Hello Mr. Robinson Pt. 13

"The ship hasn't arrived yet." Cronos explained. "Wait for it. The photos show the ship rusting away in reverse. At some point in the future the intact ship will finally fully manifest in our time/space. Then shortly after that it will vanish from sight."

"Vanish... why?" St. Louis asked.

"Because its arrival has already been established. That event has occurred, and the ship had already disintegrated over time in our past." The A.I. explained. "Time is occurring for it in reverse to our perception of things. It is quite fascinating really."

"Hold the fuck on," St. Louis growled. "These photos are in fact showing the effect before the cause has even happened."

"Precisely! You have a perfect understanding of events. Bravo young lady!" Cronos praised her.

"My head hurts!" She whimpered. "So, any day now the last bit will reassemble itself, as we see things, and then poof... the entire ship will vanish leaving nothing behind." Cronos nodded and she looked at me for understanding.

"I guess we can wait around and find out. Would be worth the time and effort." I said and Rhea smiled. "I've never witnessed a temporal anomaly before."

"Let's eat!" The Mayor called out and we left the museum. I couldn't think of anything else to call it.

The dining room table could have seated three times the number that currently sat around it. The Mayor's chef was gifted, and the six-course meal was delicious. I still didn't like the man, but he had piqued my interest with the possibility of a mystery just outside the confines of the city. I needed some alone time to clear my mind and refocus on what was important. As intriguing as the photos were there was a more important enigma to attack. That puzzle was named Henry Arrow. How the hell did he get here? What was the mechanism?

I thanked the Mayor for dinner and stepped outside. The garden in the rear of his mansion was lovely. The desert flowers were in bloom and the myriad scents were carried on the night wind. I closed my eyes and felt the gentle stirring of the air.

"She's here."

I know that aura anywhere. I raced away from the house and there she was striding out of the shadows. She was dressed casually pulling luggage behind her. I picked my daughter up and spun her around.

"I missed you too dad." She giggled.

"Where the hell is it? I felt it." I demanded and she had the audacity to shake her head. "Oh, I see how it is." I growled as I tossed her over my shoulder. "I'll ask you one more time before I resort to other tactics to uncover what I want."

"Do... your... worst!" She purred. "Dad."

I accepted her challenge. I flipped up the short skirt my brat of a child was wearing. I wasn't' shocked to find her bare ass and soaked. How long had it been since I plumbed her delicious depths? Six months no almost a year, it was time to tap that fine ass of hers. My index finger lightly brushed her clit and her body shuddered. Just as I thought, she missed daddy's touch. I lightly ran that same index finger along the damp folds of her tight little pussy.

"UNNNN... no! Not this time old man." She moaned. "I'm a big girl and I can... oh you dirty rotten... UNNNNN!! No fair!!"

"I almost didn't bring it." I chuckled as I activated the toy I had slid between her pussy lips. "Let's start at three. How is that sweetie?"

"Damn you!" She howled. "So good!"

As she thrashed and moaned, I walked in the general direction she had appeared from. There it was! It was beautiful. I had only heard whispers about the Numenor Nighthawk. It was the next generation of stealth helicopters. It was sleek, great lines, and most amazing was its lack of a major rotor above the pilot's cockpit. It was powered by the new repulsor lift technology and was whisper silent. There was no pilot, she had used an A.I. to get her here.

"Up against the aircraft miss," I ordered as I set her on her feet. "Assume the position."

"Yes daddy!" She whimpered and surrendered. "Fuck me old man... make me cum if you can."

I unzipped and removed the erection she had inspired. I removed the toy from her pussy and pushed it deliberately into her ass. Her back arched as I slid into her. I activated the toy and set it at four. I could feel its vibrations as I slow fucked her. I whispered naughty things in her ear as she pushed back against me.

"I am going to take you away from here and spend an entire weekend fucking you senseless." I promised and she shook her head.

"No, you won't." She said lowering her head as we developed a nice little rhythm. "That toy is doing a real number on me. No one can leave Winslow. The barricades are already going up. By morning the quarantine will be in place."

"What the hell do you know that I don't?" I snapped and took her off her feet and held her by her inner thighs. "I hate it when this happens!"

"Take it out on me! Or are you..."

"Don't you fucking dare!" I snarled.

"Afraid?" She laughed just as her body bucked and she howled in climax. "Are you going to cum inside of me or... oh hey Rhea! Who... UNNNN are you two?"

"Funny." I grunted as I pounded her. "I won't fall for that... aw hell."

"Don't stop now." Rhea purred into my ear. "Never could resist a tight little pussy out in the cool night air. Be careful ladies, you might be next."

"Really?" Boston asked.

"No shit." St. Louis growled. "I mean... that would be very unprofessional."

I cursed as I fired my load into my daughter. She cried out a second time as I lowered her to her feet and pulled out. I tucked in and zipped up as I tried to get control back into an awkward situation.

"Let's get back to the police station. I want to interview Henry again." I suggested. "I'll get your luggage."

"No!" Cindy replied aggressively. "Sorry. I am the only one here that can touch them."

I knew better than to ask. The Mayor offered us his limo for the drive back and we remained silent until we reached the station. Once the limo pulled away, I turned to my daughter.

"I was busy pounding the hell out of you before, but uh did you say something about a quarantine?" I asked.

"Yes." She stated and no more.

"Okay, keep your secrets." I growled hating being left out of the loop. "Let's see if Mr. Arrow is feeling more talkative."

Her Point of View:

I hated keeping my dad and the others out of the loop, but I really didn't have a choice. I followed them in as dad became the force of nature, I knew him for and within ten minutes had virtually taken over the police station. I kept the luggage close for the time it would be needed. That time was swiftly approaching if my source was right.

'Magnus is in place.' The voice declared. 'Powering up in case it is needed. Remember, your father needs to be out of Winslow before the weapon is fired. His XNA body is silicon based and highly susceptible to the effects of Magnus. Further orders will follow.'

I swallowed hard and felt a sense of panic if things suddenly went sideways. I could lose my father so that millions could be saved. That wouldn't happen! Dad settled into the interview room while one of the detectives went to bring Henry Arrow in for his second interview. The detective came running in and informed dad that henry was missing. No one saw him leave so a search was started. As the chief coordinated his men for a search the lights flickered and the power went out.

"Shit! Ladies... you are on." Dad ordered. "St. Louis take the front of this building. No one gets in or out. Boston, you take the cell block. Find Arrow now."

"Yes sir!" They replied and never hesitated.

"Now hold the fuck on!" The chief barked as he got to his feet.

"Did he have anything on him?" Dad asked and the chief hesitated. "Damn it, now! Did he have any possessions?"

"Yeah. It is in evidence." He yelled as the tension increased. "Carmen! Get Arrow's possessions out of lockup. Sign it out and bring it to me."

"Yes sir." His secretary replied and left guided by an officer with a flashlight.

"The entire city is out." Cronos informed us as he manifested. "I have isolated the drain."

"You have your own personal A.I.?" The Chief asked staring at Cronos. "What does it mean the entire city is out. How the hell is that even possible?" He continued his eyes widening in panic. "Is this a terrorist attack?! I retire next month damn it!"

The lights came back on and the chief looked pale and uncertain. I could see that he was out of his depths. This could be a terrorist situation, it wasn't. This could be a grab for power, it was but not in the way he was thinking. Arrow had found something. That something was behind the power outages. I knew what he found but I was ordered to secrecy. I had to silently stand by and watch my father try to figure it out. Timing was everything. Things were still in motion on the peripheral and to keep them secret I kept my mouth shut. I could see the wheels turning in his head as he attacked the problem.

'I am going to contact Fireprism and see if he knows anything. I trust you to keep things under control.' Dad sent silently.

'I won't let you down.' Rhea replied and I reaffirmed that.

'I know.' He replied. 'Fireprism this is Voidsinger respond please.'

'I am here Voidsinger.' The cool intellect said touching our thoughts. 'How can I be of assistance?'

'Please perform a passive scan for non-human technology. I suspect it is buried under the Antarctic ice. Do not actively scan it. The last thing we need is alerting it. I don't want whatever it is to know we know it is there.' Dad ordered.

'Understood. Performing scan.' A minute passed before there was a response. 'I have doubts.'

'Leave it be. Could be nothing, or it could be more trouble than we are ready to handle.' Dad suggested. 'Keep an eye out though.'

He looked pissed and I hid my surprise that there was a J'Nai vessel parked somewhere in the Antarctic. Dad cursed under his breath and then looked over at Rhea. She was getting to her feet as the agent designated Boston carried in a cardboard box. A soft humming sound came from the box and no one seemed eager to look inside. Dad stood, carefully pulled up the flaps and look inside.

"What the hell?" He cursed seeing whatever was inside. I stepped up and peeked.

"He stripped our microwave for parts to build that. It was the only thing short of a sedative that would calm him down." The chief explained. "That doohickey in the middle was taken off him. He says the machine keeps it from reproducing. Stupidest thing I have ever heard."

"I am guessing it produces a magnetic field." I responded.

"Where was this thing stored before he placed it in the machine?" Dad followed up.

"The evidence room," The chief said, and he got up and took Rhea with him.

I looked at the alien chip suspended in the crude force field. At first glance it appeared scorched and blackened that was until I realized that the alloy that the chip was made from was meant to be black. It didn't have the traditional human circuit board layout. Instead there were a series of overlapping geometrical shapes. Dominating those shapes and running along the length of the chip was a single runic character. It was the symbol of the Thanatons and the stamp of their technology and their eternal worship of death and destruction. The grinning alien skull had a way of getting in your head and making you feel uneasy.

"GREG!" Rhea called out.

Dad was up and racing down the hall. I had to push passed three uniformed officers and two detectives before I was in the evidence room. Rhea took his arm and guided him to the rear wall. I could see where stacked boxes had been pushed over revealing the hole. It was the shape of the hole that had alarmed Rhea. It looked as if something had taken a bite out of the wall. The edges were clean and smooth.

"Looks like I am going down." Dad said and the protests began flying.

"Let him go." Rhea argued on behalf of his decision.

"Let us go," I snapped. "I am going too."

"Are you crazy?" The chief barked. "What the hell did that? It could be down there!"

"I need to find out what. This could be bad, really bad." Dad said and followed one of the detectives to the basement and I was right behind them.

"Let me at least follow you down there." He offered.

"Fine. You tell them what we find then you go back up." Dad directed.

"You think it has moved on." He said his mind puzzling it out quickly. "Oh my god! It is in the sewer!"

"Most likely, I have to see to be certain." Dad added and we descended into the cluttered basement.

There were decades of clutter. Some of it was organized like the uniforms arranged by year they were issued. There were the photos of officers long dead or retired. The dust was alarming in the corners where no one had bothered to touch for years. It felt like a time capsule. Just below the evidence room was another hole. It was identical in nature with its crisp clean edge and lack of the nature of what caused the hole. We were about to find out. Dad took his smart screen out of my back pocket and let Cronos earn his keep.

"Well?" He asked as the beams shot from the clear plastic and examined the wound in the brick wall.

"Impressive." The octopoid declared. "Right down to the... what have we here?" The beams intensified. "Nanites. For the detective... microscopic machines. Think of them as programmable cells that can perform a variety of functions. My guess is the chip sluffed off enough for them to absorb, alter, and build a sphere-shaped colony. The sphere ate its way from above down to the sewers. What it is doing now can only be conjectured."

"I'll be going on alone from here." Dad told the detective and then looked at me. "I can see there is no deterring you. Let me lead the way." He muttered unhappily. "Detective guard this hole. If anything appears run like hell and warn the others." Rhea stood next to me and dad's frown deepened. "Come on, we've got monsters to hunt."

Dad's wide shoulders proved detrimental in getting through the hole and into the darkened tunnel beyond. We had a much easier go of it. Dad spied the two agents following him and surrendered knowing it was pointless to argue. The air was surprisingly clean as was the water flowing in the utility tunnel. Dad warned them not to step into the sluiceway and to warn him if they begin to feel lightheaded.

"Why?" St. Louis asked.

"It is not uncommon for inert gasses to fill these tunnels and displace the oxygen. It is dangerous to be travelling down here without proper equipment. Utility workers use fans mounted on the street level to blow in fresh air. It can take hours, but we appear to be okay for now."

"Thanks for the heads up." Boston said clutching her flashlight tight.

The tunnel ran arrow straight following main street. The power fluctuation had taken out the lighting overhead. Cronos informed dad that he had isolated the intruder's position. It was tied into the secure power that supported institutions like the police, bank, and other key sites in the city. I heard one of the agents draw their weapon and spun around. Boston had her weapon trained on a shadow patch where some of the smaller pipes connected to the main line.

"A rat... or something." She snapped nervously. "Something fucking moved!"

"No heat source," Dad told her, and she wisely didn't ask him how the hell he could tell. "Let's peek, stay here this won't take long."

He hopped over the sluiceway and crouched. Once again, he took out his smart screen and let Cronos scan the pipe. It used various spectra until something glowed. He announced our friend had been through here. Damaged nanites or ones that had burned out were left behind by something. I adjusted my HUD to pick up its trail. Dad informed them that something was moving around and to keep sharp. Several trails left by whatever the hell was down here converged and led further down the main tunnel.

Rhea heard it first. Her hearing was keener than mine. She called a halt and dad took the lead. I crept next to him as more and more of those glittering lines converged. We followed the lines to one of the larger branches. I stopped when I saw it. In color is was as dark as the void and yet it shone like burnished steel. Its surface was smooth except in areas where lines of alien script were etched into the strange alloy. It appeared incomplete and surrounded by a buzzing cloud of gnat sized insects. Dad took out his smart screen and projected a hologram of a bright blue rubber ball and had it roll towards the device. Nothing happened until the hologram got within ten feet of the pylon. The insects swarmed and when they passed through it, they returned to their guard mode. Once they were sure it posed no threat, they ignored it.

'Scan it, see what if anything it is putting out.' Dad silently sent to Cronus keeping Rhea and me in the loop.

'On it.' He replied. 'Strong EM field... no ionizing radiation... a pulsating gauss field... oh no... I recognize that pattern! It can't be. How did they get here?!'

'Who are they? What the hell is that thing?!' Dad asked sensing true panic coming from the A.I. as well as the echo of memory. 'Something familiar about all of this.'

'Thanatons. That is a Thanaton obelisk. It isn't functional yet. I have no timetable available. We need to stop this infection, or this planet will become a tomb.' Cronos explained.

That single word rang in dad's head as the flash of memory and terror was recalled across time and space and I was drug along as he remembered. Once more to the battlefield and around him comrades and family long dead yet stolen from the grave by remembrance and the utterance of that single word, Thanaton. He wore armor of scarlet and gold beholden only to the Phoenix King himself. His fire pike ablaze in his grip as we follow her through the battle. The light of their people and hope incarnate. Resplendent in silver and white her blade raised high as she rallied the forces. Her unbreakable will drove them into the heart of darkness and at its center the Silent King.

"If he dies, they will falter!" She cried out. "To me my people, death to the Silent King!"

They flocked to her from the ground troops, to the attack craft zipping through the air, and even to the ships in orbit firing upon the enemies strongholds. All answered her rallying cry and the very air tore under the forward push. The aspects of the war god led the charge and broke upon the deathless soldiers of the Thanatons. So fierce was their desire to triumph they shattered the dark line. We raced headlong through the slow plod of the enemy seeking to close the breach.

The Silent King's retinue and bodyguards stood before us. The fire pike spat holy fire and consumed them. Before we could join her, she clashed with the Silent King. His defensive field slowed time around them. We were powerless to help. I did the only thing I could do. I touched the stone between my breasts and activated burnished wings of gold and scarlet. I took up my own fire pike and soared above the battle. I withered the field around us until the very ground bubbled like molten glass.

The memory ended and Cronos hovered there waiting patiently. I gasped as I was thrust back into my own body. Dad stared at me in barely contained shock. He forced himself to engage Cronos and return to the present situation.

'You mean they'll wipe out all life?' He asked pushing down the terror and rage.

'No. They will replace the natural ecosystem with one of their own creation. They will use all the organic and inorganic matter to create their machines and colonize it by trapping the living life force of the humans into metallic shells.'

'Do we pose a threat to them?' He asked knowing the answer but needing to hear it from someone else. Cronos weighed everything it knew about the inhabitants of the Earth.