We sat there chatting, waiting to hear another howl, but we didn’t. It was a half hour before we got up, seeing the rain was nothing more than a light patter now. Mary made for her scooter, her rifle on her back, her pack in her hand. As she strapped it to her seat, I walked out, looking at the sky to see if the clouds were still moving on. To the west, I saw amnesty coming in the still-dark night.
Mary was almost done and had fired up her ride when something jumped into my view.
“Dean, look out!” Mary called, but it was too late. The thick creature hurled itself off the canopy above the hillside and landed with a squishing sound right in front of me. It sank a couple feet into the soft ground, giving me just enough time to roll out of the way before its large paw wiped my face from my head. I felt the swing just clip me as I rolled to the wet ground, my rifle all but forgotten as I scrambled to evade the second swipe.
The thing reminded me of a bear, but its face was smaller, more human, making the whole attack that much more terrifying. It released a long howl as it came at me. I fought to back away from it, but my hands sank into the mossy ground, handcuffing any movement. This was it for me. There would be no saving Earth from the Bhlat, and after everything that had happened in the past two years, I was going to die by the paw of a monster on a planet I didn’t even know the name of.
The creature stood on two legs, an angry scowl on its tortured face, and it growled as its right arm came flying toward me.
“Dean, get your head down!” Mary’s voice yelled, and the smell of burned fur and blood hit me like a brick. I ducked and got a hand out, rolling to the side as the huge thing fell beside me, surprise crossing its face before it smacked into the swamp, water splashing a yard high.
The whole attack had only been a few seconds, but I was out of breath. My hand shook so hard, I had a hard time taking Mary’s when she offered it to me. She pumped a couple more blasts from her pulse rifle into the hide of the dead monster for good measure.
“We need to go. If there’s one, there are probably more. I don’t want to be around when they show up.”
“Why do I get all the terrible attacks on this planet? Good thing I have people to help me, or I’d be dead twice already.” I made the joke to cover my dread. I’d thought I was going to die, and it wasn’t a feeling that shook off in a minute.
Howls came at us from every direction as we got onto our hover scooters. “Which way?” I asked.
“No idea.” Mary put her helmet on, and I did likewise, turning the night vision back on. “I’d suggest keeping your rifle at ready.” She started to move north, and I joined her getting around the hills. More creatures cried out in the night as we raced away, hoping to not come across any of them.
FIFTEEN
The two-hour trip took its toll on my body. The wind was still blowing, and we passed through a couple more areas with inclement weather, reluctant to stop either time. We plowed through, ending up near the spot where we’d first landed on the planet all those months ago. We rode by the swamp where I’d been pulled under, and I recalled Mae saving my life. I shook it off as we rode, until coming to the town. It had expanded since we’d been there. More log cabins were erected, but few beings lingered on the streets as the sun started to rise, pushing through the thin clouds. Mist rose from the damp ground as we shut the scooters off.
“I hope they ask questions before shooting,” Mary said, holding her rifle.
“They did last time.”
We were in a large clearing, just past the tree line separating the village from the forest and swamps. A few ships were nearby, quietly sitting on the ground. I recognized one of them as the insectoid ship we’d seen last time. Another wasn’t familiar.
A Deltra sentry could be seen a hundred yards away, walking the other direction. Worried they might think we were sneaking in, I stuck my pinky and thumb into my mouth and whistled sharply. That got his attention. He spun around, gun raised, and I was impressed at his reaction time. I suspected the sentries didn’t have much action here, unless those smooth-faced bears were a problem in town.
He said something in Deltran and I threw my hands in the air. Mary lowered her rifle and did the same.
“This better work,” she whispered.
“Who goes there?” my translator said in my ear.
“Dean Parker and Mary Lafontaine,” I said loudly. He was only thirty yards away now, and I saw his expression change.
“Keep them up,” he said, gun still raised as he approached us. “How did you get here?”
Mary nodded toward the trees. “Hover scooter,” she said, and he looked confused, the translation likely not clear.
“What do you want?” he asked.
“We’re here to see Kareem. It’s urgent.” I was getting tired of holding my arms up, and I started to lower them. When he didn’t object, I let them drop to my sides.
“Come with me,” he said, letting us walk in front of him. He didn’t ask to take our weapons, but when I glanced back at him, his grip on his gun looked tight, and he eyed me with suspicion.
We neared the same building Kareem had been in before. When we got to the door, the sentry knocked and was let in. Another guard came out, watching us as the first sentry disappeared into the big structure.
“Nice morning,” I said to the newcomer, getting a grunt in return. “Not a big talker? Sorry for waking you guys up. We didn’t have a choice.” I swear the guy cut me a smile, and if I wasn’t mistaken, that was the first smile I’d seen from their race. It was nice to see the commonality.
“You’re Dean, right?” he asked, his voice quiet.
“My reputation precedes me.”
“Terrance and Leslie have been waiting for their friends.”
Guilt washed over me. Just a second ago, I’d been making jokes; meanwhile, the hybrids were probably dying in the Russian prison on Earth.
“I’m sorry. I failed them,” I said somberly. Mary set her hand on my forearm.
“They won’t be happy. I hope you have better news for them and Kareem,” the pale hairless guard said, his smile wiped away.
The door swung open, the first sentry waving us inside. “He’ll see you now.”
We followed them into the large space we’d first been in when Mae had escaped in Leslie’s ship. They took us farther, through a doorway at the far end of the room. It smelled sterile in there, reminding me of a hospital. I’d spent enough time in one of those with Janine to recall it vividly.
The door opened into a hallway. Wooden floors led us to a series of rooms; some doors were ajar, with Deltra and other races milling around, getting an early start to their days. No one stopped us, but all of them stared curiously as we passed their bedrooms. I wanted to stop and look at the different aliens, to talk to them and learn about their people. There would be time for that eventually. Other things were more pressing now.
“In here,” the first guard said, ushering us through the doors. The room was dimly lit but was a good size, with a bed on the side. Machines beeped softly, and I wondered why they’d brought us there. Then I saw the bed wasn’t empty. Kareem was in it. His skin was even paler, if that was possible, and as I walked to the edge of the bed, I knew something was wrong.
“Kareem?” I asked.
His eyes opened, and he looked from Mary to me. “We meet again. I wasn’t expecting this. Have a seat.”
The guards slid a couple chairs over, and the lights in the room brightened by a few watts.
“Are you okay?” Mary asked the sickly-looking Deltra leader. I could just make out his tattoos peeking out from under the thick blankets.
“No. I’m dying.”
“I’m sorry.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say to his calm statement.
“Tell me why you’re here,” he said.
Where did I start? “We need your help. We think the Bhlat have invaded our planet.”
“You think they have? What does that mean?”
“Many of us have moved
on to a new planet, at Proxima. But our communications with Earth take two months to relay, and our leader went back when the messages ceased to come.” I explained to him what had happened after we’d last met. How we thought Mae had died crashing into an asteroid, and how we found the device he’d described to us. He seemed pleased it still existed but was surprised the Bhlat knew of it and were waiting there.
Mary took over and talked about us chasing Mae to the Bhlat outpost. She skipped over the intimate details of who Mae was to me and cut the murderous part I had in killing all of their innocents on the base.
Kareem listened, asking few questions. When the tale was over, he asked one simple but important question. “How did you get here? We had no signs of a ship arriving, or they would have told me.”
“The Shandra.” I used the Shimmalian word for the portal to see if this had any meaning to him. His otherwise calm demeanor changed drastically. One of the electronic monitors beeped loudly, causing a small Deltra to enter the room, pushing us out of the way. Kareem shooed him away with a flick of his wrist. “I’m fine,” he said in Deltran before switching back to English. “Where did you hear that word?”
“From Sarlun, the Gatekeeper of the Shandra on Shimmal.” I didn’t flinch. This seemed to flummox him even more.
“Then it’s out.” He sank back in the pillow, almost disappearing into the bed.
“Is that such a bad thing?” Mary asked.
“We spent a lot of hard work to isolate the portals. We blocked off all that we could. The Theos were short-sighted creating these back-door accesses into so many worlds. It was like giving the Kremlons a key to the barn,” Kareem said, his reference not hitting home, but I imagined it was something like giving a fox a key to the hen house.
“We need the portal to the Bhlat homeworld.” I leaned forward as I spoke. I said the words just loud enough for Kareem to hear them.
“Preposterous!” he yelled, sending his frail body into a coughing fit. When it finished, he wiped his thin lips with a slender arm. “What would that accomplish?”
I told him our plan, and he didn’t interrupt once. A few times, he looked like he would interject, but each time he changed his mind, and sat back. When it was over, he looked at Mary. “You agree with this plan?” he asked her.
She nodded, but I noticed a hesitation to it. “What choice do we have?”
“There’s always a choice. There’s always…” He coughed a few more times. “A choice.”
“I think it’s our best bet. Unless we can rally enough support from your allies out there.” Magnus, Mary, and I had discussed this, but ultimately, we didn’t have the contacts or time to attempt such an endeavor.
“Their portal was blocked off centuries ago. The Theos Collective fought us on the decision, but the long-running religion ended up dissipating as the years went on, and eventually, they forgot about it, just like everyone else. Now there are only a handful of races that even know of their existence. Your friend Sarlun is one of the last remaining Gatekeepers in the universe.”
“Something’s been bothering me. If there was a portal on Earth, why didn’t you use it to help your cause with the Kalentrek?” I asked.
“How do you think we got it there? Through the portal. We were a captured race, so few of us were left outside the Kraskis’ clutches. All we could do was wait for the right time.” His face took on a look of heavy loss. He noticed my reaction and spoke to me softly. “Dean Parker, you are an honorable man. I don’t blame you for the destruction of my people. The plan was to rid ourselves of the Kraski with your help, not destroy you all and take your world. We deserved our fate.”
“You’ll help us?” Mary asked.
“I will. But you have to do something for me first.” Kareem’s words gave me pause. We didn’t have time for favors.
“What? We’ll do anything,” Mary answered before I could counter.
“You told Leslie and Terrance that you’d get their people here.” He looked me in the eyes. “Your people now by blood.” He sniffed the air, and I wondered if he could smell the hybrid blood running quickly through my veins. “Go get them. Use the portal and bring them here, to their new home.”
“We don’t have time for this!” I stood up, knocking my chair over. A guard came in, gun pointed at me.
“It’s okay. We’re fine. Just having a discussion,” Kareem said to the guard. “Aren’t we, Dean?”
I righted the chair and sat back down, getting a glower from Mary.
“We’ll do it,” she said firmly.
“Wait.” I started to speak, but she set a hand on my knee.
“I said we’ll do it. We owe them that much. We left them there when we took off, and it’s weighed on us long enough. They need our help too,” Mary said. Instantly, I knew she was right.
“Sarlun showed me Earth’s icon but didn’t know if it was still functional. Is it?” I asked, sweat forming under my arms.
“It is.”
“Where is it?” Mary asked.
“You call it Egypt. Under a large pyramid. The Theos planted it there before humans wandered the dust, and when it was discovered by your people many years ago, they built a tower to protect it. They didn’t know what it was, only that it was clearly ancient, and alien,” Kareem said. “Do you have your…?” He left the question unanswered, his eyes glancing at the pin on my uniform’s lapel.
I almost barked out a laugh. For so long, we’d imagined the pyramids had a link to aliens, and they did. Machu Picchu was rumored to involve aliens, and it did. I wondered what other rumors were true. Area 51?
“From the pyramids to a Russian war camp. We’re going to need help,” I said.
“Patty told me to contact Jeff Dinkle if we ever make it to Earth and need someone on her side. Magnus knows how to reach him.” Mary looked ready to leave.
I turned to the door as I heard a familiar voice demanding to be let in. Terrance came pushing past the guard, toward us.
“Not in here!” Kareem called, stopping the angry hybrid in his footsteps.
“Where are they?” he asked, his face dark red.
“Earth,” I said, ashamed I didn’t have better news for the man. “We’re going to get them now.”
“I’m coming with you,” he said.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said, but Kareem spoke up.
“Take him. He’ll be helpful. Bring them back, and I’ll expose the secrets my people worked so hard to hide. I want the secret to be yours, and yours alone. It will die with you, do you understand?” he asked, a grave look over his gaunt face.
I did understand and told him as much. He nodded and closed his eyes. He didn’t speak again, and we stood up to face Leslie and Terrance. Leslie had shorn her hair short, but otherwise was the spitting image of my now dead wife, and of Mae. My heart ached for a second as I looked her in the eyes. “Let’s go. If you’re coming, can you fly us back to the portal?”
“What portal?” Leslie asked.
“Come on, we have a lot to talk about.”
SIXTEEN
“Are you sure you can make this trip with us? What about Natalia and your boy?” I asked Magnus.
“She wants me to go. She said if she can’t be there to protect you guys, I’d better be.” Magnus opened the transport’s door, and the cool air rushed inside. It was still cold by Terran Five standards, but it was in their spring season. Snow was melting, leaving a sloppy mess near the cavern entrance that would lead us to the portal.
Leslie and Terrance were suited up and hadn’t spoken much on the cramped ride from Terran One to the mountainside. They were anxious to help their friends, and I could completely understand the feeling. We all got out, bringing a vast array of supplies. The small Kalentrek device was in my breast pocket, though I didn’t expect to have to use it yet. Mary was the last to get out, from the pilot’s seat, and I gave her a kiss as she stepped onto the slushy ground.
“One thing at a time. We can do this, get the
Bhlat world icon, and finish this once and for all. What do you say? Another ass-kicking mission for old time’s sake?” I asked.
Magnus gave a hoorah and stuck his hand out. I settled mine on his, flat-palmed, and Mary followed suit. Terrance rolled his eyes but joined in, followed by Leslie. “Let’s go kick some ass!” Magnus said. We all repeated “kick some ass!” and raised our hands. It felt good to be part of a team, even a desperate stitched-together one, off doing someone else’s mission. I reprimanded myself for thinking that. I had promised to help the hybrids, and I was about to follow through on that. Their lives were just as important as the people of Earth’s.
Magnus went first, blowing the air horn. Terrance did the same at the rear of our line as we entered the cavern. I took over the lead, taking us down the tunnels I was becoming very familiar with. Magnus hadn’t been there before, and he gave a low whistle as we entered the room. The hieroglyphs lit up, and Leslie and Terrance looked a little less sickly than they had at their new planet’s portal. Apparently, it had affected them like it had affected me the first time I’d been led here, but because they weren’t fighting the urge, they didn’t have the same out-of-body reaction.
The symbols on the walls glowed as we approached the gemstone in the table. We all gathered around, knowing what to expect, as I scrolled to find the icon for Earth on the screen. It was there: two horizontal slashes, one large circle, and one small circle, which I now attributed to Earth’s sun and moon.
“Everyone ready?” I asked, and when no one commented, I hit the icon and closed my eyes.
When I opened them, we were in a different room. This one appeared twice as large as New Spero’s portal room, with the same etchings on the walls, which dimmed within seconds of arriving. I noticed their placement on the walls was different than they had been in New Spero, and different yet from Shimmal.
“I’m not sure I want to get used to this,” Magnus said, already exploring the dark space. We all had our suits’ LEDs on, lighting up the room. It looked basic – ancient, even – untouched by anyone in a long time.
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