Beyond Eternity Read online

  "Hazel."

  She was startled when I spoke, then recognition set in. Hazel brought the match to a candle resting in a simple brass holder and said, "Robert, what are you doing here?" Her voice sounded fragile, but she didn't seem upset with me.

  "I didn't want to be alone, and you were the only person I could imagine being with."

  My eyes explored the stone room in the candlelight. It narrowed to a small tunnel past Hazel, and a spring trickled from the wall next to me. The water formed a tiny pool in a bowl etched in the rock. When I turned back to Hazel, she was looking right at me. The ceiling was low, and the chamber was barely tall enough for us to kneel.

  Hazel reached out to me, burying her face in my shoulder and continued crying. I wrapped my arms around her and cradled her head with my right hand. Neither one of us were eager to break this embrace, and I was determined not to let go until she found some comfort. Hazel's crying gradually subsided, then she leaned back and said, "I've been coming here ever since I was a little girl."

  "Where are we?"

  "There is a vast network of caves underneath the city. I used to sneak away from home and explore them at night, and this chamber was my favorite place to hide when I wanted to be alone. Sometimes I would sleep here and have the most wonderful dreams, but there was something about my dreams in this room that seemed different. It was as if I was visiting real places when I slept.

  "One night I met a boy from another place, and he followed me back here through my dreams. The boy came to visit every night after that and told me stories about where he was from. He promised to take me to his world someday.

  "One night, my father caught me trying to sneak out, and he wouldn't let me go without explaining what I was doing. I was determined to keep this secret to myself and refused to tell him anything. It took a few weeks, but eventually I was able to sneak away again. When I returned to this cave, I couldn't find the boy in my dreams anymore, and he stopped visiting me here. Finally, I opened up to my dad. He didn't believe me at first, but I was persistent. I made him promise to find a way for me to actually visit the worlds I dreamt about.

  "As I grew older, I began to doubt that my dreams or the boy were anything more than a rampant imagination. I stopped coming down here for years, but when my brother John was old enough, he wanted to see the cave from my stories. Even though I stopped dreaming, we would play in the caves, and this chamber became our special place."

  Hazel began crying again. I held her even tighter and said, "You don't have to tell me if this is making you sad."

  She said, "No, I came down here to think of my brother and cherish his life. Up there, I need to hide my emotions and keep everything bottled up inside me, but if I don't mourn for him, who will? The Family doesn't acknowledge the dead. For them, when people die, they simply cease to exist. I refuse to ignore my brother's death and let the Family deprive me of my memories."

  Hazel's tears slowed as I continued to hold her. We slid onto the ground and she rested her head on my arm while clinging to my chest. Although the rock was hard, the smooth surface wasn't uncomfortable. Neither one of us spoke, and the only sound came from the water trickling down the wall and into the pool.

  Eventually, Hazel got up and crawled to the water. She cupped her hands and brought some liquid to her lips. Then she extended her arms and offered the water to me. I took her hands in mine and drank all that remained. A gesture as simple as sharing water felt like it was symbolic of something deeper.

  We curled up on the floor again, and I listened to Hazel breathe while watching the candlelight dance on the ceiling. My mind was at ease. Although Ambrosia could produce a false sense of euphoria, laying here was the first time in years I felt true tranquility. The rise and fall of Hazel's chest slowed, and before long, she started snoring softly. I chuckled at the sound.

  As I watched the ceiling, something caught my eye. There was a dark seam that glistened in the dim light. I hated to wake her, but curiosity got the best of me. I nudged Hazel, and she smiled when she woke up.

  "Did I fall asleep?"

  "Either that or you snore when you're awake."

  She dug her elbow into my ribs. "I don't snore."

  I grinned and said, "Want to bet?"

  "I was just comfortable. Why did you wake me up anyhow?"

  I asked, "What's that vein of metal up there?"

  "Oh, that's the same stuff you have wrapped around your wrist. I took a chunk out of the wall when I was a kid, and my dad fashioned it into a bracelet."

  "It must have been quite an undertaking to extract enough to build a portal."

  Hazel said, "It was. They have crews working around the clock to pull metal out of these caves. It isn't exactly a desirable job, so the Family keeps Harmony Guards on hand to motivate the workers. So, you saw the portal; what did you think of it?"

  "Yeah, aside from your snoring, I don't think I've ever encountered anything so beautiful and terrifying at the same time."

  "You better believe I'm terrifying." Hazel jabbed me in the ribs again, then said solemnly, "It is beautiful. I admire my brother for building something so complex, but I sure hope he was ignorant of the Family's plans for the portal. John suffered from the combined virtue and fault of always seeing the best in people. Unfortunately, he put his faith in Katrina, and she had him wrapped around her finger. Good intentions can't wash away the blood that gateway is responsible for, and there is bound to be even more blood once they make it to your world."

  "There has to be a way I can stop Rex."

  "Good luck. As far as I can tell, there are only two ways to disable the gateway. You could try to destroy the portal or infiltrate the control center. Either one is a suicide mission. Sure, you could pop in with the Odyssey and have the element of surprise, but it wouldn't last long, and neither would you. The instant that the first round leaves the cannon, their sensors will be tracking the trajectory right back to you, immediately followed by counter-measures. Maybe you get enough rounds off to damage the portal, maybe you don't, but you'll be dead for sure. If you try to go after the control center, it's swarming with troops. You wouldn't even make it inside."

  "There must be something I can do."

  "Maybe you could ask Rex to pretty please not attack your world, but believe me, you're not that charming. Your only chance is to get your hands on John's holographic memory cube, but it wasn't in his room so Rex must have it."

  "Is that what you were doing in my room? I thought you just dropped by to tuck me in."

  "In your dreams."

  "Oh, come now, I'm not as repulsive as you make me out to be. If I was, you wouldn't still be laying on my arm."

  "I'll admit, you make a comfortable pillow, but I won't give you credit for anything else."

  We both smiled. However, the lighthearted sentiment vanished when we heard yelling echo into the entrance tunnel of our cave. Hazel sat up and blew out the candle. She took my hand and whispered in my ear, "Let's see what's going on."

  Hazel led me down the narrow tunnel that wound through the rock. It ended abruptly at a ledge overlooking a much larger chamber with giant stalactites hanging from the ceiling. It was dimly lit by two passageways at opposite ends of the cave, and I was surprised to realized that this was the same place where I arrived in this world.

  Several Harmony Guards were restraining a young man, not much more than a boy. He screamed, "Let me go! You can't make we work in the mines anymore!" He squirmed loose and darted away from them, but didn't make it far before two guards tackled him. He yelped from the crushing weight on top of him. More Harmony Guards piled on and muffled his cries.

  The boy flailed his body in a futile effort to get free, but the guards were determined not to let him slip away a second time. They lifted him into the air, still kicking and screaming. It took six guards to subdue the slender young man and haul him down the tunnel where I was detained my first night.

  I whispered to Hazel, "What are they going to do to him?"
<
br />   "I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

  "What can I do to help?"

  "Nothing. Stay here until I get back."

  "But—"

  She cut me off, "You'll only get in the way. I can stalk them easier if I don't have to worry about you."

  I wanted to protest, but kept my mouth shut. Hazel swung her legs around and let them dangle over the ledge. She noticed the dejected expression on my face and said, "I'll be right back."

  Before I could respond, Hazel planted a brief but thorough kiss on my lips, then silently dropped to the ground. She slid through the shadows and disappeared into the passageway.

  I considered following despite her directions, but Hazel was right. She could move quicker and quieter without having to drag me along. Her best chance of remaining unseen was without me. I was resigned to sit and wait for her to return.

  Chapter 9

  As time wore on, my mind filled with dreadful thoughts. Of all the countless instances I've ignored instructions, why did I have to choose to follow them now? What if the Harmony Guards caught Hazel snooping around? Worse yet, what would Erlik do if he got his hands on her? I shuddered at the idea and tried to convince myself that she could take care of herself, but I still worried. I should have gone with her.

  Looking below the ledge, I tried to pick out the spot where Hazel had landed, but it was masked in shadow. It wasn't a huge drop, but I was unsure of the landing. There was no way I could replicate her agility, so I tried to pick out hand and footholds to climb down. It was difficult to see anything in the darkness, so I decided to go by feeling. I lowered my legs and found a small pocket with the edge of my right foot.

  Attempting to find a similar spot for my left foot, I thought I found one, then slipped when I put weight on it. My legs were dangling in the air, and I almost completely lost my grip. I barely hung on by my fingertips, and my forearms immediately began burning. I tried to pull myself up, but my fingers gave way. Terror gripped me as I tumbled through the air, then my body made contact with the wall. It gradually sloped outward, and I spun around, sliding head-first along the smooth surface. It continued to level out, and I slowed to a stop.

  My heart was racing, and I forced myself to take several deep breaths to calm down. Finally, I rolled over preparing to get up and saw Hazel standing right next to me.

  "What's with you and ugly landings? They say any landing you can walk away from is a good one, but you're really pushing it."

  I wanted to be mad, but her smile disarmed me. Hazel extended a hand to help me up. I grabbed her wrist and she tugged me to my feet. She said, "Follow me."

  Hazel walked along the wall and picked a spot to start climbing. She went straight up, then began traversing sideways as she went. I followed behind her and found numerous pitted pockets to cling to. It didn't take long to make it back up to the ledge. We crawled through the tunnel and into our little cave. Hazel said, "I followed them as far as I could without being seen, but there's nothing we can do for that kid right now."

  "So, what's the plan?"

  "Well, these caves are swarming with Harmony Guards, so it'll be tough to get to the surface my usual way. Think you can manage to teleport us back to your room?"

  "I'll try."

  I wrapped my arms around Hazel and closed my eyes. Clearing my mind, I allowed my thoughts to flow back to my room and let my subconscious fill in the details. She clung to me, and I felt the sinking sensation in my stomach. We landed on my bed with me on top.

  "Hey, I'm not that kind of girl."

  "Sorry, it was the first thing that came to mind."

  She shoved me off the bed, and I continued my tradition of ungraceful landings. I stretched out and rested my head on my hands. "That sounded like it hurt," she said. "You can come back up here. I just didn't want you to get any ideas."

  "No, the floor is quite comfortable, thank you."

  "Quit being difficult. I need your arm for a pillow."

  "Now who's the one getting ideas?"

  "Please?"

  "Okay, but you stay on your side of the bed and I'll stay on mine."

  The bed was barely large enough for an adult, and we curled up right in the middle. Sleep came easily for both of us.

  ---

  I heard the lock cycle and saw Hazel holding the door handle.

  "Where are you going?"

  "It's morning already. Freshen up and I'll meet you at the workshop in a bit."

  "Come back to bed," I pleaded.

  "I can't. Get up and I'll see you soon."

  Hazel rushed out the door and squeezed past Edgar, who had his hand raised as if he was about to knock.

  "Oh, I didn't realize you had company. Should I come back another time?" He continued walking into my room.

  "No, you're fine. What's up?"

  "Well, Mr. Stone, it happens that Katrina has been trying to contact you for some time now, without success. She asked me to check on you, and bring you to her if possible."

  "Sure, Edgar, just give me a minute."

  I sat up on the bed and rotated side-to-side. Edgar winced as my spine popped. After flying helicopters for a few years, you always wake up with a stiff back. Not quite a new man, I felt ready to take on the world. I laced up my boots and grabbed the DigiCom off my desk. There were thirteen messages waiting for me, and I didn't want to look. I shoved the device into my pocket and followed Edgar out the door.

  Edgar didn't bother trying to make small talk while we travelled up into the Capitol Building. There were Harmony Guards standing on the railcar platform when we arrived outside the audience chamber, but they didn't pay much attention to me as we walked between them. The audience chamber was empty, and Edgar led me past the vacant thrones and giant black flag into the executive quarters. He delivered me outside the door to Katrina's chamber and said, "I sent word that you were on your way, and she is expecting you."

  "Terrific."

  Edgar departed, and I stood in front of Katrina's door, hesitant to knock. Unlike all of the plain metal doors throughout the city, hers was engraved along the edges with intricate patterns and polished to a mirror finish. I looked at the reflection and ran my hands along my black coveralls, trying to smooth out any wrinkles. Finally, I built up the courage to tap on the door and immediately heard Katrina's voice singing, "Robert, please do come in."

  I opened the door and entered the room. The door swung shut as I scanned the chamber. Katrina stood with her back to me in front of a body-length mirror. She wore next to nothing and was carefully arranging her hair. The chivalrous thing would have been to turn away, but I'm no knight.

  "I'll just be a moment, dear."

  Finally satisfied, she pinned her long black hair in place using her golden chopsticks with glistening orbs on the ends. Katrina reached for a robe and slipped it on as she turned to face me. The translucent black robe concealed little and merely accentuated her curves.

  "Robert, I know you've been a bad boy."

  "Excuse me?" I kept my face expressionless while my mind raced, trying to figure out which of my misdeeds she was referring to.

  "It's okay, I don't blame you. She's a pretty little thing."

  I stood silent.

  "Edgar told me all about Hazel's walk of shame from your room this morning."

  "It's not what you think."

  "Please, we're both adults." Katrina walked right up to me and stood a few inches away. She exuded the same intoxicating aroma as our first encounter. "That's not what I'm upset about."

  "What, then?"

  "I found a way we can help each other, and you couldn't be bothered to respond to my messages. I don't like being ignored."

  "Katrina, I wasn't ignoring you."

  She put her finger to my lips and said, "Robert, there is no need to explain. Just don't do it again." Katrina let her hands rest on the back of my neck and looked up into my eyes. "I found a way to solve all our problems."

  "How is that?"

  "You see, my fa
ther has a massive army, and he's just waiting for a chance to invade your world." She watched me before continuing. "You already knew about that, didn't you?"

  "Yes."

  Katrina smiled. "See how much easier this is when we're honest with each other? As I was saying, there is a simple way we can take care of all our problems."

  "What can I help you with?"

  "Well, my father is alive."

  "And?"

  "It would be beneficial to both of us if he wasn't."

  It took a few moments for her words to sink in, then I asked, "You want me to murder your father?"

  "Oh, Robert, 'murder' is such an unpleasant word."

  "What would you call it then?"

  "You're a warrior. Why not call it a preemptive strike? He means to attack your world, but you could stop that before it ever happens."

  "What do you get out of this?"

  "My dear, I know you don't approve of how things are run here. My father is blind to his shortcomings and unwilling to change. Once he is removed, we can start fresh and shape this world into the perfect society, accountable only to each other." She pressed her body against mine. "Of course, you'll need to drop that little red-headed tramp."

  "Why don't you kill him yourself?"

  Katrina pushed away from me. "Don't be obscene. I'm his daughter; that would be wrong."

  "I fail to see the difference."

  "If you eliminate him, you will be a hero unseating a tyrant; not only saving your world, but mine, too."

  I considered what Katrina was suggesting. Even when I was a sniper, I never had to assassinate anyone. Whether I was flying or fighting on the ground, the only time I pulled the trigger was when I witnessed someone committing a hostile act, and I would put an end to it. Rexxor certainly had hostile intent, but there was something different about this. I guess it never occurred to me to kill someone for personal gain.

  That's what Katrina was talking about, wasn't it? If I murdered her father, then I would get to fill that empty throne beside her and rule this world. I'd never cared much about power or fame, but what if this was my only chance to protect my world from annihilation? Was it worth abandoning my convictions in order to save billions of lives? If I was sacrificing my own life to save others, that would be one thing, but this seemed to contradict everything I've ever been taught about morality. There had to be another way to protect my world besides murdering a man and stealing his power.