Vortex 7 (Part 1)

VORTEX Part 7

This gave me a little time to familiarize myself better with the superchip. I could never stand the Agarians anyway, and even the Agarians among the crew of the BRIGHT STAR 3 didn't blame me for it; only Selina looked at me as if I were a monster. Well, perhaps I was indeed a monster, a soulless beast who sacrifices half the population of a planet without batting an eyelid. I approached Selina, but she turned away from me and made me clearly feel her disapproval. Entirely justified, by the way, because in my younger years I would have rejected this decision as immoral just the same.

Kara put her arm around Selina's neck and said: "Don't worry about it, Selina. I know the Agarians and completely agree with my father; you would too if you knew them."

"My mother taught me that there is no good and evil, it is always a relative interpretation of the two concepts. I don't believe that Agarians or Ectomorphs are evil; from their perspective, their actions might be justifiable, even though Luzifer tried to convince me of the opposite."

"Let's just be friends, Selina. I can't change my father, and neither can you, so let's leave it at that. We shouldn't turn on each other."

"All right, Kara, maybe we should get to know each other better?"

I watched the two girls walk away; they clearly got along very well, and a tear of emotion ran down my cheek. I wiped it away and went back on board the ship to the other Sekrans.

A few hours later, the last ship of the Ectomorphs took off and vanished into the depths of space. I didn't trust Luzifer an inch, so I tracked his spaceship with the ORBITAL EYE until he disappeared from the solar system. Gradually, I could prepare myself for a comfortable life, but how wrong I was! This life was about to become sheer hell.

Luzifer summoned Mivis, his assistant, and asked him: "Do you think we will regret our decision to betray Varlon?"

"Sire, it is already too late, the ship took off without us, but if they manage to kill Varlon, we have nothing to fear."

"Yes, but what do you suggest to get rid of this giant idiot?"

Mivis sat down and explained: "I conducted an analysis of Varlon using all the technical equipment at our disposal. This being is unequivocally a Genomorph, and I now also know his weaknesses. His cells can regenerate incredibly fast, but not infinitely, because eventually he runs out of nutrients, and that means the end of him. It's the same if his brain is completely or mostly destroyed."

Luzifer laughed out loud: "It's that simple? Well, then Varlon is as good as out of the game! His weapon, that Dispersor, worries me, though."

"I have developed a dispersion defense shield. It will protect you from the beam; I have surrounded our regeneration computer with it, so he has practically no chance of harming us."

"Let's think everything through carefully first so we don't make any mistakes. We must not fail!"

Mivis suggested: "A trap. We kidnap Varlon's daughter and his wife, then we can easily lure him into an ambush."

"Wonderful! He won't be able to escape the fortress; no human has ever returned from there alive unless we willed it. The same will happen to a Genomorph. Mivis, prepare everything!"

"Yes, Sire!"

Mivis felt very pleased that his master liked the suggestion—if an ass-kisser can feel pleased at all.

The ship the Sekrans had arrived in fascinated me more and more. Just like our ships, it was partially controlled by thoughts, but the technology was different after all. I couldn't determine what had happened to the original crew, because the computers were all wiped, with the exception of the navigation computer. It contained the coordinates of Earth, Melcon, as well as several thousand inhabited worlds of which even I knew nothing. Zer, by the way, was not listed under "Inhabited World", which gave me food for thought.

Once all the Sekrans had gone ashore, I attached the neural connection cables and rummaged around in the computer for a bit. The recorded course only began a few light-years before Melcon, as if the spaceship hadn't existed before that. Extending its earlier trajectory didn't lead past any inhabited planet; apparently, no data about the planet of origin existed in the computer.

Dean opened this navigation computer and remarked in astonishment: "It's based on neural technology. I have never seen anything so advanced, except for the legacy of Zer that you carry in your skull."

"Dean, could it be that this ship comes from the future?"

"Possible, yes, but unlikely, otherwise I would have detected tachyon radiation on the hull."

"The legacy came from the future too and still had no tachyon radiation."

Dean examined the chips more closely. "Var, these chips are just as complex as yours, if not even more complex, but the manufacturing technology is the same."

"That means either the legacy didn't originate from Zer, or this ship actually came from Zer."

Dean stood up and said, somewhat confused: "You've overlooked the third possibility. What if the ship comes from the Zer of the future and our parallel universe?"

I had never considered these possibilities; it would mean that we might find a way to return home.

"Can it bring us back?"

"To answer that question, I would have to take the entire ship apart."

"Do it!"

Our adventurous excursion seemed to be nearing its end. An old Sekran rushed in and shouted: "Varlon, Luzifer was here and kidnapped the others!"

"What!?!" I yelled in horror.

"The two girls and your wife! They were abducted by that horned beast."

"When?"

"Just now, and he left a message for you too."

I should have known that Luzifer couldn't be trusted. Now I probably had to pay for my mistake, and rightly so, because I had acted like a fool.

"What did the message say?"

The Sekran handed me a slip of paper. As I read the contents, I turned pale as chalk:

"Dear Varlon, you're slowly getting on our nerves! If you don't want your loved ones to meet their death, why don't you try to save them. I invite you to my island; it is secluded and located in the Caribbean. I hope you will enjoy yourself, here are the coordinates: . ."

It sounded too simple and practically reeked of a trap, but I had to take the risk. It could mean that Luzifer finally knew how to kill Genomorphs and now wanted to put that knowledge into practice.

Mivis carried the unconscious captives onto a high platform and chained them there. "I would love to drain your life energy, but it's not worth it with such a small amount; besides, I need you as bait," he said to the unconscious figures.

"Mivis, don't you dare kill them! If the trap is to work, they must remain alive," replied Luzifer, who had just leapt onto the platform.

"All right, then I'll get the energy from someone else."

My preparations were almost complete. The ORBITAL EYE was now aligned with Earth, and I was able to bring up the Caribbean island on the screen. It was a jungle island, shielded from the civilized world and thus perfectly suited for a trap.

The Sekran T-Kin saw it the same way and asked: "Should I assign some of us to help you?"

"Not necessary!" I answered coldly and transformed myself into an Ectomorph. For the first time in my life, I felt the power that lies within an Ectomorph, as well as the hunger that drives it to drain human life energy. I also possessed the powers of an Ectomorph, meaning I could create illusions as well.

Seconds later, I was already in the dense jungle of the island. The wormhole had failed this time and brought me just outside the entrance instead of into the subterranean section. But it had been set correctly. Either we had different laws of physics in this parallel universe, or my device was defective. I didn't have time to ponder that now, so I started running toward where the fortress could be seen.

To replenish my nutrients, I grabbed a large lizard off the ground and devoured it. It wasn't exactly tasty, but still better than spiders and other insects, and if this "invitation" really was a trap, I would need every bit of energy.

The gate stood wide open—a sure sign of a foul trap. But I couldn't simply leave my family in the lurch and vanish. It is in the nature of Genomorphs to sacrifice ourselves to save someone else, rather than having to wait for that someone to die. I was no different, except that despite belonging to the first generation of Genomorphs, I had not yet grown weary of life. There had already been Genomorphs who committed suicide at the tender age of barely five hundred years because they were sick of living.

Since it was definitely a trap, I gritted my teeth and ran through the gate. The first thing that came into my field of view was a pyramid with many suspended platforms, and as expected, the people I was looking for were tied to a post on the top platform. To get there as fast as possible, I activated my BATTLESUIT and used the antigravity belt to reach the highest platform directly.

I should have expected it: Mivis was already waiting for me there, armed with two swords, trying to change my hairstyle—far too low, in my opinion, as he almost caught my neck. The second sword struck my ribcage; it severed several veins, but the wound healed instantly. The new chip performed miracles, as the wounds healed much faster, making me almost invulnerable.

My attempts to dodge the blows were

...not always crowned with success, but as an Ectomorph I could finally create illusions as well. I especially thought of generating a few doppelgänger images. It worked flawlessly and confused Mivis so much that I was able to grab him by the shoulders and begin draining his life energy.

Mivis started to age faster and faster; he also lost his muscle mass, which slowly transformed back into its original energy form, and I absorbed this energy into myself. It was good, it was very good and tasted exquisite, gave me the feeling of being truly alive, and I wanted more.

Suddenly Luzifer grabbed me from behind and smashed something over my head. I didn't even feel the pain anymore.

Damn, my skull hurt. I couldn't move—no wonder, as I was tied up too, just like Tya and the two girls. Luzifer put his foot on a crate and supported the rest of his body with his hand; in the other he held a kind of remote control.

"—Varlon, you cursed bastard, you gave me trouble for the last time. Now watch the Earth perish before I kill you!"

I had been set up; the retreat was merely a feint, because hundreds of thousands of Ectomorph ships were currently descending upon all earthly cities—an apocalypse that I was able to witness thanks to Luzifer. Everything was shown on a screen; I could watch it all from the camera perspectives of the attacking ships.

The ASO headquarters exploded in a glaring flash of light. All ships landed simultaneously and began their work of destruction. When I saw it, I felt that hunger for souls again—humans or Ectomorphs, it made no difference to me; ectoplasmic sustenance was addictive.

Luzifer pressed the button and a radioactive beam turned me back into a human, then he held a laser pistol to my head:

"—Farewell, Genomorph."

The last thing I saw was the red flash of a laser.

Chapter 3: Until the End of Time

"—What have you done, you pig!" cried A-Tya, almost insane with rage.

My corpse was still hanging from the post with its brain burned out. Thanks to the stored Ectomorph energy, I was a kind of ghost and could observe everything, but after a few hours I would be dead forever once the energy was used up.

Astonished, I watched my body dissolve, something that had never been observed with any Genomorph before, and even the Ectomorphs usually left a corpse behind. Hard to say why it was different with me, but who cared? After all, I was dead, so it hardly mattered to me what happened to my body.

Luzifer now pointed his weapon at A-Tya, took aim, but lowered the pistol after a few seconds of hesitation and said:

"—Ah, what the hell. Maybe I should have some fun with you before I kill you, or keep you as my personal slave? I'll think about it later, because first I need to check how well the purge on my planet is going."

As Luzifer carried Mivis out and rode down on a platform elevator, Tya began chafing her ropes by moving her wrists up and down against the post.

"—Don't be afraid, children, I'll be free in a moment, then we'll escape from here."

Horrendous scenes played out on the screen; entire cities were depopulated and then reduced to rubble and ashes. In just a few minutes, nearly the entire population of Earth was wiped out. Only a few smaller towns and villages remained untouched, but they were certainly the target of the next wave of attack.

I knew my end was near; the energy absorbed from Mivis was running out, and then I too would cease to exist. Unfortunately, we Genomorphs do not have an immortal soul, and with death our existence ends forever. With humans it was different—they "live" on, which isn't particularly pleasant if their soul should be trapped inside an Ectomorph for eternity.

A-Tya finally got her hands free. She untied her feet and then picked up one of Mivis's swords lying on the ground, cut the ropes of the two girls, and hurried to the edge of the platform.

It was a long way down, far too far to jump—not even a Sekranian would survive it.

"—Kara, take your father's antigravity belt. I'll put it on and carry you down with me."

Visibly in shock, A-Kara took the belt from the spot where my corpse had dissolved. My clothes and several weapons were still lying there, but they were keyed to my cellular structure and therefore useless to any other creature. That had certainly been a mistake on my part, but who would have expected me to bite the dust? In theory, my enemies weren't supposed to be able to use those weapons.

Tya put the belt on, switched it on, grabbed the girls, and leapt off the edge with momentum. She floated down in a wide arc. Naturally, that didn't escape Luzifer's notice; he grabbed a rifle with a laser targeting sight and shot her right in the leg—on purpose! After all, he wanted her as a slave.

Tya landed on the ground and shouted to the two girls:

"—Go, get out of here! I can't walk anymore, but at least you should save yourselves!"

Luzifer set the rifle down, took a light pistol instead, and approached without rushing.

I could no longer watch the scene, as the energy was fading faster and faster, and in this state it was impossible for me to draw in new energy. Darkness began to envelop me until nothing was left to see.

That was my death!

[The End]