Invaders: The Chronowarp Read online

  “No,” I said with a sigh.

  Tony laughed in a shrill way. “Ask me another question.”

  I would have liked to ask if the Polarions had caged him and his kind. That seemed rather obvious. So, I kept thinking.

  “Okay,” I said. “If you can leave this underwater place, what are your plans concerning the people of this planet?”

  Tony nodded. “You are their kind. That is clear. The Polarions obviously strengthened you. Yes. I am starting to see. The Starcore is destroyed. The Polarions…”

  He fixed me with his silvery gaze. “The beings of this planet will become fodder for me and my kind. We will feast and multiply. I suspect this world is undefended. The simple creature hosting me…”

  Once more, Tony laughed in that shrill way. Afterward, he paced back and forth, tapping his chin before turning to regard me.

  “Can you summon operatives of the Galactic Guard?” he asked.

  Jenna looked up at me sharply.

  “Of course,” I said.

  Tony pointed a finger at me. “I know you lie. Thus, you are now foresworn. You belong to a helpless race of blood-sacks. The only reason I do not execute you on the spot—”

  Tony spun around, marching for the exit.

  Jenna drew her gun, aiming at Tony’s back.

  “No,” I hissed, grabbing the gun, tearing it from her.

  Tony spun back around to face us. He glanced at Jenna, and then at me holding her gun.

  “You have divined my utter superiority to you,” he said. “You cannot harm me. If you harm or kill this host, I shall simply inhabit one of you. Throw me the gun.”

  I put the gun on the floor and shoved it toward him. He scooped it up, weighed the pistol in his hand and shoved it into his waistband. Then he resumed his march, moving through the exit.

  “Why did you do that?” Jenna accused me. “We can’t let it live.”

  “Didn’t you hear it? If you killed Tony, it would have flown into you.”

  “You should have shot me and then yourself. That’s our responsibly to humanity. Without a host—”

  “That’s crazy,” I said. “I’m all for helping humanity, but not at the expense of my suicide. Besides, how do you know it can’t simply flow up through the structure, the seawater—?”

  “Think about it,” she said interrupting. “Why did the Polarions—let’s assume they built this place for now. Why did they build it way down here?”

  I shrugged.

  “I suspect as a second failsafe,” she said. “I seriously doubt that thing can travel through water, or travel through water for very long. If we kill ourselves and Tony, we’ll trap it down here.”

  “Like I said, you’re nuts, and that’s a nutty idea. At most, it will keep the thing stranded until more people come down. We have to figure out a way to kill it.”

  “You heard it. We can’t kill it.”

  “That’s what it said. I don’t believe that. Besides, if we can’t kill it now, we can figure out a way later. Sure,” I added, looking at the stasis tubes. “The others like it died. These things aren’t immortal.”

  Jenna began climbing to her feet.

  “Here,” I said, sticking out a hand. “Let me help you.”

  She slapped my hand out of the way, standing on her own. She swayed, rubbing her forehead.

  “You ready?” I asked.

  She looked up. “Let’s go see what it’s doing.”

  -20-

  We hurried through the exit, down the stairs, back to the control room. It was warm in here now.

  Tony had manipulated switches and now regarded his handiwork. Screens powered up. He went to work, fiddling here, pressing there. In a moment, he stood still, absorbing data from a screen.

  I moved closer. Jenna hung back. I couldn’t understand the script flashing across the screen. It didn’t resemble anything I’d seen before.

  Tony glanced at me once, and then ignored me. He continued to work controls.

  “They clearly thought I could never understand,” Tony said shortly. “They didn’t realize I have used my time wisely. I have taught myself the wizardry of the Polarions. The Starcore wished for a soldier. Instead, I have turned into a master. I could almost thank the Starcore and applaud the actions of the Polarions. Without them, I would not understand as I do. Yet, the cost was high.”

  He paused, and turned around to regard me. “There are some who would believe I have gone mad. This is not the case. Do you know that the line between madness and genius is very narrow?”

  “That’s what I’ve heard.”

  Tony frowned. “You say this is true even among the blood-sacks?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Yes…I suppose you dull creatures do have intelligence after a fashion. Yet, it must also be true that Eshom genius would rival Polarion brilliance.”

  “That’s what you are?” I asked. “An Eshom?”

  “Why should I deny it? I am Eshom. I came to this dirtball as a youngling many millennia ago. Now, I have escaped my cell as a prodigy. Once, I would have gorged myself on your kind. Now, I will—”

  Tony smiled. “It amuses me to withhold my knowledge from you. I believe you should suffer. Yes. As I have suffered, you shall suffer.”

  “What did I ever do to you?”

  “You resisted,” Tony said. “That is enough. Now, silence. Your yammering has begun to annoy me.”

  I backed up until I reached Jenna.

  She looked at me with something akin to hero worship. “How do you do that? How can you talk to it as if you’re two guys watching a ballgame?”

  “What else should I do?”

  “It repulses me,” Jenna said quietly. “It wanted to possess me. The idea almost makes me gag. I hate it.”

  She was a good hater, although I had to admit that this alien was worse than most.

  “No,” Tony said. He whirled around to regard us. “Do you think…?” He laughed with glee. “Of course,” he said. “The answer was right in front of me. How obvious.”

  He took off in a sprint for the hatch we’d first come through.

  Jenna and I exchanged glances. I think we both realized the same thing at the same instant.

  “Mouse,” she said. “It’s going to use the bathyscaphe to escape the complex. We have to destroy the bathyscaphe.”

  Before I could say my piece, Jenna hurried after the Tony/Eshom duo. I figured I might as well see what happened, and ran after her.

  ***

  I caught up with Jenna and bypassed her. I didn’t catch up with Tony until he had reached the pool area.

  The hatches had opened for us along the way. I ran through the last one.

  Tony stood at the edge of the pool, regarding the bathyscaphe. The metal submersible floated in the middle of the pool. It began to rotate so the portal would be aimed at us.

  “Perfect,” Tony said.

  He began to shiver uncontrollably. He moaned, and the Eshom in its flickering state oozed out of Tony’s back.

  At that point, Jenna ran panting into the pool area.

  Tony toppled into the water with a splash.

  The flickering Eshom drifted from the dock toward the bathyscaphe.

  “Submerge!” Jenna screamed. “Get out of here, Mouse.”

  The flickering entity regarded her. Then it increased its speed toward the bathyscaphe. The thing made a worse buzzing sound as it touched and sank into the metal. It had to wriggle, it seemed, to force itself into the bathyscaphe.

  “No,” Jenna shouted. She clutched an arm. “Do something.”

  “What can I do?”

  Using me as an anchor point, Jenna pulled herself forward, flinging me back so I staggered. She raced for the water. I had no idea what she planned to do.

  The Eshom had disappeared. The bathyscaphe continued to drift in the water.

  Jenna jumped from the dock and dove into the frigid Arctic water. She surfaced with a horrible sounding gasp. She struck out for Tony. He wa
s floating face down in the water.

  At that point, the bathyscaphe hummed with power.

  Jenna searched Tony, finally pulling out her pistol from his waistband. As she treaded water, she aimed the gun and fired.

  The bullets pinged and ricocheted off the bathyscaphe. That didn’t stop her. Jenna kept firing until she ran out of bullets.

  At that point, the bathyscaphe began to submerge.

  “No,” Jenna wept. “No, no, no, no, no.”

  I started running then. She looked cold to the bone. She seemed to be despairing already.

  “Jenna,” I shouted. “Swim to me.”

  She turned in the water.

  The bathyscaphe vanished, leaving a rippling in the pool.

  “Jenna!” I shouted. “Swim here.”

  She didn’t listen. Maybe she was already too cold. As the Eshom used the bathyscaphe to escape its prison, Jenna slipped underwater…

  -21-

  We had to survive long enough to do something. Besides, I had one fantastic skill. When it came time to get naked with a woman, there wasn’t anyone faster than me.

  I tore off my clothes leaving them in a row where I dropped them. I wanted something dry to put on later. I leaped off the dock, entering the freezing water buck-naked. Even though I was ready for it, the icy water tore the breath from my lungs and made it hard to think for several seconds.

  When my brain started up again, I opened my eyes underwater. Tony was still floating face down. Jenna had drifted farther down. I jackknifed and kicked after her. I didn’t have much air, and my strength oozed away with the cold.

  I was a stubborn son of a gun, though. I kept kicking. The salt water stung my eyes and Jenna was a blurry outline. I had a feeling that Tony was already dead. That made me mad. It also meant I would be all alone if Jenna died. I didn’t like the idea of being alone down here.

  My fingers brushed her jacket. I kicked again even though my lungs burned for air. I grabbed her wrist and flutter-kicked like a maniac for the surface. It seemed so far away. I wasn’t sure—

  I exhaled my air in short bursts. That would buy me a few more seconds. Those seemed to tick past with agonizing slowness. Finally, my head shot up out of the freezing water. I gasped precious air and coughed explosively. I was dragging Jenna. I finally turned around and brought her head up out of the water.

  “Don’t you die on me!” I shouted.

  I kicked and stroked one-armed for the ceramic/plastic dock. As I neared, it seemed higher than I remembered.

  I was bone cold by now. Yet I turned around, grabbed Jenna with both hands and heaved her toward the dock. She hit it and slid back into the water.

  Concentrating, knowing I might not have too many more tries in me, I used some cunning. I got her head up on the dock and shoved. She made it this time.

  Panting and shivering all at once, I grabbed the dock, kicked and heaved. I flopped onto the freezing deck, crawling farther from the edge.

  My vision was getting blurry. That didn’t seem right. I kept my head down and crawled to Jenna. I tore off the jacket, upper part of the one-piece and worked the bottom off her hips. She only wore soggy panties at that point.

  I know. I was nearly out of it, and she might have been dying. Even so—

  She was a hot babe, even if she did have serious anger issues.

  I stood, wrestled her up and staggered for the exit with her in my arms. I kept staggering through the rooms until I reached the warm control room.

  I set her down as gently as I could, curled on her side in the recovery position. She had a slow pulse, and was taking shallow breaths. I thought about going back for my clothes. I was too tired. The freezing swim in the Arctic Ocean down here had simply drained it out of me. I lay down, decided we could probably use each other’s warmth, and snuggled up beside her.

  Debby would understand. This was about survival. Before I could think too long term about this, I drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  I woke up by degrees. I didn’t feel too bad, although I was hungry. That figured. Slowly, I realized I was on my back and something lay on me.

  I opened my eyes and looked up. My tee shirt and pants lay on me, one on my torso and the other on my groin areas respectively.

  Jenna must have done that. How sweet of her. I noticed my boots with the socks draped over the toes.

  I didn’t see any sign of her.

  I sat up, put on my clothes and felt my socks—they were dry. So, I put them on and then slid on the boots.

  Jenna walked into the control room at that point.

  She was wearing Tony’s damp clothes, although she had her own shoes. I must have ripped her garments before.

  It struck me what it meant that she was wearing his clothes.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “He was a good man.”

  Jenna stared at me. Her hair was still damp. Her eyes were puffy and red. She wasn’t crying now, though.

  She looked away.

  “Umm…” I said.

  She wiped her nose, her eyes, and regarded me. “Thanks,” she said in a wooden voice. “You saved my life. I…I appreciate that.”

  “You would have done the same for me.”

  She didn’t respond to that. She rubbed her forehead, moved to the nearest wall and slid down to sit against it. She brought her knees up and put her face against them, beginning to shake silently.

  My response was automatic. I sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. She surprised me by putting her face against my side. She was shaking, but I didn’t hear a sound out of her.

  “There, there,” I said. “It’s going to be okay.”

  She looked up at me with red eyes. She was angry, and she was getting angrier by the second.

  “If you need to hit me—”

  She started whaling on me. I don’t think she meant to hurt me. They were open-handed slaps. She hit my shoulder and torso. She could have tried for face-slaps. I let her continue for a few seconds.

  Finally, I grabbed her and hung on tight.

  Her chest heaved again, but she never made a sound. Jenna Jones definitely had issues. But who was I to talk?

  In time, she stopped shaking. “I’m okay,” she whispered.

  I let go and sat back, with the back of my head pressed against the wall.

  Jenna had raised her knees again hugged them to her chest. She rested her left cheek on them as she regarded me.

  “Now what?” she asked.

  “We’re alive.”

  “Tony’s dead.”

  “He was a good man.”

  “He was,” she agreed. “I’m going to miss him. I’m going to miss Mouse, too.”

  “He might not be dead.”

  “The thing was in Tony. Now, it’s in Mouse.”

  “The thing being in Tony might not have killed him. He floated face first in the pool, remember?”

  Jenna raised her head. “Then we killed him by not getting to him fast enough.”

  “No,” I said. “The thing—the Eshom—killed Tony. Maybe it being in Tony killed him. Maybe Tony drowned because the thing pitched him into the water when it left the body.”

  “We never should have come inside,” she said.

  “You can’t say that.”

  “I just did say that,” she told me. “I believe it, too. We released the…what did you call it?”

  “Eshom,” I said.

  “I should have listened to Mouse.”

  “Yeah, you should have.”

  She frowned at me. Then, she looked away. “Don’t try reverse psychology. It won’t work. If we hadn’t explored this—”

  “Hey,” I said. “It doesn’t matter what we should have done. We did what we did. The Eshom escaped in the bathyscaphe. What I want to know is did it reach the Swordfish?”

  Jenna shot to her feet. Resolutely, she marched to the control panel. “Come on,” she said. “Help me figure this thing out. We have to warn Captain Bright. Maybe he can torpedo the bathy
scaphe and kill the Eshom.”

  -22-

  We worked the controls frantically, but couldn’t figure out how to send messages. We did figure out how to see what was going on around us, though.

  “Logan.”

  The excitement in Jenna’s voice caused me to step to her. She was staring up at a screen.

  I saw the Swordfish. The narrow submarine was cruising in the underwater Arctic valley.

  “Oh no,” Jenna said.

  The bathyscaphe was maneuvering toward the Swordfish.

  “We have to do something,” she cried.

  “Keep watching,” I said.

  I began throwing switches and tapping controls.

  “What did you do?” she cried. “I lost the image.”

  I reversed what I’d been doing, glancing at her each time.

  “There,” she said. “It’s back.”

  I had no idea how to run this wall-sized control panel. Polarion technology wasn’t the same as Galactic Guard technology.

  Glumly, I stood by her, watching the interplay.

  “Bright should contact the bathyscaphe,” she said. “He shouldn’t just let it board.”

  “Maybe he’s talking to Mouse,” I said.

  The Swordfish maneuvered toward the tiny bathyscaphe. Then, the submarine stood still in the clear water. The bathyscaphe seemed to crawl along the underside of the sub. Finally, it, too, quit moving laterally. It went up into the submarine, soon disappearing from view.

  “This is a disaster,” Jenna said. “The Eshom will take control of the Swordfish. It will surface. Will it devour people?”

  I shook my head. I didn’t know.

  “If only there was something we could do,” she said.

  “We may not have to.”

  She glanced at me, and no doubt saw me staring at the screen. She made a gasping sound.

  “Is that the Guard ship?” she whispered.

  The Great-White-shaped shuttle, with wings on either side, maneuvered in the watery distance.

  “They have to see the Swordfish,” Jenna said.

  A missile—or torpedo, I suppose—left the Guard ship. The thing sped fast toward the Swordfish.