The Blueshifters (Blueshifter Series Book 1) (4 page)

“
This
is a direct copy I made of it. I have only one other copy. I used to
think it was just a diary of a mad man's scribblings. Found it in the
trash at World-Con some years ago. But after meeting Trillion this
book is almost like a bible. There are things in here that this man
saw and knew that you won't find anywhere else. You guys are like
this guy. Except in a better position because you can truly fight
them. I have a feeling he was taken or maybe even murdered. You have
an advantage this poor guy didn't. You can see them and they don't
know it. Yet.” Dan took the book.

“
Thanks.”

“
Here,
you better take this back. I don't want to spill it,” said Dan.

“
Oh
yeah.” Andrew took the cup back. Dan fingered the book's
dog-eared corners.

“
So,
we are embarking on a new era,” said Dan quietly. Andrew
nodded, his eyes almost comically big behind his glasses.

“
I
feel like I've been dropped in the middle of They Live.”

”
That's
because you are,” said Andrew. Dan went back to the front of
the room. The others were getting ready to leave.

“
Wait!
Mary, Jack. Let's get numbers. I want to meet with you guys as soon
as possible. Tomorrow maybe?” Said Dan getting struggling
through his pockets looking for a pen.

“
What?
You don't have a cell phone?” Asked Jack.

“
I
lost it and didn't have much time to get a new one, recovering in the
hospital and all,” said Dan. I can tell this guy is gonna be
prick. They exchanged numbers.

“
Friday
then? And then Monday here?”

“
Yeah.
Friday then,” said Mary. Anxiety was pouring off of her in
waves. Mary is really nervous. Wonder what she's seen? He thought.

“
What
will we be doing Friday?” Asked Jack.

“
Well,
my idea is this: Map out every place we know these redshifters hang
out.” All three filed out of the bookstore, planning the next
meeting in hushed tones.

.
. .

Andrew
closed the door, locked it and flapped the sign around to indicate
the store was closed. He turned down the lights.

“
You
think this will work, Trillion? We're up against something we don't
fully understand yet.”

“
We
don't have time to wait anymore. We've waited too long already. We do
understand enough to realize that the others are a threat to human
existence, that they have failed in the past and have learned from
their mistakes. They won't make the same mistakes again.”

“
I
wish there were more people in the world like them.”

“
There
are. My job is to find them, turn them into fighting machines or
spies. Whatever it takes to win the looming battle.”

“
Let's
hope that doesn't take too long. The world is getting darker all the
time and most people are oblivious to what is going on. We may
already be too late.”

”
I
know,” said Trillion, buttoning up his long overcoat and
getting ready to head out into the pouring rain. “I know.”

Episode 7 – Dark
Horses

The
map was criss-crossed with myriads of lines and decorated in
strategic places with a few red pins or arrows. Dan paced back and
forth with his arms folded.

“
Think
again guys. All of the places you encountered that odd feeling or
even saw something or someone that didn't look right to you. Any
place!”

“
Even
our own pl. . places?” Stammered Mary. Dan and Jack looked at
her.

“
Yes,
Mary,” said Dan. “Especially your own place. What did you
encounter there?”

“
Well.
. . about a year ago I was having a lot of trouble in my life and
things got so bad that I was desperate to make them better. A friend
at work, or I thought she was a friend anyway, she told me about this
man who fixes things. Mr. Make-Right, they call him,” she
rolled her eyes. “Anyway, to make a long story short, there's a
box that he gives you. It's. . .well, it's red.”

“
Creepy,”
muttered Jack.

“
It
gets creepier. Before I took the box home – he said not to open
it until you are sure you know you can handle the aftermath of
whatever is fixed in your life – well, his words gave me second
thoughts on the box. You know, I've had problems before that were
pretty rough and I got through them without some magic box. I also
got the feeling after a few days of owning the box that I was being
followed and watched. Everywhere I went I got this bad feeling. I'd
noticed a car following me home from work. At times, it seemed black
and other times, dark red. Several times I thought I caught it
trailing me.” Jack sat up straight and his eyes widened. Dan
glanced at him but motioned for her to continue.

“
And
then, whenever I looked in the mirror my own image talks to me.”

“
What?”
They both exclaimed.

“
Yes!
It's no lie. She has tried to convince me to open the box and use it.
Threatens me. Sometimes I can't go home unless I turn the mirrors
over or break them.”

“
I
need to see this. . .box,” said Dan.

“
No!”
Mary shook her head frantically.

“
Mary,
Mary. Calm down. Right now we will continue using the map to find the
enemy but we need to discuss the box. You said that your image
harasses you about it while at home?” He asked. Mary nodded.

“
Does
this happen to you when you stay somewhere else?”

“
I
haven't noticed it, no. Only at home.”

“
I've
never heard of this,” said Jack.

“
Me
neither.” Seeing Mary's distress, Dan turned back to the map.
“I met the group of punks on the waterfront, right here.”
He marked the location where he was thrown over the waterfront with a
red pin. His eye twitched involuntarily to even mention it.

“
Ok,
so we have nine places so far throughout the city where we have
encountered The Others.”

“
What
do we do next?” Asked Jack.

“
We
can place listening devices around some of these places, bugs. I
ordered some off an internet store in Japan. I see no reason to wait
for Trillion to give us further instructions. Snooping is something
we can do on our own. But, he gave me these pulses. They draw the
redshifters, attract them like moths to the flame. We draw them out
and we shoot. We won't be using these yet though until I hear from
him.”

“
What
about people who serve them?” Asked Mary querulously.

“
We
stun them with pepper spray. Unless they try to kill us and indeed
some of them will. It nearly happened to me. In that case, defend
yourself. Look, we're not looking for fights – yet. We're
studying where they are. Where they can be found. Redshifter
hotspots, if you will.” Dan crossed the room, stood back and
examined the map. He made a sound of startled surprise.

“
What?
What do you see?” Asked Jack.

“
It's.
. .it's a pattern. Or it seems like one. Look at the shape. It's like
a circle with satellites all around it. Look!” The other two
stood up and approached the map.

“
You're
right.” Indeed, it did seem interesting. The redshifter
hotspots they had already found all circled around an old warehouse
in the industrial district.

“
It's
not really a pattern yet, though,” said Jack. “For that,
we have to find more and see if the other hotspots if there are any
more, look like this.”

“
That's
true.” Dan looked at Mary.

“
Mary,”
he said in concern. “You're apartment is one of those
satellites, if indeed it is one. I find it interesting that this
person confronts you only at your home. Why don't we go to your place
first?” Mary blew out a nervous sigh and nodded.

“
Ok.
My place first.”

“
But
what exactly are we looking for at any of these locations?”
Asked Jack.

“
Anything
strange, weird, out of the ordinary. Anything that trips our red
radars,” Dan said. “Right now all I've got is maybe.
Maybe the hotspot in the middle is a power source. And maybe Mary's
red box is a clue as to what kind of trouble we're up against.”

“
Well,
we've got one advantage right now,” said Jack. “They have
no clue who we are and what we're doing. How long that lasts is
another matter.”

Episode 8 – Burn It

Mary's
hands shook as she unlocked the door and led them in. She turned on
the lights.

“
I
turned all of the mirrors in the house over, as you can see. Anybody
want something to drink?” No one answered.

“
What
about your bathroom mirror?” Asked Dan.

“
That's
the only one I can't control. It's also the one where this. . person.
. .appears to me the most.”

“
What
about the box?” Asked Jack. Mary blew a hesitant breath out.
She shivered slightly.

“
Right.
The box.”

“
Before
you bring the box out, tell us more about it. What do you think it
is?” Asked Dan sitting down on the couch.

“
Sort
of like a Pandora's Box.”

“
What
happens if you open the box?”