Authors: Paula Bradley
Mariah requested something that would serve as a pedestal to be placed in the center of the room. The PDSU was moved and now sat on top of a two drawer filing cabinet like a work of art displayed in an office museum.
She gazed at the SHARD resting innocently in the palm of her hand. Her eyes shifted to the PDSU. Hesitantly, she began to circle it clockwise, her eyes narrowing.
Mariah stopped and faced the PDSU. Her gaze fell on the SHARD in her palm—and it began to glow with a soft pink iridescence. It felt warm, but not overly so.
The SHARD slowly levitated off her hand, gracefully rotating until the pointed end hovered less than a quarter of an inch from her palm. And there it hung: suspended, motionless.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gabriel Winters saw the amazement on Al-Ibrahim’s face. He’d seen her blow up the van, but obviously never saw Mariah’s telekinetic abilities. How mind-boggling it must be when seen for the first time.
But Winters could not know how wrong he was. Mariah was not using any psychic energy to levitate the SHARD off her hand. It had done this on its own accord.
In two steps, she closed the distance between herself and the PDSU. Lavender light bathed her in its brilliance, brightening as the fluorescent lights in the room dimmed.
The PDSU began to pulse. Intense white light, almost painful to the eye, spewed from its top like an erupting volcano surrounding both it and the file cabinet. Their images became so razor-sharp they seemed to be a snapshot taken from a very expensive camera.
Mariah’s eyes were wide open but unfocused, like she was in a trance.
She lifted the hand holding the SHARD over the top of the twelve-sided figure. The brilliance from the PDSU passed through her skin as it linked with the crystal. In a voice husky and deep, the one she used during a
Finding
, she said, “‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you’.”
Slowly, she slid her hand out from between the two devices ... and the Secure Holographic Archive Retrieval Device remained poised above the Permanent Data Storage Unit.
Like an open window had invited in a gust of wind, the air in the room stirred. Dust motes began to swirl counterclockwise around the PDSU, sluggishly at first then capering more energetically.
The static charge in the air increased; hair on everyone’s body quivered as the fluorescent lights dimmed even more.
The pale lavender glow, the one Gabriel Winters had seen surrounding Mariah on the videotape of the Sophie Duval
Finding
, was enveloped by the white radiance of the PDSU. And Mariah Carpenter became eclipsed in its intensity.
The lights in the room nearly extinguished. Winters now understood its significance as the PDSU continued to draw energy from its surroundings.
Atmospheric disturbances in a ten mile radius around their location caused inexplicable occurrences: sixty miles-per-hour winds caused trees to bend at alarming angles where they remained thus for the duration of the phenomenon; water in swimming pools eddied then geysered to form columns; small shrubs spontaneously burst into flames, their leaves disintegrating, but the fire never spread to anything nearby; dogs howled; cats yowled; horses whinnied; and birds squawked, frantically trying to gain altitude to escape the happening that lasted three long minutes.
The National Weather Bureau officials could only speculate as to what the CIA in Monterey, California was up to.
With a towering burst of radiance and a loud syrupy sound, the PDSU sucked the SHARD into its core ... and the two became one.
The white light disappeared. Sitting now on top of the cabinet was a sapphire blue pyramid, three feet tall, glowing with no discernible light source. Approximately one third of the way down from the top, miniscule silver lights formed a band one inch in height, flashing in an apparently random fashion. Symbols were etched into the pyramid’s base, the same ones Mariah had seen on the huge wooden columns that fronted the temple of Shen’dalah in her dream of the Kana Gidrol.
I see you recognize this thing
, Mariah sent to Aleris, watching her stare at the object in undisguised joy.
Her thoughts came to Mariah hurriedly
. It is, undoubtedly, a holographic information unit, though dissimilar to those on our world. If we ever doubted
—
although we did not
—
we now are more convinced you are the one prophesied in Netsor’ah thought long destroyed by our government. We will gladly explain all to you, but haste is critical. We seek the intelligence from within this unit; however, my colleague and I combined are not psychically adept to decipher the inhibit code
.
And obviously, I am.
Mariah frowned but never took her eyes of the pyramid.
Of course. So ... what? I just wait for the how-to-pick-the-lock manual to come flying out of the ozone? Presumably from the same place I get all my inspirations? Maybe I should just leave it alone, let it do its thing. No suggestions? Oh, by the way, since you plan on joining me, just do it. No telling what this freaking thing will do to my mind if I crack it open.
The aliens tried to sympathize with her frustration but, in their world, psychic phenomena were as common as the hot star warming the air and the land, and empathy was not part of their genetic makeup. Nevertheless, close association with the three human males on Izorach had provided valuable insight into human nature. They were, therefore, now capable of understanding the psychological trauma concerning her numerous mutations, all the mental and emotional changes and her helplessness. They surmised that sarcasm was a method employed by humans to distract them from pain.
Somewhat aware of the telepathic conversation between the two aliens (
correction,
he thought darkly,
three
aliens
), Winters watched Mariah back up until her legs hit the table. Sitting on it, she crossed her right foot on her left thigh, left foot on right thigh, in a position he knew as the “lotus.” Apparently, without conscious thought and seemingly nonchalantly, she placed her left arm in her lap, palm turned upward while her right hand rested on her leg, fingers pointing toward the floor.
Startled, Gabriel Winters remembered when he’d burst in on a Buddhist monk meditating in this position. Ever curious, he had asked the significance of the pose. The priest referred to the draped-finger gesture as “Calling the Earth to Witness.”
Warmth spread through Mariah’s body as Aleris and Sateron
Joined
with her.
Oooooh, this is nice
, she thought dreamily, this
Joining
so different from those she had previously experienced.
To hell with everybody, I’m going to sit here and enjoy this. I hope they don’t disconnect when they realize I have no intentions of
...
The fingers that were pointing toward the floor began to tingle. She raised this hand to her face and spread her fingers, looking through them at the band of flashing lights on the pyramid. Her breathing slowed ... and more ... until it looked like she had stopped breathing.
Two flashing lights darkened simultaneously. Almost immediately, another pair extinguished, followed closely by two more. The band slightly faltered. The remaining lights filled in the spaces and rose imperceptibly toward the pyramid’s peak.
Sateron felt his mind captured, held by a force more powerful than he could have ever imagined. Instinctively he began to struggle to regain control, but ceased when he realized the uselessness. He breathed deeply and relaxed, allowing his innate scientific curiosity to banish his fear.
Aleris welcomed the seizure of her mind, positive that Mariah would do them no harm, not sure if their psychic energy was even needed to bolster hers. She, too, waited expectantly for the outcome of this mind-seizing experience.
When the seventh pair became lifeless, the band shuddered. More pairs extinguished rapidly, the remaining lights moving steadily upward until only one pair remained lit at the peak.
Winters had unconsciously moved as close to Mariah as possible, mesmerized by the dimming lights and the reaction of the two aliens. Their eyes were open but they were as lifeless as marble statues. He turned and looked into Mariah’s face.
Her pupils were so extravagantly dilated they obscured the irises. Her face was lit with a devilish grin as she turned her head and stared back at him. He unconsciously backed up several paces when she dropped her hand and jumped off the table.
I just had a marvelous idea, Super Sleuth
. Gabriel heard her voice in his head.
Since you seem to have this voyeuristic fetish, I’m going to give you the opportunity of a lifetime. Besides, somebody with some credibility has to authenticate and report back on what we’re about to see
.
Never taking her eyes off him, she waved her hand … and the final pair of lights winked out. Grinning at him, she sent;
Hang on, tough guy, you’re in for a bumpy ride
!
It wasn’t bumpy at all; in fact, it was fast and smooth. Winters felt like he was being compressed into a funnel that whizzed through space at the speed of light. His world collapsed in on him, then expanded in a burst of multicolored lights that sped by so quickly they blurred. His body tightened more and more, but surprisingly there was no pain, just pressure. Conversely, every fiber of his being felt infused with energy, like he could take on the world single-handedly.
He was almost sorry when it was over. Opening his eyes, he expected to be staring at Mariah’s cocky grin. Instead, what he saw made his eyes widen and his breath catch in his throat.
He stood on the crest of a hill, nearly ankle deep in white and yellow blossoms whose fragrance was intoxicating. No more than two hundred feet ahead, the covering of flowers gradually ended and a luxurious carpet of bottle green grass snaked down the hill.
At the bottom of the hill, the grass ended abruptly at the edge of a forest. The trees, their foliage in shades of green, gold, red, and orange, appeared to be marching toward the foot of a mountain whose peaks pierced the blue sky and gleamed brilliantly in the sun. Frothy white clouds pirouetted around the snowy peaks, their dance a tribute to this healthy and abundant world.
The spell was broken by the sound of Sateron’s chuckle behind him. “Through your mind, I experience anew the awe and magnitude of being psychically displaced, or as you may understand it, astrally projected, for the first time. Your body remains behind as your essence revels in this sight.” Winters grinned sheepishly, aware that he had been feasting on the view with his mouth open.
With her hands on her hips, Mariah stood about twenty feet ahead, her back to them. She was staring at the forest. Winters should have been alarmed to find himself in this strange place, but he wasn’t; obviously no one was hurt and the aliens were enjoying themselves, so he relaxed and let his natural curiosity take over.
“Where are we?” he asked Mariah. Several seconds passed before he realized she was not going to answer.
“I believe we are on your planet when in its infancy,” offered Sateron.
Before he could ask more questions, Mariah abruptly stiffened. Dropping her arms to her side and jamming her hands into her pockets, she looked over her shoulder, her eyes taking in the three who watched her closely. In a voice both wary and excited she said, “He’s coming.”
Galaxaril stood before the crystalline orb, his eyes glazed over, his hands clasped at his waist as the Min’yel’os probed his mind. Their discussion ceased seconds before. They dismissed his objections and sought the information They needed from within his brain.
He knew They were shocked at the psychic reading he had extracted from the satellite. They probed deeply and completely—or so They thought—to uncover the source of this data. And received no more than what he chose for Them to find ... a link from the orbiters the two geneticists had put in place to Their satellite communicators on Hakilam. The last time one was intercepted, her psychic reading had been 6.0. It was exorbitantly high for an alien, but well within Their control should the situation warrant action.
Nonetheless, this latest reading was appalling. From the mind of the Minister, They saw the blackened vid-screen with the green numbers pulsing. An optical illusion; the pulses appeared to mock Them.
Their state of agitation thrilled Galaxaril deep within the part of his brain They could not probe. Even he was stunned but elated that she was surpassing his assessment of her psychic abilities.
Outwardly he awaited Their instructions, as impassive as ever. When at last his mind filled with orders, he was not surprised at the tone or content.
Apparently We gave too little credence to this creature. Its powers are becoming extravagant. Unpredictable. Mayhap futured to uncontrollable.
Of a certainty, We are wholly superior and fear nothing from it. Nothing. We must needs be protect our citizenry from disruption.
Find it. Bring it to Us. We will dissect its mind and deduce how it came to be so highly functioning. But if this cannot be, annihilate it before it becomes necessary for Us to take action.
And bring before Us the two geneticists who attempt to foment rebellion. From them, we will discover their accomplices.
Harm them not. We will assuredly make public their due punishment.
The three behind her followed Mariah’s line of vision. There was nothing but the flower-covered hillside, the grass and the forest. In the next second, a figure moved toward them.
At approximately two hundred feet away, the figure appeared to be human, roughly six feet tall with waist-length blonde hair. A loosely belted tunic of powder blue and buttoned to his neck ended at mid-thigh while his black cotton trousers disappeared into soft leather boots that snugged his calves nearly to his knees. Resting against his breastbone was an amulet that looked like silver but with threads of gold intertwined. A stamped design hung on a chain of the same metal.
When he was twenty feet away, it became obvious just how non-human he was.
Mariah gazed into deep amethyst-colored eyes. His eyeballs were more cream colored than yellow and his canted eye sockets were far less pronounced than even Aleris’.
But he was Anorasian, and from far in their past. They would come to learn that he was sixty-five million years in their past. Long before evolution had thickened the hair on their bodies, before their height had increased twelve or so inches, before their hands had genetically mutated from five fingers to four.
The stranger closed the distance and stopped. Even though Mariah knew he was a holographic image, she was astonished when his eyes slid down and locked with hers. She heard a sound behind her, unsure if it was pleasure or fear, or who uttered it.
“Good wishes I offer you, Man’asorai. Be you Anorasian or another species, your arrival has been foretold by the Great and Glorious Shen’dalah, He who unto us has promised Salvation through His Chosen One.”
Although his voice was soft and cultured, Mariah heard the strength of one who was used to leadership. In the periphery of her mind, she received muted waves of ecstasy from the two Anorasians who forced themselves to remain still.
“I am Hesad, High Priest, or also called Shel’Zib, last of the research colony named so Lortinias. We stand on the planet Touranim in the star system Sol.” His hands were folded before him while he continued to look down at her. The serenity in his eyes did not mask his authority or power. Mariah felt as excited as the two Anorasians behind her.
“I so name you ‘Man’asorai’, the appellation ascribed by the Great and Glorious when He appeared to me, his most humble of servants. It is the bestowed title upon the One-So-Selected who will rectify the perpetrated horror on my race. And mayhap the galaxy. An erroneous assumption based on data fractured and misinterpreted caused this abomination to our evolution by our governing body, They who are so named Min’yel’os. I created this representation to extol the glory of this world and to name the alien form of life innocently responsible for its impending annihilation.”
He stopped and said no more. After a minute of waiting, Mariah looked over her shoulder at the three behind her.
What now
? she sent.
I just tried psychic communication but nothing happened. There must be something I’m supposed to do to get him to continue, but I’ll be damned if I know what it is. Any suggestions?
We tried combined psychic communication as well, with no success,
Aleris sent back, her eyes speculative as she stared at the frozen figure of the High Priest.
There is some trigger, that be a certainty.
Since Hesad’s holographic image appeared, Gabriel Winters had been deep in thought. With a frown, he sent,
Mariah, why don’t you try speaking to him? He knows you have incredible psychic skills; you must have to get this far. Maybe he wants to know if whoever opened this thing has verbal skills as well. If he’s as security conscious as it seems, he might not want this group he calls ‘minyelos’ to psychically eavesdrop on this communication
.
Mariah grinned in admiration.
You just may have something there, Winters. I knew I brought you along for more than your pretty face
.
She turned to face the immobile figure. “Okay, so here goes. Um, greetings to you, Hesad, High Priest of Lortinias. I read you loud and clear.”
The holographic image of Hesad came to life with a smile. “Well it be. I am prepared to proceed. Allow me to escort you on a journey through this pristine land, only existenced by our species three thousand years. If you are accompanied, may they be welcomed as well.
The travelers found themselves whisked from mountain aeries to vast oceans then to several settlements of Anorasian scientists. Hesad was an excellent guide, knowledgeable in all areas of Touranim. There was little doubt that this was Earth when fertile lands teemed with more varieties of plants and animals then were known to modern science.
Since Anorasians were so advanced technologically, they were adept at keeping the air and water free from pollutants. For Mariah Carpenter and Gabriel Winters, it was an extraordinary experience, seeing Earth before humans existed. They all knew when they arrived at their final destination because Hesad’s attitude changed to barely controlled excitement.
The moisture-laden air was fragrant from the abundance of tropical plants in this forest, far from the place where their tour had begun. In the distance was a valley with a sizeable lake in its center. Without the necessity of telescopic vision, the various species that drank along the water’s edge were recognizable: dinosaurs.
“Before you, the forest Efrikis. The creatures you see, Sar’ednos, are native beasts to this land ever before we arrived. Since the herbivilus need to feed from the height trees and drink from the waters, they remain close to the Efrikis. Then so must the carnivilus who feed on the herbivilus. We erected viscous barriers to safely keep them from entering our domain of plains and fertile valleys. We, the Anorasians and beasts, live in harmony with few some exceptions.”
Mariah was fascinated by the breathtaking sight. She sensed rather than saw Winters’ amazement as he tried to digest all the input he had been receiving from the moment of transportation.
“I must now elucidate of an Anorasian research colony simultaneously developed on a mirror planet eight thousand light years from Touranim. It be named Izorach, one of three planets in the Zubeln star system. I so call it ‘mirror’ due to climatics, topography, and species.”