Journey to Year 1,000,000,000 Ch. 10

"We're not going on vacation, Victor," Taylor reminded him. He turned to Tammad. "What happens when we find the last element?"

"Well, then we should be able to breach the defense shield on Corta," said Tammad. "In theory, anyway."

"And after that?"

"We go to their control center, and blow it up. You'll find a large black monolith there, quite tall, you can't miss it. That's the generator for the time tunnel," said Tammad.

"It sounds quite simple."

"Oh, it will be anything but. The United will resist us, be sure of that."

"I will," said Taylor. Something caught his eye.

He looked at Jennifer. She seemed a bit unsteady. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," said Jennifer. "Just a bit of indigestion... from breakfast."

She had probably been up all night, fucking Alex blind. Taylor tried to keep his face as expressionless as possible. "Jennifer, are you up for this mission?"

"Of course," said Jennifer, smiling gamely.

********

They landed on the cube. From their sensors they detected United soldiers at every corner of the cube, so they landed in the middle of one of the cube's sides, a grassy area where it was easy for the shuttle to land. After they had disembarked, the shuttle lifted off again. It would come back for them when they reached their final destination, whichever corner that was.

"Nice," said Taylor, looking at the gentle green flatlands. Above him he could see the stars. There was some kind of artificial light source in the atmosphere here, but it couldn't be viewed directly.

"Jennifer, what do you think of-" he broke off as he saw Jennifer starting to shake.

"Jennifer?" Taylor said uncertainly.

Jennifer looked down. Her belly was starting to grow large, as if she were pregnant. She looked down in horror as her stomach ballooned out as if she were in the final days of pregnancy.

She looked at Taylor with terror in her eyes. "Michael... help... me....."

Taylor went over to grab her hand, but Alex grabbed him from behind. "No! Don't touch her!" he cried.

Jennifer had gone from trembling to shaking violently. Her pregnant belly started to flatten now but as it did, they could see the giant lump moving upwards, into her chest, into her neck, and into her head.

"Michael!" she cried one last time, and then her face changed like it was made of rubber, and then it melted, and then it was replaced by a giant eye. And then her body morphed, and changed, and turned into a giant squid.

The United.

And then they heard an inhuman shriek, and Jennifer started to grow smaller and smaller, until she disappeared into the point of a dot, and then disappeared entirely.

In moments, there was no trace of her, none at all.

Taylor pulled free of Alex. He looked at the spot that Jennifer had been standing on. He turned to Tammad.

"What just happened here?"

"The isotope-"

Taylor grabbed him by the shoulders. "That was not the isotope!" he roared. "Tell me the truth! What did I just see?"

"I do not know," said Tammad. "I have never seen such a thing before either."

"Before she disappeared... Jennifer appeared to turn into one of them. How could that have happened?"

"I..."Tammad seemed at a loss for words. "Perhaps it is the United. Perhaps they are experimenting with the isotope. Finding ways to use it to turn us into them."

"Now why would they want to do that?" Doctor McCrae asked. "You said they wanted to capture us unharmed, for their entertainment."

"I also told you that part of what they do, for their entertainment is... genetic experimentation," said Tammad. "It is rumored they like creating hybrids. We have never seen one, but it is said that they find it to be most... entertaining."

Taylor glared, and pushed Tammad back slightly as he released him.

"Captain, I have telepathic abilities, but it doesn't take a telepath to see that you no longer trust me," said Tammad. "Do you wish to cancel this mission? If you wish to call your shuttle and leave, I will not stop you."

Taylor considered a long moment. They already had two of the three elements. "No. We will continue the mission."

********

They started to walk to the nearest edge of the cube shaped surface they were on. Audrey Spaulding fell in step with him. "Michael, I'm so sorry for your loss."

Taylor nodded.

"I know what she meant to you," said Audrey.

Taylor said nothing.

"She was a fine-"

"Audrey!" said Taylor abruptly, his face full of pain and hurt. "I'd... I'd rather just not talk about it right now, all right?"

She looked at him. "All right, Michael."

They walked in silence. Taylor half listened to the conversation that Doctor McCrae was having with one of Tammad's men, a fellow named Mandar.

"So what does that mean, you're telepathic? You read each other's thoughts?" McCrae asked.

"Yes," said Mandar.

"That must be terribly... embarrassing sometimes."

"Not at all. We have evolved to the point where we feel no shame in sharing our thoughts with each other. Jealousy, fear, envy... we have shed all these things, Doctor McCrae."

"And what about love? What happens when you find out your wife prefers another man?" said Doctor McCrae.

"As I said, we have gotten past such things," said Mandar. He paused. "The United have taken it one step further. They can merge not only their minds, but their bodies as well."

"You said they could change shape," said McCrae. "So are you telling me they can merge into one... big... lump?"

Mandar smiled. "A lump is not a descriptive term, but yes. I am told that their sharing of minds becomes even more... intimate than ours. For a time, they become one mind."

"One mind? How do they ever decide what to have for dinner?"

"Doctor McCrae, the United do not eat."

"Well, now I know two reasons why I don't like them."

And Taylor walked on in silence.

Jennifer.

He loved her, and then he hated her, but in the end, he realized that he still loved her. To never see her lovely face again, to never see her smile, her gorgeous face, her beautiful body, to never again have his companionship... he shuddered. It was a low blow. Taylor only kept himself from crying aloud by pushing her out of his mind and focusing on the mission. Later. I will grieve for her in private, when I can.