The Plan: Part 1 Read online

  The energy portal that expanded, net-like a few metres ahead of them, zipped them through to Zeehra in a literal second. As he arrived, he found the small lot full of shuttles. Typical. He remembered spending countless hours lost in Zeehra’s many long aisles, gazing at all the contraptions, potions and gadgetry that could only be accessed once he was a licensed graduate.

  As the lot was full, the shuttle hovered in front of the doors which teemed with a stream of Acruvae exiting as he hopped down. Griesen instructed Ingrid to park itself as he watched it languidly manoeuvre above the first row of docked shuttles to wait for his return.

  “Welcome, Griesen!” he heard his name as he walked in through the doors. The pandemonium brought him a familiar comfort as the voices around him drowned the greeting out. But he knew who it was.

  He waved at the shopkeeper. “Hello, Oates,” he said, smiling as he nimbly stepped aside as several multi-coloured pinballs rolled out the door in single-file, followed by a mother scolding her crying child.

  “Busy day once again?”

  “Yes, indeed!” Oates said, smiling widely as his white moustache twirled up automatically. “How can I help you today?”

  Griesen nodded. “I’m here for a few things. Maybe you can suggest a few as well.”

  “Well, boy, it sounds like you’ve finally been ordained, now?” Oates leaned forward, pushing his spectacles back up on his nose. “Has the day finally come!”

  “Indeed it has, Oates. You’re now looking at an officially designated Seeker.” With those words, he grinned and pulled the orb out of his tunic pocket.

  Oates put both his hands up immediately. “Sire, I see it and believe it! Congratulations on your astounding accomplishment. But you musn’t let other people touch the orb. Haven’t you heard?”

  Griesen’s eyebrows furrowed. “Heard of what?”

  Oates leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Don’t let others contaminate your orb. You never know what kind of energy they have on them.”

  “Ah.” Griesen frowned, dropping the orb back into his pocket. “You really believe in that, Oates?”

  Oates shrugged. “Believe what you will and will not… but don’t let anyone touch it, least of all steal it from you.”

  There was an edge to his voice that immediately put Griesen on guard. “Did something happen?”

  The older man sighed. “A few weeks ago, I had a few items stolen. It put back all the superstition in me, you know, given it hasn’t happened in several friels.”

  “Oh, no!” Griesen glanced around, and nobody seemed to be paying attention to them. “I’m sorry to hear it. Was it bad? What got stolen?”

  A shadow crossed the man’s face. “I’m not at liberty to say. Just that they weren’t entry-level gadgets and the Institute raked me over the coals at the loss. They were barely willing to compensate me for half of what had gone missing.”

  That was terrible. Griesen’s eyebrows furrowed at the news. They must have been significantly high-level items for him to look as unhappy as he did. “I’m – I’m sorry to hear that. Why wouldn’t they give you back everything you lost?”

  Oates sighed. “Believe me, I fought tooth and nail for what they did give me, son. They didn’t budget another inch. So. What can I say? We live another day. That is all that matters, no?” he smiled. “And for you, then. What’s on the list?”

  From his tunic, Griesen pressed a button which beamed up a shortlist of items.

  Oates scanned them quickly. “Very good, very good… we have all items in stock save your last two. Give me a moment. Kreetch!”

  A little blue monkey suddenly poked its head out the back inventory door. “Get me these items please?”

  Oates gestured at Griesen’s list with his finger, and transferred the list to Kreetch’s extended furry hands. The monkey glanced at the list for only a second before it scurried off into the back inventory.

  Kreetch returned a few moments later, dragging a rope with all the inventory floating behind him. It began dropping the inventory on the counter one by one.

  “Careful, gentle, gentle now!” Oates cautioned the animal.

  “New help now?” Griesen looked at the creature amusedly.

  “Indeed. This little guy makes my job about five times easier. It only took me a few days to train him and he takes raisins as a reward. Happy help equals a happier boss. See?”

  Oates pulled out a raisin, which Kreetch snatched in excitement and popped into his mouth before disappearing in the back again.

  “Good boy!”

  Griesen glanced at the table. Everything was there - all the navigational items he would need, as well as a few extra tools he wanted in his satchel in case he needed to dispense another potion without Gretchen’s aid.

  And then it was done. Everything was lined up on the counter. “And - just in case. In lieu of the last few items I didn’t have, I’ll present you with another.” Oates disappeared in the back before returning, sliding a Level 3 phaser across the counter.

  Griesen started at the sight of it. It was a deadly weapon, and he hadn’t handled one since the last weapons module which he had passed over a year ago.

  “Oates! You’re kind. Thank you - but I won’t be needing this,” he said, both slightly shocked and pleased that the shop owner was thoughtful enough to offer something so expensive to him. He pushed it back across the counter.

  “Believe me, son, I know you’ve been studying hard for years and years but it never hurts for you to learn some of the harder truths of this world.” Oates pushed it back towards Griesen. He looked around and lowered his voice. “You need to protect yourself at all costs. I know things have been tough without yer parents around. You still turned out pretty good. Make sure you come back alive, y’hear me?”

  Oates’ advice seemed incredibly timely. Grisen relented. “Well, thank you, then,” he said as he slid the items into his satchel. “I’ll accept it then, with my utmost gratitude.”

  Oates nodded as he rang through the items. “Good. I’ll expect to see you back here with stories to tell. Your total - 650 uelps.”

  There went over half of the energy unit that Ana had given him. Energy well spent, Griesen told himself, as he scanned his orb over the payment screen, watching the orb glow a bright orange as the energy transferred. “I hope to be back soon to tell them to you.”

  Exiting Zeehra, Griesen felt a shot of excitement run through his body. Finally, all his Acruvae training was coming into place. As the shuttle lifted off the ground, he found himself thinking about Oates’ parting words. You need to protect yourself at all costs.

  "Ready?" he asked.

  "Confirmed," Ingrid replied. Griesen stood with his arms outstretched and legs hip-width apart where a small circle of light was illuminated in mid-shuttle.

  “Length of stay, sir?”

  Length of stay. Griesen hesitated for a moment before answering. “Ninety calendar days.” Three months should do it, he reasoned. It should be well over what was necessary.

  Ingrid beeped in response.

  "You will be a yoga teacher," Ingrid said, as his first set of clothes materialized, form-fitted to his physique. The institute's robes disappeared and a brown long-sleeved shirt and gray pants suddenly appeared. He moved his feet, inspecting the grey and black runners the shuttle had outfitted him in. Human shoes. These ones seemed a bit tight. He rolled a little back and forth on his heels, testing them.

  “Your Lifeline is being constructed and will be handed to you in a moment.”

  The Lifeline was the human construct - the details of his life on Gaia. It included his body of work, his circle of friends. Small memories would be implanted and seeded into Halva’s mind, as well as others as necessary in her network. There would be enough memories planted to generate trust. The memories were such that she would be convinced that she’d known him from somewhere; from a certain time and place.

  The mental suggestions Griesen would apply combined with the fleeting
memories were enough. This kind of Lifeline was more than capably generated by each Acruvae’s ship detail.

  He nodded. “Very good. Thank you.”

  He had been travelling not ten minutes passed before a message popped up on his main screen.

  REROUTING NOW. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO SEE ITHES PRIOR TO YOUR DEPARTURE.

  Ingrid continued speaking as he read the notification. "Your yoga classes will be a typical one hour in duration.”

  Griesen flicked briefly through the details on the screen. Ashtanga. Not a problem.

  But Ithes, first. He was surprised he had gotten called in. So – could he wear something like this? So casually…human? He frowned, feeling the fabric of the brown shirt he was wearing. "Hold on. Why is this so… scratchy?"

  "Well," Ingrid said solemnly. "The integration of hemp into athleisure may have accounted for some slight discomfort of the shirt. You will likely have to do what they call, 'break it in'.”

  He sighed. He wasn’t interested in breaking anything in. Sometimes Earth fashion was so ridiculous. "So they've turned to using hay as a primary material too?"

  "Sir, it is not hay," Ingrid said, almost in a chiding tone. "Hemp is a derivative from a plant, as many other clothing is derived from –“

  He cut her off. "I don't want it. I need something that I can wear comfortably now - not something that chafes me like this.” He grimaced as he rotated his arms around. No, this wouldn’t do. Acruvae skin was a great deal more sensitive than human skin.

  A moment of silence. "Yes, sir."

  He stretched out his arms again. The circle of light orbited him once again, and this time, a dark blue top materialized on him. Cotton. It was comfortable, at least.

  "Much better.”

  "Module 2 - your personal specifications," Ingrid said.

  "Your name is Shane, surname Andrews. You've been teaching for over a decade. You are substituting for the existing teacher. The rest of your details will be worked out and presented after your security meeting with Ithes.”

  A map appeared in front of him. It zoomed in on one apartment building.

  "Your apartment will not be far from the yoga studio. You do not own a vehicle. You typically walk or take transit.”

  Oh, good. He always felt those peculiar-looking vehicles were far too dangerous and susceptible to human idiocies - he had heard of too many car crash stories from his fellow classmates. He felt a minor relief in not having to drive one necessarily during his time down there.

  The bird's eye visual on a screen presented itself, zooming through a floor-to-ceiling window, into the apartment itself.

  It was a split-level loft with a sleek, dark mahogany wood interior. The stainless steel kitchen was something right out of an architectural showcase magazine - and brilliantly clean. You could eat right off the counter, he thought.

  The bedroom had a sumptuous king-sized bed decorated in deep grey and gold tones, with multiple throws and pillows on top. And a canopy. A canopy?

  He frowned.

  "Is something wrong?"

  "Well," he said. "Maybe I'm a little out of touch - but wouldn't a yoga teacher normally live in something a little less…luxurious?”

  Ingrid’s reply was deadpan. "Sir - you might be surprised at how well certain yoga teachers do nowadays."

  "Rolling in it, are they now?”

  "Some of them. With very active followings," Ingrid responded. “Your follower count is very high. Your sponsors pay you quite handsomely.”

  He nodded, digesting the information.

  Humans. It didn't matter what century they lived in. They never stopped searching for a God to believe in.

  "Alright, Ingrid. Just one thing," he said.

  "Yes, sir?"

  "Please get rid of the canopy." He’d read a few unforgettable horror novels from Earth writers and couldn’t erase the image of one falling down to smother him.

  "Right away, sir."

  Suddenly, an alert went off, as all the cabin lights flickered in a tandem short three bursts. Code for orange alert.

  “We are detecting some incoming turbulence – please buckle in.”

  The shuttle shuddered for a moment, and he skidded a few feet to the right before grabbing onto the overhead bin. He caught the wooden box with the orb inside it before it fell on the floor, pocketing the orb in his new front pocket.

  The coordinates for Ithes' location materialized in front of him. "There is a star formation coming directly in our path.”

  “We can’t get around it?” He struggled to get into the pilot seat with the sudden turbulence jarring the deck.

  “Unfortunately… it is a little too large and expanding at a rate we cannot simply evade.”

  A shudder went through the shuttle. Then another alarm started blaring. He looked at the controls quickly, scanning the ship hull. There was damage to the left exterior backside. That was going to cost him to fix.

  Star formations happened anywhere; anytime. Sometimes they exploded into their own universes; and sometimes they collapsed on themselves. He was not particularly interested in finding out which way this one would turn out.

  Where was this one coming from? He frowned, staring into a clear blue sky, and then back to the sensors in front of him. There was nothing, and then – his jaw dropped.

  A new solar system of stars exploded in front of him, in their own steady dance of evolution, albeit speeded up tenfold. The sky suddenly darkened, as if a blackout curtain had been thrown around him. The energy emitting from the spectacle was enormous. Meteorites blew past him as his shuttle became engulfed in the mass explosion. He whipped the shuttle around the granite exploding past him. He started sweating as the heat emanating from the stars started bleeding into the ship. The pebbles flying past them were marring, placing heavy indentations through his ionized metallurgical shield – he was taking a massive hit.

  “Ingrid, how much longer!” he yelled, as he threw the shuttle into a long loop manoeuvre – hopscotching over three large meterorites and doing two full 360-degree rotations before landing himself in a safe zone. It would keep him safe here for maybe two seconds…

  “I need a pocket!”

  He needed Ingrid to detect a warp zone, an exit pocket that would teleport them out of here. They were always located in the nearest dead zone, as long as there was enough room for one.

  Seconds passed.

  “Hurry!” He wouldn’t be able to keep up this meteor-dodging for much longer. It was getting too hot in here; he eyed the thermostat. The shuttle wouldn’t be able to take another five degree change.

  “Coordinates are locked in,” she finally responded. “Departure ready... in five." The scanners locked in the nearest dead zone. The shuttle fired out one energy unit at the coordinates, where it then exploded into a gridded forcefield which flowered open.

  The countdown continued. Griesen let out a sigh of relief. Almost there. He dodged another loose rock which whipped by, clipping the tip of his right-side tail, moving him off-course by three hundred metres.

  He mumbled something incoherent under his breath, sweat trickling down his spine.

  "Four. Three."

  Another small comet crashed into his frontal cockpit, cracking the windshield slightly. The shuttle rocked and groaned in complaint. “Don’t fall apart on me now,” he muttered as he kept his eyes right on the coordinates. They were so close.

  "Two. One."

  He pushed the power throttle to maximum speed.

  A slight whirr of the engine, and they were close enough. He felt the familiar suctioning pull of the cockpit as it propelled forward at lightning speed, following the faint glowing lines of the coordinates etched out in front of him. He saw the vortex opening, mercifully – as they zoomed through. The shuttle immediately reverted to autopilot, and he allowed himself to collapse in his chair, relieved as they sped along.

  Ithes was the Institute’s Senior Security Advisor. His security bureau was located at the bottom of the Romaen penin
sula, nearly three thousand miles from the Institute’s central chambers. All the institute’s cities were organized in concentric circles, linked together energetically from the core to their peripherals via an underground energy platform. Griesen was still close enough to the ground to see the waves of colour emitting from the buildings. The greens turned into blues, to violet and lighter shades of organza pink.

  When they officially received their aircraft licenses in their second year at the Institute, he and Gretchen would hover in their shuttles for endless hours, watching the colors emitting from the cities. It was mesmerizing to see the energy coming from the buildings, from the beings within.

  The colors came out in vertical waves, like the Earth's ocean seas. They overlapped one another, steeped in the prism hues traversing the sky.

  He spotted the city of Kantar below him. Soon after, Ocylides followed.

  He would arrive soon. Ithes was located in Romaen, located roughly 80 miles southeast of Ocylides.

  Romaen was a heavily-fortressed city, built not with the intention to shield against external enemies, but to prevent any degree of energetic leakage which might emanate from it. Romaen was the energy epicentre of the institute. The core sat in a large, heavily guarded containment field which spanned 21 miles long in diameter.

  Ithes was the Master Comptroller. He held this title amongst many others – Master Ascensionist; Head of Security Council, along with being the most senior member of the Council after the High Priestess.

  The Main Gate to Romaen was a small jawlike opening which gave way to a complex network of adjoining tunnels monitored by traffic control, which guided the shuttles to their various destinations.

  He checked the coordinates which flashed on his screen as he entered the Main Gate. He would be arriving soon – or so he presumed. The network of tunnels was not recorded on any known Acruvaic map. The tunnels themselves changed direction depending on the energy and traffic demands of the city, siphoning traffic volume from one area to another.

  TUNNEL A14D.

  His ship was automatically guided through to Tunnel A14D. Any daylight suddenly flickered and dissipated into the dark night of the tunnel, saved only by intermittent flashes of light coming from flickering bulbs positioned at strategic points.