Tesla's Signal (53 page)

The Queen Mother was the originator of all happiness and Heaven that the U'jaan could imagine. Her line, originating as a prime breeder and mother of thousands of helpless younglings, had the power to command adoration: whether it be the frenzy of fertilization, or the emotional pull of attraction, comfort and maternal affection. It was the Queen Mother who possessed the thoughtcasting talent to send a frequency of bliss, ecstasy and rewards. This ability had evolved into a science.

Used originally to secure mates and prey, this talent was now used to realize the holy U'jaan Mission of binding entire worlds. Her prime daughter-line, the Xeno-Mentalist guild, had learned to enhance her thoughtcasting abilities via the Orbs, to enthrall and condition lesser species, bring them into blessed discipleship, and convert them into useful resources.

The Queen Mother also had a prodigious appetite for these resources.

“Greetings, my dear children! Good fortune to our noble race and our glorious Mission,” she rumbled, and sang part of the great Ancestral Hymn. “In the far past our kind were mere hunters, living for the chase, warfare and the kill. But then we attained wisdom and began our Mission: to bring bliss to all races, and peace to all the Galaxy!”

“Peace, bliss and glory!” the assembly chanted, touching their head crests in ritual salute.

“Now, dear children, let us review the progress of our Mission. You!” She pointed to an official who had been assigned to the southern continent. “Tell us of your success in bringing this world into our possession?”

The officer stepped forward. “Holiness, our efforts are going well. Earth creatures readily accept those who claim to be semi-divine overlords.”

She turned to an officer assigned to the U'rope sector. “My Queen,” said this individual, “we have found and destroyed numerous centers of science, and obtained many disciples, who will be brought to our new factory and trained to build new Orbs.”

A few other officers reported their progress. But the Queen had saved the most important sector for last. “You, K'viin. Your sector is the center of power on Earth, and of our own Master Tower headquarters. What successes do you have to report?”

K'viin bowed and spoke, trying to project confidence. “Mistress, we have placed new Orbs in two of the most important cities on Earth: Fill'adelfa and Wash'ntaan, the ruling city of Mer'kaa—”

“No you haven't,” The Queen Mother pounced, cutting him off in a thunderous voice. “The feedback from one of these cities is decreasing. From the other,  I receive nothing at all. Why?”

K'viin bowed, touched his head to the floor. “Mistress—”

“The sector of East Mer'kaa,” the Queen boomed out, “is the most well-favored of the planet, its inhabitants numerous and pleasing to my taste. But I have not been receiving the sustenance I have been promised... the resources I must have, in order to provide my Blessing to all.”

K'viin began to quiver. What could Her Holiness mean? Why, just a day ago a crew had gone out with human engineer Ed'saan...

Drops of fluid began to exude from his skin. “Mistress, we regret that we have had some temporary setbacks. But I promise you that—”

“Silence! I have done my utmost to bind these creatures to ourselves. I have sent out my Blessings and brought thousands of them under our dominion. But now I sense a weakening in my control. What have your engineers been doing with themselves... wallowing in the Bliss Baths?”

The captain cringed, unable to say a word in his defense. Unable to say that
somehow the Earth creatures have proved more wily than we first thought...they are thwarting us, failing to respond to my Queen's attractions, finding unknown ways to resist
. It was better to say nothing.

“Miserable minion, I must have continual gratification to fulfill the aims of our noble race. See that this problem is resolved or you shall be forever denied my Favor and cast out into the Cold Vacuum!”

“Y-yes, adored Queen!”

“Now, all of you, listen to my words.” Done with K'viin, the Queen turned to the whole group and spoke in a hard-clipped voice of command which none could resist. “You are to begin harvesting at once. I will hear no more excuses. Let nothing stand in the way of my satisfaction.”

“It shall be done, Mistress.” Every officer nodded, placed hand on head in submission.

“Now hear my decision.” With the assistance of her servants, the Queen raised herself off her platform and stood up to her full height of almost 10 feet.

“I decree that this world is to be our new Abode. Why should our noble kind continue to live in exile, eternally roaming the void, living in floating canisters and searching for resources—with a bounteous world like Earth available for the taking? After the city of N'york is harvested, you are to begin the colonization program.”

“Yes, Mistress.” The officers replied with rising excitement.

“Rejoice, my children, for soon all of us will enjoy eternal fullness and satisfaction! I declare that Earth will become our New U'jaa, our new Heaven! For, my children, behold: Your Queen's time has come.”

When she spoke the last sentence, her voice changed, becoming soothing and hypnotic. She removed her draped covering to reveal a hugely distended midsection, filled with thousands of younglings waiting to be fertilized.

The male officers stared longingly at her tremendous belly, and bowed with reverent sighs. “Blessed be the Holy One! May our race increase!” they murmured, all of them hoping to be chosen for this mysterious, sacred ritual which none had ever seen. The female officers gazed in reverence as well, hoping to be selected as one of the Queen's attendants, privileged to bear their own young—and perhaps, one day, take her place.

The Queen began to smile. Waves of her beneficence and attraction began to flow out through the chamber like a golden syrup. “Now come to me, children, and I will choose the one favored to become my consort.”

She reached in the direction of K'viin, who leaped in anticipation. But at the last second the Queen slapped him aside. “No—not you, worthless scraping. You have not pleased me. And so I choose your underling instead. Come to me, K'va D'vaan!”

D'vaan stepped forward, winglets flaring with excitement and jubilation. “At last, K'viin—I have surpassed you.”

The hall echoed with her rumbles of amusement, and all the rest of the officers joined in, highly entertained at the spectacle of K'viin's humiliation.

The Queen's vocalization rose in pitch. She spread her limbs wide. The small winglets at her shoulder unfolded and expanded into massive wings, diaphanous and black-ribbed,  as wide as she was tall.

Her song rose to a piercing shriek. The assembled officers cried out with the unbearable ecstasy of her Blessing waves, as she seized the chosen officer and clutched him in a smothering embrace. With one flap of her majestic wings, she lifted into the air and floated to the top of the chamber, where she enjoyed her mate until he was entirely consumed.

31: City Hall Station

The Saucer floated to the ground near a warehouse in Nyack. Abraham Lowe stood with his arms folded, watching it land.  

“Now that's a gizmo I'd like a ride in,” he told Clara and Niko, smiling from ear to ear. He walked around the Saucer, tapped it with his finger. “Hmm. Good job―used the Jacob Silver, I see. Lighter than a feather!”

Clara gave her uncle a hearty embrace. Niko tipped his hat. “Good day, sir, I hope you're well.”

Courtesies dispensed with, Niko and Clara brought boxes of Amulets into the warehouse.

Inside the large tin-roofed building, crowds of people milled about, or sat on crates and conversed. Some lay on makeshift pallets. “We've turned into a sort of refuge,” Mr. Lowe explained. “These folks are from New York―the Lower East Side, mostly.”

“No electricity, I see,” said Clara. The place was dimly lit with candles and kerosene lamps.

“Not since those villains destroyed the Niagara power plant. I don't know how much longer we'll be safe here,” Abraham added in a low voice.

Clara studied her meter. “Hmm, their broadcasting hasn't reached this far yet―but it will. The more Orbs they put up, the stronger their control.”

Niko held up an Amulet. “Mr. Lowe, do you have any engineers among your refugees? Can you start producing a lot of these? Here's a schematic...they're simple, really.” He moved closer and continued in a low voice. “Sir? I'm sure Clara has told you about what we're facing. We could be killed at any time.”

Abraham Lowe put the Amulet down on a battered desk and clasped his hands together. “Yes, Nick, any of us could. These are dangerous times.”

“I want you to take these.” He handed Mr. Lowe a thick folio of papers “If something happens to us, I want others to be able to carry on. These are the plans for...some of our other devices. Powerful weapons against the invaders. You may need to consult with some of our other allies. Here are the contact lists. Guard this with your life, sir.”

Mr. Lowe took the packet between his palms, his expression grim as a winter storm. “If...if something happens...I promise I'll do my best. I'll never fill your shoes, of course.”

“Of course you will. Oh, there's one more thing, sir. I'm looking for a kind of aluminum alloy cable. I wonder if you might have something...”

He described what he was looking for, and after they had conferred for a few moments, Mr. Lowe nodded. “I think I might have what you need. Why don't you have some dinner while I check my inventory. We set up some kerosene stoves. Miss Feigel makes good soup. When did you eat last,
boychik?”
 

Niko forced down a few spoonfuls, but food was only a distraction. Once he got the material, he spent the rest of the night working on the Saucer. He fastened the braided cable around the rim, and surrounded it with windings in close arrays. Strategically placed capacitors provided fine control of the oscillations which he would produce. When the others woke early the next morning they found him busy at work—tapping the hull of the Saucer with a small metal rod, placing the meter next to it and listening intently.

“
Now
what are you doing?” Abraham wanted to know.

“I'm studying the way waves propagate through this material. I'm working on a light bender―a sort of invisibility shield. You see, light is a wave just like sound.” His hands illustrated the wave shapes. “If I can produce a mirror phasing to cancel out the light waves of the Saucer...produce a reflection, confuse enemy pulse-detection systems... blur our shape a bit...maybe we can conceal ourselves from the enemy.”

“Invisibility?”
Abraham Lowe burst out laughing. “Of all the crazy ideas...it must not be working yet though,” he added. “I can still see it.”

Niko packed up his tools. “Yes. I don't have all the details figured out.

Abraham folded his arms and gave them a stern glance. “Now, folks,  what exactly are you planning? Nothing dangerous I hope.”

“We're going to New York to install a few things,” Clara said.

Abraham's eyes went wide.
“Going to New York?
You can't! New York's sewed up tighter than...well, tighter than the Mayor's bunghole!”

Clara grimaced. “I promise we'll be careful. We won't take unnecessary risks. Look, Uncle, there are people hiding from the Angels in the subway tunnels. I promised Hugo Gernsback I wouldn't forget them.”

“We need the New Yorkers,” Niko added. “If something happens to us, they will have to carry on.”

“But Clara-leh! You're going right into the lion's mouth!”

“That's right. The enemy won't expect us there. Have you ever played poker, sir?” A roguish grin crossed Niko's lips. “You must always keep your opponent off balance.”

“
Meshugah,”
  Mr. Lowe cried, raising his hands to the sky.

“Yes, yes,” Clara muttered, as if she'd heard that before. She turned away and bent over the radio equipment, twirling the knobs and muttering into the microphone: “Hugo...calling Hugo. This is White Bird. Please answer...”

The receiver squealed and grumbled. Static went from irritating to earsplitting.

“If he's underground,” said Niko, “the reception may be poor.”

“They said they were going to put up an antenna.”

“Try ultra-low frequency.” Niko came over and started playing with the dials to adjust the induction and capacitance. “It is because of that Orb. It's blanketing everything!” He put his ear next to the receiver. “Ah...I got something,” he said after awhile. A few faint beeps could be heard. “Just some code. Coordinates, perhaps.” He picked up the map of New York and showed Clara. “Does this look like the general area?”

“Yes, that must be their location. Near City Hall, it seems.”  

“Uh...Nick,” said Abraham in a low voice. “I suppose you're going to try and sneak into that Tower at Shoreham?”

“Yes, that might be part of the plan.”

“Well, listen to me. I was there a few weeks ago.”

“What?”
Niko cried.