faint red hue across his rundown apartment in northeast Oregon. Beside the liquor store was a boarded-up supermarket. Graffiti covered the walls and weeds sprouted through the cracks in the asphalt.
In the middle of the parking lot, several dozen tech addicts stood in an oval formation, projecting a giant holographic griffin that swooped back and forth in the air. The linkers strafed to avoid the illusion as the mythical creature dove toward them.
“You’re staring; at me or the linkers across the street?” Michael asked.
“Neither really,” she replied.
Vala stamped her foot down, leaning against the doorframe in her three-quarter length black jacket, gray jeans, and heels. Her dirty blonde hair was longer, nearly a foot past shoulder length. She usually wore it pulled back, but it was down tonight.
Michael stared outside as the street sign strobed across him every couple of seconds. He appeared to be in deep thought with his hand tucked underneath his chin. Earlier that day, he had a new iteration of artificial skin mold applied to his head and face, but he hadn’t seen the results yet.
“Does it look that bad?” he asked.
“Looks better than the last one,” she replied.
He spun around. “But that’s not saying much, is it?”
“Ahem. You wanna come into the bathroom so we can have a look? If that doctor is gonna make improvements or alterations, we need to form some type of opinion on it,” she said.
“What is this, the fourth iteration we’ve had this year?” he asked.
“Sounds right.”
“I don’t think the technology is there, Val, I really don’t. They talk about how they’ve worked on burn victims, but this isn’t the same. I have a coat of metal over my head and face. Just adding skin over it isn’t the answer, I’m not sure what is,” he said.
Vala sighed. “We’ll get there, but we need to have a good look at it first. It might take another six months.”
“That’s what we said two years ago,” he muttered.
Vala sighed. “Okay, what else is on your mind? You’re up here brooding and it’s not just because of this,” she asked.
He paused, nodding his head slowly. “A lot of things, but I was checking in on M-mom with my drone.” He slowly turned his head profile.
“Ah, kinda figured.”
“My sister hasn’t been over there in three days,” he said.
Vala nodded. “Mike, she lives an hour away and has three kids.”
“I’m allowed to worry, right?”
“Only when you ask for permission first.” She sneered, walking toward him.
“Let’s talk about it.” She sat down beside him in a fold-out chair. Michael closed his eyes, listening to the sound of a diesel and solar hybrid engine roaring around the corner.
“Wait. You hear that?” he asked.
“Ah, yeah, who is it?” Vala narrowed her eyes.
“Did you order anything? It’s a delivery. A truck is pulling up.” Michael peered through the window.
“Yeah, clothes,” she said.
“I’ll answer the door, test it out.” Michael pointed to his face. He stormed toward the door in his long, dark tan coat.
“Before we have a chance to look at it?” She glared over at him.
“Why not? This is the best way to find out.” He pulled his hood over his head that Vala had stitched on for him, “I wanna see how he reacts.”
Vala pinched the top of her nose and sighed, dropping her head. “Okay, yeah, go ahead.”
He peered through the peephole and noticed a stocky male exiting the truck. “He’s coming up,” Michael whispered.
The driver shimmied up the steps and knocked. He backed away and leaned against the porch handrail, waiting. Michael assessed the driver’s vitals with his integrated seismic heart-rate detector, touching the doorframe attached to the porch railing, prying for the faintest frequency of the human heart. He closed his eyes, blocking out Vala’s heart rate and all the other ambience. Da-dup—da-dup—da-dup.
“There.” Michael found it. His fingertips detected the even-paced beat, relaying data to his onboard systems that revealed additional information based on the cadence:
HEART RATE – 58 BPM – NORMAL
STRESS LEVEL – MODERATE
The vitals were normal for a man on the job. Michael cracked the door, exposing part of his face to survey the area behind the driver, but the carrier jumped back at the sight of Michael.
“The hell?” The driver yelled, observing Michael’s unusual face as he gripped the handrail again.
HEART RATE – 87 BPM -- ELEVATED
STRESS LEVEL – PANICKED
Michael let a sigh and dipped his head. “Do I have to sign for the package?”
“No, no, just… take it, man. Here. S-sorry it’s late.” The driver held the package out at the end of his reach, and Michael snatched it away with lightning speed. The driver slowly backed down the steps, showing his palms.
“Thanks, thanks a lot,” Michael said, shutting the door. He let his free arm swing freely as he stared at the floor.
“Hey,” Vala said softly. She stepped toward him, stroking his metallic s
houlder.
Michael stared down at the postage on the package. Carmen Mattus.
“Here ya go, Carmen. Feels like clothes.” Michael shook the bag, handing it over.
“Thanks. I’m running out of aliases. I was never good with names to begin with,” Vala said. She noticed Michael staring at her.
“I scared the hell out of him, didn’t I?” he asked.
“Mike, we live in a bad part of town. He probably gets spooked easily.”
“Oh, is that what it is?” Michael marched into the bathroom, turning on the light. He gazed into the mirror as the dramatic overhead light cast down on him. He peered in, touching the fake skin on his cheek and brow. “Shit.”
He sighed loudly, dropped his head, staring at himself. “Oh well, yeah, this skin looks even worse, Val. My head looks like an orange, and the texture looks unnatural.”
“You don’t think it looks any better?” she asked from the living room. Michael tilted his head, observing the layers of rubbery skin placed over his metallic skull. He slowly shook his head and began to tear into the fake skin, ripping it off his face and throwing it against the mirror.
“Mike!” Vala yelled, stepping inside. She stopped, noticing the clumps of fake skin littered about the floor.
“Looks better now.” Michael had his arms braced over the sink, leaning forward. He tapped the sink, clanking his metallic fingers against the stainless steel through his bandages.
He retained most of the appearance of Saven, but a stripped-down version without the metallic wings. He was using specialized makeup and skin to cover his metallic-fused exoskeleton. Sometimes, he wore a medical mask that covered his mouth along with a hoodie.
Michael’s eyes were glass, placed over his optics. For the last seven years, the majority of his rejuvenation process had been centered around returning his mind to form.
Vala walked behind him, putting her hand on his neck. “You know, when you told me you wanted to be an Army Ranger, I remember thinking how dangerous it could be. Do you recall how scared I was?” she whispered.
“Yeah.”
“There was already a war going on, Mike, but I decided then, if you were maimed, whether it was a fire, lost all your limbs, both, whatever, you were who I chose to be with.” She leaned around, staring him in the eyes.
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