Gate: The Conduit

Chapter 2

Karan’za ignored the warning and lay down on the mat. She looked up at the living ceiling and took in a deep breath. As she mentally prepared to enter the mind of an unwitting Terran, she traced the tight weave of the branches overhead with her eyes.

“You’re suffering, too. You need more rest.”

She took another deep, meditative breath, paying close attention to how it felt. She allowed the little sounds of the forest to filter in, and embraced the reality around her. For the time that she was under, she wouldn’t be herself. Her entire person would be wrapped up in that of the subject. Her consciousness would be but a shadow, something out of the corner of one’s eye that disappears as soon as attention is drawn to it. The subject would have no idea, nor would she. Part of her was terrified of the concept of losing herself. The other part was thrilled.

“Karan’za…are you listening to me?”

Karan’za smiled. She loved annoying her Anchor. They always worried too much. She looked up at a frowning, furry face and winked.

“Don’t give me that. You’re being reckless,” Enos’rel said, scowling.

“This Conduit is being reassigned. He’s moving to a new area. I get to see new things.” Karan’za shifted a little on her mat and looked back at the ceiling as she continued her submersion preparations. “Enos’rel, it’s exactly how Orin predicted. I know it. They’re there.”

“Regardless, you are staying in way too long. He’s suffering symptoms. So are you. You’re on the very edge of disaster.”

“His symptoms could be from job stress, Enos’rel. You know that.” Karan’za cocked her head so she could see him better. “You know there’s no interaction, right? There’s never been feedback before. I’m just a…” She searched for the Terran phrase. “…a fly on a wall.”

“A what?”

“There’s never been feedback before. His symptoms are probably just stress,” Karan’za repeated, looking at the ceiling again as she returned to her meditative device she used to relax before going back in. Tracing the branches.

“We’ve never had Watchers push the limits until now either. Even dying. If you get more nosebleeds, we’ll need to bring in more blood,” Enos’rel grumbled. “No. It’s too dangerous. You’re not going back in.”

“Where’s the Librarian?”

“I sent him away. You’re done.” Enos’rel crossed his arms.

“You’re funny.” Karan’za giggled. Enos’rel looked down and saw that she was touching his leg. His thoughts were already hers. But then, hers were his too. He sensed for an instant the thrill of anticipation she was experiencing and shook his head as he peeled her fingers off his leg.

“We may have to pull you, Karan’za. I will pull you. I have that authority. This is becoming too personal to you. You’re getting sucked in just like…” Enos’rel stopped and looked out the window. “I can’t lose you like that, Karan’za. I’ll pull you from the mission.”

“And Orin will restore me.” Karan’za shifted again as she got comfortable. “Unless you have more Watchers to replace me? Are there any more Elvish Gatekeepers coming to relieve me?”

Enos’rel scowled and looked over his shoulder. The Librarian stood up and walked quietly over to her as he sat back and glared at the two of them.

“Keep me Anchored, Enos’rel. You’re the best at that. I’ll be fine.” Karan’za patted his leg as she relaxed even further. Enos’rel resided in the same tree that her family occupied and was ideal to keep her mindful of home when she was not herself.

“I’ll keep you Anchored, but if you break the chain, we will lose you,” Enos’rel said quietly as he slumped, despondent. He gathered up his thoughts and grabbed her hand, sharing his memories of their home with her as he got busy anchoring her.

“Then I’d better not… better… not…” Karan’za started as she started drifting off. Her eyes were closing and she found the Conduit and completely lost her train of thought. In a flash, she was no longer she.

~ ~ ~

“You have got to be kidding me!” Andrew yelled furiously. “I put in this requisition a week ago. I bought those with my own money.”

“Sorry, sir. But you’re not on the reimbursement list anymore,” the clerk said absentmindedly as he typed something on his terminal.

“Well look again! I’ve been on there for… for forever. Since I’ve been with this agency. How can I not be on there?”

The clerk looked up at him, annoyed. “Reimbursements only apply if you’re on a mission or in training. Personal expenditures…”

“That was practice, not personal. Fine tuning my marksmanship. It was training,” Andrew insisted as he leaned against the counter. He fought the urge to climb over and pound it into the smug clerk’s head.

“Your current assignment does not qualify for reimbursement, sir.”

“Two weeks ago I was on another assignment.”

“Two weeks ago you were transitioning and debriefing and…” He looked at the screen. “In medical.” The clerk crossed his arms. “Another round of radiation treatment? Hardly any call to be training.”

“This…this is wrong. Those bullets were expensive. Do you think I’m rich?”

The clerk shrugged and returned his attention to the monitor. “Leave your firearm, please.”

“Not this one. This one is mine!” Andrew patted his holster.

The clerk stopped typing and looked at him over his glasses.

Andrew fidgeted and dug into his knapsack. “Here. Here’s your stupid pistol. It’s a worthless piece of…”

“The holster too.”

“Yeah, yeah. Do you think I’m stupid?” Andrew pulled the holster from the bag, unwrapped both it and the government issue pistol from the packing plastic, and plopped them unceremoniously on the counter. “I tried to check this in last year but you insisted I keep it.”

“Personal weapons are not authorized on mission.” The clerk examined the pistol. “You were issued a full clip.”

“Huh? Are you serious? You won’t reimburse me for my….and now I have to shell out more just to…” Andrew stammered as he fumbled in his pack and found a box. “Here’s some stupid bullets. Should be five left.”

The clerk looked at him.

Andrew shrugged. “That’s all I have on me.”

“Fine. The rest will be deducted from your pay.” The clerk went back to typing.

Andrew stared at him for a moment then tossed the paperwork in the air and spun on his heels.

“Get your crap and follow me,” Andrew snapped as he walked by Sally and Jonah. They fidgeted and looked at each other as they grabbed their bags and hurried after Andrew, trying to keep up.

After several minutes of fuming silence, they arrived at another part of the large campus and Andrew stepped into a medical waiting room, glaring at Sally and Jonah as they caught up. “Sit!”

Sally bristled, but Andrew gave her a murderous glare and she sat down next to Jonah. “We’re people, you know.”

“Right now you’re a headache and I’m looking for some aspirin,” Andrew grumbled as he went to the counter. “Andrew Lee.”

“We were just about to give your slot away,” the nurse said, looking at him sternly over her glasses.

Andrew rolled his eyes and grit his teeth. “I was held up in supply.”

The nurse made a rude noise as she picked up her clipboard and walked past him without another word.

“Do I get Roger? He’s been handling my case.”

“Yes. He’s been waiting breathlessly for you,” the nurse said sarcastically.

“Good.” Andrew tried to ignore the sarcasm. His headache was back and he was already irritated.

“Sir. Your ten o’clock finally made it,” the nurse said.

“Andrew! We were wondering if you’d make it,” Roger said, smiling as he stood up from his desk. He nodded at the nurse who promptly left the room, giving Andrew a cool look as she walked by.

“Did I make her mad?” Andrew looked back at her as the door closed. “Did she lose a bet or something?”

“It’s your sunny disposition, Andrew,” Roger said as he sat on the edge of his desk and looked at a folder. “I see you’ve been reassigned. Not bad.”

“Not bad? Are you kidding? Roger, I’m a CIA field agent. I’m supposed to be out stirring the pot down in South America, or the Middle East or something. All my contacts are going to go cold. They put me on a local detail. Like some analyst. You know what that means, right?” Andrew sat down heavily on the couch.

“Every field agent gets rotated stateside from time to time, Andrew,” Roger said, looking at Andrew over his glasses. Andrew noticed the trend and fought the urge to go rip those glasses off the physician’s face.

“I am six for six, Roger. Top of my game.” Andrew crossed his arms as he kicked at the rug with his heel. “In this business, you’re either going up or going down.” He looked at Roger. “My new assignment isn’t going down. It’s splatting at the bottom of the crap bucket. I ticked someone off and can’t get a straight answer.”

“Andrew, maybe you’re not getting a straight answer because there is none.”

“I’ve been with the agency for almost ten years. Half a dozen deep cover and long term assignments and all successful. I made a difference, Roger. A big difference. Saved lives even.” Andrew half got out of his seat. “You know what they did? They took my pistol. That’s right. My pistol.”

“Is it needed for your assignment?”

Andrew sat back down and fumed.

“They took your weapon when you went to Moscow, too.”

“Yeah…but it wasn’t like this,” Andrew said. “I’ve been busting my butt trying to move my career forward. Every crap job they gave me I turned into a success.”

“There are no crap jobs in the CIA, Andrew.” Roger put his folder down and sat down next to him. “Look that way.”

Andrew complied as the physician peered through an ophthalmoscope at one of his eyes. “I feel like I’m being put out to pasture. Retired before my time. Like they’re just shifting me to the back of the group until I’m….a clerk or something.”

Roger laughed as he examined his other eye. “That’s why the clerks love you so much.”

“I’m being serious, Roger. What is it about me? I play by the numbers and do the job right. I get along with my team. No complaints. Not a single bad mark on my record.” Andrew looked at the physician.

“Andrew, many times, our job is what we make of it.” Roger put his scope away and passed a finger in front of Andrew’s face. “Follow this please. No, keep your head straight. Eyes.”

“I’ve tried to make the best out of it. But sometimes, crap is crap. A birthday candle doesn’t make it a cake.” Andrew grimaced as the doctor examined his thyroid glands on his neck.

“Headaches?”

“I’m seeing double right now. But then I’ve had a really bad day. My career is being flushed down the toilet.” Andrew blinked and looked at the physician. “Have the tests come back yet?”

“They’re clear, Andrew. No tumor.” Roger jotted some notes in his folder.

“Crap.” Andrew sighed as he leaned back on the couch and slumped.

Roger laughed. “That’s a first for me.”

“Is this it? Why they’re shelving me? This… problem I’m having? It’s not gotten in the way, Roger. I can shoot the wings off a gnat at fifty yards on my worst day. You know that. That stupid clerk knows too. He has to be jealous.” Andrew frowned and crossed his arms.

Roger shrugged. “I only send the reports upstairs, Andrew. But everyone gets migraines from time to time.”

“Not all the time.” Andrew rubbed his nose and flinched. “Look! Look at that! Second time this week.”

Roger gave him a tissue and Andrew held it to his nose, trying to stem the blood. “See? Do you believe me now?”

“I believed you before, Andrew,” Roger said as he jotted some notes down in his folder.

“Roger, I need this fixed. This has to be it. I need to get my career back on track,” Andrew said. “You have to do something.”

“You are as fit as any of our agents, Andrew.” Roger put his pen back in his pocket. “What I am seeing is excessive anxiety and Andrew, that is part of the job. Take some downtime and depressurize.”

“You’re saying this is all in my head? What about that Russian uranium? You tested me when I was here on leave.”

“None of your team tested for exposure and you all handled the case.” Roger shook his head as he scribbled some more.

“It can’t be as simple as that. I’m happy. See?” Andrew gave Roger a big smile.

“Stress is a tangible cause of many illnesses, Andrew.”

“Then give me a pill or something. I need to get back in the field. Not this…” He stopped and shook his head. Black-ops prevented him from divulging more of his current mission even to his CIA physician. “Roger, I need a solution. I have to find a way to turn this around.”

“It sounds like you’ve been given an easy assignment.” Roger stood up. “Take it. Use it to recover. A pill isn’t going to solve this. Spend some time with your wife. Even your brother.”

Andrew looked at the ceiling as he dabbed his nose. “Great. Just great. You know where my brother goes?”

Roger looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Nowhere. Stuck in the same hole in the wall job. I’ve been out there, Roger. I’ve made something for myself. I’ve made a real difference. And I can still make a difference. Georgia is wide open. Ripe fruit ready for the picking. I should have that gig.”

“I think you’ll still make a difference. But you need a shift in perspective and a break from the action can do it. You are still happily married, right?”

Andrew chewed his cheek.

“Spend some time with the Mrs.” Roger looked at Andrew. “Get reacquainted. This job is murder on marriages.”

“We’re okay,” Andrew said as he played with a spot on the carpet. He glanced up at Roger. “No, really. I mean…she even went to Germany when I was in Moscow. We’re doing fine.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” Roger looked sideways at Andrew.

“Okay, so I’m gone a lot. But it’s worked really well. She understands. Sort of.”

“She understands that you’re a Navy officer who is deployed most of the time,” Roger said. “That can be hard on the both of you. Especially the secrets.”

Andrew shrugged. “I’m good with it. She’s managing. My brother checks in on her a few times a week. We’re making it work.”

“Everyone has their limits, Andrew.” Roger crossed his arms. “You know as well as anyone that pushing those limits too long affects mission performance.”

“Not a complaint, Roger. Not a single bad mark.” Andrew bristled. “Ask my team if you don’t believe me. They’re going to hate having to deal with Clancy. He’s a micro-manager.”

“No complaints yet, Andrew. Yet. Perhaps your boss is trying to keep it that way.” Roger nodded.

Andrew dabbed his nose and wadded the tissue up. “I want to believe you, Roger. But gut instinct is saying something else. It’s screaming at me. I like my job. I love it. I don’t want to lose it and now… Roger, this is really a crap assignment. I may as well be assigned janitor at the landfill.”

“Don’t knock it. CIA janitors are well paid.” Roger grinned.

“Very funny. You should be a comedian,” Andrew said, trying not to smile.

“My prescription is, take the assignment as an opportunity to unwind. I expect you to report back to me in six months with a much better outlook. Understand?”

“Yes,  sir,” Andrew moped. “I was hoping for a pill.”

“That’s your pill. Get out of my office now. I have a cup of coffee that’s getting cold.” Roger stood up and looked at him expectantly. Andrew shook his head and followed suit. He hesitated briefly, then left the office.

“Did he give you a pill?” Sally snarked as Andrew walked by.

“Shut up and follow me,” Andrew grumbled.

“Apparently no pill.” Sally smirked at Jonah.

Jonah shook his head. “If you poke the jellyfish, you’re going to get stung.”

“He’s being a jerk,” Sally said loud enough for Andrew to hear. Andrew kept walking until they were out at the parking area. “Where are we going?”

“Hotel. We’re leaving early tomorrow morning, so get your sleep,” Andrew said glumly as he got in the car.

“The cop that brought us here was funner,” Sally grumbled as she got in.

“Back seat.” Andrew glared at her. “I need some space right now.”

~ ~ ~

“The results are back.”

Keith shifted his phone. “Good news?”

“I’m not sure. He still has his headaches.”

“He is a headache. What about the incident?”

Roger shifted his papers. “Keith, he is squeaky clean. Same as his team. He got more radiation exposure from the flight home. I’ve run every test imaginable and it’s been almost a year. His treatments have been purely preventative.”

Keith frowned and crossed his arms while he balanced the phone on his shoulder. “No sign of contamination at all?”

“From what I’ve read of the debriefing, he and his team has been through a full decontamination routine, plus iodine supplements.” Roger looked at his notes. “Which he filed a complaint about. We should make it  taste less like…” Roger cocked his head. “That’s a Russian word but….”

“Leave it. No one likes that stuff, but it is what it is.” Keith waved his hand. He rubbed his temples. “So my team is in the clear, then? No demons waiting to jump out of the shadows?”

“It would appear so. He’s the only one exhibiting symptoms. I mean, a lot of it points to radiation poisoning, but… they have to be from something else. Keith. Perhaps there’s a low level infection that’s evading our analysis. I’m doing another round of tests on his blood samples.”

“I should have sent him to Georgia then.” Keith shook his head, sighing. “But…”

“But Mary. She hated it last time. Remember Germany? And this detail you have him on is pretty sensitive anyway. Who else would you trust with this but him?” Roger asked.

“It is a bit convenient.” Keith nodded. “Killing two birds with one stone. You didn’t tell him, did you?”

“Are you nuts? I’ll let her tell him!” Roger exclaimed then covered his mouth when the nurse opened the door and peeked in. He shook his head. “No. And Keith, I think you’re obsessing over nothing. No radiation damage to worry about.”

“Do you blame me? Oh, and I want to confirm that his mission is registered black-ops. Complete interdepartmental black-out. I want to keep this close to the chest. That goes for you too. If word gets out that our latest, greatest achievements came about because of the actions of a pair of treasonous felons, it’ll get rather messy around here for all of us. It’s bad enough that Eric found out.”

Roger made the zipper motion over his mouth, then realized that Keith wasn’t there to see it. “No problem, Keith. Besides, you’ve been great job security for me. No one else seems to put their teams as far out on the edge as you do.”

“You remember that.” Keith grinned and hung the phone up.

Gate: The Conduit

Chapter 3

It was quiet that evening. His mysterious visitor had not arrived yet. Thoughts of the nightly torment began fading as he started relaxing towards the inevitable oblivion of slumber. He hated having to sleep. It broke up his schedule of productivity. However, even with his breeding, at least six hours were needed for optimal functionality. He smiled. Tonight he would get seven hours. He hoped. Perhaps he would actually have a moment of peace.

His hopes were dashed when he heard a loud bump that seemed to shake the whole apartment. His wife snorted briefly, but remained asleep. Bill remained still, grasping his pistol under his pillow as he waited. It had never worked before, but there was always a first time and he was determined to be prepared. As he gripped the pistol and got ready to shoot the intruder, he realized that the shape was all wrong. He looked at it, then up, and flinched as a huge, armored hand gripped his chest and lifted him bodily out of bed.

“If you use this. you are the only one who will perish.” The booming voice seemed to come from everywhere as the hand pulled him close to a steaming, helmeted face. Flames erupted from the seams of the armor and he winced at the heat. “Against me, none of your weapons can prosper.”

Its other hand crunched the pistol and let the pieces fall to the floor.

“I’m not afraid of death.” Bill said, as much to remind himself as to convince the monster that gripped him.

“Have you died before?” The room trembled with the presence of the creature. Dust rained down from the ceiling and pictures began falling from the walls.

“Irrelevant.” Bill looked intently at the flaming eyes that stared back at him. He could almost hear the sneer as the creature squeezed his chest even tighter. But he refused to give in. Self preservation for the sake of self preservation was something that had been actively bred out of his people. He wasn’t about to surrender to the wispy remnants of that.

“For yourself, you may not fear. But I know your heart, William. I know your thoughts and your dreams. I know what occupies your waking thoughts and your darkest nightmares.”

The creature turned and carried him towards a wall. Bill grimaced as flames and sparks escaped the seams of the armor that enveloped the monster. The whole room was lit by the hellish glow. “I cannot give you what you wish. I will not.” Bill grit his teeth.

The creature laughed, and he felt the laugh prying into the deepest layers of his soul. “This will be your reality then.” It waved it’s hand and the wall of the apartment was violently blown away in a storm of ash and sparks. Bill closed his eyes, refusing to look.

“You cannot hide from it, William. Look into the heart of your deepest fear.”

“It’s not real!” Bill said, his voice cracking. He felt the pressure building on him like a steam boiler about to burst, but he still fought the urge to give in to manic fear. “This is a dream! You will not win!”

“Foolish man! This is not a manifestation of my victory! But of our loss!” The creature bellowed, its fury seeming to wash over Bill like waves of fire.

The rest of the walls fell away as the creature waved its arm around, and Bill couldn’t avoid seeing it. Everywhere he looked was destruction. The entire world was a seething ocean of slag. No cities, no land, no life. Just roiling lava.

“Do what you will with the woman. But her children belong to me. Their future is connected to your past.” The creature said coldly. The words seemed to sear into Bill’s mind, opening fresh wounds as he remembered them from the night before, and the night before that. Without warning or buildup, he was surrounded by what could only be described as a cyclone of blindingly bright light. It was then that Bill finally felt the fear that had been hiding in the shadows. He cried out, terrified as the storm reached its crescendo until suddenly, it was gone.

Blinking, Bill sat up in a panic. His wife shifted a little, but continued snoring. Taking in a deep, shuddering breath, he looked down at the floor and saw his pistol. It was broken into little twisted pieces. Scowling, he picked up his phone from the bedstand. “Jacob?” He hesitated, looking at the broken pistol for a long moment. A kill order may not be prudent after all.

“Sir?”

Bill almost jumped and fumbled his phone. “Um, I need a progress report on the hunt for your alien.”

“On your desk, sir.”

Bill hung up the phone. He rubbed his eyes, then dialed another number. A sleepy voice answered. Bill frowned. “Get up. I need you to move Mary to the top of the treatment list. And schedule an exam for her.” He stared at the pieces of the pistol. “Yes, Mary Lee.”

~ ~ ~

The fingers felt soft, in spite of looking like long, spiny claws. Andrew furrowed his eyebrows, finding that observation peculiar. How did he know they were spiny? And more importantly, what were long, spiny claws doing on his face? He fidgeted and squirmed, trying to get away from the claws. But they remained on his face. Taking in a deep breath, Andrew opened his eyes and found himself face to face with a monster. It had hard, plated skin. Not quite scales, but close. Its eyes blinked sideways as well as horizontally, and had horizontal figure-eight pupils.

Andrew involuntarily screamed and thrashed out. Strong hands held him, however, and he twisted around to find himself looking at what had to have been a vampire. Her skin was as white as the purest marble. Even her irises were white. She said something and he saw her teeth as she spoke. He cringed away from her as she shifted her grip on his arms. With a jerk, Andrew pulled himself free and scrambled back. But everything was wrong. It looked wrong. Felt wrong. He planted his feet on the floor and pushed off hard, taking a step as he rose up. But his balance was off. He felt vastly lighter, but stronger at the same time. Without warning, he found himself crashing into the wall and then rolling over the window sill.

The fall was jarring. His heart seemed to lodge in his throat. Branches whipped at his face as he fell and he instinctively reached out and clawed for one. Without thinking, he grabbed one and used its elasticity to slow his fall as he grabbed yet another. In an instant he was up against a massive tree trunk, hugging it as he trembled in terror. Why was he afraid? He was a trained agent. And yet he couldn’t control himself. Blinking, he looked around. It was night, but he could see clearly. Almost like it was day. He looked up, then down, and tried to make sense of what was happening to him. The whole world was reeling as vertigo set in. Andrew covered his face. He had parajumper training. Heights shouldn’t be a problem for him.

Then he felt it. Fur. He rubbed his face then jerked his hands away. Looking down, he saw that his hands were also covered with fur. Andrew frantically wiped his hands, trying to pull the fur off. Panic set in again as he looked at his arms that were also covered in fur. Then he looked down at his chest. Except, it wasn’t his. It was a woman’s. A furry woman’s chest. Andrew cried out as he looked in horror. What was happening?

Suddenly a little, glowing girl was floating in front of him. She said something but he couldn’t understand her. Another furry creature swung in from a branch and deftly landed beside him. Andrew looked down for branches to climb on, but more furry people were clambering up the tree from below.

Andrew tried to scramble away but a hand grabbed his face and he saw stars. Screaming, he jerked back, but the hand remained. Memories flooded in. Or were they flowing out? But they were not his. They were hers. The creature was yelling at someone and suddenly more hands were on him. Andrew closed his eyes tight, but couldn’t stem the flow of memories and he suddenly retched.

The vampire landed beside him and grabbed him up effortlessly. He tried to resist but suddenly fell limp as the fight inexplicably left him. Did the vampire do that? Impossibly strong arms carried him back up to a structure high overhead and lay him down. He looked around, confused. The place was familiar, but alien at the same time. The creatures were talking to him, both verbally and in his head.

Then he heard the words. Understood them. But he wasn’t him. He was her. Blinking, she looked around as she dug her fingers into the wooden branches that made up the floor.

“Karan’za? Are you back?”

She jerked around and looked at the vampire. Only, it wasn’t a vampire. She knew her. Aradia. A Keratian. Karan’za opened her mouth but could only cry silently as the world came rushing back to her.

“Hold her tightly.” Another familiar voice. Karan’za looked around. She knew the creature. An Elf.

“Enos’rel, it’s never been this bad before,” Aradia said. The Elf knelt down beside her and grabbed her face. Memories flooded in and Karan’za took in a deep, shuddering breath.

“What…what happened?” She looked around, still trying to pull her wits together.

“You’re pushing her too hard!” Aradia said to someone she couldn’t see. Karan’za twisted her head around and saw another vampire…Keratian. He looked stern but unapologetic.

“She will recover.”

“She could die, Orin,” Aradia said angrily.

“She agreed,” Orin said, looking down at Karan’za. “We must know.”

“You cannot keep her in that long.” Aradia looked back down at Karan’za.

“In…” Karan’za said. In Elvish. It was coming back to her. “The Conduit…”

“Can wait. We had to pull you out,” Aradia said firmly. “Orin, we are running out of Watchers. We can’t afford her to end up like…” She stopped and looked down at Karan’za.

“His loss is regrettable. But we have no other Watchers to take his place,” Orin said, softer this time. “She knows the critical nature of this mission.”

“Did he get it?” Karan’za looked at the alien creature that had been touching her face when she woke up. A Librarian. He had been recording her experience.

“Yes.” The Librarian’s voice was soft and calm.

Karan’za sighed and lay back. “I need to go back in.”

“You need to rest,” Aradia said as Enos’rel moved away. Karan’za was herself now.

She sat up and looked around. “He’s positioned where we need a Conduit. Moving North. Closer to the old Gate. We don’t have any other Conduits in that area.”

Aradia glowered and looked at Orin. He raised an eyebrow. “The information I have points to that region. We need to see.”

“Replace Merl. Watchers are supposed to work in shifts,” Aradia said sourly.

“A replacement will not be ready for several days.” Orin looked at Karan’za. “If he is on the move, he may see something and we could be missing it.”

“If she stays in as long as she did before again, we will lose her.” Aradia stood up.

“She knows the risk. She’s one of our top Chasers,” Orin said calmly.

“She’s not chasing a deviant, Orin. She’s plugging herself into someone else’s mind. She could lose herself.” Aradia looked down at Karan’za. “At least a day. Give her that.”

Karan’za lay back down. Orin frowned at Aradia then abruptly vanished into thin air. Aradia knelt back down. “Do not let him push you like this. You’re no good to us dead.”

“The Sadari are there, Aradia. I can almost taste it when I’m Watching.” Karan’za tried to sit up.

“And they’ll be there tomorrow,” Aradia said, pushing the Elf back down. “We must reduce your sessions.” She looked at the Librarian. “Prioritize your time while plugged in.”

Karan’za sighed. “He is asleep now. Or was when you pulled me out.” She glanced at the Librarian. “Have you found anything yet?”

The Librarian shook his head. “The Archive is processing it, looking for signs of the Sadari.”

Karan’za looked back at Aradia. “I trust Orin, Aradia. He found something in the Archives. He knows they’re still there and still a threat.”

“He’ll not learn anything new if you are not alive to Watch,” Aradia said softly. “Rest. Tomorrow we’ll try again.”

Karan’za nodded and lay back. It was good to be herself again.

~ ~ ~

“I just want to be upfront with you. I’m not here to be your friend.” Andrew glowered at the contrite looking couple that sat on his hotel sofa. He shifted in his chair and tossed each of them an envelope. “You’re traitors. Convicted spies.”

“Like you?” Sally said quietly as she looked at the envelope.

Andrew glared at her but kept his cool. “The only reason why you are here is because you didn’t sell the secrets. But, I think you did far worse than that. You leaked them to every media outlet stupid enough to bat an eye at you.” He rubbed the back of his neck. The headache was back.

“What’s this?” Jonah pulled an ID badge from the envelope and looked at it. Sally pulled a small folder of paperwork from hers.

“Your contract and credentials. As of today, thanks to your plea deal, you now have a permanent career with the Department of Defense.” Andrew leaned forward. “But don’t expect any pats on the back.”

“Did you even look at what we found?” Sally asked defensively.

“If I’m not cleared to look at it, I’m not going to. Even if it’s on the front page news. That’s called patriotism,” Andrew said coldly.

“That’s called sticking your head in the sand,” Sally grumbled, crossing her arms.

Andrew sighed and shook his head. “You work for us, you stay free. Screw up and we put you in separate prisons and you never see each other again. It’s as simple as that.”

“Free?” Sally challenged. “You really think we’re free?”

Andrew raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps you’d prefer solitary again?”

Sally fumed. “Sheep.”

“Yep. And us sheep have the keys, so you better behave and play nice.” Andrew sat up straighter. He looked at his watch and shook his head. “Okay, cover. We kept it simple and basically true. You work for Morrison Labs now. They have a research lab up in Seattle.”

“Seattle? Really?” Sally stood up. “We weren’t told you were moving us out of state!”

“Their facilities best match our circumstances,” Andrew said. He glanced at Jonah as he tugged on Sally’s arm.

“But, this is our home!”

“No. Jail is your home.” Andrew crossed his arms. “It’s not like you’re leaving behind any family.” He looked at the both of them. “Foster kids.”

“We didn’t choose that!” Sally grit her teeth.

“No. But you chose to misbehave. Now we are choosing for you.” Andrew shifted in his chair. “Seattle is your new home. Get used to it.”

“It’s okay, Sally,” Jonah said softly. “We’re together.”

“Yeah, about that. How in the world did you manage to get a marriage license?” Andrew looked at the two of them. They were barely seventeen when they married. Andrew smiled and leaned forward. “Give me more lip and I might let slip to the powers that be that you forged your documents.”

Sally glared at him as she sat down. “We’d just get married again.”

“In Seattle.” Andrew smiled and looked at his watch.

“Late for a date?”

“Waiting on our car.” Andrew sighed and looked at the plate of donuts. Neither Sally nor Jonah had touched them. Nor had he. But he was getting a little hungry. He looked up at them. “We have a long drive ahead of us.”

“We’re not flying?” Jonah looked incredulous.

“Nope. Too many prying eyes.” Andrew crossed his legs and leaned back. “So we’re going on a real cozy road trip.”

Jonah looked at Sally and was about to say something when there was a knock at the door. Andrew got up and straightened his clothes. “Get your bags. We’re leaving.” He pulled the door open then gaped.

“Welcome back, soldier!” A woman jumped into Andrew’s arms and squeezed him tightly. Sally and Jonah fidgeted and looked at each other.

“Mary? What are you doing here?” Andrew stammered as he returned the embrace.

“I wanted to surprise you. Your boss said it would be okay.” Mary gushed as she pulled back and wiped her eyes. “He told me you were being transferred to Seattle!”

“Yes. I’m consulting in a DoD project. But, why are you here?”

“Andrew. You’ve been on deployment for three months and you want to know why I flew across the Western seaboard to…” She noticed Sally and Jonah. “Who are they?”

Andrew looked back and sighed. Things were getting complicated too fast. “Interns at the company I’m going to consult for. That is Sally and he’s Jonah.” He looked at them sternly. “This is my wife, Mary.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Sally said pleasantly, taking Mary’s hand. “How long?”

Andrew cocked his head. “Huh?”

Mary looked down then glanced timidly at Andrew. “I was hoping to tell you over a nice, romantic dinner.”

“Mary?” Andrew glanced accusingly at Sally.

“We’re pregnant,” Mary said softly, looking up at Andrew nervously. “Twins.”

Gate: The Conduit

Chapter 4

Jacob sipped his tea as he looked intently at the man he was interrogating. He smiled kindly when the man glanced at him from his kitchen. He had no idea he was being interrogated. He returned with his coffee and sat down on his sofa and looked at Jacob critically. “You know they laughed at me.” He took a sip and made a face. “Even my coffee tastes different now!”

“I’m not laughing, Mr. Bowman.” Jacob said solemnly.

Rick sighed and looked at the floor. “Well… I would be laughing too. Were I you. Or the cops. I mean…” He shook his head and leaned back against the couch. “She really fried my brain. But no one believes me.”

“That’s why I’m here.” Jacob took another sip.

“She looked like us. Normal. Two arms, two legs. You know. Except her hands… she must have had gloves on or something.”

Jacob remained silent, looking intently at him. Rick fidgeted. “Okay, so I didn’t see… much. I mean, it was really dark back there. And she had her coat on with a hood.” He indicated with his hands up by his head. “But when she touched my face…” Rick splayed out his fingers and made an explosive sound with his lips. “My toes felt it. Even my hair hurt.”

“Did she have some sort of device? Perhaps she shocked you?” Jacob put his tea on the table and looked around at the apartment. It was actually pretty nice for a small time drug dealer.

Rick shook his head. “It felt like everything I knew was being drained. I saw it, and I mean it was sharp. But… I saw other stuff too. Scary stuff. Flashes of… I mean…” Rick waved his hand and picked up his coffee, looked at it then put it back down. “She ruined my coffee.”

“Flashes?”

“Monsters.” Rick said quietly. “It was… it felt real.” He looked at Jacob. “You’re recording this, right?”

“Of course. What did the monsters look like?”

“You know. Monsters. Like vampires and werewolves and this big scary looking… thing. Covered with spines and stuff.” Rick picked his coffee up again and took a gulp. He grimaced. “This isn’t in my head. I mean, this stuff tastes like crap now!”

“Perhaps you had a bad trip?”

“I don’t use.” Rick said quickly. He put the cup down. “I’m not stupid, you know.”

“Did she say anything?”

“I know she was scared. And not of me.” Rick shook his head. “Not remotely. She took my gun. And dude, she took it apart with one hand! Like you see in the movies!”

Jacob cocked his head.

“Like this.” Rick pulled his semi-automatic pistol out and tried to emulate what Ambri’a had done. “That’s as far as I can get. Eject the clip and… not even close. It was like the gun just fell apart in her hands.” He sighed as he frowned at his pistol. “The firing pin is still missing. I need to order a new one.”

“She must have had strong hands.”

“Bruised my face. Look.” Rick pointed as he put his pistol down. “Here and here. Like a vice.” He rubbed his cheeks. “Proof. Right there. And they still think I’m nuts.”

“I don’t.” Jacob smiled. He looked over his shoulder as another agent walked into the room and knelt down in front of Rick. “Have you showered since then?”

“Well duh! I… uh…” Rick looked down. The agent lifted his chin up and dabbed a bit of gel on his cheek where Ambri’a had touched it.

“You what?”

“I couldn’t help it. I wet myself.” Rick said quietly. “What is this?”

“The gel will hopefully leach out any residual samples she left.” Jacob said.

The agent scraped his cheek, making the gel fall off into a small glass vial.

“Ouch! You didn’t tell me about this!”

“Would you rather everyone think you’re crazy?” Jacob folded his hands in his lap.

Rick scowled as the agent moved to the other cheek. “No. I didn’t dream this up. It really happened.”

“Well, the police report corroborates at least part of your story. That’s a step in the right direction.” Jacob nodded.

“I’m losing customers. Do you have any idea what that’s like? Thinking I’m crazy or something? That reflects badly on my product.” Rick rubbed his cheek as the agent inserted the vials into a strange box. He frowned, glancing at the box again. “It’s bad enough being found in a puddle of my own pee. My clients are classy people. High end.”

“I understand. Did you see where she went?”

“Man, I was out of it. I was hearing colors, dude!” Rick shook his head. “I wouldn’t wish that trip on anyone.” He looked at Jacob critically. “My best customer cleared you. You better be legit.”

“Oh. We’re legit, alright.” Jacob smiled. “And we’re really good at what we do.”

“That’s what he said.” Rick nodded. “I want to turn this around. I want this to attract business. No one wants to buy from the crazy abductee dude, you know. But, a legitimate encounter, verified by science? Yeah. My yuppy peeps will think that’s very cool.”

“Peeps?”

“People. Dude, get with the 90’s, man.” Rick snarked. He looked at his half empty cup of coffee. “I miss my beans. I have my own roaster too. He roasts them to perfection.”

Jacob looked back at the agent who was busy examining the vials in his portable lab. He returned his look and nodded. Jacob grinned widely as he stood up and looked over the agent’s shoulder. “Well, my man here thinks he’s got something.”

“Excellent!” Rick beamed. He followed Jacob and looked at the screen.

“Those are not your cells, and she wasn’t wearing a glove.” Jacob patted him in the shoulder.

“It’s real.” Rick said. He wiped his brow and stood up. Jacob smiled and stood to the side as Rick abruptly fell onto the nearby couch.

“Ten seconds. We can do better.” Jacob frowned as he pulled his ring off and capped the short needle protruding from it.

“He had to have stimulants in his system, sir. We’ll accommodate for that next time,” the agent said impassively as he closed his equipment up. “The epithelial cells match the other encounter. It’s the same alien.”

“We’re getting close. Bag him up and get him to the lab before he wakes. I want a full examination done on him.” Jacob put on a latex glove and picked up the pistol and put it in a bag. “This too. See if you can pull any DNA from it.” Jacob looked at a trash bag of soiled clothes and smiled. “It’s a good thing we got those before he took out the trash.”

Jacob stepped back as he answered his cell phone while men in paramedic uniforms rushed past him and lifted Rick up onto a gurney. “What?”

“We got fur, sir. The real estate office here reported an unauthorized phone call. She was here.”

“It could have been a cat. I want to hear about this when you’re sure.” Jacob said. “Have you interviewed the dish-washer?”

“He didn’t have much contact with the first one. But he did have more time with the second one.”

Jacob nodded. “I want that door. And anything else she touched. And bag the dish-washer too.” He hung up the phone. “Who is strong enough to shear a deadbolt like that?”

The agent that had been assisting him didn’t answer. It was a rhetorical question after all.

~ ~ ~

“You haven’t said a word since we got in the car.” Mary said.

Andrew glanced at her a couple of times. “Well, I’m just thinking.”

“About our babies?”

“Among other things…” Andrew started.

“Wrong answer, man.” Sally interrupted him. Andrew glared back at her briefly.

“I’m just… what if they were going to deploy me again?” Andrew looked at Mary. “I could have been sent back to Europe. You hated Germany.”

“I didn’t hate Germany. Just our neighbors, who weren’t German, even.” Mary said, looking down at her hands. “I thought you wanted this.”

“I didn’t know you were in Germany.” Sally feigned interest.

“Oh yeah. Was there for more than two years.” Mary said. “I was, anyway. He spent most of that time deployed.”

“Deployed?” Sally glanced at a frowning Andrew. She grinned at his discomfort.

“Submariner.” Mary said. She wiped her eyes as she glanced furtively at Andrew.

“Oh. How convenient.” Sally said slyly.

“Yeah, except my neighbor was obnoxious.” Mary sighed. “Ruined the experience.”

“That’s too bad.” Sally shifted in her seat and winked at Jonah. “I would have loved Germany. It’s supposed to be beautiful.”

Mary shrugged. “Would have been better if Andrew wasn’t gone all the time.” She glanced back at Jonah then shifted so she could see behind her to look at Sally. “It wasn’t a vacation, Sally.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean…” Sally started but suddenly the car swerved hard. She glimpsed a deer tumbling off the front quarter-panel of the car, then she looked out the passenger window to see the highway going by in the wrong direction. Jonah grabbed her and pulled her head to his chest as the car hit something and the world suddenly rotated from her view out the windshield. Her sense of up and down got completely discombobulated. But before she could scream, there was a huge crash as the car landed on all four wheels and slid up the embankment a little.

“Everyone okay?” Andrew looked at Mary. “You okay?”

Mary’s eyes were wide open but she was momentarily speechless. Andrew tenderly grabbed her arm and started patting her down. “Anything broken?”

She flinched and looked at Andrew, terrified. “We just had a wreck and you’re acting like it’s nothing?”

“Just trying to make sure you’re okay.” Andrew said as he continued examining her. “Wiggle your arms. Is anything broken?”

“No.” Mary coughed and shook her head as she batted his hands away. “No. I think I bumped my head on the ceiling.”

Andrew grabbed her head and looked at it. “I don’t see anything.”

“Wasn’t hard!” Mary slapped his hands away again. She took in a deep breath and looked at him. “What was that?”

“Deer.” Andrew looked back at the corpse several dozen yards back. “Must have lost a tire when I tried to avoid it.”

“Lost a lot more than that!” Sally exclaimed.

“No, the tire blew.” Andrew said defensively. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Jonah?”

“Fine.”

“I like him. He doesn’t talk much. Unlike someone else I know.” Andrew glared at Sally. He tried to open the car door but it was stuck. “I’m up against some dirt here.” He hit the window button and was shocked that the window actually went down. “Wow. That still works. Usually that doesn’t happen.”

“Usually? You get in a lot of wrecks?” Mary looked at him exasperated.

Andrew ignored her question. “Can you open yours?”

“My door opens mostly.” Mary said.

“You just stay put. I’ll come around and help you out.”

“I’m pregnant, Andrew. Not invalid.” Mary scowled as she put her foot on the door and pushed it the rest of the way open.

“Mary!” Andrew yelled at her. He clambered out of the window and stumbled around the car. Jonah helped Sally open her door and Andrew had to walk around that to get to his wife. “You could be hurt and not know it!”

“I’m fine, Andrew!” Mary yelled back. “Do you see any blood?”

“That doesn’t mean anything. You…”

“Guys, you just survived rolling your car at highway speeds.” Sally interjected.

Andrew gaped at her and Mary crossed her arms.

“Perhaps you need to be happy you’re still alive?” Jonah put his arm around Sally’s waist. Sally looked at him and smiled.

Andrew threw his arms in the air and walked towards the highway. Mary rubbed her sore head and smiled sheepishly at Sally. “No injuries?”

Sally shook her head. “My hero here saved me.”

“Not.” Jonah grinned. “But thanks anyway.”

Mary nodded and joined Andrew beside the highway. “She’s right, you know.”

Andrew scowled. “She’s just a kid.”

“And a lot wiser than you and me, it seems.” Mary hooked Andrew’s arm.

“I was scared you were hurt.” Andrew said quietly. “And you need to let me check you. I’ve had a little training on this.”

“So have I, Andrew. I may be a vet, but I’m familiar with human injuries too.” Mary poked his nose.

“Great… I suppose you want me to bend over, turn my head and bark twice?” Andrew asked.

Mary looked at him for a moment, then laughed out loud. Andrew tried not to smile, but couldn’t repress a grin. He glanced back at Sally and Jonah who were leaning against the car. It looked like the suspension had completely collapsed. “I hope you got insurance on that.”

“Of course I did.” Mary said, indignant.

Andrew walked back to the car with Mary in tow. “Four point landing.”

“And frequent flier miles.” Mary quipped as she looked at the car. “We did flip, right?”

“Yep. And nary a scratch on the roof. That’s a first for me.” Andrew pulled on the car door and crawled in. The trunk popped open and Mary lifted the lid and started pulling out the bags.

“Flip a lot of cars lately?” Mary asked. Andrew ignored her as he dug down in the floorboard for something.

“Here. Let me do that.” Jonah grabbed a bag from her hands.

“I’m not an…”

“I know. But Sally would kill me if I stood by and let you pull these bags out.” Jonah grinned.

Mary shook her head and looked back at the highway as Andrew and Sally walked to the shoulder and flagged down a car. “Yeah. You probably want to stay on her good side.”

~ ~ ~

“Fur? You actually got fur?” Tracey said as the forensics team dropped off their samples. He picked it up and held the bag to the light. “Oh, that’s beautiful. Follicles. Look!”

The agent shook his head. “I collect, you play with it. That’s the arrangement.”

“Really? You’re handling alien tissue. This, from another world. And that’s your response?”

“Have fun with your follicles, doctor.” The agent waved over his shoulder as he walked out of the lab.

Tracey looked at his nurse. “Put him at the end of the list for genetic treatments.”

She grinned and started documenting the tissue while Tracey got the duplicators ready. “At least you appreciate this.”

“I have to. It’s what you pay me big bucks for.” She grinned.

“Big fat zero bucks.” Tracey laughed as he stuck a sample bag into a decontamination tank. “You’ve had recent shots, right?”

“Yes. The viral vector seems to be working well.”

“No immune response?” Tracey slid the collection of samples into the laminar flow hood and checked the hepa filter. “When was this changed last?”

“Last week.”

“Schedule another change this… Wednesday.” He looked at the chart. “Yep. Wednesday.”

“I got a cold. Still testing the samples.”

Tracey nodded. “Getting past our immune system has been a pain.” He looked at her. “We’ve bred in robust health for six hundred years, and now we’re trying to make ourselves sick to import alien genetics. How ironic is that?”

The nurse waggled her finger. “I’m not doing the fur thing. You better get that right.”

“Don’t worry. We test on our wild subjects first.” Tracey said, looking at his list. “Speaking of wild subjects, I think I need to get an update to Jacob. He has one in his neighborhood.”

The nurse nodded as she pulled a folder out of the filing cabinet. “This one?”

“Oh, you are so bucking for a raise.” Tracey grinned as he looked at the folder’s contents.

“Oh hush. You pay me too much already.” The nurse giggled as she returned to her lab work. “We have some very good samples this time.”

“I just hope our new equipment is up to dissecting the genetics. They’re extremely dense.” Tracey said as he looked at the records. “I want to try the oral vector for this subject.”

“Done. Do you have anything else for the courier?” The nurse picked a dose from the cooler and labeled it.

Tracey looked at her blankly. She rolled her eyes. “You promised to move Jacob up the list.”

“Oh, yeah!” Tracey shook his head. “Blue dose for him. Standard injection.”

The nurse sighed. “You better put in a good word for my next review.”

Tracey returned his attention to the samples, grinning. “I promise not to recommend culling.”

Gate: The Conduit

Chapter 5

“You are showing me that on purpose.”

The Librarian glanced at the golem briefly, then continued his work as he parsed the constant stream of data that was being extracted from it.

“You’re hoping to fine-tune your extraction by using associative memories.” The golem grinned. “That’s a weakness organics suffer from.”

“And yet it’s working.” The Librarian said under his breath without looking at the golem.

“What’s working?” Orin appeared out of thin air and looked over the Librarian’s shoulder.

“Orin! How are the wife and kids?” The golem beamed.

Orin didn’t pay attention to that jab. His wife and children were casualties in the War, thanks to the self-detonation of millions of golems. The end result of that collaborative explosion was a devastated planet with a sterilized surface.

“I’ve been able to extrapolate the data stream and narrow down the expectations of the Sadari.” The Librarian looked at Orin.

The Keratian held his arms out. His cloak abruptly became vaporous and withdrew into his skin, leaving him with modest, black undergarments. He reached out and moved the data to see it better. “They seem to be focusing on a celestial alignment to mark the time for their plans.”

“And it is happening soon.” The Librarian nodded. “They plan on weaponizing a deviant then.”

Orin scowled.

“Deviant? What an insulting name. He will be a blessing and bring order to the universe.” the golem grinned. “I hope he decides to keep you, Orin. You’re fun.”

“Old information.” Orin grumbled.

“New matches. Some of our Watchers were able to briefly break through the haze of the Forbidden World to see these planets.”

“I know. The stress of it killed one of them and injured the other. We’re down to a single Watcher now.” Orin scowled.

“The Guild?”

“The Watcher Guild is reticent to dedicate more to the mission. Even though they are all Gatekeepers and fall under my purview already.” Orin leaned against the stone ledge as he regarded the golem critically. “Any change in the micro-fractures?”

“No. The casing is stable.” The Librarian followed Orin’s gaze. The golem had been entombed up to its neck in a huge block of igneous rock. Wires protruded from its head where probes had been inserted. The golem grinned back at them and started spewing nonsensical words.

“You haven’t found a way to turn that off yet, have you.” Orin turned back around to look at the display. The jumble of random words and images served to attempt to obfuscate any useful information they could extract from the golem.

The Librarian shook his head. “I try to filter it, but it does slow me down.”

“If you would reconnect with the other Librarians, you could filter the stream much faster.” Orin glanced back at the golem.

“Three thousand years and the answer is the same. What the Archive knows, everyone knows and you’d lose your status as Gatekeeper Guildmaster and Chaser Commander.” The Librarian crossed his arms.

“This close, perhaps that is an equitable sacrifice.” Orin glanced back at the golem. “Whatever is going to happen is going to happen soon.”

“I’ll be morphing soon. When I do my processing capabilities will significantly increase.”

“You would morph here rather than back at the Archive?” Orin raised an eyebrow.

“As you said, equitable sacrifice.” The Librarian blinked and looked down. He had been an isolated resident of the remote planet from since the golem was captured and interned there. It was illegal to keep a golem. They were to be immediately destroyed. But he had been able to disable its catastrophic self-destruct capability, and the need for information proved too tempting.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. You have already sacrificed enough.” Orin said solemnly. “I have a meeting with the Watcher Guildmaster.” He turned to go as a mist formed around him and solidified into a dark cloak. He pulled the hood back and looked at the Librarian. Before he could say anything, a tremor shook the cave, causing dust to fall around them.

“You have visitors,” the golem said gleefully.

Orin walked over to the floating display and opened up another screen. There was a conflict up above between Venda ships and the Keratian forces. “How did they find this place?”

“There is an old temple closer to the surface.” The Librarian expanded the display. “The Chasers must have found it.”

“Without notifying me?” Orin scowled. He activated a communicator. “Maran. Which team is working the Braz Rift?”

“You know about that already?” Maran sounded surprised. “I’m not done with my report.”

“What team?”

“Lohet. They followed a Venda convoy and found a deviant.”

Orin sighed. Lohet preferred to have more concrete information before making a report. As a result, that usually happened after the deviant had been dispatched and its Venda tenders killed. He closed the connection and looked at the Librarian. “We need to leave.”

“Gating will attract the deviant. We should wait this out.”

“They’re too close.” Orin said. “There’s an old asteroid mine I can send you to.”

“You will be found out if the deviant comes after you.”

“I need to talk to them anyway.” Orin smiled. The stone tomb and the golem it encased abruptly vanished. Orin looked at the Librarian for a moment, then he vanished too, leaving Orin alone in the chamber. He closed his eyes and looked through the Fracture, trying to find the deviant.

A huffing sound behind him ended his search, however, and Orin opened his eyes and looked around. What he saw looked like a ten year old boy. His eyes were blank, however. And he was huffing and grunting as he reached out towards him.

Orin danced back out of his reach and tried to gate to the surface. The deviant closed his gate before he could escape, causing an explosion of energy within the cave that threw both of them against the far walls. Orin shook his head as he stood up. The deviant was already on his feet and was staring at the wall of the cave. Orin gathered his energy and suddenly accelerated, achieving thousands of miles an hour within the space of an inch as he aimed for the distracted deviant.

Even at Orin’s excessive speed, the deviant was still able to sense him and gate away before Orin hit him. Orin stopped just short of the far wall, letting the energy of his acceleration continue on. That resulted in even more shattered stone wall as shrapnel flew across the room. He looked back to see the deviant standing in a puddle of molten rock. The overall temperature within the chamber increased precipitously as the deviant started huffing again.

Orin took a step back and looked around. He had expected the others to find him by now. The deviant was suddenly standing right in front of him. He reached out and gripped Orin as strongly as another Keratian would. Pain flooded into Orin and he instinctively tried to gate away again, but suddenly wasn’t in control anymore. He was no longer in the room. He saw the universe as a whole, and the lives of the other gatekeepers the deviant had consumed. All of their memories, hopes and dreams. And then he saw blackness.

~ ~ ~

“Are you having trouble with the concept of keeping a low profile?” Keith said with barely restrained anger.

“No one was injured. It was just a regular wreck that happens to regular people all the time.” Andrew rubbed his eyebrows as he shifted his phone to the other ear. “Reception is starting to drop again.”

“Convenient. You actually hit a deer? Should we ask for our money back for all the training…”

“A tire blew out. I was evading the deer just fine.” Andrew interrupted.

“Know your equipment, Andrew. That’s first year training.” Keith snapped.

“It’s taken care of. A logger picked us up and we’re heading into town.”

“And more exposure.”

“You know as well as I do that the best way to hide is in the open, Keith.” Andrew glanced at Sally and Jonah. “Mary’s okay, by the way.”

“She had better be, after the stunt you just pulled.”

“Keith… this can’t be about the wreck. I’ve had stuff like this happen, even in Moscow. And I move on like anyone does.”

“Stuff like this isn’t supposed to happen. People remember you.”

“People forget me.” Andrew sighed. “I’m just a regular guy.” He rubbed his brows again. “Did I tick off some diplomat or something? Is this all payback?”

“The mission is very important, Andrew. We already have a target for them to work on as soon as they get onsite.” Keith said curtly.

“I gathered this wasn’t going to be a vacation. But you’ve never thrown a fit before.” Andrew glanced towards the front of the RV they were riding in. “You didn’t have authorization for this mission, did you?”

“The NSA is covering this. I just provided what they needed.” Keith said curtly. “The details are between you and me.”

“Of course. Not my first rodeo.” Andrew said.

“Then act like it. Be invisible.”

Andrew put his phone down. Mary walked back and sat next to him. “Your boss?”

“He is glad you’re okay.” Andrew smiled.

“He better be.” Mary poked the tip of Andrew’s nose.

“Drew… you want to tell me why we passed through the last town?” Sally asked loudly across the RV.

“It’s Andrew, Sally. Or Mr. Lee if you’re not careful.” Andrew glowered at her. He sighed and squinted as he looked forward to the front of the vehicle. “We’re almost there.”

“You know he’s going up to Oregon. If we’re going this far, why not just…” Sally shrugged.

“Because I don’t want to.” Andrew said shortly, then caught himself and glanced at Mary. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Sally. “We still need to take care of the rental.”

“And we couldn’t do that in the last town…why?” Sally crossed her arms.

The RV abruptly slowed and pulled off the road into a truck stop parking lot. Andrew stood up. “Everyone off. I hope you like chicken fried steak. That’s about all they serve here.”

Sally made a face as she gathered her stuff and followed Jonah off the vehicle.

“Are you mad at them?” Mary asked quietly as she followed Andrew off.

“Headache.” Andrew said simply. He looked around then adjusted the bags on his shoulder. “You called the rental, right?”

“Yes, Drew.” Mary said, smirking.

Andrew shook his head, frowning as he held the restaurant door for Mary. He followed her in and walked to the table Sally and Jonah were getting settled in. “Not this one. Over there.”

“Why?” Sally asked, looking.

Andrew didn’t answer but walked over to the table he had pointed at. Sally gave Jonah and look and her husband raised his eyebrows and helped her get their bags and move to the other table. Andrew looked up from his menu then glanced at the security camera. Sally followed his gaze then looked at him questioningly.

“What are you drinking?”

“Huh?” Sally asked, blinking.

Andrew pointed and Sally looked up at the waitress. “Oh. Um… tea? Unsweetened?”

“I’ll have Wong Way’s Chocolate Ale.” Andrew said as he leaned back. The waitress looked at him for a moment then gathered the orders of the rest.

“Wrong Way?” Jonah asked.

“Wong Way. Microbrew. Tongue in cheek jab at Larry Wong’s name.” Andrew grinned. The waitress returned and put a bottle down on the table in front of Andrew. Andrew looked at the label and turned the bottle around so it faced the camera. “Everyone will have the house special.”

The waitress nodded as she wrote on her ticket then walked off without another word.

The dinner didn’t last long. It wasn’t what Jonah and Sally were accustomed to, but they were famished nonetheless. Andrew grinned as he watched them wolf it down. Prison food was very minimally dolled out and barely edible. He pushed his plate away and tended his glass of water as he stared at the door.

“You haven’t touched your beer.” Sally said.

“I hate the stuff.” Andrew said. He took another drink of his water.

“What now?”

“Digest. Relax.” Andrew said. He glanced at Mary who smiled back at him.

“It’s getting late.” Sally said.

“Do you ever shut up? At least your husband has the good presence of mind to keep his thoughts to himself.” Andrew grumbled.

“Andrew. That’s rude.” Mary scolded. Andrew shrugged and looked at his water.

“If it wasn’t for you people, I wouldn’t sell a single bottle of that crap.”

Everyone turned to look at the new visitor.

Andrew grinned and pulled an empty chair from the neighboring table. “Larry! It took you long enough to get here.”

“Traffic.” A middle aged man plopped down in the chair and looked at the other three. “I know you. Mary right?”

“I haven’t seen you since the wedding!” Mary gushed.

“These two? Are they the… interns?”

Andrew sighed and nodded. “Yep. You set up?”

“Yeah.” Larry nodded. He glanced at Mary again. “I think the kids will keep Mary busy.”

“Busy?” Mary leaned into the conversation.

“Hubby didn’t tell you about the sleepover?” Larry grinned.

“When did you call him?” Mary looked at Andrew. He shrugged and smirked at Larry. Calling wasn’t necessary when it came to the NSA.

~ ~ ~

“This is highly irregular.” The information tech followed Jacob as he walked into the server room. “Nothing goes into the equipment without my approval.”

“Who is funding this equipment?” Jacob didn’t look at him as he walked down a row of rackmounted servers.

“Feds.” The IT frowned.

“Who am I?” Jacob found the server and pulled the drawer open and lifted the cover.

“That doesn’t mean you guys can waltz in here at any time to… to…” He looked over Jacob’s shoulder as Jacob powered the server down and removed a retainer for the computation cards.

“Actually, it does.” Jacob glanced over at the tech. “It’s been cleared by your boss.”

“Who pilots a desk. I’m the one down here taking care of these.” The technician crossed his arms.

“I’ll be sure to pass that on.” Jacob slid a card into an open slot and clamped the retainer back down.

“What is that for anyway?”

“It’s a dedicated DSP for processing the video streams more efficiently.” Jacob said as he slid the server back and hit the power button.

“Just one? What about the other servers?”

“This node handles the region we need more processing power.” Jacob walked to a workstation and pulled up a map of the servers. He typed in a command for new drivers to be installed into the server he had just modified and crossed his arms as he watched the process.

“That port is open. It has an open communication port.” The technician pointed.

Jacob looked at him sideways. “Are you going to be a problem?”

The technician licked his lips. “Anything that threatens the security of my servers is a problem.”

“That is fine if these were actually your servers.” Jacob grumbled. “As it happens, that node is hardware locked to a remote access server, has a triple method cascading encryption, a custom secure hash algorithm and three custom image based security keys. No middle-man access there and invulnerable to brute force cracking attempts.” He looked at the tech smugly. “Happy?”

The computer technician scowled and crossed his arms. “I want to run portmap tests on it.”

“Run all the tests you want. Just don’t interfere with this equipment.” Jacob shut down the workstation and turned around. “This is a matter of national security. If you tamper with it, bad things could happen to your career and perhaps even your freedom. Am I understood?”

The technician slumped a little. “If it crashes the other servers…”

“It won’t. Trust me. After all, I’m FBI.” Jacob grinned and patted the man on the shoulder. He sighed and stepped to the side as Jacob walked past him. He reluctantly followed as he wondered if a change in career might not be a bad idea.