Silas: A Supernatural Thriller (37 page)

“What Nelson did not bargain for, however, were the
other
dimensions; dark places, the homelands of creatures that existed independent of Earthly concepts. Because they were so un-Earthlike,
Old Crone
and the rest of the Oracles never entered these dimensions into their probability calculations. This was horrible for everyone, for the more people stepped through these newly-created portals, the thinner the mesh separating realities became. Soon, the dimensions of these dark, unearthly beings began to push forward, to shove their way into this world and others. Into this reality entered things that weren’t supposed to be here – such as the Blood Larvae that populate the waters and the
Reavers
you saw in the sky.

“Upon this discovery Nelson, who was very old at the time, presented the Oracles with the new understanding he had just gathered. According to their calculations, in time the walls would break down completely, between
all
realms, both Earthly and not. If that were to happen, reality would become non-reality. Everything would cease to exist. There would be no Earth, no Universe. Everything would fold in on itself.

“To remedy this situation, Nelson came up with a plan. He ordered the majority of portals to be shut down, and the evacuation of this reality. Not all agreed with him, of course – human history is rife with individuals who will not listen to reason, no matter how damning the evidence presented to them – and so before he and his Council departed, as well as most of the globe, he ordered the construction of the TS class of android – me and my brothers and sisters. We were programmed with the combined knowledge of our greatest minds and instructed to stay behind, to impart this knowledge to those who remained and act as stewards of the realm. We tried our best to stem the flow of traffic between worlds, but then another man rose up in the east, one of great darkness and power. He built a rabid following and constructed a huge eastern city that stretched from one end of the land to the other. He ordered all TS series androids destroyed, and used the Oracles to build newer models, ones designed for terror, for death, not enlightenment. Those who did not agree with his plan were stripped of their humanity and sent to live here, in the Outskirts. These new machines kept them in line, kept them away from the cities, until the power units started to fail. Why he did not simply eliminate the mutants I do not know, just as I do not know how I came to be saved from the purge and now sit with you today. All I
do
know is that this happened two hundred years ago.”

I felt like I was in a dream. I shook myself and stared at the robot. This was so much to take in, so much to
believe.
And yet with that being said, there was one fact that stuck out as contradictory.

“Wait,” I said, “you say the director did this stuff two
centuries
ago? But according to Paul, he’s still here. How’s that possible?”

Ben shrugged. “I am not certain. There are no records of his appearance on file, nor any communications with him, only the fact that he exists. It is my guess that he is either not one man but many, or perhaps
something else
, one of those unearthly beings that
crossed over
so long ago. Either option I find equally possible.”

Ben peered over his shoulder, where the top half of the red sun was visible just above the cliffs. “This is enough history,” he said. “You must leave in a short while, and there are preparations to be made.”

I just looked at him and kept my mouth shut. So did Silas. Really, what could we say?

56

Ben, Silas, and I walked into the black hole cut into the mountain. Unlike the entrance on the other side, the one we came through when we arrived the previous night, this one was obvious in its purpose. The porthole was rimmed with steel, and there was a walkway underfoot. We strolled through the darkness, using the glow of Ben’s eyes to find our way. It seemed to go on forever, through twisting hallways and rooms that must have been huge, because the sound of my breathing echoed back to me tenfold. Silas’s claws tapping on metal as he ambled calmed me down. It was consistent, it was
real
. In a world where nothing else seemed to be, I grabbed hold of that as hard as I could.

Eventually, when we reached an area where the ground seemed to soften, Ben told me to stop. He circled behind me and I heard the sounds of squeaking hinges and snapping wires. Light suddenly entered the world, accompanied by the mechanical hum of a generator revving up.

When my eyes adjusted to the light I saw a carpet beneath my booted feet. Silas sniffed around the floor. He sneezed, kicking up a cloud of dust. I slapped my thigh and he came to me. I rubbed his head and took a moment to inspect our surroundings.

We were in an office of some sort. On the far side of the room was a desk, itself layered with dust. The rucksack Kaiser had given me rested atop it. The desk faced a huge black television screen embedded in the wall, much like those we discovered in the Dreadnaught’s resting place. I imagined gigantic red numbers counting down to one and a quiver shook my body. The only other furnishings in the office were numbered filing cabinets.

Ben stood next to the door. A panel in the wall hung open, and a thin wire ran from a plug in the center until it disappeared underneath his chest plate. He glanced at me and traced his shiny dome of a head with one hand, looking like a man running his fingers through his hair. His blue eyes dimmed a moment and his posture slackened. A second later he was stable again.

“Nell’s power supplies ran out years ago,” he said. “The only way to now power the facility is through me, unfortunately.”

“I get it. It’s why you were plugged into the mainframe, right?”

“Correct.”

I glanced around again, sensed Silas growing impatient, and said, “Ben, why are we here?”

The android pointed across the way. “You must retrieve something from cabinet number 4. Please open it.”

I did as I was told. The drawer wasn’t locked, though its sliders must have rusted away long ago. It was tough to pull out, like someone was on the other side trying to stop it from opening. When the drawer finally slid out, I glanced inside and saw the hold contained only one item – an object that looked like a six-inch-long golden bullet. I picked it up. It was heavy. There were markings carved into its sides. I flipped it over. On the other side there was only one carving – the same strange symbol I’d seen on the killer tree in my dream. I held it down so Silas could smell it. He turned his nose away like it stunk.

“What is this?” I asked.

Ben pointed at the object. “This is the key,” he said. “There is only one portal back to Q-9, your version of Earth. It is located on the other side of the Misting Lake. I assume you know where that is?”

I nodded.

“Very well. Cross the lake and head back the way you came. The access point to the portal lock is hidden inside a very special tree located at the bottom of a basin. It should not be very hard to find. Open the regulator box inside the tree, place the key inside the lock, and then enter the numbers from
Lonnigan’s
song. The portal will open for thirty seconds. Make sure to retrieve the key before you enter, however, and only step through one at a time. The portals do not open wide enough to ensure safe passage of multiple numbers. Plus, there is a chance of…genetic amalgamation should you try and squeeze through together.”

“That doesn’t sound too pleasant,” I said.

Ben chuckled. The sound reverberated in his voice box. “I would assume it is not, though I have never seen the aftermath for myself. Also, make sure you retrieve the key before you leave. Once on the other side, destroy the key, as well as the
Cragton
Disk. This is the only way to assure the passage to your world stays closed forever.”

I shuffled from foot to foot. “Uh,
Cragton
Disk? Paul mentioned that in his letter, but I don’t have it.”

“You don’t?” replied the android as his shoulders slumped. “I assumed you used it to cross into this realm.”

“I didn’t.” I remembered the wolf-man standing above me as I lay paralyzed on the side of the hill, a glowing object in his hand. He’d also had a strange pendant around his neck when he confronted me in this world. “Nick Goodman, Paul’s
gi-faht
, brought me here.
He’s
got the disk.”

“You must retrieve it,” stated Ben, matter-of-factly.

“Really? But what about the key?”

“Dimensional portals can be opened independent of the gateways using the disks. They were developed as hunting devices, for those whose job it was to track down and retrieve social deviants who skipped this reality in hope of escaping penalty. They can detect the genetic makeup of any being whose origin comes from this place, as well as open the portals. It is imperative you find it before you leave. The
Cragton
is the last of its kind.”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course it is.”

“Do you think you can do this?” he asked.

“I sure as hell hope so,” I replied.

“As do I,” stated Ben. The tone of his mechanical voice was grave.

57

We made our way back to the place Silas and I first entered the Dreadnaught’s lair. Ben opened a panel buried in the cave wall before we reached the fence. He pushed a few buttons and closed it. I heard a low humming sound.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“I am using the last of the station’s reserve power to start the cleansing program. Please be sure you are nowhere near this access point in thirty minutes.”

“Cleansing program, huh?” I said, to which Ben nodded. “I guess we’ll be far away, then.”

“It is a good idea if you are.”

Ben proceeded to rip the gate away from the hole in the cliff. His strength amazed me, as he tossed the thing aside as if it were a sheet of cardboard. I stepped outside to see the last glowing rays of the setting sun streak overhead. The full moon would soon show itself, and I had a day’s journey back to the shelter, at least. I checked my imaginary watch and told myself,
if you run, you might be able to make it.

Ben squatted and in one motion leapt twenty feet to the top of the cliff. He looked down at me; his glowing blue eyes were a haunting sight in the coming darkness.

“This is where we say our goodbyes, my new friend,” he said.

“I guess so,” I replied. “Thank you for everything.”

“Do not thank me yet, Ken. Thank me once you get home and are safe. Only then will that thanks mean anything.”

I saluted him. “Will do, partner.”

He turned to go, hesitated, and then swiveled back to me. “Ken, there is one more thing I must tell you,” he said.

“What?”

“Please make sure the girl is safe. If she is who the Director thinks she is, she is the only hope of stopping the end of everything. She is a being crafted of this place, of this reality, and therefore holds the key.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Honestly, it is for the future to find out, and not for us.” With that, Ben mimicked my salute and swirled around. “Always remember,” I heard his synthetic voice say as he vanished from sight, “your life is short in relation to the universe, but it is not the only one. You will have other adventures to experience.”

And then he was gone.

We stood and listened to the insects’ song for a few minutes after that, staring up at the ridge Ben had disappeared over, until Silas broke the silence with a whimper. I knelt before him, grabbed him by the ears, and pulled them back, making his forehead slope. I laughed.

“Pretty interesting fellow, huh? For a robot.”

Silas yipped. His tongue lolled from his mouth while he panted.

“Let’s say we get out of here, boy. I’ll race you home. Sound like a plan?” He started incessantly licking my face, to which I replied, “I’ll take that as a yes. Lead the way.”