The Lost Tribes, page 29
The woman crouched and took April’s hand. “And who is this beautiful Xenobian princess?” Her gentle voice was almost hypnotic.
“I’m April. This is my brother Ben. These are our friends Carlos, Serise and Grace.” Everyone waved, except Ben. He was still trying to figure out if he had heard her “think” something earlier.
“So who are you?” April asked.
“I am Ziian Aurelia. Exaulted leader of our Royal Guard.” The woman smiled inquisitively at Uncle Henry who continued to glower. “You may use either name that suits you.”
She squeezed April’s hand. April giggled. Her beads glowed as she did a polite bow. The woman shot a curious but approving glance at Uncle Henry.
“Seekor Comisat?”
“English please, Commander. I am attempting to master the nuance of the language.”
“Explain yourself!” Uncle Henry’s booming voice nearly split Ben’s eardrums.
Aurelia crossed her arms, bowed to April then straightened. “Jemadari. We have come to assist in the search. All here are volunteers. Many others were turned away so great was the response to our request.”
“You should not have come. This is an evacuation. We have no need for a Shaman. I order your team to return with the children and insure their safety. Where is Sondar?”
“Sondar sends his highest regards. He has been assigned a different task. I am still Shaman. And now Warrior. My team has been training for this mission, with Sondar’s blessings, from the day your team departed. You require our unique skills. We are prepared to complete the mission or die trying.”
Ben couldn’t help gawking.
Aurelia abruptly broke off the conversation and studied Ben. He tried looking away but a force compelled him to return her gaze. Her fiery eyes sparkled.
“Is it your habit to eavesdrop on the thoughts of your elders, my young prince?”
“No,” Ben said, startled.
“No what?” asked Grace.
Aurelia seemed amused. Her eyes grew even brighter, her gaze more intent.
“Nothing,” Ben said. “Just talking to myself.”
“What else is new,” Grace said, as she returned her focus to the growing flurry of activity in the room.
The transport beam extinguished. Grace, Serise, Carlos and April rushed onto the floor where they were warmly received.
“No need to speak.” Aurelia’s voice whispered inside of Ben’s head in a soft hypnotic cadence. “Communicate with your mind.”
“He does not have the ability. I believe you were briefed about Medie’s habitat mixture.”
“Yes. Such a pity.”
“Hello! Standin’ right here!” Ben projected, annoyed that they were talking about him — or at least thinking about him — as if he were an inanimate object. “I CAN hear you. If you’re talking about that breakfast junk my mom makes, I haven’t been drinking it since last spring!”
Uncle Henry froze.
“Surprise! I’ve been dumping it in the rose bushes.”
So that was it! Telepathy. No wonder his digital recorder couldn’t pick up the argument between his dad and uncle. Though using this new skill was giving him a headache.
“This explains everything,” his uncle said. “Your sudden improvement in basketball skills. The change in your muscular build.”
“Encouraging,” Aurelia said.
“Can I hear anyone’s thoughts?” Ben thought.
“Under certain circumstances and only within the clan,” she answered.
“Can you teach me?”
“In time, young prince. You will be briefed when you are ready. And now, if you will excuse me, there are many preparations to be made. I wish you a safe journey home.”
She bowed. “Jemadari. I leave you to tend to your children.” There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She bowed. “With your permission.”
Uncle Henry pointed toward a digital console. Aurelia removed her gloves and tucked them into her belt. Her slender fingers were a blur as they flew across the panel while she concentrated on an overhead monitor. Uncle Henry, on the other hand, stabbed at the surface as if he were trying to beat it into submission. Ben caught flashes of conversation but he was too far away to hear them clearly. What bits he heard weren’t in English and the tone was definitely not friendly. He crept closer in an attempt to improve the reception.
Above them, charts flashed until continental maps were shown. Uncle Henry zoomed in on individual countries. Lights appeared: white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
With a thunderous roar, metallic columns swiveled open and retracted to reveal the same crystal tubes Ben had seen under the Vatican. Each glowed in a color corresponding to a light on the map.
April scurried back to Ben’s side along with the others. “Where are they going? They just got here! I want to get a closer look.”
“Oh no,” Ben said. “I’m not chasing after you again. Stay here. We don’t know what they’re doing.”
The warriors broke into nine groups, eight of which waited by the tubes. One by one, civilians gathered ahead of them. The ninth team, comprising half of the multi-planetary contingent, disappeared behind the entrance to the Libyan Desert facility. The door shimmered like liquid, then became solid again.
“Shirvash!” Aurelia shouted. Her voice, which rang like wind chimes when she communicated telepathically, now carried the force of authority.
As team members stepped into the portals, their clothing and appearance changed. Parkas, goggles and heavy boots for Siberia, cool linens for the United States. Travelers with alien features transformed into humans. Minutes later they vanished.
A look passed between Aurelia and Ben’s uncle, who remained stoic.
“Do not worry. I will find them for you.” Aurelia shot a worried glance in Ben’s direction. She switched to another language. “Tandana coorishna zen Kurosh.”
“Andar vernish karem Aureliana,” Uncle Henry growled.
When she touched his shoulder, he flinched and backed away, but his stern expression softened.
CHAPTER FIFTY
The Discovery
“Wake up and realize you are surrounded by amazing friends”
Author unknown
“The time for your departure grows near,” Uncle Henry said as he walked into the apartment. “I have made arrangements for each of you to be lodged in the same section of the ship. We’ve installed some of Earth’s comforts to ease your transition. Tutors will contact you once the Sonara is underway. It will take close to a year to reach our solar system, even with jump gates in place. We have an extensive library to help you acclimate to your cultures and native languages. In time, you will be so immersed in your new lives, this will seem like a distant memory.”
“Don’t count on it,” growled Ben.
“But Mom? Dad? What about them?” asked April.
“We both made a promise to them and it’s one I intend to honor.”
“But . . ,” April said.
“That’s an order. It’s not safe for anyone to stay let alone children. If your parents are alive Aurelia will find them. According to Sondar’s report, she is the best tracker on the team.”
“A friend?” Ben asked telepathically.
Uncle Henry’s eyes grew dark but he didn’t answer.
“How are we getting to the ship?” asked Carlos.
“You’ll transport directly to your cabins. It’s a little more substantial than the gateways you’ve used on Earth. It will feel a bit like a roller coaster ride. It’s over in seconds but will be less jarring if you close your eyes as you enter the beam.”
“We’ll catch the next one,” Ben said.
“That is not an option.”
Ben was furious. “We’ve made up our minds! We’re staying to look for our parents. If you don’t want to help, then we’ll do it ourselves!”
“This argument is concluded!” barked Uncle Henry, turning to leave. “Gather your things!”
“We’re staying! You need us.” Ben said, struggling to keep his voice level but firm.
Uncle Henry whirled around, grabbed Ben by the shoulders and slammed him hard against the wall. “The last person we need here is you, Ben!”
His hot breath seared Ben’s face. His nose flared, his eyes narrowed. It was like staring into the face of an angry bull.
Rage rose in Ben’s chest as he stared back defiantly. Acid ate away at his stomach. He had always known his uncle hated him. Finally, the words were spoken. He clenched his fist and grit his teeth. “I don’t need you either. I’ll find them myself.”
Uncle Henry maintained his vice-like grip on Ben. His eyes bored into him as he spoke in slow measured tones. “You don’t get it do you? This is not a game. The stakes here are real. You can’t select ‘new game’ from a pull-down menu if you get hurt or killed. There’s no convenient ‘undo’ function to retrace your steps if you make an error. No ‘escape’ key to beam you back to reality.”
“But our parents …”
“Were fools. There was no place for children on this mission!”
Ben winced as his uncle’s grip tightened on his arms and shoulders. “I’ll ask Aurelia for help. I heard her say she would find them for you.”
“Perhaps I have been unclear,” his uncle said, the heat from his breath like an inferno. “All available resources are allocated. We’ve got to find a way to release the energy build-up before everything we’ve worked for is lost!”
“What are you say …”
“Finding your parents is not our priority. They knew the risks. You saw the size of that blast hole. In all probability they died trying to save you. If we don’t stop this chain reaction, there won’t be anyone left to find their bodies. I will not allow you to further jeopardize my mission.”
“I’m staying.” Ben struggled to break free to no avail. He felt as if he were pinned by iron bars. He looked past his uncle and saw fear in the eyes of his friends. Even April stood motionless, her mouth gaping as Ben flailed two feet off the floor.
“I’m afraid you are mistaken, Benjamin.” Uncle Henry’s eyes flashed with a fire that caused Ben’s heart to skip several beats. His voice was menacing and threatening. His friends gasped in the background as his uncle pressed his face within a hair’s width of his own.
“You … and I … will honor the commitments we have made. You are a son of Xenobia and you will act accordingly. Do I make myself clear? I will not risk any more lives trying to protect you. You will go home!”
“But all those people getting off the ship. That means they are prepared to die.” Terrified, Ben held his ground, if not with his dangling feet then with his heart.
“Not if we find the keys in time.”
“And if you don’t? How will you get home?”
Uncle Henry abruptly released his grip. Ben collapsed on the floor like a discarded heap of rubbish. He rubbed his sore arms.
“Collect your things,” Uncle Henry said, his voice absent of any emotion. “I’ve made preparations. You have family who will meet you when the transport arrives on Casmir. From there, shuttles will carry you to your home planets. I will return for you in one hour.”
“Uncle Henry?” Ben shouted. “How will you get home?”
Ben’s uncle opened the doorway and walked out. He didn’t answer. He didn’t look back.
The door sealed shut behind him.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
United We Stand
“I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do.”
Helen Keller
“We’re not really going are we?” asked Serise.
“No” Ben said. “I’m not leaving without knowing what happened to our parents.”
“And if they’re dead? What good will it do us to stay?” Grace asked. “I’ve never seen your uncle like that. He was terrifying — even for him.”
“I’ve made my decision,” Ben said. “They’d look for us wouldn’t they?”
“That’s because they’ve got skills. Training. Equipment. What have we got? Five kids and a cat,” Grace said. “I don’t think that’s enough.”
Aris grew to full size and growled at her.
“Oops! Sorry, Aris,” Grace said. “I meant five kids and our shape-shifting, panther pal.”
Aris shrank back to normal, purred and rubbed against Grace’s leg.
“Grace. Have you ever done anything your parents asked you not to do?” asked Serise
“Yes.”
Serise cocked her head to the side and arched one eyebrow.
Grace frowned. “Okay, no. I haven’t. But we made a promise.”
“No, we didn’t,” Ben said. “My father made me promise to get on the ship. Your parents didn’t make you promise anything. They just assumed you would do it.”
“Okay. You made a promise,” Grace said.
“Right. But I never do what my parents tell me to do so why break a consistent pattern of behavior? Technically, if we stay, I’m the only one who will get in trouble. Don’t see me worried do you? Come on guys. The clock is ticking!”
“My parents gave up on domesticating me,” Serise said without hesitation. “I’m in.”
Carlos nodded and gave Serise a high five. “Me too. So what’s the plan?”
“I haven’t figured that part out yet.” Ben turned to his sister. “April, you should go home.”
April glowered at Ben like he’d lost his mind. She put one hand on her hip and waved the index finger of the other at him. “No!”
“But Mom and Dad said …”
“No!” she said, cutting him off. “Don’t EVEN think about it.”
“But …”
April raised one eyebrow and rolled her neck. “I’m part of the team, remember?”
Ben knew when to give up. “Fine. Be that way.”
Grace clapped her hands to get their attention. “Hey guys? I hate to interfere with your family bonding moment but we don’t have much time. Your uncle is coming back in an hour.”
“Do you think we could get a technician to help?” asked Serise.
“Like who?” asked Carlos. “We don’t speak any alien languages.” He walked up to the door and waved his hand in a circular fashion. “Abracadabra!”
The door remained closed.
“See? We can’t even get out of the room.” Clearly frustrated, Carlos mashed on the keys. A lot of alien symbols stared back at him.
Serise used her watch with no results
Grace studied the panel and traced the foreign symbols with her fingertips. “I’m lost,” she said, in defeat.
Ben put one hand on it, then both hands. Nothing. Soon they were all punching random codes into the keyboard hoping to find a combination that would turn it on. The keypad remained dormant.
Ben switched on the compass. “Computer. Determine current location.”
“Confirmed.”
“Autodial pass code to open the door, please.”
The computer worked for a few seconds then responded. “Authorization denied.”
Ben growled and tossed the device on a nearby chair. “Carlos. Got anything in that bag?”
Carlos frowned and searched through his backpack. “Sorry. Left the laser beam at home.”
“Well, we better figure something out quick.” April put her finger in the middle of the compass screen and said, “April Webster.”
“Fingerprint and voiceprint identification confirmed. Welcome April Webster.”
“Hey! Don’t mess with that! We don’t know how much power it has left.” Ben snatched it away.
“It recognizes me! You have to share,” April said, snatching it back. A map appeared. Several blinking lights were visible. “What’s this?” she asked. “A game?”
Grace looked over her shoulder. “It’s a map of the northern hemisphere.”
“Hey, guys?” Carlos said. “We need a plan! Like right now before we get sent up in that beam. Did you see what some of those space people looked like coming off of that ship? What do you suppose the people on our planets really look like when they’re not pretending to be Earthlings? Did you see Grace’s tribe? Skeletons! I don’t know about you, but I kind of like the way I look right now!”
Grace frowned and studied her hands, twisting them back and forth and holding them up the light as if waiting for her own transformation.
“Shhh,” Serise said, examining the device. “Will that hot sync with my computer? I can’t make out the tiny letters. Let’s blow it up.” She placed the compass near the infrared port on the side of her laptop. A red beam shot out of the screen and scanned Serise’s face. A familiar voice confirmed, “Retinal eye scan completed. Serise Hightower authorized user.”
“That’s a slick new security feature,” Carlos said.
“Thanks,” Serise said. “I hacked my mother’s laptop while I was on lock-down. Couldn’t read the encrypted files but I found this. Wish I’d had it earlier to keep my parents from snooping my diary. This outer space spy stuff has some advantages!”
The two devices began communicating. Soon both screens flashed “Synchronization complete.” Ben gawked at Serise with newfound appreciation as she typed furiously on her keyboard.
“There’s something here,” she said. “A map and a bunch of tiny lights. They’re all in Northern Africa.”
“See if you can blow up the map,” Carlos said.
Serise zoomed in five hundred percent. A clearer image of Egypt emerged. Hundreds of tiny lights hovered over the city of Giza, with more heading in that direction.
“I think that’s us,” Grace said. “I bet it’s just a way to keep track of the teams. It makes sense that they’re all in Egypt. Everyone’s going home.”
“Not everyone,” Ben frowned.
More lights blinked on and off in the same locations shown on the Control Room map. The recently departed research teams.
“Let me see that.” Grace scrolled to the left and rotated the map. “Guys look. There’s another set of lights. Not as many this time.”
Grace was right. There were more lights — eight of them — right on the equator.
