Borne On Wings of Steel Page 22

  Mere seconds later, the contents of the warehouse erupted into a single, glowing ball of total destruction.

  * * * *

  KRINIA POINTED HER scanner forward while her fingers danced over its controls. She tuned it for higher sensitivity as she slowly scanned the area around her.

  Obviously, a fierce struggle had recently taken place here on the path.

  She and Jysar had followed the signs of Elise and her Harg captors this far using her scan unit. But they froze upon entering this spot where the grass and bushes were bent and snapped—telltale signs of a violent encounter.

  Jysar worked his own scan unit over at the other end of the path. He suddenly gasped. He knelt and picked up something that at first seemed invisible to Krinia's eyes. Jysar turned, holding it up for her see.

  “What?” Krinia peered harder. “I can't see anything."

  “Point your scanner."

  Krinia complied. She nodded as the display revealed what her eyes could not—it was Elise's Hair Lighter—not invisible, but translucent.

  “Well, we—” Jysar began.

  Suddenly, Krinia and Jysar staggered like drunken traders as the ground shuddered and the air reverberated with a mighty explosion.

  Regaining their balance and dazed by the overpowering noise, they stared wide-eyed a moment at each other. Above them, leaves and other debris swirled in lazy circles—blown from trees by the titanic force.

  “That was close by!” Krinia exclaimed, coming to her senses.

  Their communicators beeped simultaneously.

  Jysar grabbed his first.

  “Jysar here."

  “This is Mother. The strong explosion that just registered on my sensors is very close to your current position. I fear for Elise."

  Krinia swallowed hard. She looked at Jysar with a pained expression on her face.

  Jysar sighed. “Yes, we just found her Hair Lighter. She's somewhere close.” He looked up the trail before them. “We're on our way to the source of the explosion now. We'll communicate with you then.” Jysar snapped the communicator shut and replaced it on his belt as they both broke into a full run.

  Five minutes later, they topped the last hill and came to a dead halt because of the magnitude of the destruction before them.

  Flames leaped from the misshapen building; black, acrid smoke boiled into the clean, lavender sky from thousands of holes in the bowed roof. But the building fulfilled its purpose, the main brunt of the terrific explosion captured and directed upward by its reinforced walls and carefully designed roof.

  Originally, the two-story structure resembled any large, rectangular warehouse on any planet. But now, its appearance resembled the cap of a huge mushroom: the walls bowed outward in a series like the segments of a giant worm—the ribs beams. And the once flat roof now curved to the sky, thousands of holes blown open as designed to direct most of the blast skyward.

  Still, the heat blasted Krinia and Jysar intensely even a hundred meters away. They stood, not daring to move closer, their eyes transfixed on the expanding columns of smoke rising like a harbinger of doom.

  In the distance, alarms wailed as Mejadic firefighters drew near in their hovercraft. Jysar glanced at Krinia with a sorrowful look in his eyes. They both saw the footsteps at the same time—human footsteps dragging the ground surrounded by those of two Harg, leading toward the building.

  Slowly, Jysar scanned them.

  It only took a moment to confirm their worst fears.

  “They are Elise's,” Krinia choked out as she looked at the Hrono's scanner.

  Jysar shook his head sadly. “How are we going to break this to Mother?"

  “I don't know,” Krinia whispered hollowly. “Let's wait until the Mejadic fire units confirm if anyone was inside that inferno."

  “They'll be burned way beyond recognition with the heat of that fire. It may take days before they can make a final determination if the bodies are burned too badly."

  Krinia turned away as she covered her tear-filled eyes.

  * * * *

  TWO HOURS LATER, Jysar approached the Mejadic fire fighters for the hundredth time.

  “Any word yet?"

  The blue and green Mejadic looked solemnly back at him. “Yes, we have confirmed several bodies—several in the middle of the building. But two or more were found near one of the exits by our sensors—it's hard to tell. They'd almost made it out.” He looked with concern at Jysar a moment. “We still can't get to them because of the fire, but we know they're badly burned. We'll have to take the remains back to headquarters in order to identify which race they are, let alone individual identity."

  “No way to tell if one is human?” Jysar asked, even though he already knew the answer.

  “Look, you've left the address of your docked ship. That's all you can do. When we get some positive results, we'll let you know right away.” The Mejadic Fire Commander sighed. “Until then, she's simply listed as missing."

  Jysar turned and made his way slowly back to Krinia. The expression on his face was answer enough for her.

  “What do we tell, Mother?” Krinia groaned. “She just called again."

  “We tell her the truth,” Jysar replied. “She's listed as missing—officially."

  “Until the results come in from the bodies,” Krinia added solemnly.

  “I'm calling her now. We'll catch the next ferry back to Leyloi.” With a deep sigh, Jysar pulled out his communicator.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  * * *

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kyle, Rok, Jaric and Inaha strolled through the open hatchway. The Aurora had just landed and the four immediately set out to cross through the array of parked starships and find Mother.

  She'd requested they come as soon as their landing was complete. But she had not revealed the reason for the urgency.

  “Okay, Mother. We're here,” Jaric announced as they entered the bridge.

  Mother had watched them silently as they traversed her corridors. She could tell from their biological signs as well as their demeanor that they did not suspect the bad news she was about to share with them. She remained silent until they entered her bridge.

  “I am not sure how to tell you this,” Mother began. “But, I have terrible news."

  Kyle rolled his eyes as he slapped Rok across the shoulders. “See, I knew it. There weren't any humans on Mermoona.” He laughed.

  Jaric and the others nodded and chuckled while Mother waited silently.

  At that moment, Jysar and Krinia entered the bridge.

  As soon as Kyle and the others saw their tear-streaked faces, the four became instantly silent.

  The room itself became eerily silent.

  “What's happened?” Rok finally broke the silence. But no one wanted to know the news now as they stared into the anguished faces of Krinia and Jysar.

  “There's been an accident. I'm afraid that Elise is dead,” Mother said simply.

  “What?” Kyle and Jaric shouted together.

  Jaric felt the room begin to spin. He felt a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach as he began to sway back and forth. He found it hard to focus his eyes or figure out why everything was blurry.

  It seemed so unreal—everything. It seemed as if he were dreaming—except he was wide awake.

  And Jaric felt an overpowering sense of déjà vu that paralyzed him.

  He closed his eyes to keep from vomiting as his stomach cramped hard and he felt the stinging sensation of bile in the back of his throat.

  Everyone stood frozen, dazed by the impact of the terrible revelation.

  Kyle reached out and gripped Jaric's shoulder to steady him. They stared at each other a long moment in silence.

  A single tear streamed down Kyle's eye.

  His face grew pale and haggard, as if he had gone days without sleep. Inside Kyle, it felt as if every emotion had just been drained out of his body and all that was left was the tingling sensation of the single tear falling out o
f the corner of his eye.

  Kyle's entire being sank with that single tear.

  Jaric looked up at Mother's optic. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He took a long, deep breath.

  “You mean...” Jaric gasped, his mind gripped with a whirlwind of emotions. He took another deep, wavering breath as he tried to steady himself.

  “You mean...” he sobbed. The heart-wrenching pain of the past suddenly blended with the fresh agony of the present as overwhelming flashbacks filled his mind and he relived every terrible thing that had ever happened to him his entire life—all in a matter of seconds. And every heart-rending emotion ripped through his being like a blaster set to kill.

  Finally, he stared up at Mother and finished the question.

  “You mean, Becky's dead?” Jaric whispered.

  Mother's processors spiked with hyper-activity. In none of the scenarios she calculated had this response been anticipated. In fact, she couldn't fathom how Jaric could mistake the death of Elise with Becky's death. They were months apart chronologically and in totally different sectors of space.

  Mother quickly realized that Jaric's mind was in a high state of confusion.

  “No, Jaric. Becky has been dead for over a year. I am talking about Elise."

  Jaric stared blankly.

  “Do you understand me?"

  Jaric hung his head and sobbed.

  And Kyle cried too.

  “It is ... so similar and so sudden. In their minds, they are reliving the awful moment of Becky's death,” Rok surmised. “That day and this one, are days of intense sadness for them. Almost one and the same.” Rok shook his head and wiped the tears from his own eyes.

  “The results of all the scans show Elise entering the warehouse, but there is no discernable evidence of her leaving it. Several bodies have been discovered by remote scan—all burned beyond recognition although the Mejadic authorities are endeavoring to identify them. The blast was horrific, making it difficult for them to determine what happened and who all were inside at the time the accident occurred."

  Jaric, Kyle and the others moved silently around until all found a place in which to sit quietly with their troubled thoughts.

  Mother closed all her outside entrances and locked them. Inside, she watched everyone in total silence as they poured out their grief to each other and offered consolation.

  The outpouring of emotions was intense beyond anything Mother had ever observed.

  And inside her long and short-term memories, Mother relived all the images and recordings of Elise. But this time images of Becky, Guardian, Rawlon, Saris, Curja and countless others she had known in life also appeared—faces and voices from the dead come back to visit her again.

  In her own way, Mother mourned for them all in the solitude of her electronic mind.

  But this day, she mourned most of all for Elise.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  * * *

  Chapter Sixteen

  “IT DIDN'T TURN out the way I wanted it to.” Qirn shook his head sadly.

  “Now the Mejadic authorities will be sifting every piece of evidence to put together what happened,” Rab said.

  “Yes,” Qirn agreed. “And our covert operations here on Meramee are now at risk."

  “Perhaps diplomatic dialogue is now in—” Jerr began.

  “No!” Qirn shouted harshly. He steadied himself. “It would be premature. We must wait until we have more evidence of the Paum's next move."

  Jerr and Rab nodded silent agreement.

  “Perhaps we should leave Meramee?” Rab asked.

  “That is possible,” Qirn agreed. “If we do, we must be able to keep track of this human starship and its AI. We can't let it get away."

  The room grew silent.

  Qirn stretched his arms toward the ceiling and groaned. “I guess I won't complain too much about these bruised ribs or my aching back—at least we lived to see another day."

  “I was tossed about thirty meters myself after we slammed the outer door shut.” Jerr held up his injured arm, the bones freshly knitted by the Iraxx doctor and his Med-Unit. “I won't be able to fully use it for several days."

  Qirn smiled at his two warriors. “Okay, back to business. First, we must go over the sensor data from the Harg. We must focus on the Artificial Intelligence the humans have created inside their starship."

  “I can hardly believe it,” Jerr growled ominously, giving vent to his distaste.

  “Neither can I,” Rab spat.

  “We must put our preconceptions aside as we analyze the data we copied during their transmission.” Qirn stroked his chin in thought. “Personally, what puzzles me is that the humans refer to this AI as Mother."

  “Yes, we have other copies of communications between the humans and this AI—which we thought at first was their real mother. It is very intriguing,” Jerr added. “There is an obvious emotional bond between the humans and it."

  “And although the AI cannot express emotions like a normal being, still its words betray an obvious concern for the humans.” A puzzled expression filled Rab's face.

  “We will have to find out more about this strange relationship,” Qirn said. “But now we must consider how the Paum may use this Mother AI for its evil purposes."

  “Yes, the Paum will no doubt move quickly now,” Jerr said

  “I agree.” Qirn paused, deep in thought. “The Paum will seek to lure this Mother AI into a meeting."

  “It will seek to understand how an AI can be contained in such a compact system,” Rab added.

  “And thus Paum will create its own AI starships.” Jerr's eyes widened with fear. “And that will be terrible indeed."

  A thick silence enveloped them as they considered all the implications.

  “Is the Mother AI that sophisticated a being? The ship is smaller than most cruisers,” Rab said with emotion. “Surely the Paum will not be able—"

  All three heads turned as a fourth Iraxx entered the small room. Qirn stepped quickly toward him.

  “What news do you have, Doctor?” Qirn asked excitedly.

  The Iraxx's eyes narrowed. “The human female has regained consciousness."

  “Good!” Qirn grabbed the Iraxx doctor by both shoulders and squeezed him with obvious satisfaction.

  He turned back to Rab and Jerr. “Stay here and go over the scan data on the Mother AI. You must try to determine how sophisticated a being it really is. And what technology enables it be to so compact and mobile.” A somber look came over Qirn's face. He sighed and spoke.

  “And you must calculate if what we fear most could be true."

  Jerr and Rab nodded, an intent expression on each face.

  Qirn walked through two rooms full of scattered equipment until he came to a darkened room where a still form lay. He observed in silence a moment until the Iraxx doctor spoke.

  “She was hit by a Harg blaster in the upper thigh. I had to repair one of her internal organs, one that cleanses this alien's body of waste carried via its blood.” He smiled. “Other than a few minor bruises and some singed skin on her right forearm, she will be fine."

  “Is she awake?” Qirn asked.

  “She's coming out of it now. I didn't want to give her an injection to bring her out any quicker. Her body needs rest to complement my work—she still needs to heal. So, keep your questions brief this first time. I don't want her getting excited—or upset.” The doctor gave Qirn a firm look.

  “I understand."

  Elise moaned softly as she turned her head on the pillow from side to side as if dreaming that someone—or something—chased her.

  Qirn pulled up a chair next to her bed and sat down. He had to wait only a few minutes before Elise's eyes fluttered open.

  Her eyes stared at him unfocused at first only to be replaced by a look of concern and fear.

  “There, there. You are among friends here. No need to be afraid.” Qirn spoke with a reassuring tone. He smiled warmly down at her.

  “W
ho are you?” She glanced quickly at her surroundings. “Where am I?"

  “I can't tell you that right now,” Qirn said. “But as soon as you can travel, we're going to get you back to your starship.” His eyes narrowed as he watched for her reaction.

  Elise sighed deeply and turned her face to the wall. “You should've just left me. Nobody cares about me."

  And even though Qirn could not see her blue eyes, he knew she was crying. He patted her arm. “Don't talk like that,” he said softly.

  But only the faint sound of Elise sobbing came to his ears.

  He brushed her long, blonde hair away from her face. “You're such a pretty young alien. My, I imagine all the young males are always chasing after you trying to steal a kiss!"

  He chuckled softly to himself, hoping to raise her spirits.

  “No-oo,” she cried softly. “Nobody cares about me. I'm ... I'm...” Her sobs became louder.

  “You're what?” he asked.

  “I'm just a clone. I'm a nobody. I'm nothing.” Her shoulders now shook as her tears fell freely.

  “Well, you're wrong about that,” Qirn replied. “For one thing, I care for you. I'm the one that got you out of there safely."

  Elise turned and faced him, her tear-stained cheeks glistening under the light. She stared at him, a questioning look in her eyes.

  “And I don't even have the pleasure of knowing your name, my pretty, young alien.” Qirn waited, a fatherly smile on his face.

  “E-E-lise,” she stammered.

  “Eh-eh-lise,” he imitated perfectly.

  She began to laugh softly as she dried her eyes. “No!” she said with a tear-stained smile. “Just Elise.” She laughed some more. “I stuttered and added an extra syllable."

  “Oh.” He laughed with her a moment. “Elise.” He nodded to himself. “A pretty name for a pretty alien."

  Elise blushed.

  “And I am sure your mother cares for you. And the rest of your family.” Qirn watched carefully for her reaction.

  Elise nodded sadly. “Yes, they might."

  “I'm sure they do,” Qirn added.

  “Yes, Mother cares."

  Qirn stared intently at her, studying her face and eyes. At last satisfied she had answer sincerely, he shook his head. “Yes, a mother always cares."