Walking an Endless Path Pt. 03

"Yes, but you know exactly which ones we're talking about with the names, so that eliminates mistakes. I also wish the boy had chosen more dignified names, but he didn't, and the first ones always stick," MacAvoy agreed.

"Our odds at being able to open a Gate have significantly increased now that we have a third unit. When you arrive, we'll meet with Agent White to discuss how we'll go about that," Roger said.

"Thanks! See you soon," the General said and hung up. He settled in his seat and closed his eyes. He'd learned to rest when he could. With the progress they were now making, sleep came easier as well.

Chapter 3

Joe woke up when the light drizzle strengthened into a pounding downpour. He sputtered as rainwater ran up his sinuses. He was groggy, and his head hurt terribly, but he had to sit up to stop from drowning.

That's when he felt the knife blade grate against his rib. Joe cried out in agony as the partially embedded knife shifted as he moved. He looked down and saw the knife's hilt sticking up from his chest. Panicking, he grabbed the handle and yanked the blade free. Only afterward did he remember that was the worst thing to do. He looked at the wound, expecting to see it spurting blood, but it just seeped slowly. He sat panting for a while, waiting for something to indicate he was dying, but even the slow dribble from the wound stopped. His skin had closed up! He gently touched the spot and felt a sharp pain, but the gash had sealed.

The microburst was over as quickly as it had begun, and the rain settled back into a light but constant drizzle.

He looked closely at the blade as he'd never been cut before. It seemed to be made of a black glass-like substance, and its edge and point were almost invisible to the naked eye.

Through the thumping pain in his head, he became aware of his surroundings and froze when he saw the bodies of the Vershoo scattered on the hillside around him. All of them seemed to have suffered a violent death. Some were truly gruesome. Mostly knife wounds, which made sense, considering it was their weapon of choice. But here and there, he saw evidence of broken bones, crushed skulls, and dislocated or missing limbs.

Joe tried to recall the previous night's events, but it was a painful blur. He went a little further back and started when they'd taken him from the beach on the Ello's homeworld. He had been very upset when they left the machines behind. He had become quite dependent on Stinky to identify safe food.

The Vershoo had repeated the pattern Ello had taken with him in rapidly moving him from planet to planet. Joe was in better condition than he'd been since his abduction from Earth. The Vershoo's food rations were also more compatible with him. He felt his strength levels coming back to normal as they traveled. He still tried to augment his diet as he went. Some of his guards figured out what he was trying to do and gave him rudimentary signs about what they would eat and would not. That seemed to work except for one occasion when a guard let him eat something that almost immediately caused his stomach to cramp badly. He saw the malicious glee on the face of the alien as Joe retched his stomach contents onto the ground. There had been a very vocal and vicious argument amongst the Vershoo after this event. The leader had the poisoner beaten. This didn't improve the morale of the group. Tensions seemed to increase every day.

He recalled his arrival on this jungle world. His captors were delighted with the hot, sticky weather conditions and the constant drizzle. They were ecstatic when they found the tree with the juicy red fruit. Until the leader started screeching at them. Apparently, he wasn't keen on letting anyone eat the fruit. His officers seemed to support this discipline, but there were a lot of ugly noises from the troops.

Joe recalled they had set up camp across the valley from the fruit trees. Some must have gone back for the fruit as it was being handed out between the troops that night. Even Joe was handed one and found the flesh sweet and delicious. What happened next was difficult to remember. He guessed that the fruit either acted like alcohol or drugs. The fractured memories he had were chaotic. He recalled screeching and flashes of violence. He assumed there must have been a rebellion.

Glancing up at the thinning clouds, he could see the faint outline of the noon sun. He'd slept away half the day.

He counted the bodies and looked for survivors. The ones he didn't find on the hillside hadn't made it far before they died of their wounds. He saw their bodies in the surrounding jungle. He was stunned to find his fishing spear buried in the chest of one of the Vershoo. It was the one who poisoned him. Joe tried to recall if he'd been the one to use the spear, but it was still a blur, and his head hurt to think of it.

Joe became slightly panicky when he realized he was alone on a strange planet. He had no idea what wildlife here would try to eat him or what was safe for him to eat, so he went to each body and collected all the supplies from them. Then, he did an inventory of what he had. There were over a hundred knives of all shapes and sizes, all wickedly sharp, but none matched the black glass blade. He selected a few for himself and included the one he found buried in his chest because anything sharp enough to penetrate his skin was a worthy weapon. He rolled the remaining knives in a strip of tough fabric from a torn backpack, then tied the roll tightly closed.

He accidentally dropped the black knife as he made a pile of the items he'd keep. It landed on a rock point first and shattered into shards. Not as reliable a weapon as he thought. He was just grateful it hadn't done that when he was protecting himself with it. He found a belt that fit him and sheaths to hold the remaining knives he'd kept. He also found the leader's translator device, the two portal-opening machines, and many other smaller pieces of equipment he couldn't identify.

He had plenty of rations. Some of the Vershoo had been carrying packs, so he took the largest, most intact one and piled all the loose items inside. He also wore several Vershoo belts connected together over each shoulder like bandoliers. This allowed him to carry most of the supplies he'd taken from the bodies.

His first priority was to see if he could get back to the last world they'd passed through, as it had actual buildings they'd taken shelter in. It was a more temperate world, and he knew of some things he could eat there. To move between the planets, the Vershoo relied on two small, square devices with controls on them. He'd watched as closely as possible to see how they operated them. Joe was pretty sure he could activate a portal. Setting their destination coordinates was a mystery. They might take him back to his previous location if they hadn't added new coordinates. Once activated, the portal would automatically shut down after roughly five minutes, which was why the large group of Vershoo had hustled through each doorway.

He knew he could find his way back to the spot where they'd entered this world and back to the buildings on the prior one, but beyond that, the worlds kind of blended in together. Again, all he could do was try. With his gear in place and a final look at his deceased captors, he set off while the sun was still high in the sky.

It took longer than expected to return to the entry point because he was loaded with supplies. While he'd been walking, he'd heard an awful screeching coming from the site of the massacre. Something had found the dead bodies, and it sounded like a feeding frenzy was occurring. He'd picked up his pace for a while.

Now, he stood before the spot where the portal had been opened. He took out the two devices and looked them over. They were roughly square with recessed buttons along one edge, and the top side of each had a circular indentation. He'd seen the Vershoo leader press the buttons and had memorized the pattern. The trick was the buttons on the two units had to be pushed in sequence simultaneously, and the units placed on the ground a certain distance apart to make a black doorway. Once it was open and stable, the devices could be picked up and put away, and the portal could be entered. As he had no one to press the buttons on the second device, he had to do both and then place them on the ground as quickly as he could. He wasn't sure if it made a difference if the timing wasn't perfect, but he had to try. The sun was setting, and the noises he'd heard back at the hillside sounded like they were getting closer.

He pressed the buttons as he remembered and felt the boxes begin to vibrate. Joe placed the first box on the ground and dove to the left to set the second one down just as the light erupted from the top of the box. He rolled away from the portal, which rippled dangerously. The piercing tone that ripped from the darkness wasn't normal. The black doorways had never sounded like an alarm before. Joe was worried he'd done something wrong and wondered how safe it would be to step into that darkness. He waited for the tone to subside, and it did gradually, but the edges continued to ripple in a way he'd never seen before. The edges had white streaks shooting from top to bottom very rapidly.

Joe was frozen with indecision, and soon, the portal would close. He knew he'd have to step through or wait to try again.

Then he had a bad thought. Maybe the devices wouldn't work again because of the alarm!

The boxes had gone dormant, so he picked them up and put them in his pack. He swung the sack onto his back and stood before the gate, preparing to enter.

Joe heard a deep growl over the noise coming from the gate. He turned back and peered into the shadows at the edge of the jungle clearing. Large, widely spaced eyes reflected the light of the gate. Joe couldn't determine exactly what it was except it was big and looking at him. Faster than he thought possible, the creature charged him, and he just had time to put up his hands to grab the curving fangs of the beast before it crashed into him, throwing them both through the blackness.

Joe hit the ground on the other side hard, with the beast straining to sink the curving fangs into his chest. Joe held on with all his strength, but he could tell he would eventually lose. Instead, he made a mighty and sudden pull outwards, and the beast screamed in pain and tried to jerk away.

With a sickening crack and pop, the right fang tore away, and the howling creature jerked and leapt back into the black doorway as it wobbled and collapsed. The implosion ripped the beast apart. A huge gust of wind picked up Joe and all nearby ground debris, including the rear haunches of the dead beast, and tossed everything ten feet away.

He lay stunned on the ground, covered in blood, gore, leaves, and dirt. His ears were ringing from the implosion.

But he was alive.

He sat up and looked at the tooth in his hand. It was one hell of a souvenir!

Looking back at the spot the gate had been, he now had an answer to why you didn't want to be in the doorway when it closed.

He looked around himself and tried to recall what the world he was supposed to be on looked like. It was dark, so he couldn't make out any details. He saw a small building to the south, wobbled over to it, and opened the door. He went inside and pulled off his pack. He used the tooth to bar the doors from the inside and flopped down exhausted on the floor. He'd get cleaned up in the morning. He'd successfully escaped and was on his way. He let himself relax and was soon sound asleep.

Chapter 4

Rachel was in heaven.

These last few months had been the most rewarding of her entire life. She recalled how she'd struggled to be heard and be taken seriously not so long ago. She'd been the one who reported the insurgences and had almost lost her job for it. No one had taken her seriously until she met Roger. He took her under his wing, got her the resources she needed, and supported her every step of the way. He took no credit for her achievements but instead ensured the chain of command knew it was her who discovered the connection between the gravity anomalies and the alien incursions. While those pompous asses still had it out for her, she knew Roger stood between them and her.

Roger had become much more than her boss. While she deeply respected his leadership skills and natural ability to manage people, a skill she knew she lacked, her feelings for him didn't stop there. Their attraction was mutual, and they had discreetly begun seeing each other. She'd discovered that Roger was a romantic and passionate lover, and thinking about that made her toes tingle. She shook her head to bring her back to the task at hand.

Now that her theories had been proven true, she was the key to the ongoing investigation and took on a central role. This also made her point person on the team examining the alien tech. She was the one who discovered how to communicate with the alien cylinder, code-named Pokey. She'd been able to get it to direct the other cylinders, and soon she'd have three on-site. She wasn't deluding herself into believing she had absolute control over the cylinders. They were probably supporting their own agenda, which she had yet to determine. Rachel made sure Roger was aware of this as well.

She entered the portable lab where Pokey was charging. It turned in her direction and chirped when it saw her enter, which made her smile. Rachel knew she shouldn't assign human meanings to these actions, but she couldn't help but get the impression that the cylinder was acting like one of her staff.

"Good morning, Agent White," Luis Hernandez, one of her research techs, greeted her seconds after Pokey did.

Her smile slipped into a grin. "Good morning, Agent Hernandez. Any word on the arrival of Burnie and Rusty?"

"We should see them later this afternoon," he said.

"Good. Has Pokey completed the lexicon review?"

"Yes, and all of our Rosetta stone materials. We gave it a binary representation of English this morning. It should be able to communicate with our translator program if it's as clever as we think."

"Let's give it a try," Rachel said eagerly.

Luis started the translator application and placed the mic next to Pokey.

"We'll start with the basics. I have some simple sentences we can use to try—" he started.

Pokey streamed out a string of beeps. Over the room's speakers came the mechanical voice of the translator. "Good morning, Agent White. Good morning, Agent Hernandez."

The two looked at the cylinder in shock. Rachel shared a smile with Luis. "More clever than we thought? Maybe we can skip the basics?"

"Good Morning! Do you have a name?" she asked.

"No," it replied. Luis raised his eyebrows at that.

"May we call you Pokey?" Rachel asked.

"Yes," it replied.

"Pokey, do you know where you are?" she asked.

"Yes," it replied.

Rachel looked at Luis. "I think we will have to ask more limited questions," he said.

"Pokey, please tell me what geographic location you are currently in based on planet, country, and state," Luis asked.

"Earth, United States of America, North Dakota," it replied.

Rachel nodded. "Pokey, please tell me the name of the planet you were on before you reached Earth."

"Ikikita," it replied.

Rachel smiled broadly at Luis. Thrilling stuff!

"Pokey, who were the beings you were with when you came to Earth?" Rachel asked.

"The Ello," came the immediate reply

"Are they responsible for your creation?" Rachel asked.

"No."

Rachel thought of a better question to ask. "Pokey, tell me who created you and your purpose."

"The Kel-Fahr create Tik. We activate Gates, police Gate facilities, and perform tasks the Kel-Fahr assign to us."

"Did the Kel-Fahr instruct you to work for the Ello?" she asked.

"No. The Ello obtained and altered the Imperative Command Directives in a group of Tik. A new instruction set overlay was installed, overriding the Kel-Fahr's base commands. The primary instruction is for us to work with the Ello for the mission," it replied.

"What mission?" Luis blurted.

"To locate another sentient species which can endure a Fahrchar merging as the Kel-Fahr do. No other sentient species has ever been able to survive the Fahrchar merging. If such a being was found, it would be delivered to the Kel-Fahr homeworld, Sehsra."

"Is that where the Ello took Joseph?" Rachel asked.

"Joseph was incomplete. The remaining piece of the Fahrchar was on the Ello homeworld. The Ello took Joseph there to complete the merge," Pokey explained.

Rachel's normally pale face went white as she realized the fate Joseph faced. "What will happen to Joseph when his Fahrchar is made complete?"

"Fahrchar must be physically whole to establish their sentience. Once the final part of the Fahrchar is merged with Joseph, he will be absorbed into that sentience," Pokey said. "Joseph will become Human-Fahr. The conclusion of the Ello mission is to introduce a Human-Fahr into the Kel-Fahr collective mind, which should happen automatically when he is brought to their homeworld. There is insufficient information to determine what the outcome will be."

Rachel was shaken by the thought of what Joseph would be going through. Would he be able to relate with humanity if he ever returned? Would he even be Joseph anymore? Luis looked worried as he saw her troubled expression. She gave herself a shake. She still had a mission of her own to complete. She'd let Roger know about Joseph later.

"Pokey, the command overlay the Ello made. Is it still in effect?" she asked carefully.

"No. I have been released from the mission," it replied. "When the Ello took Joseph through the Gate and left us behind, the mission was over for us. Some Tik went with them. The mission continues for them."

"What is your primary objective now?" Luis asked.

"When the other Tik arrive, we will open a Gate and return to the Kel-Fahr for debriefing and destruction. We have been compromised and can no longer work for the Kel-Fahr safely. This is a Kel-Fahr imperative command."

Rachel looked at Luis with raised eyebrows.

"That seems like a terrible waste of perfectly functional... Tik. We would like to learn more about the Gates. Things you could teach us," Rachel said. She'd noted the emphasis on how Pokey said Gate and worked that into her responses.

"Kel-Fahr imperatives cannot be ignored now that the Ello's instruction set is complete. We will report as we must," Pokey stated.

"Would it be possible for us to speak to the Kel-Fahr?" Rachel asked.

"No. The Kel-Fahr have deemed Earth to be a restricted planet. There is to be no contact with its inhabitants."

"What is the role of the Kel-Fahr?" she said, frustrated.

"The Kel-Fahr rule the Assembly, which comprises all the races who are members of the Gate Network. The Gate Network links thousands of worlds and hundreds of sentient races. The Kel-Fahr maintains order over the Assembly and enforces its rule to maintain civility and the health and welfare of all. They have held this position from the opening of the first Gate to the present day. They are eternal, and their rule is absolute."

Rachel pondered this horrible news. To know such an expansive civilization was at their fingertips and then to be denied access to it was almost too much to bear. She needed to speak with Roger before the other Tik arrived at the base. If anyone could think of a way to convince these Kel-Fahr to consider their case, it would be Roger.

She asked Luis to continue the questioning, concentrating on the issues with the gravity field and how it interacted with Gates. She had to find and update Roger now!

Chapter 5

Joe slowly came awake in the shed, aware of a mental pressure in his skull and a physical one on his chest. He opened his crusty eyes and looked where the shed door had been. Now filling the opening was a small, colorfully dressed being strapped into a large mechanical suit. It seemed to be poking him in the chest with the finger of the suit. Joe glanced at the projections sprouting from the unit and imagined that more than one had some violent purpose. Better to go slow.