Ari stood with Nameer at his usual spot. Looking at the worlds ring getting constructed. He did not know how it was made. What materials were used. Or why did its translucent platform glittered from inside and occasionally shot strange glittering ethereal light outwards. They weren’t harmful just felt a bit cold to touch.
But even though he didn’t know the manner construction he could see the platform was near its completion. That is why, the fact there were new continuum people who had stopped the construction was troubling.
Ari was ready to head out home gather more his team and soldiers and come back to make a base here. One that would serve as beachhead in the trials. He had given his plans a lot of thought. His country needed more resources like the mem steel. But it also needed to be protected from the whatever was out here and that included the Continuum.
They hadn’t been violent to him or his team and some of them had helped them, but they were an unreliable ally and could be a deadly foe. And he was honest enough to know that the attention of the very young Pretty was influencing his decisions.
It had been a while since a woman had shown him affection. And he was emotionally unavailable to all of them after he had found his ex-wife on her knees pleasuring a colonel. But somehow, Pretty had gotten to him and that made him even more driven to come back and fight. Both for her, and to keep craziness out here.
“And these guys are the donors?”
One of the new continuum people pointed towards him.
Ash gave the two new people a look. They were definitely not soldiers. Ari could see that in the way they held themselves. They were loud, clumsy and weren’t observing their surroundings. At the max they were reserves, and that too was a big maybe.
“Yeah.” The other man replied.
What threw Ari about them was that one of them was an Athena and the other a Jay. This Athena was tattooed with strange patterns head to toe. And since she wasn’t wearing armour but a sleeveless vest, he could see the blue green tattoos flowing down to her hands.
The Jay was different again. Unlike the older Jay 7 who was bald this one had dreadlocks. But the differences didn’t stop there. This Jay who looked like a fashionable hippy with his clean-shaven face, baggy cargos and a floral tunic was charming.
Ari who wanted to punch that onerous face couldn’t help but smile back when the man smiled at him.
Name – Athena C-119 | Scratch
Class – 1
Affiliation – Continuum
Faction – Thrive
Name – Jay 313 | Charlie
Class – 1
Affiliation – Continuum
Faction – Thrive
“Hello Scratch.” Ari nodded.
Scratch looked at Ari and perceptibly shifted behind Charlie.
“It’s okay Scratch. Ari here is an honourable man.”
“He is commander. They do something with their voice.” Scratch hissed back at Charlie
“I know. But he is not like that.” Charlie said and pointed at the glittering floor “Look. This looks expensive.”
“It is nephrite. It is expensive.” Scratch huffed “Do you think the high councillor sanctioned the use of resources on this?”
Charlie shrugged “Maybe. Or maybe not. Ghost has been out of contact for a while now.”
“You know this is just like Jay 7. It takes only a moment of distraction for him to bulldoze through everything and do what he wants. And do a bad job.”
“Is there a problem, thrive?” The Aug Queen suddenly appeared out of nowhere next to Scratch.
Scratch jumped in startlement and squeaked “What!? Dangit, Heena.”
It was such a non Athena response that Ari chuckled.
Everyone looked at Ari and continued amongst themselves in a softer tone.
“Yes, there is a problem. If you switch this ring on it will crack.” Charlie replied.
“What do you mean 313?”
“It will crack the platform if we are lucky and the city if there is a spike.”
“Spike?” The Aug Queen asked.
“Yes, spike. You know those fireflies you see floating every few hours. That is an energy release from the ring connecting to a potent world.” Scratch grunted.
“I disagree.” Charlie shook his head “There can’t be so many potent worlds. In all our years here, we haven’t found more than ten potent worlds.”
“Yes. But then we didn’t have living matter from other humans.” Scratch pointed at the soldiers looking at them.
Everyone turned again to look at Ari and Nameer.
“Are you saying…?” Charlie started to ask.
“They are not from a different world. They are from a different timeline. They are humans like us from a Prithvi like planet. One full of potentiality.”
“Is that even possible?” Charlie asked.
Scratch looked at the Aug Queen “Well, Heena?”
“Don’t call me that.” The Aug Queen replied in a flat tone.
“Oh gods. She is deflecting.” Charlie shook his head.
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“I am not deflecting. I am in the field. Unlike you, I show restraint when I am at work.” The Aug Queen replied flatly.
“Stop that.” Scratch pointed a finger at the Aug Queen making her rock back. She started again “I need to talk to my friend. So, drop the cursed projection. Switch on your cybernetics and talk to me.”
Athena A07 stiffened and stayed still.
“Oh, come on. There are no purist freaks here. Talk to me Heena.” Scratch almost screamed.
The Aug Queen’s skin and clothes flickered out revealing a full cybernetic body that was made with matte black metal. Underneath the metal was a glass like material protecting pipes carrying a fluid that glowed blue covering the wires, gears and other things Ari did not have a name for. The only things remaining from her original form was her hair. Which suddenly looked fake on the skeletal face.
Even as her body became unnatural, the Aug Queens movement relaxed and became more human.
“Hello Heena.” Scratch moved and hugged the Aug Queen.
Heena hugged her back and in a warm voice greeted her friend “Hi Scratch.”
“What is your transition level, Heena.” Charlie asked and hugged the cybernetic human.
“Seventy three percent.” The Aug Queens voice was softer and had an airy quality to it.
“Not long then.” Scratch stated.
“Yes, but she has done something foolish.”
“She is you, Heena.” Scratch stressed.
“I can’t think of her like that right now. Her actions… She is not rational.”
Charlie looked at Heena for a long moment and then asked “What has she done?”
The Aug Queen looked at Ari and Nameer “If the warder’s from the commanders world choose any other faction other than the old guard, she will have her agents assassinate them.”
“What warders?” Scratch asked.
“These soldiers, they didn’t come alone. They came here with two warders. Ghost had them captured and is working on them.”
“Why?” Charlie growled.
“Because Jay 7 wants to brain wash them and send them out against the Raks. So, that he can flank them and kill their asuras.”
“That’s… I am no military genius but that sound stupid to me.” Scratch scratched her head.
“Not if you have portal to a different world to tempt the raks just behind the warders.”
“That’s not what I meant when I asked, why?” Charlie stated.
“Charlie, its because if the warders choose any other faction they could challenge the old guard. And challenge Jay 7’s greatness.” Heena’s words were rushed as if she needed to get them out.
Charlie leaned forward “And what do you think?”
“I have gone through all the data, all the after action reports and sorted through all the patterns. Jay 7 will fail. His usual tactic of capitalising on distractions have become old. He is not a tactician. And he no longer listens to the ones provided to him. He doesn’t even listen to the queen.”
“You mean he no longer listens to you?” Scratch asked.
“The boy warder, Ash, he outmanoeuvred The Mentor. And then he called him old and senile. Ever since then Jay 7 has been headstrong about doing things his way.”
Charlie shook his head “And he will fail again. He always does. And never learns. Then he will present them as success stories to the young and foolish.”
In the silence, the Heena turned to Ari.
“You. You need to leave as soon as possible and warn your people. Jay 7 plans to use your world as bait for the raks so that he can increase his kill count.”
“Why would he do that?” Nameer asked from besides Ari.
“It’s a part of his purpose. He is a mentor. He mentor’s soldiers with the largest kill count. And he does that by any means necessary. That is how he will achieve class two.” The Aug Queen nodded at Ari “Your commander. He has found his purpose. His purpose is to lead men and women. If he does that well, his soul will grow and so will his strength. Find a purpose young man.”
Heena turned to Scratch and Charlie “Friends, I don’t have long. I am going to partition this conversation and encrypt it. The queen won’t know we spoke. She thinks she is still in control. And I am the one losing. She is not. Soon, I will hit critical mass and overpower her. But for now…”
“Wait, are you saying that when she looks at the seventy three stat meter she thinks she is winning?” Scratch chuckled “You are a devious woman Heena. But you do realise that you are fighting yourself.”
“As I said. She is not rational.” Heena shook her head.
“That is what happens to one when they go through an identity crisis.” Scratch scratched her head again.
“I need to leave. She is going to wake up soon.”
“Before you go, could you answer one question?” Charlie pointed at Ari and Nameer “Whose timeline do you think is real? Their or ours?”
The cybernetic human woman opened her skeletal jaw and laughed “Are you having an existential crisis, Charlie?”
“I need to know.”
“Both. Maybe? None. Maybe. There is no prime timeline Charlie.” Heena answered and stiffened.
The Aug Queens clothes and skin appeared in a flash. In a stiff voice she asked “Take a step back C113. And just tell me whether you can fix the ring or not?”
Scratch scratched the back of her head and grumbled “I am already back and fine, don’t switch on your cybernetics. You don’t have to be a pain you know. Come to me for help again and see what I say.”
“We can fix it.” Charlie shook his head and added “It’s going to cost you though.”
“I will speak to your councillor.” The Aug Queen nodded.
“Speaking of which. Have you been in touch with Ghost? We can’t find him.” Scratch asked.
“No.” The Aug Queen paused and raised her hand “Marshall Lara. Where is the high councillor?”
A woman’s voice replied “Athena A07, there is an eighty three percent possibility that the high councillor is still in the null zone aboard the Asambhav.”
“What’s he doing there?” Scratch asked.
“That’s classified.” Athena A07 said curtly.
Scratch moved ahead to argue, and Charlie restrained her. They both looked at each other. And with just looks had an unspoken conversation amongst themselves.
Charlie took a step forward “Assault Commander. It will take us just a few days to get the ring working. And then we will leave. But this is not over.”
“Charlie.” The Aug Queen said with a grimace “What a name to adopt. A name belonging to a reject. You are a Jay. Like the mentor. And yet you squander your potential.”
“And the alternative is to become an aug and be your puppet?” Charlie scowled.
“It would give you purpose.”
“I already have a purpose. It is to put everything you and the mentor ruin back together.”
“Watch your words thrive.”
“Or what Aug Queen?” Charlie asked with a glare.
The Aug Queen let out an amused voice “I am not afraid of you Charlie.” And begn to turn around.
Suddenly, the ring behind them began to hum. Sparks shot out of it. Everyone scrambled back and off the ringed platform. The ring just outside the main platform began to rotate and hit something inside. A grating noise rattled everyone’s teeth and made it hard to think.
Another ring, this one at the middle of the platform began to spin up anticlockwise. It created a mind numbing noise that screeched into everyone’s brains.
From the centre of the ring a dot floated out. It superimposed itself on reality. The dot began to throb and grow. Inside the dot, Ari could see a version of home. The hospital was there but the image was all wrong. The beautiful sand of the Thar desert was all wrong. It was green with algae.
“Shut it… OFF!” Scratch screamed over the noise of the rings.
Athena A07’s holographic skin faded in and out of existence as she powered through the vibration to reach the centre. She snarled and reached her hand out.
Garrrrrrhh!
The large ring grated against the platform as it came to stop.
Ari worked his jaw to pop his ears and looked up from his knees. He did not know when he had fallen, why his nose was bleeding or when Nameer had fallen unconscious next to him.
“That wasn’t normal.” Charlie stated in a loud voice while working his jaw
“Obviously!” Scratch pointed behind them “He did something with the energies to forcefully open the ring.”
Everyone turned and saw Joshi standing in the street just opposite the temple gates. He held out his hand and fiery shards flew into it. They rotated around his palms and began to seep into his skin.
Some flashed an angry red. Some glowed a pale yellow. Some flickered blue. The most notable ones were three blinding white flames.
Bang!
Joshi looked down at his chest. A red dot had appeared in his chest.
Ari’s shocked gaze shot to the Aug Queen. She was holding a short barrelled pistol in her outstretched hand. Ari moved on instinct. He jumped to his feet and sprinted at the assault commander before she could shoot again.
Bang! Bang!
Joshi recoiled as two more splotches appeared on his dirty white shirt. But he never lowered his hand. One by one the shards disappeared into his body.
Ari felt someone shoot past him. Before he could turn his head, Charlie appeared next to the Aug Queen. He kicked the gun out of the Aug Queen’s hand. Athena A07 retaliated with a thrust kick that lifted the larger man off his feet. A second one had him tumbling sideways.
“Stop. Heena stop!” Scratch shouted and asked, “What do you think you are doing?”
“He almost killed us all!” Athena A07 screamed back.
“Did he? No, did he really?” Scratch asked in a raised voice.
“He kept an unstable portal open beyond its duration.” The Aug Queen spat out.
“Yes. And if anyone had the knowledge on how to do that, it would be the Yaksha Agni and his priest. Check your logic algorithms Aug Queen and tell me if I am wrong.” Scratch huffed and leaned down to pick up Charlie.
The Aug Queen stopped and exhaled loudly “I don’t need to check any algorithms. The problem has been sorted.”
“Yeah?” Scratch asked “Athena A07, you just attempted to murder a priest of Lord Agni. Do you think this will go unpunished?”
The Aug Queen stopped in her tracks and in a calmer voice stated “It doesn’t matter. The priest his dead and the Yaksha cannot intervene with my Jay’s plan.”
Charlie coughed “You silly girl. Do you see the priest ashes anywhere?”
Athena A07 turned and looked. All she saw was blood splatters from her force pistol. There was no body or ashes. She took a step back. And then another.
Before anyone could say anything, the Aug Queen turned and sprinted away on all six of her limbs.
“Gods, she is like a child.” Scratch whispered to herself and shook her head.
“Gods, what did you make her legs out of, titanium?”
“No. A Steel titanium alloy.” Scratch nodded.
Charlie just looked at her while holding his side.
“Legs are important. They are supposed to hold all our weight.” Scratch justified herself.
“Excuse me.” Ari growled “If you don’t mind. Will you keep an eye on my subordinate here while I go and check on Joshi.”
The two-continuum people looked at Ari.
Finally, Charlie spoke “Relax man. Your priest is okay. He is most probably healed by now. He is priest. Next to his temple. Those guys are practically impossible to kill.”
Scratch nodded and hesitated.
“What?” Ari asked.
Scratch looked at Ari with wide concerned eyes “Ah… Would you mind introducing us. I think we will need his help to get this danged ring working.”
Ari hesitated “He is… He hasn’t spoken to us ever since he started doing something inside the main prayer room.”
The two looked at each other again.
“Has the yaksha spoken though him?” Scratch asked slowly.
“Yes. Sometimes.”
“Ash and sand.” Charlie shook his head and cursed.
Scratch winced and complained “This like the last time all over again.”
Charlie stood back up with a grunt “Relax Scratch. The priest is not dead.”
“Yeah, but we will all be dead if we don’t apologise.”
“He is the yaksha of knowledge. He knows what Heena has been through…”
“And he will care why?” Scratch asked.
“Because we will offer our assistance to him.”
Scratch walked to the downed Nameer and lifted him up effortlessly “Charlie, why would he want that?”
“Why would anyone want two of the best scientists in the continuum?” Charlie smiled and added “Let’s go to talk to the Yaksha. Let’s see if he what he says before we start panicking.”
Scratch sighed “Well, it beats getting vaporised out of existence when the ring next activates.”