The Rift Rider (19 page)

Charlie's final
training session took place the next evening in the warm comfort of Bei's
apartment. He had learned how to connect with the physical world in his key
form and how to open a rift. Stepping through would be a breeze. It actually took
more effort to remain on the other side. All that remained was for Charlie to
learn how to navigate the Divide once he had entered it

Brother Yojim
poured two cups from the pot he kept brewing on the stove and brought them over
to the dinner table.

Charlie took a
gulp of the delicious honeyed concoction. "So you're saying once I'm
inside all I have to do is think of the person I want to see and the Divide
will take me to them? I don't need to do anything myself."

Brother Yojim
laughed. "Envisaging a person, forming a picture of them in your mind's
eye so clear as to be almost solid, and willing, with every ounce of your being
to find them is, in my opinion, rather something."

"But I
don't have read at any maps or use some kind of navigation device?"

Again the red
man laughed. "I have only seen a shadow of the Divide in my meditation
trances. However, I can assure you it is as far from this world as can possibly
be. Once inside you will understand that concepts such as right and left, near
and far have no place there."

"Wait. What
about this Doctor Sree? I've never met him. How can the Divide take me to
him?"

"It can't. For
this to work you have to have met the person you seek, and made some kind of
connection. Like I said before, in time you will be able to navigate the Divide
without these . . . anchors to the physical realm. But right now you don't have
time for that."

"Then, how
the hell am I going to find this Doctor Sree and the rift engine?"

"The
resistance have located the destroyer. When you're ready Bei and Awani are
going to take a ship and fly out to the destroyer."

Charlie stood up.
"What? I said I'd do this by myself. There's no need to put them at
danger."

"Charlie, sit
down. This has always been the plan. Ever since you so bravely volunteered.
That first night while you slept, Bei asked me if you had any hope of pulling
it off. I said yes, but you would need his help. I told him what he had to do
and he told me to keep quiet about it. He was worried it might put you off your
training. That's why they're with the resistance now."

Charlie sat
down. "They won't last five seconds once the destroyer's identified
them."

"That's the
plan. They get taken prisoner and once on board the destroyer, you cross into
the Divide, locate them, cross back, destroy the rift engine and steal a ship
out of there."

"That's
madness. What if they get killed before I cross over?"

"It was
their choice. If you're not happy about, why don't you tell them? " He
paused, and gestured to the empty space beside Charlie. "They're only a
step a way."

The challenge
jolted Charlie.

"You're
ready, Charlie. Open a rift, and join your friends." The robundee smiled.
"Think of the girl. I'm sure you'll have no problems envisaging her."

"I'm
ready?"

Brother Yojim
nodded. "My work is done here. It's time for me to return to Poklawi. If I
leave now, I can arrive in time to warn the authorities on Poklawi. Then if the
unspeakable happens and your mission fails, at least we'll have time to
evacuate the major cities before the attack."

"I won't
fail," Charlie said.

Brother Yojim
placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder and looked deep within his eyes. "I
believe in you, Charlie."

"Will I see
you again?"

The robundee
laughed. "Wherever you find yourself, all you have to do is think of me,
and you'll be at my side. And I expect to hear about your success before I get
anywhere near the Wrake Pass."

"I don't
know how to thank you."

"Saving my
planet would be a good start." He stepped back to give Charlie room.
"Now, come on. The clock's ticking."

Charlie nodded.
In a flash of green, he switched form. With a downward slash of his hand he
opened a rift in the middle of Bei's apartment. It shimmered white before them.
Charlie gave Yojim one final look and stepped out of the Universe.

At once, Charlie
found himself floating in a sea of blazing whiteness. It was just as in his
dream. He stood both enormous and miniscule. The freshness of a million lemons
tinged the air. How he could smell it without a physical nose, he had no idea.
He breathed in the summer scent, not caring.

All around him,
neither close nor far, rollers weaved and rolled, singing songs of love and
lost that pricked at Charlie's soul. He recognised a flicker of gold and purple.
It was Rayn, the roller that had saved them out in the Pass. In an instance
Charlie hovered beside it.

The last time
they had met, the roller had been as large as an office block. But now it was
barely twice Charlie's size. It circled him, smiling its gargoyles smile.
"Finally, you have come home."

"Yes. I
know the truth now." To Charlie he seemed he was speaking the words. But
he knew this was an illusion. Their communication was part telepathy, part
energy transfer, and part convergence of spirits.

"There are
many who wish to see you. But I sense you cannot stay with us this time.
Something draws you back."

"I have a
promise to keep."

"Then go
well, brother. Know that you are welcome here and that our ancients now know of
your return. One day they will call you, and when they do, you must answer the
call. For though you have come far, there is much for you to learn."

And then the
roller was gone, fading away into the white expanse.

Charlie turned
his attention inwards. In his mind a vision of Awani took shape. He pictured
her smile, the spark of mischief in her eyes and the river of hair pouring down
her back. He heard her laughter. Deep down in his glowing bones, he wanted her.

The whiteness
flickered. It grew dim. A mist of shadow rose around him. In its centre, sat
Awani. A table appeared in front of her, and beside her a chair lay vacant.

Charlie hovered
over the seat. Then with one green hand, he reached out for her hand. The skin
was soft to the touch. The chair grew hard beneath him.

She turned, and
looked at him, her eyes disbelieving. "Charlie?"

"Can you
believe what they've got down here?" Awani shouted over the music.

Charlie looked
around the underground hall. A legion of electric lamps, flashing every colour
of the rainbow, dangled overhead, illuminating the tables of food arranged
around the edges of a packed dance floor. At one end, an orange-furred dwarf
stood atop two van-sized speakers. He waved a tiny hand in the air while he
mixed with his other. The music blasting out of them made German Techno sound
like nursery rhymes.

The party,
swiftly organised and generously supplied despite the spartan conditions of
resistance underground life, had been Commander Boon's idea. When the
resistance leader heard that Charlie had materialised right in the centre of
their deepest network of tunnels, he rushed to greet him. This display of
power, the man confessed, had removed the last of his doubts. In his eyes
Charlie had already saved Poklawi and struck a definitive blow to the
Corporation.

The mission was
set to go ahead in the early hours of the following morning. But first the
resistance would host the grandest leaving party the tunnels had ever seen.

Charlie was not
sure about grandest, but it was definitely the loudest party he had ever
attended. And he was no stranger to the Swansea's sweaty clubs and illicit open-air
raves.

Charlie stuck
the end of his index finger in his ear and shook. To talk he had to scream at
the top of his lungs. "It's a bit loud, isn't it?"

"Don't they
have parties on your planet?"

By the time Charlie
worked out what she had said, she was already leading him towards the hall
exit.

As they walked,
hand in hand, Charlie caught sight of Bullet Nipples. She stood to one side,
alone. Her black eyes pursued him across the hall. Charlie wondered how long
she had been watching him.

"So, are
you all set for tomorrow?" Charlie asked. They were sat in Awani's room,
Charlie on the bed and Awani on the desk facing him. The room was tiny, and
contained only the bed, the small desk and a mirror. It reminded him of his
first year room at university.

Awani nodded.
"Two resistance pilots have volunteered to come up with us. They'll follow
our progress from afar in a modified smuggler craft, one elusive enough to
avoid detection. The moment the destroyer pulls us in, they'll message back
here. Then the rest is up to you."

"Not too
much pressure then."

Awani smiled.
"I've seen what you can do. They've got no chance." She stepped
forward. "Now stop worrying. We've got a few more hours before I fly
out." She pulled her top over her head. She wore nothing underneath it.
"I don't intend to spend it jabbering."

Charlie
swallowed and reached forward.

Later, Charlie
pulled his arm from beneath the sleeping girl. He sat up on the edge of the
bed. His clothes lay on a heap on the floor. He slipped them on.

She stirred,
opening sleep filled eyes. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be
back," he whispered. "I promise."

He leaned over
and kissed the girl's cheek. Then he got to his feet.

The change and
the rift came as one. He was through it in a heartbeat.

Dr Sree was doing his upmost to avoid having
to look at Executive Ko. They sat behind the closed rear doors of the armoured
hover carrier. Beside them, two rows of helmeted fringes extended into the
vehicle.

The tight confines gave him a most
unpleasant sensation of claustrophobia. He took quick breaths to calm himself. It
made his nose whistle. He hoped the agent would act soon. He did not know how
much more he could take. And retching on Ko's shoes would have unpleasant
consequences.

 
Theirs was one of several military hovers
occupying the ground floor of the Jajag city office block. To a passer-by the
building looked like any other. Yet within it was hidden one of only a dozen
entrances to the resistance's underground tunnel network.

A series of bangs brought the scientist's
attention to the hover truck parked beside him. Its metal shell shuddered from
the impact of the creatures inside. Ko had insisted that they use a squad of
droogs during the mission.

The work beasts,
created by splicing
the genes of Mujak's deadliest underground hunter with those of a common house
marm, were the most effective hunters in the Corporation's kennels. It was well
known that Ko loved using them. They combined the ferociousness of the hunter
with the suicidal loyalty of a marm.

Doctor Sree had
never seen them in action. Watching them ram the side of the truck in frenzied
anticipation, he felt a curious blend of curiosity and disgust at the prospect
of seeing them in use against the resistance.

"That device of yours Doctor better
work," Executive Ko said, cutting through his thoughts. "If this
operation fails-"

The scientist interrupted her before she
could finish. "If I fail, nothing. Lade still needs me to run the rift
engine."

The Executive laughed. It was a bitter
sound, one that made him think of the droogs caged up outside. "There are
certain parts of your body I could remove without having any affect on your day
to day performance. The Chief has given me the authority to make such
removals."

The scientist swallowed. By now he should
have learned not to push the woman too far. "Have faith in science,
Executive. I've already activated the energy distorter."

He held up his forearm. A slab of metal
covered his right arm, from wrist to elbow. It contained two cylinders of
glowing white light. "This has a ten block range. If he's where the mole
says he is, his abilities have been neutralised."

The rear door swung open. Ko's second in
command, a stocky female soldier, her face covered in thick stubble, stood
looking in. A ripple of excitement ran through the vehicle. "Ma'am, the
agent has opened the tunnel entrance."

The Executive's
jaw shuddered, the noise making the scientist wince.

"Excellent,"
she said and stepped out of the truck. "Remember we want him alive. His
woman too. The pink one. She might prove useful collateral."

Doctor Sree
followed the executive out of the hover, thankful to breathe even Seenthee's
rotten air.

In the Old Penarthian's clubhouse, Tim
Davies pushed his way to the bar, squeezing between two heavily proportioned
rugby players, until he had one elbow on the bar. Even wedged in between the
two behemoths, he managed to a sway a little. He knew that from this point on
in the night, each successive round of drinks would double the pain of his
hangover. Yet, the clock read 10:45 and he had fifteen minutes of drink
purchasing time remaining.

The barman greeted him with a pint of HB
before he had even placed his order. Tim stood speechless. A free round in
opposition territory was unheard of in these parts. A mistake, he thought, and
smiled ruefully, ready to take a gulp.

When the barman gestured to the man standing
at the opposite end of the bar, the Welshman almost spilled his pint. For there
standing with a satisfied smile on his face was Charlie Scott. He was alive and
wearing some poncy silk outfit.

"Where the hell have you been?"
Tim asked, his beer still untouched. "We thought you had drowned."

Charlie took a sip of his beer. "I got
a new job."

"What?"

"Yeah. I had to leave town straight
away."

"Bollocks."

"It's true."

"People don't skip town on foot,
leaving all their belongings behind in an unlocked van. I don't care how much
the job pays."

"Look, Tim. I didn't come here to
argue. I haven't seen you for weeks. Can't we just enjoy a beer together? I
don't have much time. I've got to get back to my . . . job."

"I want to
know what the hell's going on. I've been out my mind with worry. I'm your best
mate. I deserve the truth."

"You won't
believe me."

"I don't
believe you now. So what difference will it make?"

The two friends
stared at each other. All around them the room bustled with chatter and
laughter. But they may just as well have been standing in an empty concert
hall. "Okay," Charlie said. "Follow me."

Tim followed his
flatmate out onto the unlit rugby pitch. And there beneath the night clouds of
Penarth, Tim saw something he would never forget. One moment his friend was
standing in front of him, all flesh and bone, and the next he was aglow,
shining a green so bright he had to turn his eyes away.

Tim glanced at
the clubhouse to see if anyone was watching. But nobody had noticed the incredible
events taking place outside. When he turned back, Charlie was his usual pasty,
fleshy self.

"How?"

"It's a
long story, mate. And I told you I have to get back soon."

"Give me
the short version, then. You owe me that at least."

Charlie stroked
his chin, and smiled. "Okay. The short version. But no
interruptions."

Out there in the
South Wales drizzle Charlie whizzed through the events, barely stopping to
catch breath. The night surf, his capture, escape, the days spent as a
concubine, Awani, Bei and Brother Yojim, the change to key form, his true
parentage and his mission to end the Corporation attack, it flowed out of
Charlie in a torrent of words.

When Charlie was
done, Tim put a hand on his friends shoulder. "Don't go back, mate. It's
too dangerous."

"I made a
promise."

"Since when
did you give a shit about promises?"

"I'm not
that guy anymore. I've changed."

Tim shook his
head. "To my mind you've got two choices. You can stay here with your real
friends, living the life you've always lived, or you can go back and get your
arse killed fighting for people you didn't even know two weeks ago. Doesn't
seem like much of choice to me."

Charlie said
nothing.

"Come on,
mate. Your home is here."

Charlie looked
at the pint glass in his hand. He reached down and touched the grass of the
playing pitch. "I have missed this place. That's no lie."

"It's
missed you too, mate." Tim reached out and patted his friend's shoulder,
somewhat awkwardly. "You know in half a year you can save almost enough
for your surf trip. If you stay, I'll lend you the rest. Promise."

Charlie
straightened, letting out a long sigh.

Tim could see
the dilemma behind his friend's eyes. He was steadily convincing him.
"Come on, let's go back to the clubhouse. Two more pints and you'll forget
all about this craziness."

Tim backed
towards the rugby club.

Charlie took
three steps forward and then stopped.

"Charlie,
come on. We're getting wet."

"No,"
his friend said. "No. I promised."

"It isn't
worth dying over some promise."

Charlie looked
at Tim, his eyes bright through the falling rain. "I'm their only hope. I
can't let them down."

"But what
about-"

"See you
again, Tim." And then Charlie was gone.

Tim, his eyes
dancing with green light, stared at the empty patch of grass on front of him.
"I hope so, mate."