THE VROL TRILOGY (103 page)

"Alicia. Shhh - no one can see us. You have
to continue to act as if you are alone. Here, hold this," he said,
as he put a comm device in her hand. She immediately heard his
voice in her head, which startled her at first, but Vasquez was a
very sharp woman who immediately put two and two together,
especially as she was staring at not only Bagatelle, but also at
Lt. Jennifer Escalante and the fugitive Max Gunnarsson.

"
Ali, my god,
you are safe. I've been worried about you. Just whisper what you
want to say - we will hear you,
" Bagatelle thought out
to his lover and former second in command. At first she blasted out
a jumbled mess of thoughts, but they reflected back to her, causing
her to try and clear her mind.

"Sir, where have you been? I was
interrogated for seven hours when you went missing, but of course I
told them nothing - because I had no idea where you
went!
"
she murmured back
angrily while holding her cappuccino cup up to her lips in order to
mask her speaking from view.

"
I am so
sorry. Remember all of the details I gave you on what happened in
Machu Picchu? Well, they're back. Jennie returned with that old
wizard fellow and spirited me out of my confinement. He said it
would be best that you knew nothing
."

"He was correct,
"
she whispered,
"
I knew nothing so I couldn't tell them
anything. They even tried to painfully extract engrams, and that
failed. Since then they have left me alone. But where have you
been? And… hello, Lieutenant Escalante. You are looking well, as
would be expected. And am I to assume that this is Commander
Gunnarsson?
"

Both Jennie and Max nodded and smiled, as Max
addressed her.

"
Greetings,
Lt. Commander. Please look around and not at us, as if we are not
here. First, I must apologize for using such a public place, but G
insisted we make contact with you."

"
And I am Lt.
Gunnarsson now, Lt. Commander. Max and I are married
,"
added Jennie.

"No… way. Really?" she asked as she glared at
Bagatelle, who had obviously never popped the question. As she
looked at him, all while trying to appear that she was not looking
at anything at all she noticed that he looked fantastic - much
better than he had for a number of years.

"
Ali, can you
take a transport to a more remote location, perhaps where there is
no surveillance? We need to show you some things and can't have you
popping out of view,
" Bagatelle thought over the
comm.

"Sure. Once my duty shift is over I am off
for the weekend. I was actually planning on surfing at New Bondi.
We can meet there in four hours. How does that sound?"

She detected laughter in her mind, and
looking around, noticed that she had not gained the attention of
anyone. Getting up, she didn't even look back as she went to return
to her duty station, which was in an office near the plaza. Then,
sneaking a peak back, she saw no one occupying the chairs at her
table. They were gone as quickly and quietly as they had
arrived.

###

Four hours later, Vasquez was paddling
out between sets. The waves were a meter overhead and consistent,
with an offshore wind that helped them to hold their shape,
accentuated by a strong northerly current that tended to increase
their length. Getting out past the breaks, she sat on her board and
watched for the next set to start rolling in. There were a number
of other surfers in the water, but she was furthest out, as she
liked to paddle hard and take the wave as early as possible. Even
in the 29
^th
century, surfing
was a competitive sport.

A good-sized wave started to form as
she turned towards the shore, paddling like mad. Her board was two
and three-quarters meters long, qualifying it as a longboard and
enabling her to roll into waves much earlier than the youngsters
who were on short boards, closer to the shore. The wave was smooth
and built up nicely as she started to catch its momentum. As soon
as she got forward thrust she popped up and dropped in, perfectly
placing herself in the pocket. Then, to her surprise, the wave grew
in size, becoming over three meters high at the face and forming a
perfect tube that she expertly guided herself into.
Stoked
that such an awe-inspiring
wave had formed, she was just as amazed when she found herself
standing, motionless, without her board, in a large cavern. There
was artificial lighting; no water and her momentum had completely
halted.

"Welcome, Ali. Sorry we had to do things that
way, but we saw that there was a lapse in satellite surveillance,
so we snagged you," said Bagatelle as he brought Alicia a
towel.

"Um, yeah, that was kinda weird, and you blew
what was probably the best wave I've ever caught in my life," she
replied sardonically. "So, where are we?"

"In a cave!" loudly exclaimed a very animated
Draagh, who was busy off in a corner of the new installation.

"That much is obvious. So, is that the wizard
fellow you were talking about?" she asked Bagatelle.

"Yes. Draagh, this is Lt. Commander Alicia
Vasquez. Ali, this is Draagh. He's… um… immortal. And he's a mage
and can do really amazing things. And we are in a subterranean
cavern on Vera right now. This will be our base of operations while
we assemble our forces to fight the Vrol."

Draagh waved at Alicia as he continued
working. She thought he looked odd, wearing what was apparently
some sort of fishbowl over his head.

"So, I went from the perfect wave in New
Bondi to a cave on Vera in the snap of a finger. That's a 48 hour
trip in our fastest ships this time of year. Impressive. And the
Vrol - that's what you call the Artusians, right?" she asked.

"Yes, that's what we call them. Hello,
Alicia. I'm Max. It's nice to meet you and actually speak out
loud," Max said as he walked over to where the lt. commander was
standing.

"Hello, sir. Or should I even address you by
rank. I don't know, I'm confused," she stammered as the lycan
commander extended his hand in friendship.

"Max will suffice for the time being, Lt.
Commander, as we tend to be informal. But make no mistake; we are
leading an off-world contingent that will be critical to fending
off the Vrol before they even arrive. Even though Bagatelle has
been stripped of rank on this planet, and he has started from
scratch on Old-Earth, I still defer to him as a superior officer,
though there are certain things in which I most definitely am
superior."

"Oh, really. Things… such as?" she asked most
sarcastically.

Lt. Commander Alicia Vasquez nearly wet her
wetsuit as she watched Max Gunnarsson flap his powerfully
impressive wings and lift off the ground. She was about to say
something, when Michael and Gabriel both went shooting by, flying
madly down the extensive corridors that they had already created.
The brothers were again reveling in their competitive natures, but
this time getting along quite swimmingly.

"Okaaaay, yeah, things. Right. So, flying
men?"

"Max is the son of Mija-El, also known as
Saint Michael, the Taxiarch. You know, the commander of Heaven's
forces?" said Bagatelle.

"You mean San Miguel Arcángel? The real one?
It's… he's real?" she asked.

"I am the real deal, as they say, Alicia. It
is a pleasure to meet you," said Michael as he extended his hand.
He had appeared as quickly as he had flown by mere moments
before.

Looking over Max, she had a look of total
dismay, as she tried to understand the gravity of everything.

"Max? An archangel's son? How did that
happen?" she gasped.

"Well, my parents obviously had sex, wouldn't
you think?" Max asked rhetorically.

"I didn't mean it that way! I mean, angels
are real? Wings and all?"

"Do I look real to you?" asked Gabriel, as he
entered the chamber, accompanied by Jessica, who had been busy
assisting in the organization and layout of the new rooms and
corridors.

"What else do I need to know? What if the
surveillance cameras train back on my location?"

"Oh, we've taken care of that, my dear, yes
we have.

Jennie was catching her fourth wave
while disguised as Alicia Vasquez. Draagh had temporarily altered
her appearance, making her a perfect clone of her former superior
officer. While she knew how to surf, she was not as accomplished as
the Lt. Commander. However, Draagh had embedded her katana inside
Alicia's surfboard, enabling Jennie to navigate it much more
effectively, and even propel it into waves. Numerous youths,
waiting closer to shore for waves, were complaining that the
old chick
was hogging all the waves;
Jennie giggled and slashed her board past them on every peaked-out
swell she caught.

"Oh, Jennie took your place. No worries,
we'll bring her back once we have finished discussing some things
with you - and making you an offer," said Bagatelle, "but first
things first." He walked over to her, and putting her hands on her
slightly angular cheeks, drew her face close to his and gave her a
tender kiss.

"Mmmm, my oh my, it's been a long time, G.
Are you simply going to poof away again anytime soon?"

"No, dear. I'm truly sorry for what happened
before, but it was the only thing I could do. Anyway, we need to
discuss genetics. Max is not only the son of an archangel but he is
also a lycan."

"A what, huh? Is this the wolf thing you were
telling me about, that you didn't put in your report?"

"Yes. Draagh can explain in more detail later
on, but I am also lycan, as are you," he said with a look of utmost
sincerity.

"I'm a lycan? Sorry, G, I don't feel it. What
makes me a lycan? My complexion?" she asked sarcastically. Sarcasm
was her strong suit. Dealing with reality was a second trait in
which she excelled.

"You have recessive genes in your system. I
also had them, but they are no longer recessive, as they have been
activated. Jennie, of course, being my sister, is also lycan."

"Oh, so she knows now. Thank god. I was
biting my tongue half the time, wanting to tell her. You were so
mean to her on the ship!"

"I couldn't risk anyone finding out we were
related. She would have been removed from my command. You know
that," he said sadly.

"Yeah, I know, hun. It's ok. So, how did you
activate? Is there a switch or something?"

Before she could start her next sentence, she
felt a small prick in her arm, looking quickly to see Michael
pulling a syringe away.

"There. You should start noticing changes in
a few minutes," said the archangel.

"What was that? What did you put in me?" she
demanded.

"Oh my dear, it is perfectly fine. It is a
serum we made that will enable your body to avail itself of all of
the wonders of nature," said Draagh.

"Um, right. Isn't that what Dr. Timo
thy Leary said in the 20
^th
century?"

"Who? I am unfamiliar with that name,
my dear," answered Draagh, as Bagatelle started to laugh, being
fully aware of the
Flower Power
Generation
on Old-Earth. Taking Alicia by the hand,
the former rear admiral walked her over to a comfortable seating
area and sat with her on a couch.

"Ok, relax, Ali. Close your eyes and smell
the air. Listen to the sounds. It is going to become more
pronounced, more intense," Bagatelle said calmly, walking her into
her new abilities slowly.

They waited for ten minutes and Alicia still
had not experienced anything extraordinary. Draagh was perplexed,
as she indeed carried the recessive gene. Then, having an idea, he
walked over and touched her arm, causing a small amount of blood to
painlessly transfer into a capsule held in his other hand. The red
liquid flowed from her skin, looking like a beautiful red ribbon.
Alicia was amazed as the old mage then conjured an infopanel,
complete with a holographic display, and poured the blood sample
onto the semi-tangible surface of the infoscreen, which then
analyzed her life fluid.

"Ah, here it is. It appears that, although
she has the necessary genetics, for some reason her body is not
producing the virus necessary for coordination with her genes and
the ambient particles, as well as those flowing throughout her
blood and lymph system. Luigi, my dear boy, you now have the
opportunity to turn your first lycan," Draagh stated with great
authority and delight.

"Huh? Turn? What do you mean?" she asked,
startled.

"Um, I have to get my blood into your
bloodstream," responded Bagatelle.

"And how are you going to do… ow!"

Alicia yelped in pain as Bagatelle bared his
fangs and sunk them into her neck, making sure that the blood from
a cut in his mouth entered into the wound. As he pulled away she
looked at him, frightened at his appearance. He had temporarily
gone to phase 2, in order to increase the size of his canines and
facilitate a proper bite.

"Please, don't be alarmed. I always wanted to
bite someone, so I am glad you are my first," he said, almost
comically as he gradually returned to his day form.

It was then that Alicia almost immediately
started to feel differently. She could nearly smell colors and see
sounds. Her tactile senses became razor sharp, and turning, she
looked at Bagatelle and started run her hands over his face and
neck, following up by kissing him furiously.