Blood in the Fire (Timelaws Trilogy) (16 page)

The Ori Forest – Fall 2834

Elizabeth

I materialized in the middle of a sludgy forest. Instead of trees, the wilderness was dense with tall gooey structures.
Ori,
Ketya’s mind reminded me. However, Ketya’s memory could not explain the shimmering, transparent surface that seemed to cover the entire sky. The wizards had built a force-field around their planet. Hanging low, behind the shell, were two small suns. The smaller of the two provided the planet with most of its warmth. Meanwhile, the larger one didn’t provide much more than a gentle glow.

My eyes caught the reflection of the orange sky on my hands. It was comforting to gaze on my own skin again; even if my tan had vanished. If the wizards programmed their sensors to search for Ketya’s DNA, it seemed best not to have that DNA anymore. So instead, I used the genetic material I knew best: my own. I cast a spell to shape shift into my human body. I didn’t want to waste power, so I’d kept Ketya’s uncomfortable clothing and just made sure to purify it. All particulate matter that could be traced back to her had been removed. However, as practical as my decision was, I wasn’t going win any fashion shows in this outfit. She was taller than me and her skirt dragged on the ground when I stood up. Her shoes felt loose on my feet and her shirt hung off me awkwardly.

They were likely probing for Naimi's DNA as well so I had to shape shift her into something more manageable than a baby: a turtle. Babies were heavy and squishy. A turtle was more portable, and moreover, it had the protection of a hard shell. I would apologize to her when she was older.

After checking her over to make sure she was okay, I put Naimi in my pocket and pulled my arms up around myself for warmth. My eyes scanned the area in search of shelter. The teleport and the shape shifting had used up most of the power I had left. I needed to hide, preferably somewhere warm. Ketya’s thick hide was accustomed to this planet’s cold temperatures, but I was back in human skin now. The biting wind cut through me and iced my very core. Winter would be here soon.

“How long can I take cover here?” I whispered. My best hope for shelter was to reach the distant mountains whose peaks peered over the ori. Ketya’s memory suggested that the rocks’ angular shape and charcoal color might mean there were caves within. It was a long shot. They were far away. I could walk through the night, but the wizards would catch up with me before I made it out of the forest.

The wind picked up further. I crouched down and tried to make myself a smaller target against its frigid attack. The suns would be setting in an hour. They will find me faster if I stay. With considerable mental effort, I rose and began to propel myself against the head-on gale. The only blessing was that the wind gusted away my footprints in the gray dirt almost as quickly as they formed.

HMSS Ingeniur – November 2184

Luke

Wasn’t really sure what to expect when I learned that we’d have to endure the rest of our day on a spaceship. However, one possibility that didn’t cross my mind was that I’d be bored. Shortly after we reached the asteroid field, Mark and I were overcome by restlessness. We’d decided to go explore the remaining decks. Given the impressiveness of the bridge, I would have thought she was much larger. What we found instead was a series of six small, but efficient, levels connected by an elevator in the very middle. Anton told us to stay off the first two decks. Said those were reserved for equipment, cargo, and water systems. Mark was disappointed because the engine and weapons systems were also located in the off limits area.

Decks three and four were long corridors with passenger cabins on both sides. We checked out three of the twelve rooms and determined that they were all identical: a bed, a bathroom, a couch, a table, and two chairs, all surrounded by the same glowing walls we’d seen on the bridge. Would make a pretty cool TV screen if these walls worked the same.

At the end of the hall on deck four, was a small medical area with two triple bunk beds on each side. “How do you think the doc reaches the patients on top?” Mark wondered. Unable to contain his curiosity, he pulled down on the metal frame and watched the beds rotate against the wall like a Ferris wheel. The highest bed was now on the bottom. Unfortunately, it was also the bed with Anthe’s body. We both hustled out of there pretty quick.

The bridge was on deck five forward. Behind it was a kitchen connected to a lavish dining room. Mark conducted a very thorough investigation of the kitchen and produced some sad looking apples and dry cereal.

“Hungry?” he asked through a mouthful of apple. I wrinkled my nose and shook my head no.

“That apple doesn’t exactly look fresh, dude. Maybe you should wait until we get home for food,” I suggested. Mark looked at me with wide, sad eyes. He then proceeded to shove half the apple in his mouth.

I sighed. “Okay, okay. Eat the apples. Just don’t choke on ‘em,” I surrendered. Food poisoning was the least of my concerns right now. And, I had to admit, it had been a while since lunch. Mark took his spoils with him as we headed up to deck six. Smallest of the decks, it had only two rooms. Aft was a large area whose purpose I couldn’t guess. In one corner was a small indoor pool, but the rest of the vast space was totally empty.

“Perhaps an exercise area or a sports room?” Mark suggested with a shrug. It was a rather brainy deduction for someone who needed tutoring to pass logic 101. But that’s Mark: he’s got street smarts, not book smarts.

Forward room looked a lot like an observation deck. There were coffee tables and loungers, all bolted to the floor like the rest of the furniture onboard. The curved ceiling was transparent and offered a clear view of space. We both stared up at the asteroids and stars for a couple of minutes, but it made my stomach swim again. I was glad I’d refused Mark’s apples.

“Man, how can you just stare up at it like that? Doesn’t it make you sick?” I asked.

“Nope,” Mark said. He plopped his behind down in one of the loungers and kept his eyes fixed on the view above. “I could probably stare up there forever.”

“Hey listen,” I said. “I know we have to see this mission thing through right now. But when Liz gets back. You know, the real her. Do you think you can maybe talk to her? Convince her to lay off this stuff?” I tried not to sound like I was pleading, but Mark heard it.

He rolled his eyes and settled his gaze on me. “Dude, let it go already. This is what she does. I’ve watched her disappear and get banged up and dive into God knows what situations since she was thirteen. And she started even before that. Always comes out on top. She’s not gonna quit now.”

“Does it get any easier to watch?” I asked. Could there be a world where I let my sister walk―or teleport―out the front door and into a war against a cold, brutal enemy and not have my stomach turn sick? How could Mark just go about his day and not feel terrified all the time?

“No,” he said. He tried to sound calm, but the concealed pain in his voice tugged at my heart. The only time I’d ever seen that brave look on Mark’s face was the day our parents passed. For the past two years, he’d been put through torture. Scars lurked beneath his keen eyes as he regarded me. This had to stop.

“That settles it,” I said and turned heel to revisit the bridge. Mark leapt to his feet and followed me.

“Luke, take it easy,” he beseeched. I wasn’t in the mood to take it easy. I was in the mood to find out where this ship was going and when it would all be over. After that, I would make sure this nonsense was done, once and for all.

The Ori Forest – Fall 2834

Elizabeth
 

   With every step, I felt more and more alone. My ears and nose stung as though they were being attacked by thousands of tiny ice daggers. My fingers were frozen stiff and my body had succumbed to uncontrollable shivering.
I should have transformed into a polar bear,
I lamented. Still, my legs trudged on. Night had fallen upon the forest and I couldn’t see the mountains anymore. A half-moon had replaced the two suns as my only light source.

My mind was still spinning, trying to think of a way to keep the wizards from finding me. Surely they had traced the teleport by now and were working to pick up my trail. It might take them some time to figure out that they shouldn’t be searching for Ketya’s DNA anymore, but eventually their security system would flag an anomalous species, or two, on their planet. I’d already attempted a spell to analyze one of their security satellites and see if it could be dismantled. It was obvious that I would set off several alarms just trying to access the programming. Destroying the satellite would be even harder. It was magically shielded and also equipped with anti-missile, anti-beam, and anti-EM pulse weaponry. Johnny was a tactical expert and I didn’t think even he would have been able to take this defense network down.

The memory of my friend awoke something inside me. My hands shook as the darkness closed in. What it would have meant to have a companion walk this strange forest with me. If I didn’t make it back home, then I would be alone forever. Mark, Luke and Anton would never even know whether I had been captured or killed. I squeezed my eyes and willed my pounding heart to calm down.
How do I get home?

My spell was monitoring the data the satellite gathered. Based on the search pattern, it wouldn’t be much longer till Naimi and I were found.
Think Liz,
I ordered as a fresh gust of wind pounded my face. It was the same directive I’d repeated at least a hundred times already. My body was exhausted. I just wanted to drop down into the soft dirt and surrender to sleep. Dreams of our comfortable home and Anton’s playful, loving eyes beckoned me.
No, there has to be something.
I stopped walking and tried to clear my head. My eyes fell shut and I crouched down into a ball for warmth.
Concentrate.

Nothing. My mind was blank.
Alright, if you can’t solve this problem, focus on a problem you can solve: find Melissa.
She would have been easy to detect if she were wearing her uniform. The fabric contained an embedded, magical GPS that helped us keep track of our operatives in case something went wrong. All that was needed was the operative’s identification code, which I had from the last time Melissa and I met. Unfortunately for me, she wasn’t in uniform. More unfortunately for me, the universe was a pretty darn big place to search.
If only I’d asked Santa for this planet’s satellite system.

I prepared to resume the march toward the mountains. Halfway to my feet, a strong gust of wind pushed me back to the ground. I rolled over in the dirt and dropped my head into my hands, defeated. This horrid planet would get the best of me.
Unless…

“Naimi, I am the biggest dunce in this whole absurd forest,” I said. The turtle in my pocket didn’t deny the allegation. Rightly so. I might not be able to disable the satellite defense system, but maybe I could send a command so resource intensive it would significantly slow it down. My eyes fell shut again and my lips began the spell to access the system. Within moments, the structure of commands and equations swam in my mind’s eye. I imagined the information being compartmentalized into data, inputs, and the sealed door behind which was the core of the programming. I set everything aside and focused on the inputs. There it was: the variable that would take an additional search parameter. A frozen grin spread on my face as I sent the one command that would help keep me off the wizard’s radar and help me find my contact: search the universe for Melissa.

***

After the spell was done, I decided to teleport to a cave. I needed warmth. The forest had grown significantly colder as the night wore on, and it seemed that temperatures would continue to drop until daybreak. Moreover, the satellite had already searched this cave since I’d begun monitoring the data. It would be a little while before it circled around again.

Grateful to finally be out of the wind, I pulled Naimi from my pocket. Unfortunately, without the moonlight, I was blind. My hands ran over her shell, searching for some confirmation that she was unharmed by the cold.

“A turtle?” a male voice asked through the darkness. I scrambled to my feet and prepared to defend myself. No one was there.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he said. It was Anton’s voice. “It’s just me.”
Please, no.
Without making a sound, he grew brighter so I could see him. A hologram. He stepped toward me, but I backed away. Were the wizards playing a trick on me? The vision of Anton was older, maybe twenty. He looked stronger too and his cheekbones were more defined. All of that made sense if the wizards were working off inaccurate information. They wouldn’t know exactly when I’d arrived from. I took another step and found myself backed against a wall.
They know who I am
.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” he promised. He sounded like he was trying to lure a stray cat.

My voice turned cold. “Then why are you here?” I asked. My stomach twisted at the thought that someone would use Anton’s image to toy with me. He deserved better.

“Moral support,” he replied. “Anton, the real Anton, called in a favor. He programmed me and had a friend upload me to the planet’s security system. I was activated when you accessed the satellite to search for Melissa.”

“Why would he do that?” I asked. My heart rate slowed a little, but I wasn’t ready to trust him. He took another step closer and stood within arm’s reach. This time I didn’t back away. There was nowhere to go.

“So you wouldn’t have to go through this alone,” he replied. He sounded like Anton. His voice was like a sedative, instantly calming me. Just airwaves, I reminded myself.

“You’re a violation of the Timelaws,” I accused.

“No, I have no knowledge pertaining to this mission or your future,” he explained. “I can’t help you. I don’t even know if you make it out of this alive or not. All I do know is that Anton wanted you to have someone here with you.” He grinned playfully. “I’m a teddy-bear.”

A smile crept into my expression despite myself.
My God, he sounds like Anton
. Those were the same words he would have used to describe this hologram’s function.
Don’t let your guard down.
The story made sense. If the wizards found me, they would kill me, not dig into my past to learn who I was and how to play with my emotions. And it would be just like Anton to find a way to comfort me even if he couldn’t be here himself. But I couldn’t afford to take any risk out here.
Don’t let your guard down,
I repeated privately.

“Why do you have a turtle in your hand?” Anton asked.

Should I tell him?
The hologram could be programmed to gather information
. “Come out, Naimi,” I coaxed, wondering if turtles responded to human voices. “Come on, it’s safe.” Apparently, this turtle at least was not interested in what I had to say. Still, I wanted to make sure she was okay.

“What do you think turtles eat?” I asked the hologram. He shrugged. Whatever it was, it seemed I would be hard pressed to find it on this planet. My body longed to rest and recharge, but I couldn’t let Naimi die of starvation or cold. She needed food.

“What about you?” Anton asked. “When was the last time you ate something?”

Ketya’s last meal, dinner yesterday, had ended up in the waste purifier. My instinct was to avoid the question as I would have done with my Anton.
Could a hologram have emotions?
The ones back home didn’t. He’s just a projection of light. “Dinner yesterday,” I said. Anton tilted his head sympathetically and lifted his hand to pick up a lock of my hair. Of course, his fingers passed right through the strands. He looked at his palm for a moment and nodded as if acknowledging the scientific logic of his photon existence. It was all a perfect representation of how the real Anton would have reacted to being a hologram. He turned his attention back to me.

“You’re cold,” he said. “That means you're using more energy. You need food and heat.” I nodded. How was it possible that this hologram’s gaze could penetrate right through me? “Do you know anything about what’s edible around here?” he asked gently.

I’d learned about pippons and meah from Ketya. Meah would be easy to gather, it was all over the ori. But with winter coming, it would be a challenge to find pippons. Still I had to try. The wind howled as it rushed by the cave entrance as if taunting me to face it again. I took a slow deep breath and gathered my courage. Then I plopped Naimi back into my pocket and rushed though Anton and out into the forest. I was only sad for a moment when I observed that I hadn’t felt him as I penetrated his image. He was nothing.

As soon as I emerged through the entrance, the barrage of wind resumed its attack. The moonlight illuminated the silhouettes of several ori immediately outside the cave entrance. I stumbled to the nearest one and shoved my hands into the disgusting goo that covered its length. It smelled like burnt cinnamon, but I scooped up as much as I could and lifted it away from the ori. The wet slim oozed through my frozen fingers and down my arms, leaving green stains on Ketya’s sleeve. Disgusting as it was, I needed it. Unable to stand the cold for another minute, I retreated back to the cave with my prize. The pippons would have to wait till morning.

I stopped just inside the cave entrance so that I might benefit from the sparse beams of moonlight that dripped in through the rocky opening. I shaped my meah into a small mound on the floor and stared at it. “So Naimi, you want to tell me how I’m supposed to light this?” Anton was still there, but I didn’t want to acknowledge him. The emotions he stirred in me made it feel like I’d betrayed my Anton.

The hologram remained in his place. He knew I had chosen to ignore him. The turtle didn’t have anything to say either. “Alright then, a quick ignition spell won’t take much power,” I concluded. “Let’s give it a try.”

I said the few words to produce a small spark on my mound of meah. No sooner had I uttered the last syllable then a mountain of fire four feet tall erupted toward the cave roof. I stumbled back to avoid getting singed, grateful for the wave of warm air that washed over me. The fire settled down into a two-foot flame and burned steadily. I had warmth, wonderful toasty warmth. I scooted closer to the fire and held my hands out, thirsting to drink up every glowing ray my skin could absorb. It felt heavenly.

“Are you cold too, Naimi?” I asked. I pulled her out of my pocket and set her on a rock next to me. To my surprise, her little head poked out. She took a few steps toward the fire and seemed content. Finally, I had done something right.

Then I realized that I had not actually looked at the cave that would be my home for the night. I turned away from the fire, expecting to see deeper into the dwelling. Behind me was a big rock wall. This ‘cave’ was a whole six square feet big. Never mind. It was warm.

“That’s my girl,” Anton said. He came and kneeled by the fire. “Get some rest now,” he suggested. “Perhaps you’ll find food in the daylight.”

Food. Finally unthawed, my stomach sent me a gurgling reminder that my survival here was not yet secured. Then, as unexpectedly as every other twist I had endured today, I received a message from the security satellite system.

“What’s wrong?” Anton asked. I looked at him, but didn’t respond. It had found Melissa. Either it had gotten lucky or the system’s ability to search the whole universe far exceeded my expectations. The realization that I had so grossly miss-judged the planet’s technological advancement rocked me to my core.

“Liz, what’s wrong?” Anton begged. He reached out to put a hand on my arm, but I felt nothing on my skin where his grip had landed. “Please tell me.” I shuddered as I considered what I was up against. One thing was sure. I needed to get my message to Melissa and then get out of here. Fast.