08

The control center was not as advanced as ones Emily had seen before, but for the current time period, it was more advanced than anything she knew would be on Earth. Large screens were attached to the walls around a central area with a chair and surrounding workstations. Other workstations sat out in the rest of the room, all arranged in a circular pattern around the center area.

“Cool room,” said Jake. He looked around. “Is there some place I can contact my dad? He’s outside with the ship.”

“There is,” said Lee. “We have a landing port nearby. I’ll show you where you can contact him.” He gestured at one of the workstations in the central area. “For the others … these are available for whatever you need.” He put a hand down on one of them. “You can use your … card on them.”

Evaran nodded.

Jake flashed a thumbs-up at the others and then took off with Lee.

The remaining group swooped in on one of the workstations.

Evaran placed his UIC on it and then faced Dr. Snowden. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” said Dr. Snowden. “Why? What’s up?”

Evaran pointed at the hallway they had entered from. “Back there, your heartbeat increased, your breathing was shallow, and your body temperature rose. I also sensed enhanced nanobot activity.”

“Yeah, I sensed that too. Even Jake noticed,” said Emily.

Dr. Snowden sighed. He closed his eyes for a moment. “I can’t hide anything from either of you, can I?” He opened his eyes. “Look, I’m not claustrophobic, but the hallways … they reminded me of the Time Warden hallways some. Then I began thinking about dying and …”

“I understand,” said Evaran. “That memory triggered an anxiety attack.”

“Yeah. I’m not proud of that.”

“It is perfectly natural. You almost died. That is not something you just get over in a short period of time. It will take some effort, but it will pass.”

“I hope so. At least the nanobots can calm me down. I’m not used to those types of attacks.”

“Know this,” said Evaran, raising a finger. “We will help you in any way we can. Be assured of that.”

“I appreciate it,” said Dr. Snowden.

“Now, let us see what we can find,” said Evaran. He interacted with his ARI, causing one of the large screens to flicker on.

After ten minutes, Jake and Lee came back.

“Dad’s landing the ship. He’s gonna wait there, probably because they have a pretty enhanced lounge,” said Jake with smile.

“Very well,” said Evaran. He glanced at Lee. “We have been looking at this data. I have also talked with a representative of the ancient vampires and a Raskarian master. What do you know of the Helian split?”

“Before I answer that … I need to know when you last met with us,” said Lee.

“It was when we removed the Purifiers from Atlantis in BCE 2635.”

Lee cleared his throat. “In that case … I won’t mention any event involving you that has occurred. I will say that the Helian split … has been a long time coming. The council has been divided for a while now. A small group of council members disappeared … then reappeared … alongside someone we’ve never seen before. They declared they were no longer part of the Helian authority and did not … recognize … our claim to protect Earth. This occurred a month ago.”

“A month? Hmm,” said Evaran, rubbing his chin. “Who was this individual that appeared with them?”

Lee interacted with a station. The screen changed to show four council members seated behind a male humanoid with a dragon-like head.

Emily noted that the clothing of the council members had changed a bit since she had last seen them thousands of years ago. The robes were gone, and in their place were black-and-gold one-piece suits with various gadgets on them. The dragon humanoid had yellow reptilian eyes and stood a good foot taller than the council members. He wore black armor, and the skin that was exposed was covered in black scales. Two large horns jutted out from his head, and a gold cape flowed down his back.

The man spoke in a grizzled and authoritative voice. “My name is Caltorus, god of the Druuz. This world … is no longer under your control. I have arrived. Soon … you will see my strength. Soon … you will bow to me. Your claim as protectors of Earth is no longer recognized.”

The video ended.

“Well, that was short,” said Emily.

“And to the point,” said Lee. “We haven’t seen Caltorus anywhere … but the appearance of powerful Wildborn and others like him have not gone unnoticed. We suspect … they’re related.”

“I see,” said Evaran, placing his hands in front of him with his fingertips touching. “Caltorus is draconian in appearance. I have not heard of the Druuz but suspect it is a draconian race.” He tilted his head at Lee. “What has the Helian authority done to handle this situation?”

Lee raised his head a bit. “The managers are loyal to the Helian authority. None have gone to the other side. However … Raskarian vampire troops have appeared alongside the Wildborn and others. We suspect they are involved as well.”

“Count Boris,” said Jake.

Lee sighed. “That is who we … think it is as well. There is another potentially serious problem. They possess one of the rift doors.”

“That would be an issue,” said Evaran. “There were two, so I assume you still possess one.”

“We do, but we can no longer use it. Every time we put in coordinates … nothing happens.”

Evaran furrowed his eyebrows. “They are linked. It would seem this Caltorus is more powerful than expected if he can do that. Nonetheless, I have intimate knowledge of the rift doors.”

“We figured,” said Lee. “I know you’re not happy we used them … but there has been good that has come from it.”

“Once this is over, I believe it is time that they come under new management. One that I will choose.”

Lee looked down. “The council was aware that it might come … with a price.” He looked back up. “We believe the other Helian faction is using the rift door to bring in powerful individuals from other places. Have you seen anyone like Caltorus before?”

“I have,” said Evaran. “Draconians come in many varieties. I will need to sift through this data a bit more. Everyone, take a break. I will need Lee and V’s assistance.”

“Acknowledged.”

Lee pointed off in the distance. “We have an entertainment center and cafeteria if you want to check those out.”

“I’m game,” said Jake.

“Count me in too. I’m up for a late lunch,” said Dr. Snowden.

Emily shook her head.

“I will contact you via PSD when we are done,” said Evaran.

Lee tapped at a device on his wrist.

A guard with tactical gear entered the room and extended a hand into a hallway. “This way.”

Emily smiled at Evaran and, with Dr. Snowden and Jake, followed the guard out of the room.

An hour later in the cafeteria, Dr. Snowden looked up from his lunch. He had gotten used to not having replicated food available all the time, and it was refreshing. This lunch, though, was replicated and had a distinct metallic taste to it. He wrinkled his nose as he pushed away the plate his sandwich was on.

Jake put his sandwich down. “I’m with ya. This tastes horrible, and they have a level-three replicator here.”

“My nanobots should handle any upset stomach from this. Hopefully they won’t need to,” said Dr. Snowden.

Emily drew her lips to the right. “I coulda had a pellet. At least it’s somewhat tasteless.”

Jake furrowed his eyebrows. “Pellet?”

She grabbed her PSD and expelled a food pellet from it. “It has one-third of your daily nutritional needs. You could survive on this, but it assumes you have nanobots to help distribute it.”

“Oh,” said Jake. “Maybe I’ll just stick to the sandwiches.”

“Good choice,” said Emily.

Dr. Snowden noticed the guard walk into the room. “Well, looks like it’s time to go see what they found.”

The guard waved for them to follow.

“About time,” said Jake. “I woulda preferred to mess with one of their workstations.”

“That’s probably why they had us come here,” said Dr. Snowden.

Jake nodded.

They all stood and followed the guard. Once back in the room, they assembled around Evaran, who stood with his hands behind his back.

“How was your lunch?” asked Evaran.

“It was okay,” said Dr. Snowden. “Didn’t quite … taste right.”

“There’s a reason for that,” said Lee. “The base has been having some … issues. We suspect cyber attacks are responsible … but we haven’t been able to narrow it down.”

Jake pointed at Evaran. “I bet he could find out.”

“I appreciate your vote of confidence,” said Evaran. “However, one problem at a time.”

“Right,” said Jake.

Evaran raised a finger. “We have found a potential location on two of the Wildborn group. The goal is to capture them and obtain information. They are frequenting a club called Safrica on the outskirts of nearby New York City. It is run by a powerful lion-shifter boss named James McKinney, nicknamed Claw. Safrica serves as neutral ground for contract killers but masquerades as a dance club. While there is officially only one known entry point, Lee knows of another way.”

“You found all that out in an hour?” asked Emily.

“Analysis. Forty-one minutes and ten seconds.”

Evaran eyed V. “Yes, what V said. However, there was raw information not processed by the Helians yet. I had V process it. Several Helian informants have pictures of Bruno and Red Lightning going to the club together on multiple occasions. It is a start.”

“So … what’s this other way?” asked Emily.

Lee tapped at the table console. The large screen changed to show a bird’s-eye view of the outskirts of Northwest New York City. A set of lines were drawn between an open area and several locations in the city. “These are tunnels that lead to an abandoned subway that Claw still uses. Safrica has … back entrance on one of the subway platforms. It will be guarded … but we may be able to take them by surprise. If we can get inside the club unannounced … I can hold Claw’s attention as a Helian representative and then clear the club. We seal the doors … and then we can interrogate him. He would definitely know about Bruno and Red Lightning. He may even be able to summon them.”

“You’ve thought a lot about this, haven’t you?” asked Emily.

“Yes, and if it’s not obvious … I’m coming with you,” said Lee, adjusting his suit. “I’ve been to that club before. Not through the back entrance, though. That was given by informants. I also have two devices that can deliver a paralyzing agent if we need them … as well as magnetic restraints. Standard manager equipment.”

“Your presence would be appreciated, as we could use a guide, and also that equipment if necessary,” said Evaran.

“Safrica is the crime scene where a manager was killed. Technically … the scene was just outside of it. I don’t have fond memories of the place.”

“I see,” said Evaran. “What type of resistance can we expect?”

“Claw’s crew are mostly feline shifters of various types. He occasionally has other Outsiders … what you would refer to as … ancient gods. Also a few Daedrould types, and … others we can’t classify. There may be some contract killers there too … but they will clear out at any sign of a Helian inspection. Also, once inside the tunnels, we enter the domain of Beezlo … the self-proclaimed wererat king.”

Dr. Snowden remembered seeing multiple exotic energy strands outside the universe. Per Evaran, they could interact with living matter, giving rise to Outsiders, Daedroulds, and other mixes not yet classified. He was betting that was what the others were that Lee was referring to. Meeting wererats seemed almost tame compared to what he had faced before. “Well, dangerous tunnels, vicious bosses and crew, and missing Torvatta. We’re definitely in the right place.”

Evaran gestured at V. “We also have our own scout, so we will not be taken by surprise.”

“Analysis. They will not sneak by me.”

Jake’s eyes widened. “Umm … not to backtrack here, but … you said wererats?”

“I did,” said Lee. “They’re aggressive … and very protective of their turf. They control almost a third of the underground tunnels.” He smiled. “With that said, this group is formidable. However, I don’t think it will be an issue if we run into any packs roaming around. I’m more concerned about Claw’s crew and … any potential contract killers who might try their luck … and of course, if we meet Bruno and Red Lightning.”

“It sounds like it will not be without its challenges,” said Evaran. He tilted his head. “Once we are through the tunnels and in the subway, will our approach alert anyone?”

Lee shook his head. “It shouldn’t. The wererats won’t bother us once we’re in the subway. Although shifters are generally welcome in Safrica … wererats are not. They have a nonaggression pact in effect to stick to their respective turfs.”

“What’s the difference between a wererat and a rat shifter?” asked Emily.

“They are one and the same,” said Lee. “The were prefix is used informally, whereas the shifter suffix is more formal. However … some shifters preferred to use the were prefix … such as the wererats. It would be an insult to call a wererat a rat shifter … even if it means the same thing.”

“Oh,” said Emily. “All right then. So we go through these tunnels, then a subway, go through Safrica’s back entrance, interrogate this Claw guy, and maybe capture Bruno and Red Lightning? What are we waiting for?”

Lee grinned. “It’s good to see you’re at ease with this. That’s the plan. Their systems are automated, so we’ll need to seal the front doors once Safrica is cleared … although we’ll have to unlock them if we can summon Bruno and Red Lightning there.”

“You sure this Claw guy knows them?” asked Dr. Snowden.

“Claw would be aware of their presence since powerful Wildborn are rare … and generally not allowed in most nonhuman clubs. If anything, he can point us in the right direction. Safrica is … after all … a place where killers meet on neutral ground,” said Lee.

“Ahh, well, we already ran into the Mover,” said Dr. Snowden. “He and Psyotica … didn’t fare too well.”

“You’ve already fought two of them?” asked Lee.

“Yep. I figured Evaran would have told you already.”

“He didn’t … but that’s good to know. At least two are down then.”

Evaran raised a finger. “We did not capture them. We left them at a bar. However, I suspect they are long gone now.”

“Oh,” said Lee. “Well, then hopefully they won’t come with Bruno and Red Lightning.”

Jake scrunched his face. “If we’re gonna possibly fight our way to Safrica, does it really matter if we go in through the back entrance versus the front?”

“Safrica is underground. The building up top is a little hotel and has a … small … army patrolling and guarding it. Lots of weapons. Even as a manager … I have to take a squad to go anywhere near it, like I did on my investigation of the manager that was killed. That also tends to attract human law enforcement. Any hope of getting information would be lost at that point as Claw would have time to … scramble away.”

“Good point. What If Claw is not in Safrica?” asked Jake.

“He will be,” said Lee. “It’s his home.”

Emily dipped her head. “I’m ready to go.”

Dr. Snowden could feel the excitement ooze from Emily. For the last month at the house, he sensed she was raring to fight. It seemed to excite her. Now she would be able to release that energy on some unsuspecting wererats, or club patrons. He smashed his fist into his palm. “Yeah, let’s get them.”

She shook her head.

Dr. Snowden grinned.

Evaran’s eyes skimmed the group. “To the outskirts of Northwest New York City then.”