Gateway (Gateway Series Book 1) (30 page)

“Yes,” answered Magnus. “Perhaps we should leave the siblings to themselves and we shall talk of the virus.”

Running his hand over Katalya’s hair, Magnus lowered his head to her ear.

“I am happy for you, mate,” Magnus said to Katalya as he motioned toward a separate room in the back of the den. “Come with me, we shall talk. Horatio, Elder, please join us as well.”

Placing his head toward the ground, the old man answered, “As you wish, Magnus.”

***

Leaving Mori with her sister, Stone and the others followed Magnus into the room.

“This is probably more to your liking,” said Magnus, flipping a switch on the wall. As he did, additional lights illuminated the room to normal levels. “Sit, please,” he continued as he took a seat at the head of a large table, Elder and Horatio standing behind him.

“So how did you get here?” Magnus asked as his guests took their seats.

“It wasn’t easy,” said Rickover.

“They say the Xen are performing the tests to create hybrids for their slave populations,” reported Horatio.

“We recently found out about the Directive and existence of this base,” said Stone.

“It must be very secretive if even Alpha Humana officers do not know of it,” answered Magnus.

Stone was surprised that Magnus had identified him. “How did you know?”

“Your Humani scent fills the air…and I can see part of your Elite guard marking from your torn shirt.”

“I am no longer in service of the Xen Emperor or the ProConsul,” he said. “I am with your mate’s sister.”

A series of squeaks came from TC. “What has happened to you?” he asked bluntly.

“All we know is that we’re the second in a series of three tests,” replied Magnus.

“Magnus, may we join you?” Katalya asked, her head looking toward the ground as she and Mori stood at the doorway.

“Of course, please sit. You as well, Elder, Horatio.”

“How many have there been?” asked Stone. “How many have been part of the experiments?”

“Over the years,” said Elder, “probably millions.”

“Millions!” echoed Mori.

“Yes,” continued Magnus. “It is a very large operation. At first the Xen used vulpes genes to create the fox clan.”

“The testing showed that few survived the alterations and that most that did failed to conform to captivity,” added Elder. “The species was then…discontinued.”

“That is how Mother died,” added Katalya as she placed her hands over Mori’s. “It was—” She paused, unable to speak of it.

“Next was the canis gene,” continued Elder, placing his hand on Katalya’s shoulder. “They created two strands. The familiarious and lupus genomes were tested creating the canine and wolf clans. Ours is the lupus or wolf clan. We adjusted well to the modification, although the first few weeks are extremely painful as the alterations occur.”

“At least the children do not suffer the change like us,” added Katalya. “And they grow so fast.”

Magnus picked up where Elder had left off. “But we, too, refused to cooperate with our would-be masters. The canines proved much more…loyal. In the canines, they found not only slaves, but subservient ones.”

“What of the wolf clan? How did you end up out here?” asked Orion.

“We too were scheduled to be eradicated,” said Elder.

“Elder,” added Magnus, “led an uprising against the Xen. His leadership and bravery allowed us to escape and survive. He was our leader until he grew too old and I replaced him.”

“Thousands died, but a few of us escaped,” said Elder. “I only wish more had survived.”

“You are all that are left?” asked Mori.

“Out of thousands that resisted, we forty-one remain,” said Katalya. “Not quite human, not quite wolf.”

“The alterations may look subtle,” added Magnus, “but they are significant. As you can tell, our sense of smell is heightened as well as our night vision. Our offspring also mature much more quickly, usually by age twelve. Additionally, we have taken on several mannerisms such as our loyalty to the pack and our hierarchy.”

“At least you earn your positions of power,” said Stone, thinking back to the social stratification of the Humani. 

“Thank you,” said Magnus, nodding in recognition of Stone’s compliment.

“Can this be reversed?” asked Mori as she looked at her sister.

Magnus’s head snapped in the direction of Mori, his teeth showing. “Reversed? Why would we want to change?”

“Magnus, please remember this is new to them. They mean no disrespect,” pleaded Katalya.

Regaining his composure, he continued. “Excuse me. I must remember you have only today learned of us. We can never be human again, nor can we have human offspring. Hopefully, we can survive to display the best virtues of each species. We are what we are and would not want to have this as you say…reversed.”

“It’s okay, Mori,” said Katalya. “I still have nightmares about being taken from my family, the testing, and the deaths of so many, but I do not regret what I have become. If only we could escape this planet and find a place of our own.”

“And be allowed to fight those reptilian demons on equal terms,” added Magnus, “instead of hiding and running. It’s not our way.”

“That is why we’re here,” said Stone. “We must find a way to destroy this place while allowing us to get out safely…if possible.”

“How can so few destroy this base? You might as well try to destroy the planet?” said Magnus.

“You want to destroy the planet?” asked Rickover matter-of-factly.

“Well, I guess that would destroy the virus, the base, and the Xen on it,” said Stone.

“Again, how the hell are we gonna do it?” posed Orion. “I just don’t see…”

“We can do that,” interrupted Rickover.

“What the hell are you talking about?” asked a confused Stone.

“It’s all about the magnetism.”

“What?” asked Orion. “I think your big brain has finally snapped.”

“Funny, Captain. It’s not my fault if I understand magnetic forces and you don’t.”

“Well, I don’t understand,” said Mori.

Rickover stood up from the table and let out a sigh of disappointment. He was a genius; his biggest problem was in not understanding why everyone else wasn’t.

“Look,” he said, grabbing a stylus from the desk and writing on its surface, much to Magnus’s chagrin. “The asteroid belt circles this planet like this. There’s force put on the asteroids by the magnetic field of this planet. The asteroids are polarized against the North and South poles of this planet. If we disrupt either the magnetic field of the planet or the polarity or electron flow patterns through the asteroid, we can allow the planet’s gravity to accelerate the asteroid toward the planet. The last time I checked, planets don’t like thousands of massive asteroids slamming into them.”

“You can cause the asteroids to crash into the planet?” asked Magnus.

“Well, I can’t, but the captain can—if she is a good enough pilot and if TC is a good enough navigator. Oh, and if we don’t get shot down while trying to do it.”

“I still don’t understand what you are talking about,” said Orion, knowing all too well she was about to get another lecture from Rickover.

“Look,” said Rickover as he took a deep breath. “If you make
Hydra
go roundy-roundy fast enough around the asteroid belt,” he said as he made funny hand gestures, curling his hand in one direction and sticking his thumb out, “you will create a magnetic field this way, which is opposite of the natural field, hopefully collapsing it momentarily and allowing the new force and gravity to do the rest. You have to rotationally accelerate to a jump and then establish a reoccurring jump to build up the field as you go.”

“Will that really work?” asked Stone.

“It should. You just have to get to the asteroid belt and then pull out of the jump just as the asteroids start to accelerate.”

“How the hell do we know when to do that?” asked TC.

“If you can get the jump sequence down, I can calculate the hypothetical nominal time.”

“Hypothetical?”

“Well, it’s hard not to be hypothetical until we actually do it, isn’t it?”

“What if we’re off a little?” asked Orion.

“We’ll either be crushed by the wall of asteroids as they accelerate or decelerate into the waiting arms of Xen condors.”

“Nice,” replied Orion. “Wonderful options, as always.”

“Rickover,” asked Stone, “can this work?”

“I wouldn’t have mentioned it if it wouldn’t.”

“I think we should try it,” said Mori.

“Me too,” said TC.

“What do we have to lose?” asked Orion.

“Everything,” added Stone. “But it’s the only option on the table.”

Mori looked toward her sister. “What about the—”

“You may call us the wolf clan,” said Magnus.

“The wolf clan,” continued Mori. “Can we get them all off the planet with us?”

“It will be a tight fit,” said Orion, “but we should be able to squeeze everyone in, especially without the weight of the bombs.”

“We accept your offer,” said Magnus. “We can be ready by nightfall.”

“It’s settled then,” said Stone. “We go tonight.”

***

Martin’s dreams were crowded with jumbled distorted flashes of memories of her father, Jackson, and Stone. As her broken body struggled to heal itself physically, her mind raced. As she lay in the infirmary, Martin’s visions were interrupted by muffled, far-off voices.

“Shouldn’t she be coming out of it soon?” a female voice spoke.

“It might be a while longer,” responded a male voice. “She had lost a fair amount of blood, but the infection from her wounds would have killed her if she hadn’t gotten aid when she did. Actually, it should have killed her anyway. She must have one hell of a reason to stay alive.”

Stimulated by the voices, Martin attempted to move her body but her limbs would not respond. Focusing all of her efforts on her left hand, Martin tried again. Move, she thought.

“Doctor,” interrupted the female voice. “Her hand.”

“I see it,” he replied. “hand me the injection. I think we can try to bring her around.”

The voices grew clearer.

“This should do it.”

Martin felt her arm grow warm, and light began to flood her consciousness.

“She’s coming back,” exclaimed the woman.

Martin began to regain consciousness but her head was foggy and her eyes difficult to open. Struggling to regain her senses, she first felt a dull ache in her shoulder and her entire body felt as if it had been hit by a hovercraft. Slowly she opened her eyes.

“Welcome back, Captain Martin,” said the doctor. “We weren’t sure we were going to get you back.”

Martin tried to speak but she could not form the words. Her jaw was stiff and her throat was dry and chalky.

“Don’t try to speak, Captain,” explained the doctor. “It may still be several days before you can speak. But I am sure you have many questions.”

Martin nodded her head slightly in acknowledgment.

“Your unit was overwhelmed on Juliet 3. You are the only survivor that we know of.”

Martin’s mind raced, trying to make sense of the visions and nightmares that had filled her dreams while she was unconscious. “Jack-son?” asked Martin in a scratchy, distorted voice. As she spoke, pain shot through her throat into her stomach.

“I don’t know who that is,” responded the doctor. “But as far as the reports have stated you are the sole survivor.”

Suddenly she flashed back to the final moments of battle as the Terillian sword passed through Jackson’s back and then to her staring into his vacant eyes on the abandoned battlefield.

“That is, except for the Traitor,” interrupted the doctor.

Martin looked up toward the doctor, unaware of any of the events that had transpired after the battle.

“Your commander,” continued the doctor. “Tyler Stone betrayed your positions and then killed Cataline Tacitus and assaulted our ProConsul Astra Varus.”

Martin could not comprehend what the doctor had just revealed. All she could do was shake her head slowly in denial.

“I’m afraid it’s true, Captain,” continued the doctor. “Apparently he came under the influence of a Terillian spy and became her lover, further betraying the Lady Varus and our people.”

“No!” choked Martin, even though speaking caused searing pain in her throat.

“The Traitor and his whore attacked the Senator Dominotra and Lady Varus on their estate, killing the Senator and permanently scarring Lady Varus. She has shown incredible strength since this atrocity.”

Martin continued to shake her head as she tried to process what she was hearing.

“It’s not possible,” replied Martin as blood started to trickle out of her mouth. “No!”

“Captain,” warned the nurse as she placed her hands on Martin’s left arm, “you mustn’t get too excited. You are still very seriously injured.”