ARC OF THE IMMORTALS/ Book 1 — Part 2
Pursuit: 43/ Stealth
Recap: Touzdae and Jac travel 84 lightyears to the Well of Souls for reconnaissance. They go closer. Touzdae “consciousness transfers” watch the Fish and Bendel’s
Recap continued: frigate. She hears Harry’s thoughts to separate Jac from himself with a machine.
Jac reveals information from Bendel to enslave the species of space beings to a fleet of ships or kill them all.
“I don’t think we should wait any longer. It’s been 30 days and he’s not here.” Harry said lowering the command chair from the bubble position to the deck of the Nez Fish bridge.
“You might be right, we do have the technological means to separate this beast from the machinery. And I have a new plan. But we need to come back here to destroy Jac. One way or the other he will be destroyed.”
“What makes you so sure? How can you know that?” Harry was as petulant as a child.
“I have foreseen it. But something will happen in the next three days or so. So, we will wait some more.”
The Spacefish quivered.
“What was that?”
“He’s here, the bastard.”
“Who? Who?”
“Jac,” Bendel pulled up a scan of the area. He circled an area of dense colors, “Concentrate the search here, this is where his ship will be.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Plug in Luna. Into the Fish’s unconscious realms, that’s where Jac is now.”
“We blend the bridge with the inner consciousness of Nez on the way to this area, a very dense pocket of The Well of Souls. The strength of the engine resonance will keep you and the Needlecraft steady,” Jac said. His confidence returned.
“Of course, I understand that. But what about the paradox rings? The Needlecraft will be closer.”
“All will go to plan,” Jac said
“How will you contact Fish? If you wake her up won’t that be dangerous?” concerned Touzdae and focused.
“As I said before I don’t know how I will contact Fish. Yes, waking her will be dangerous, but to immobilize or destroy Bendel and Harry it’s necessary. I can only stay in the transdimensional status for thirty-six minutes. After that I completely materialize and that’s why — -”
“I will restart the jump sequence at twenty minutes. Re-blend the bridge within twenty-eight and thirty-three minutes. Retrieve you. And jump out where we will re-group,” Touzdae said, adding:
“Won’t Bendel be alerted to your presence?”
“Yes, he’s very astute.”
“I should go first, but I understand why you need to go first.”
“Be careful to stick to the plan. Let’s be the same in spirit and trust the plan.”
Bendel shifted the chambered sarcophagus in the pool of life. He took the remaining connections and threw them into the pool save two. Of the two, he connected one to the TRX-2200. The modifications I’ve made will stabilize her in the Nez world, he thought, proud of his genius.
He leaned his head into the reception port and made the connection with Luna in half-life.
She appeared healthy, dangling her feet in a pool of water. Bendel smiled to himself as he materialized nearby.
“Hi,” she said to him with an uncharacteristic lightness of being.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes. Better than okay. Younger! Alive and wonderful!”
He regarded her. Although she was the identical twin sister of Touzdae, Luna was suspicious and darker. It was obvious to him that Nez was bringing out her more positive characteristics.
“Up for a task or two?”
“Yes, of course. I love you. I would do anything for you.”
“I’m about to open the plasma ports into the pool of life in Nez Fish. Do you remember Nez? It was a long time ago.”
“Yes, I remember, I was still fully alive then.”
“Your sarcophagus chamber is connected.”
“I gathered that,” she beamed.
Jac found himself outside the gate of the inner world. A tear of gratefulness ran down his cheek as his fingers traced the groove in the wall to the latches. Transported to the temple as his fingers found the latch button. Nez was absent. But he hadn’t expected to find her there. He thought she was down near the pond or the river and he bounded away immediately.
Luna appeared her silver hair becoming blonde as she morphed into her twin sister’s look and smiled.
Jac ran down the hill, sliding on the mud, he tumbled head first. He laughed all the way to the bottom. It was an old boyhood memory. He ran along the matted grasses to the water’s edge and dove. The water parted. There was Nez encased in a clear gelatinous cocoon. His head hit the soft gooey material and he stuck there.
Luna appeared at the water’s edge. She peered at Jac's legs disappearing from the water's surface.
Jac materialized into a dark stone tomb. Two candles ignited illuminating the rugged arches within the tomb. Nez shifted her legs and stood, unsteady at first.
“There is not much time Jac-ee,” she told him.
“That’s exactly why I’m here.”
“What you want is dangerous," she read his mind. "Me, awake and electrocute them could damage me. I would have to return to deep sleep if I am to survive.”
He was coughing water as the other pulled him from above with extraordinary strength. He floundered on the shore coughing up water. Angrily he turned; shocked.
“Touzdae, I thought I -” he stopped. “You’re not Touzdae. Oh, my Spirit, you are Luna.”
A new light spread throughout the region.
Harry and Bendel huddled by the view screen.
“See it’s working…” Bendel was gleeful as a greedy small-minded child.
A bolt of lightning shot across the bridge. It fried Bendel’s knee creating second-degree burns in his joint. He rolled over and lost consciousness. Harry cowered by an inflated chair.
The lightning stopped.
A laz pistol morphed out of Luna’s hand as Jac began to move away from her. The first shot missed. Jac ran behind a few trees. She fired through the trees, severing branches as Jac climbed the hill towards the temple. A thirty-second timer went off in his head.
He tried to keep his thoughts off Touzdae and his imminent rescue, but they went there anyway.
A reddish beam singed his shoulder. He continued up to the back side of the temple, giant stones towered above him.
The Needlecraft traveled through the inter-dimensional/transdimensional realm and deployed the bridge. The screen flashed:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FAILED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She attempted to morph with the Fish. Electrical shorts doubled back throughout the ship. An auto shut down started. On automatic the Needlecraft returned to its starting point in the Well. Small fires broke out. The fire suppressant systems activated. Touzdae strapped in fell into unconsciousness.
If you want to catch-up on any chapters you missed in part 2 [Part 2 contains link for contents of part 1]:
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