Aris was in full stealth mode as if it were a real-life video game. Competing against the best guardian in the world provided a unique opportunity to test his wits. As a master gamer and strategist, Aris was up for the challenge.
The agent made a few laps around the room before cutting off the exit. He placed his hand on the digital panel, shutting the door and sealing them both in. Aris peeked from behind one of the tanks and saw what the agent was up to.
Agent Archimedes turned around, forcing Aris to take cover behind the large tank. Without a visual, Aris relied on his other senses. Amidst the occasional squawks and splashes of the marine animals, Aris could hear the sounds of Archimedes’ footsteps as he crept around the tanks. Aris took a deep breath before he made his move. As the agent’s footsteps came nearer, Aris scurried in the opposite direction.
Archimedes caught on to how Aris was evading him so he took off his access pod, placed it next to one of the containers, and cranked up some music. He then took off his shoes and crept silently around the large aquarium. Aris was wise to the tactic and figured the best defence would be to get as close to the music as possible since the agent would likely be making his way out from that point.
Aris crouched down low to peer under the tanks. Luckily he caught a glimpse of the agent’s movements as he navigated the room. As Archimedes moved, Aris relocated his position. Eventually they were on opposite sides of the aquarium. Aris was now standing by the agent’s shoes and access pod, and Archimedes was standing thirty feet away.
Aris picked up the access pod, affixed it to his wrist, and then tossed the agent’s shoes in one of the large squid tanks. Archimedes heard the splash and began running in that direction. Aris made a mad dash for the exit. Without bothering to reduce his speed, he slammed into the door and frantically placed his trembling hand against the scanner box. The door slid open and Aris bolted out of sight.
Chapter Forty-Three
After driving only a short distance, Milo was hooked. Despite his initial embarrassment of being in such a primitive car, he could not recall a time when he had more fun. On the dashboard was a glowing blue button, so Milo pushed it. Instantly, the car’s roof retracted and folded into the trunk.
“Wow, did you see that?” he shouted with the excitement of a kid making a new discovery. With the top down and the wind blowing in his hair, his excitement reached new levels. Alex looked over at him and saw how much fun he was having. His joy brought a smile to her face.
As the nearly hundred-year-old sports car raced through the city, it attracted some unwanted attention. Several guardian vehicles spotted the rare car going over 200 kilometres per hour, but none of them bothered to pursue. Alex and Milo left the city and headed east.
The Leader’s compound was located down a long stretch of road about an hour from the city. The GPS notified them when they were getting close. Normally there would be security checkpoints positioned every few kilometres to turn unauthorized vehicles around, but fortunately there were none.
The further Alex and Milo drove from the city, the better they felt, even though the air quality was the same. Perhaps it was the car’s air filtration system that gave them a much needed second wind.
The car drove through the barren terrain, wrapping around several small mountains. On the straightaways, Milo really opened up with the accelerator and quickly changed his tune about the antique super car. Not much was spoken as they both needed the time to concentrate, albeit on separate tasks. The loud purr of the engine was actually quite soothing as they settled in for the long drive.
When they came closer to the Leader’s compound, their headlights reflected off a metallic object in the distance. Unsure what it was, Milo reduced his speed. Pulling up to the object, they noticed it was Aris’ bike stashed in some bushes.
“Let’s pull over here,” Alex suggested.
Milo inched forward, bringing the vehicle to a stop on the side of the road. They made no attempts to hide it. Just like Aris, they continued the rest of the way on foot and eventually arrived at the same ridge where Aris had stopped a few hours earlier.
Alex looked down and noticed a wrapper from an energy bar on the ground. She bent down, picked up the wrapper, and put it in her pocket.
“What are you doing?” Milo asked.
“Picking up litter.”
“That should be the least of your concerns right now.”
Milo peered through his night-vision lenses and observed the Leader’s compound.
“See anything?” Alex asked.
“Yeah, I see where Aris entered the house through a window. He said nobody was around and I think he was right. I don’t see any activity. Let’s head down there for a closer look.”
As they made their way to the fence, they found the spot where Aris had climbed over. Milo went first then waited for Alex to pass the device. She climbed up to the top wrung and carefully handed it to Milo, who was standing on alternate rungs of the makeshift ladder.
“You have it?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’ve got it, come on over.”
Alex was about to make the final step over to the other side when she stopped. She had a look on her face that caused Milo to worry.
“Alex, what’s wrong?” Milo asked, as he turned around to see what she was looking at. Milo was about to break into a full sprint when he saw the dogs running toward him. He quickly realized outrunning the pack of aggressive dogs was unlikely, so he decided on the only logical thing, which was to climb back over the fence. However, as he turned toward the fence, Alex was climbing down, blocking his path.
“What are you doing?” he asked in a panic.
“I didn’t come all this way to be scared off by some dogs. Don’t worry, we can handle this.”
The dogs were now surrounding Milo and Alex, snarling fiercely and showing their glistening teeth. Alex was concentrating intently on the lead dog almost as if she was trying to talk to it with her mind. Her gaze never broke and her body language displayed confidence. After a moment, the dog suddenly became passive and started wagging its tail. He approached Alex and sniffed her hands as he circled around her. She remained calm and allowed the dog to get acquainted with her before she reached out and petted the dog on its head.
“What did you do?” Milo asked in amazement. “You just turned a pack of ravenously snarling dogs into some docile house pets.”
“I just used my Jedi mind trick on them.”
“What’s a Jedi?”
“Never mind. I just believed I could do it.”
“That’s a strong belief system you have. Why don’t you believe you can fly us out of here?”
“Because… physics.”
“Good point.”
The dogs approached Milo and he had yet to fully embraced their seemingly friendly nature.
“It’s okay, Milo. Let them smell you,” she instructed.
Milo allowed the dogs to get acquainted with him before he felt confident enough to pet them. The dogs cautiously circled Milo, sniffing him in different areas.
“The key is to not be afraid.”
“That’s a lot easier said than done.”
“Have confidence and show them you’re the Alpha.”
“It’s hard when I feel more like the Omega.”
“It’s okay, they know we’re not here to hurt them. We can proceed.”
Milo and Alex made their way to the house. The dogs followed behind, wagging their tails. When they arrived at the window where Aris made his point of entry, Milo gave Alex a boost inside, and then climbed in after her.
“It’s weird to think this is your dad’s house. Imagine being able to spend your weekends here?”
“Perhaps in another lifetime,” she responded.
They made their way through the house and eventually arrived at the Leader’s office. When they walked inside, they noticed the holographic image right away. It was a strange glowing mechanism, rotating above the desk.
“What the heck is
that thing?” Milo asked.
“I’m not sure.”
Alex instructed the computer to analyse the data.
A soft voice began to speak. “Matter Transporter – Location: rear quadrant of the main hub – Last Transport: Aris Anderson – Status: Successful.”
Alex and Milo were stunned at what they had just heard.
“Did Aris really transport himself?” Milo asked.
“It sounds like it,” Alex replied, equally astonished.
“I didn’t know that was even possible.”
“Yeah, me neither. Now let’s figure out how he did it.”
They both slowly walked over to the nook in the wall and were captivated by the elegance of the matter transporter.
Alex stepped inside.
“Here, hand me the device,” she said.
“Alex, what are you doing?”
“I’m saving the world, remember?”
“I’m coming with you,” Milo said as he stepped inside the phone-booth sized transporter.
“No, it’s too dangerous. I need to do this on my own.”
Milo was now face to face with Alex. He hesitated for a second and then planted a big kiss on her lips. She was taken aback, but did not resist. When they eventually separated, Alex took the device from Milo’s clutch.
“Don’t worry, we’ll see each other again,” she assured him.
With that, Milo stepped back and wondered if her words were true. He watched as Alex gave the command to transport herself to the last known coordinates. The transporter powered up until it reached an intensity unlike anything either of them had experienced. At the height of the surge, a bright light radiated from the machine, causing Milo to turn away. The entire room became white and then the machine emitted one spectacular burst of energy.
As the machine powered down, the light gradually dimmed as well, allowing Milo to regain his vision. When he turned around, Alex was gone. He walked up to the transporter and contemplated going after her, but decided not to. With great sadness, Milo’s chin quivered as he tried to hold back his emotions.
“Farewell my love.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Alex emerged on the other side intact. She stumbled out of the machine feeling weak and lightheaded. Her body had been ripped apart and then reassembled. It needed a moment to assimilate. It took a minute for her to collect her thoughts and stand firmly on her legs. After a few deep breaths, she felt much better, and was ready to proceed.
Her only familiarity with the ship’s layout was from a twenty-year-old schematic. She hoped the design had not changed much, but figured it would have. As she peered outside the room that housed the matter transporter, she saw Aris sprinting down the corridor toward her. They made eye contact and Aris had a look of bewilderment on his face; he certainly was not expecting to see Alex.
“Alex!” he said, out of breath.
“Aris, are you okay?”
“Quick, in here. We have to hide.”
“What’s going on?” she asked. “Who or what are you running from?”
“I had an encounter with a very large guardian. He’s still after me,” he said as he looked over his shoulder.
“When did you get here?” he asked.
“Just now,” she replied. “Did you find anything out?”
“I explored the ship a little and discovered some interesting things in the bowels. For some strange reason, they’re bringing samples of marine life in these giant water tanks. And it’s not just tiny fish either, they have dolphins, tuna, sharks…”
“Sharks?”
“Well, I didn’t actually see any sharks, but it wouldn’t surprise me. They had a ton of aquatic creatures down there. They’re most likely going to use them to repopulate their new destination.”
“Do you have an idea where that might be?”
“No, but my guess is that they’re going to Mars. It’s the only other place that has a sustainable infrastructure.”
“Aris, you did good work, but you should get out of here.”
“No, I don’t want to leave you.”
“Your portion of the mission is complete, now it’s my turn.”
Aris reluctantly conceded, but before he stepped back into the transporter, he handed Alex the agent’s access pod.
“Here, you might need this,” he said.
“Thanks.”
Alex set aside the device and they exchanged one final hug before Aris stepped back into the transporter. She watched Aris for as long as she could until the light became too bright and forced her to turn away. As the sound increased, so did the light. Then in a flash, Aris was gone.
Alex attempted to turn around, but was unable to. She had inexplicably lost control of her motor function and was about to collapse to the floor. Just as she was about to fall over, Agent Archimedes caught her and slung her over his powerful shoulder. Alex’s head dangled upside down as she helplessly watched the ground pass by her.
“Your apparent unwillingness to play by the rules will get you into trouble, Ms. Gray.”
Archimedes brought Alex to the control room on the main deck of the ship and plopped her down on the ground. By now, the effects of the immobilizer were wearing off and Alex tried to stand on her wobbly legs.
When Alex looked up, she realized she was standing in front of Maxim Morrison. She could not help but be in awe of the man. The Leader studied her for a moment and then said, “Hello, Alexandra.”
“You know my name?”
“Of course I know the name of my daughter. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Somehow I doubt that.”
“You may not believe this, but you were always intended to be on this voyage with me, and in a serendipitous twist of fate, here you are.”
“I know all about your plan, and how you experimented on me so that I would be a part of your little space odyssey.”
“I’m not sure what you’ve been told, but I want you to judge me for yourself. I’m not a bad guy. Will you allow me that opportunity?”
Alex did not say a word as she contemplated his offer.
“I understand you have a lot of questions for me and I look forward to answering all of them, just spend a little time with me.”
Maxim extended his arms and gave Alex a hug. For the first time ever, he felt what it was like to hold his daughter. Alex similarly shared that unique experience. She found a strange comfort being with her dad after all these years, even if she harboured strong resentment toward him. It was certainly overwhelming for her to meet both her mother and her father within such a short amount of time. Maybe it was exactly as Maxim had put it – a serendipitous twist of fate had brought them together. It was almost as if the universe had plans for her that were beyond her control.
Chapter Forty-Five
To breach the atmosphere, the craft used antigravity scramblers to minimize Earth’s strong gravitational pull, while two large thrusters propelled the craft skyward.
Alex remained strapped into her seat beside her dad.
“Are you doing alright, Alex?” Maxim’s voice echoed through Alex’s headphones.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
The loud rumble of the twin turbo thrusters engaged, lifting the ship off the ground. Alex looked out the window closest to her and saw the trees and mountains becoming increasingly smaller as the ship rose. It was the first time Alex had been up so high. Despite the monumental burden that was resting on her shoulders, she was actually excited.
Alex gripped onto her seat harness and gritted her teeth as the g-force caused her discomfort. The craft soared beyond the clouds and continued to rocket upward. Eventually, the golden atmosphere dissipated and seamlessly merged with the blackness of space. As they pushed through the stratosphere, Alex had the most spectacular view of the golden planet. She held her gaze to capture the moment in her mind forever. Once passed the ionosphere, the main thrusters shut off, leaving an audible void in her ears as the ship floated blissfully. Looking down on
the entire planet, everything appeared to be so small. In the grand scope of the universe, any trivial differences people had on Earth suddenly seemed insignificant.
As the ship rotated, the view from the window was replaced by the star-clustered Milky Way. The gleaming clusters of sparkling stars littered the dark canvas like a snapshot of a fireworks display. It gave her a new perspective of the vast expanse of the universe. Every few seconds, a shooting star streaked across her window as if the void universe was bristling with life.
She reluctantly brought her attention back inside for a moment to look at her dad. He had an expression on his face of pure joy as it was undoubtedly his first experience in space as well. To see the inner child come out of a man who was arguably the most powerful person in human history was perhaps just as beautiful. He turned his gaze inside, looked at Alex, and smiled. They shared a brief moment together inside the dark cockpit that no words could adequately describe. For those few seconds, Alex felt like a kid on an adventure with her dad. All the problems of the world and the issues with her father no longer seemed to exist.
The shimmering gold planet was still in their peripheries, luminously spinning in its celestial orbit. Maxim stole one last glance out the window before returning to the controls. After performing a systems check, he engaged the auxiliary thrusters, propelling the massive ship through the dark matter. Alex watched as her beloved home, along with everyone she knew and loved, became increasingly distant.
“You may undo your harnesses,” Maxim said.
Alex followed her father’s advice and unbuckled herself from the chair. After fidgeting with the straps, they finally came loose. She made brief eye contact with Agent Archimedes, then turned away. His suspicious glare made her feel uncomfortable as he always seemed to have a watchful eye on her. Alex clearly had an alternative agenda for being on board the Pegasus and it did not take a genius to figure that out. Agent Archimedes was the Leader’s right-hand person for a reason – his superior genetics was the prototype for many of the guardian clones. He was not a clone himself, but had several genetic modifications to make him a more advanced agent. Even with his genetic prowess, he was not as intelligent as Alex. Nevertheless, he knew there was more to her being on board than she was letting on.