Children of the Aris: Set in The Human Chronicles Universe

by T. R. Harris

  “I am not insane—”

  “To even contemplate killing all advanced life in a galaxy is insane. If you can’t see that, then that just proves my point.”

  Garus looked at the Formation, and Adam noticed much of the anger fade from the alien's face and body. He nodded. Then he turned back to Adam.

  “I accept that there is still much I have to learn about what you call the Milky Way galaxy, at least how it is today. But it is also you who are wrong to believe that your theft of the disk in any way disrupts my plan. I will continue with my mission. It is not one of senseless killing, but one of single-minded purpose. I will dispatch all traces of Aris lifeforms from the galaxy and replace them with that of the Allanni. I am Allanni, not Aris and not Luz. So, what I do is simple; it is logical. I do this not out of revenge or spite or a childish temper tantrum. I do this because I must. It is what I was programmed to do—what I was created to do. And although you have put a wrinkle in my current plans, I am not beyond making amendments.

  “Yes, I need the missing disk to create a beam of the proper intensity to reach from here to Formil. Unfortunately, I cannot do that now, not without moving the transmission point closer to my target.”

  Adam breathed a sigh of relief. Had he just save Formil from destruction, if only temporarily?

  “However,” Garus continued, “the only reason I cannot experiment on the Formil star is because of distance, not the efficacy of my weapon. Fortunately, noticing where Gracilia is in relation to another target I have in mind, this new target becomes much more practical. It is much closer than Formil and easily attainable with the disks I do have available. All it will take is a little realignment to the stacking order.”

  Adam’s knees went weak.

  “Yes, Adam Cain. There is another star I could target quite easily from here. It is one you call Sol.”

  CHAPTER 13

  “NO, YOU CAN’T.” Adam gasped.

  Garus held up the Formation disk he still carried in his hand. “But of course, I can. It will take less than an hour to adjust the stack, based on the distance to Sol. Then once the beam is refined, the experiment can begin. But unlike a star interacting with an asteroid, this will be a star with a star. And by a slight shift in the potential energy flowing between the bodies, both stars will go supernova in a few short hours, as matter is transferred to one and taken from the other. I believe I shall have Sol receive the minority of this new matter, causing its gravity to decline, allowing for a swelling of the outer shell. Afterward, it will collapse inward, causing the star to implode, crushing the core and releasing a spontaneous explosion of epic proportions. Any planetary body within a hundred million miles will be incinerated within days. Not only will your homeworld of Earth cease to exist, but so will your entire stellar system. And then I will simply move from star to star, planet to planet, targeting all Aris worlds until there are none left. I will be mobile by then, bringing all stars and their accompanying worlds within range. So, you see, taking the disk has been an inconvenience—a fortuitous one at that—seeing your visceral reaction to the impending demise of Earth. It has given me much more satisfaction than the destruction of Formil. I thank you for making it possible.”

  At that point, Adam had nothing to lose. He lunged toward the Master, only to end up on the floor, hit from behind by the stock of a Xan-fi flash rifle. He tried to stagger to his feet but was hit again and again.

  “Enough!” Garus yelled. “Take him to his room. I wish him to be alive when I destroy his homeworld. I will call for him when I am ready.”

  Adam still hadn’t fully recovered from the hit he’d taken to the head in the Lanacon hangar. This second hit didn’t help. He was sure he had a concussion, evidenced by the throbbing pain and blurred vision. But he had to do something. He couldn’t stay in the room and let Garus destroy the Earth—and so much more.

  He went to the metal door and began banging on it, for what good it did. He couldn’t break it, and the guards weren’t going to open it. He could tell from the eyes of the Gracilians that they understood what was going on. The great Adam Cain was about to witness a horrific event, followed quickly by his inevitable death. They got a lot of satisfaction out of that. And hearing what Garus had in mind for the galaxy didn’t seem to worry them. They considered themselves part of Garus’s plan, to be spared in the final analysis.

  Adam laughed—causing the pain in his head to spasm. Garus said the Gracilians were gullible. He was right. The Master had just come out and admitted he wasn’t Luz, the beings from which he said the Gracilians evolved. He was out to destroy all traces of advanced life, not only Aris but also Luz. If the guards were smart enough to see it, they would know Garus had lied to them. What other lies had he told?

  His only hope lay in Sherri and whether she was able to get word back to Lanacon. Was help coming? Even if it were, he couldn’t count on it. He had to have a plan, just in case.

  As was his custom, Adam looked around the room for anything that could be used as a weapon. Fortunately, the room wasn’t built to hold prisoners, so no security cameras were watching him. He went to the cot and tossed away the mattress. A metal framework would provide him with blunt instruments and possibly even cutting weapons from the lateral supports. He set to work dismantling the frame, using brute strength to break some of the struts to begin the process.

  He had to stop occasionally when the room began spinning so hard that he threw up. He didn’t care. Garus said it would take about an hour to reconfigure the Formation. He didn’t have time to suffer from his injuries. All life on Earth depended on him finding a way to stop Garus.

  Soon, he had a length of thin metal, that when pulled across the neck of a Gracilian, would cut the skin. And with Adam’s added Human strength, it could undoubtedly slice to the spinal cord. A leg of the bed would make a good club; in fact, two would be better. He would keep one tucked in the back of his pants as a backup.

  The problem was the four armed guards. They had been very good at guarding Adam up to this point. Two would flank him, while the other two lagged behind, out of reach and keeping watch. They also kept the Xan-fis at the ready. A flash rifle bolt was already more powerful than one from an MK handgun. But a Xan-fi set at level-1 was downright deadly, even to a Human.

  He revised his attack plan. The cutting strip would be tucked in his pants. He would go out of the room with a cot leg in each of his hands. He needed the reach and to be able to strike in multiple directions at the same time.

  But then he thought again. His enemy wasn’t the guards or even Garus. It was the damn Formation. It was the device that made possible all the evil about to happen. The previous vacillation he’d felt early over its destruction was gone. It had to be destroyed and at all costs.

  Adam leaned against the wall, a metal rod in each hand, counting the minutes. As he did so, Garus was at work on the Formation to produce a quantum beam that could destroy the Earth. And all Adam could do is wait.

  The door handle moved and then began to open inward. Adam was behind the door; he let it open about halfway before jabbing his foot into the metal surface, sending it crashing into the person on the other side. He was around the door a split second later, a metal rod gripped tightly in each hand.

  The Gracilian guard opening the door was thrown back into another, just as Adam planned. He barreled into the pair, swinging wildly with both clubs. Contact was made, and a moment later, two of the guards lay on the floor bleeding.

  Just then, a brilliant flash filled the passageway, followed by a burning sensation across Adam’s right shoulder. Combined with his concussion, the flash bolt was enough to send him to the deck, writhing in pain. The bolt wasn’t a level-1, possibly a three at most. Although it burned like hell, it wasn’t meant to kill.

  The two remaining guards hovered over him, the barrels of their weapons aimed at his head.

  “The Master anticipated you would attempt an escape,” said one of the guards. “He wants you alive. Now, get
up. We will saturate you with stun bolts if you continue to resist.”

  Leaving his clubs on the floor, Adam used the wall to help him get to his feet. His shoulder hurt, but it was more the spinning of his vision that was the problem. He had to get over this, or else he would vomit again.

  The guards herded him along, past the Formation room and back to the command center. The shoulder of his light grey Enforcer uniform was still smoldering, with the side of his head and much of his neck covered in blood from the early head blow. And the front of his uniform was soiled with vomit. Garus looked at him with disgust.

  “It appears as though death would be welcome at this point, Adam Cain.”

  “Then get it over with!” Adam snarled.

  “Oh, I cannot, not until the grand display. That event will not only mark the end of this stage of my experimentation but signal a new era in the galaxy as a whole.”

  Equipment hummed, and screens were lit, telling Adam the final preparations had been made, and all Garus was waiting for was the audience—the audience of one.

  “Resisted, did he?” Garus asked one of the guards.

  “Two were killed, but we managed the situation.”

  “Yes, you did. Very good. Now, place the Human in the chair next to the central station. His vision appears to be fading. I want him to have a clear view of the destruction of his homeworld.”

  The main screen displayed a graphic again, which Adam recognized as a slice of the Far Arm and the Kidis Frontier. Two points were highlighted, one an unknown star in the Kidis and the other undoubtedly the Sun. A line ran between the two, colored white. CGI would have to do since there was no time to send a ship to observe the actual event.

  Garus moved a little closer to Adam.

  “I shall say with confidence; you do not look to be in good condition. Rest assured, my Human friend, you will not have to suffer much longer. The adjustments to the Formation have been successful, and now the appropriate beam is in storage and ready to be linked. The local star I have chosen is not too far from here, making this event one with added significance. You might have heard of it. It is the star Liave, which nourishes the planet you now call Navarus. Imagine how in one episode, I will eliminate not only your homeworld but also your adopted home. Not only that, but I will dispense with the mutants, not killing them, of course, but burying them forever in the debris of the star. Perhaps in the Fifth Epoch, they may reappear again. Maybe not even then. Either way, they will be gone and no longer a threat to me, as once my former colleagues considered them. Now, shall we proceed—”

  Mustering all the strength he could, Adam sprung from the chair while pulling the metal cutting strip from the back of his pants. Garus may be immortal, but he was not very coordinated or fast with his reactions. Adam was on him before anyone knew what was happening.

  The piece of bedding lattice was run across his neck, slicing into the skin and ripping into a good portion of the collar of his flowing yellow robe. The pair tumbled to the floor as Adam’s weight overwhelmed the much smaller creature.

  No blood flowed from the wound; instead, a gooey, green-colored liquid oozed out. And it didn’t flow for long, only a moment before the cut closed up, leaving only a bright red line in the pale flesh.

  Knowing the metal strip was useless, Adam tossed it aside, gripping Garus by the neck while pulling back with his right hand to deliver a crushing blow to the alien’s face. The only problem; Adam didn’t know which face to hit. There were two—now three of them—each equally fuzzy and ill-defined.

  Adam didn’t have to be shot again, nor did Garus have to use his palm energy weapons on the Human. Adam passed out on his own, toppling forward before rolling onto his back with a heavy sigh.

  The guards were on him a second later, lifting his limp body and shoving it into the chair again.

  “There is no damage,” Garus said to the guards. “He cannot hurt me. Bring him water, and summon medical personnel to tend to him. I want him conscious and aware before I initiate the entanglement. But hurry. He does not have to recover fully, just enough so he knows what is happening. I will not be denied my satisfaction.”

  The guards rushed off, leaving Adam alone with Garus in the command chamber.

  Well, that worked, Adam thought as he blindsided Garus with a strong right cross against the side of the alien’s head. After the hit, he took Garus’s hands and pressed them tight against the Master’s chest, palms down. If he were to fire his hand weapons, they would only affect him.

  Garus didn’t resist. He lay under Adam, looking up at him and grinning, the hit to his head having had no effect.

  “What do you hope to accomplish with this, Adam Cain? You cannot kill nor hurt me. And even now, I toy with you.”

  Adam felt the alien’s hands begin to press against his, more forceful than expected. Adam strained to keep them down, but even with his Human strength, he couldn’t.

  “I have been fitted with muscle enhancers that give me the strength of ten Humans. And you already know of my energy projectors. I have a multitude of ways to subdue you, even to kill you if I wish. I won’t do that, not yet. I am glad that you will not require medical assistance before I can continue with the experiment. Now, get off of me before I throw you off.”

  Adam blew out a deep breath and then reluctantly did as he was told. He plopped back in the chair as the small alien stood before him.

  “You have shown me many future possibilities, and for this, I am grateful.”

  “What possibilities?”

  “It is the thrill I get from having an audience, someone with an emotional tie to my activities. For so long, it has only been Docem, Panof and me. And remember, in my timeline, it was only recently that I was on Voskin’or, fighting against Nunki, watching thousands of Luz die around me. I have not had the opportunity to experience having someone who can appreciate what I am doing.”

  “Appreciate isn’t the right word for it.”

  “But it is. You realize the magnitude of what I am doing and how it will affect you personally. That is the appreciation I seek.” Then Garus grimaced. “However, once I destroy both Earth and Navarus, you will have reached the end of your usefulness. But because of you, I will seek out others to share in my future activities. I am sure I can find dignitaries on each world I plan to destroy who would appreciate the chance to witness the final minutes of their homeworld. So many others will have no idea what is happening until it is too late. To me, that would be a hollow victory.”

  “Damn, you really are insane … and a sadist. These Allanni of yours must have been devils in their day. I, for one, am glad they’re gone. I just wished they’d stayed gone for—”

  Alarms sounded in the command center as a voice blared out of a speaker.

  “Master, we are under attack! Several shuttles are landing above. Enforcers, hundreds of them!”

  CHAPTER 14

  SHERRI MET the first shuttle as it landed not far from where she was hiding. She’d guided it to her, linking with Riyad’s ATD. Now, he came bounding out of the back of the landing craft, leading a squad of armored and armed Enforcers.

  “Take over, captain,” he said to an officer. He went to meet Sherri.

  “Adam’s still inside. As I told you earlier, I could hear him fine up to a point; then it just went dead. He was with Garus when it happened.”

  Riyad handed her a heavy overcoat. She’d been lying on the ground for over four hours waiting for the Enforcers to arrive. She was visibly shaking from the cold night air. “Don’t worry,” Riyad said. “He didn’t kill him; that’s not how heroes die, especially someone like Adam.”

  “I wish I had your optimism. What’s the plan?”

  Riyad looked over the open plain, colored a mottled grey and black under the night sky. The landing jets of a dozen shuttles lit up the landscape momentarily as they descended in unison, forming a line around the perimeter. They came with schematics pulled from secret Gracilian records reluctantly provided to them after
Panur threatened to pull the spines out of the tight-lipped native officials. The strike force knew the layout of the underground complex, as well as the various entry points. However, all would be barricaded.

  “We’re going in through the main hangar, using explosives to open an access point,” Riyad told Sherri.

  Another shuttle landed nearby, and Lila and Panur stepped out to join the two Humans. Once it was learned Garus was on the planet, the mutants took the last dark matter ship General Oakes had available on Navarus—and along with Monty Pitts, Summer Rains and Tidus—set off for Gracilia. Everyone except Lila and Panur stayed in Lanacon, bowing out of the coming battle. J’nae was still trapped in Summer’s mortal body, making it too dangerous for them to engage in any outright firefights, and Monty wasn’t about to leave Summer. Tidus simply chose to sit out this fight. He wasn’t getting paid to participate.

  “Major Kilous is ready to go,” Panur said as he stepped up to the Humans.

  Garus went to a comm station. “Crin, we anticipated this. Deploy the troops. It will take a grand effort for them to penetrate—”

  The ground shook as a tremendous explosion reverberated throughout the complex.

  “Master, the main hangar has been breached. They are within the base.”

  “Maintain the plan. Block all the corridors down here if you must.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  Garus turned back to Adam, only to find an empty chair. He shook his head and returned to the control panel. He would initiate the countdown with or without an audience—this time. But after this, he would make sure he didn’t invite a Human to watch. They were more trouble than they were worth.

  No sooner had Panur spoken than a tremendous blast rocked the landscape, lighting up the night sky. Swarming squads of armed and armored Enforcers ran for the breach in the hidden metal panel covering the underground hangar bay. Lights on their weapons danced briefly before disappearing from view. Immediately, flash bolts were seen lighting a point in the darkness.