ARC OF THE IMMORTALS Book 2

Time Rifts-28: Journey Unexpected [2]

Realities Weaving

[scenes of gun fighting and violence]

Recap TR27 Journey — After Touzdae stabs Jac, she is immobilized and taken to a “safety enclosure” as there are no jail cells aboard the ship. The healing team can stop the internal bleeding but has not removed the knife. They discuss using molecular transport records as a strategy.

36 hours before - Touzdae glides for 8 hours in a kaleidoscope of colors and floating orbs. She visits the shop of Goto-ak on Antares Prime. He tells her about duplicates and the physical pain associated with making duplicates. He believes she has had one — she denies it. She has no physical pain to speak of. After returning to the corridor of light she discovers that she has bilocated consciousness with flesh and blood. She has a quick twinge of pain; throes of concern that she is being duplicated.

With this realization, she is pulled into a diverging tunnel of mostly darkness. She falls into a world of brutal cold, ice, and snow. She relaxes her body and warms up. She becomes hot and melts the ice and snow. She wades through warm water to a skinny house for one. And opens the door.

Current episode: The door opened. She glided inside an immense space of planets, nebulae, and galaxies. Inside a nebulae surrounded by gas clouds was a figure dressed in gray. The head — bowed, so she assumed it was an old man. He smoked a long pipe. Not there. There, and gone — the pipe. The smoke from the pipe lingered as if behaving in a slower time.

He took off his hat. A hole where there should have been a head, full of stars with inky black.

“This is ridiculous. I’m not going to be sucked into that hole in your head, whoever you are.” Touzdae said with emphasis. A vortex formed over the individual with a hole where the head should have been. Sucked toward the hole, she yelled out:

“Stop!” her voice boomed.

Everything stopped.

“I’ve got it. The tunnel of light and color. Now!” she yelled.

She popped into the tunnel. It was pleasurable, better than before, with more lights, colors, and wondrous fascinations.

“If can do this, I can get there before any duplicate. I am in the dimension where Jac is.”

Touzdae arrived. The tunnel deposited her into a dark corridor. Tackled, subdued, muzzled, and bound they carried her away. As they emerged from the darkness to the edge of the mid-sphere, gunfire reigned down upon them.

“Let’s send another one,” Kurtz was jubilant.

“We tried sir, but it broke up in the tunnel. Our spies have reported that the duplicate Touzdae stabbed Jac. The healing team is debating what to do,” the assistant stated.

“I know that. Tell me something I don’t know,” Kurtz demanded restraining his fury.

“Got word — the original came through and was immediately captured, shackled, and muzzled. Soldiers surrounded them the small team. The soldiers are from the in disputed area of the ship.”

“Good. But that will not last long. How long to prepare another duplicate?”

“Twenty hours. But they may escape to safety.”

“You idiot, we are billions of years in the future. Our tech insufficent!” Kurtz slapped the backside of the assistant’s head. “We didn’t build enough machines.”

“And the bridge between the dimensions,” the tech stated.

“You’re right about that. I’ll have to check with Number eight. Where is she?” Kurtz had reached a frantic calm.

The operation was successful. Jac was recuperating and healing remarkably fast.

“I’ve never seen such fast healing. He should be up soon,” the lead healer physician remarked and Suke nodded.

“Can you give me an update, Geordae? It feels like the real Touzdae is on board. Yes?” Jac asked.

“I don’t know I’ll have to check,” Phorae responded.

Touzdae — the original struggled to speak without success. She dropped into the 27-breath exercise. The six-person team had retreated into the dark tunnel. They tried several more points of exit on the same level, without success.

“We need help,” the communications officer said into his transceiver. The officer released the transmit button. A static buzz ripped through the space. “Jammed!”

Concentrate, Touzdae thought as she finished the 27th breath. She searched each member of the team for telepathic ability. They were wearing anti-psi shielding. One of the group was gifted with telepathy How to approach a soldier? She wondered thinking. If I break through his psi shield he will perceive it as a threat most likely. Deeper thought. Wider thought, she suggested to herself. She put the “I want to help” thought out to all six of them piercing each anti-psi shield with ease. With ease and complete aplomb. She waited while also noticing her breath.

“I’m ready. Release the force-field protector.” Jac said.

“He seems healthy when I look at him,” Suke said. The head of the healing team wanted to do some tests.

“If Suke finds me healthy then I need to release.”

Phorae burst into the room.

“Touzdae is in custody. She and the others are under gunfire and trapped.” Phorae reported. “Reinforcements sent.”

“Since they have pinned down the six-person team and Touzdae — the original. We could use molecular transporters to get them out.” Jac was emphatic. “All the more reason I must be released.”

Suke switched the forcefield off. Jac sat up and swung his feet to the deck.

Touzdae reached out with her mind to other decks. She made contact with a warrior. I need a release to find Jac Kristos, my partner and mate. Her thought was bold.

“What are we going to do?” one soldier asked the lead.

“They will know we’re in trouble because of the delay and we have not made communication contact. No doubt reinforcements are being deployed. Look for weaknesses through the scopes we left at each juncture. Include the sphere,” he ordered.

“Do you hear that?” The communications officer asked.

They froze.

Everyone heard a sound. A long crescendo. Building.

“We’ve got to get out of here!” the lead said.

A vibration was in the walls and the bulkheads.

The section of the deck blew and fell along with two decks beneath them.

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Thank you for joining me in the adventures that span lifetimes and worlds. Blessings, Passion, and Grace on your journey. May whatever your looking for — find you.

[This is a fictional story. Like all fiction, elements of truth are present.]

(If you do NOT wish to be tagged, let me know, and I’ll tag you not):

Alison Hollingsead | Rebecca Romanelli | Joseph Lieungh | Dr Mehmet Yildiz | Kris Bedenian | Alberto García 🚀🚀🚀 | Blaine Coleman | DL Nemeril | Rip Parker | Annelise Lords | Barbara Murray | K. Pearson Bradley | Libby Shively McAvoy