The Shadow Connection Read online

  He bobbed his head as he headed to the car. “I know. We don’t even have our survival suits.”

  She grinned. “You sure about that? I need to get them from the house.”

  Evaran tilted his head. “They were to be left on the Torvatta as part of the immersion.”

  “I know … but I figured we might need them, and if we can’t use the Torvatta …”

  “I see. It is a good thing you did not listen to me then.”

  Emily smiled.

  Dr. Snowden shook his head. “Always prepared.”

  “Yes, she is,” said Evaran, glancing at Emily. “You were more prepared than I. I did not take this situation into account, and if I had left the Torvatta’s utility rods extended, I could just locate it. Unfortunately, I had them retracted as a security measure.”

  Dr. Snowden laid a hand on Evaran’s shoulder. “We’ll find it.”

  “Your confidence is appreciated,” said Evaran with a half smile.

  “All right, well, I’ll be right back with some survival suits,” said Emily as she took off to the house.

  In a hidden base in the side of a mountain in the Appalachian range, Jake Melkins’s thumbs moved like a tornado over the game controller he held in his hands. The large screen in front of him showed a video game with two players fighting each other. Jake’s opponent was Mikhail, a powerful vampire wearing light, black armor, and he sat by Jake on a large couch. Jake grinned as his character did a finishing move on Mikhail’s character.

  “How is this possible?” asked Mikhail in a thick Eastern European accent.

  “Tactics,” said Jake. “You may be a vampire and have faster reflexes, but knowing the layout of the battleground is also important.”

  “Bah,” said Mikhail as he stood. “I need to check on the rest of the base anyways.”

  Jake chuckled. “Next time?”

  Mikhail pointed at Jake. “I destroy you next time.”

  Jake shook his head as he watched Mikhail walk away. Mikhail had become one of Jake’s closest friends since Evaran had interfered and saved Jake from becoming a slave for the Seceltor Empire, a galactic empire far away. Although this base was Lord Noskov’s, the ancient vampire that helped both him and Evaran, Jake had come to call it home. It was originally Greecho’s, the slaver that had kidnapped Jake when he was six years old.

  A muted alarm beeped from the communication device in Jake’s pocket. He reached in and pulled it out. The alarm was unique. It was Evaran. Jake’s eyes widened at the prospect of seeing Evaran again, even if it was only through a communication.

  Mikhail burst back into the room. “I got it too. Let’s go.”

  They hustled a few levels down to the command area.

  Once there, Jake interacted with one of the large workstations, causing the screens in the front of the room to light up.

  The large main screen showed a picture of Evaran with an older man and a female around his age behind him.

  Jake’s eyes lit up. He was not sure who the two humans were. Although Evaran came back once a year to take Jake to see Jells, the alien that had raised him, they had already gone this year. “Evaran! What’s up?”

  “Jake. Mikhail. It is good to see you both again. Unfortunately, my communication this time is of a different nature. Is Lord Noskov available?”

  Jake shook his head. “He’s sleeping.”

  “I see. Nonetheless, the Torvatta has been taken. That is what is up.”

  “Taken? By who?” asked Mikhail.

  Evaran raised a finger. “A good question. However, our only transportation is a car, and I do not think that will be sufficient for this investigation. Furthermore, I suspect its previous location has been compromised. We will need a place to stay.”

  “Not a problem,” said Jake. “Stay where you are. I’ve already triangulated your position. I’ll pick you all up.”

  Evaran smiled. “I apologize.” He gestured at the man, then the woman. “This is Dr. Albert Snowden and Emily Snowden. They travel with me.”

  Jake waved. “Hey.”

  Dr. Snowden and Emily waved back.

  “Hello, Jake,” said V, waving two arms in the air.

  “Hey, V, good to see you again, and … I see you have arms now.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  Jake glanced at Evaran. “All right, don’t worry, I’m on it.”

  Evaran nodded and the screen flickered off.

  “Well … wasn’t expecting this,” said Jake.

  “Go. I have the base secured. I’ll make living arrangements for them,” said Mikhail.

  “Thanks,” said Jake. “I won’t be long.” He slapped Mikhail on the arm and then hustled out of the room.

  After informing his dad, Robert, of what was going on, they changed into their travel suits and geared up with their defense weapons.

  Jake liked his small Seceltor blaster. He had tweaked it a bit so that the beam could be modulated. It allowed for more than just kill settings. The default was stun, just like Evaran would have wanted. Robert had one too, but he also carried a pistol that had no stun setting.

  Once they were aboard the small shuttle, they left the base.

  Robert analyzed the cockpit controls as they entered stealth mode. “You know … it’s not a good sign if Evaran is asking for help.”

  “Yeah,” said Jake. “Still, if he needs it, he has it.”

  “Yes, he does.”

  “I’m not sure who took the Torvatta, but I think they’re going to have a bad day when Evaran finds it.”

  Robert nodded. “I do too. It’ll be good to see Evaran. I don’t think I’ve seen or heard of the two others with him.”

  “Me either. Then again, he does travel through time. They could be from the future or the past. Based on their suits, I’m betting they’re from the future.”

  Robert looked out the window as they flew over the mountainous region. “It’s hard to believe we are where we’re at.”

  “Dad, just be happy we have the chance to even wonder about it.”

  Robert’s eyes misted for a moment as he pulled his lips in. “Yep.” He rubbed his eyes, then licked his lips. “You going to tell Kathy?”

  “Maybe … we should see what type of help Evaran needs first. Last thing I want to do is bring her into something,” said Jake. Kathy, his girlfriend, was also rescued from Greecho by Evaran. She resided at a nearby college and was finishing up her degree. Jake enjoyed spending weekends with her when she was free. Although they had just met three years ago, Jake figured they were on track to get married someday.

  “Good point,” said Robert.

  Jake checked the navigational system. “Columbus, Ohio. Looks like the northwest part. Well … just outside of it. Huh. That looks like it’s in farm country. Wonder what he’s doing there.”

  “Maybe it’s where those other two live.”

  “Yeah. Probably right. At least it’s close.”

  After an hour and a half, their ship landed in a grassy field outside a small town on the outskirts of Columbus.

  Jake wrinkled his eyebrows. “According to the navigational system, they should be here, but I’m not seeing anything. Running a scan.” Several dots appeared by a nearby forest. “Well, that’s them, I think. Maybe they’re hiding out. I’ma go check.”

  “Be careful.”

  “Of course. I always am.”

  Robert smiled. “You like to think so.”

  Jake headed to the central part of the scout ship and did a final check on his gear. He did not think he would be entering into a fight, but with Evaran, unpredictability was not unusual. The side door slid back, and he exited the ship. The smell of cow dung assaulted his nose. He grimaced as he walked out across an open field toward a nearby forest. After arriving at the forest’s edge where the dots were, he jumped when Evaran and the two humans appeared out of thin air. “Evaran! You sure know how to make an appearance.”

  “Jake,” said Evaran, smiling as he walked up and extended a hand. “
I had V cover us with a hologram. Your ship sensors should have seen through it.”

  “They did,” said Jake, returning Evaran’s handshake.

  Evaran gestured at Dr. Snowden and Emily. “As I mentioned before, this is Dr. Albert Snowden and Emily Snowden. I met them a month after our last trip to Jells in January, and they have traveled with me since.”

  Jake shook their hands. He studied V. “Whoa. You’ve had some upgrades since I last saw you.”

  “Analysis. I have had several,” said V. He extended a segmented arm in the air with the claw facing forward.

  Jake peered at V’s claw.

  “High five.”

  “All right,” said Jake. He high-fived V, whose lights glowed a bit. Jake waved toward the ship. “Ship’s nearby. C’mon.” As they all headed to the ship, he looked around. “So where’s the car?”

  Dr. Snowden pointed off in the distance. “We parked a bit away at a gas station, then hiked it out here.”

  “Makes sense. Cover your tracks.”

  “Exercise does us good anyways,” said Emily.

  Jake smiled. “This is going to be interesting.”

  They reached the ship and boarded it.

  Dr. Snowden surveyed the interior cabin of Jake’s ship. The area they were in was roomy and had green cushioned seats on both sides of an aisle. Behind the seats was a hallway leading off somewhere, and ahead of them was a short hallway to the cockpit. The lighting was provided by embedded lights in the ceiling, and made the metallic interior seem to shine in some parts. The smell of something he could not identify wafted in the air.

  “Settle in,” said Jake. “It’s about an hour-and-a-half flight.” He turned and headed into the cockpit.

  “Pretty comfortable in here,” said Dr. Snowden as he took a seat along with the others.

  “It should be. We modified it quite a bit,” said a man in the cockpit hallway. He extended a hand toward Dr. Snowden. “Robert Melkins, glad to meet you.”

  “Dr. Albert Snowden,” he said, returning the handshake.

  “Emily Snowden,” she said, standing and shaking Robert’s hand.

  Robert smiled and then placed his hands on Evaran’s shoulders. “Damn glad to see you. It’s always a pleasure.”

  “Likewise,” said Evaran with a nod.

  Robert looked around for a moment until his eyes settled on V. “There you are.”

  V raised a claw in the air.

  Robert high-fived V. “I see you’ve picked up a new body and some new habits.”

  “Analysis. It was Dr. Snowden who taught it to me. The habits, not the body.”

  Dr. Snowden shook his head.

  “Good stuff.” Robert gestured back at the cockpit. “Jake’s flying us back to base.”

  “And Lord Noskov’s sleeping?” asked Emily.

  “That’s right.”

  “Huh,” said Dr. Snowden. “When does he wake?”

  “End of year.”

  Dr. Snowden adjusted his glasses. “Oh, a bit away then. I guess we can’t count on his help right now.”

  Robert smiled. “The base is still operational, and Jake and I will help in any way we can.”

  “It is appreciated,” said Evaran. “We will need access to the computer systems since they are hooked into the global Helian network.”

  “Of course. You know Lord Noskov has no problems with you at the base,” said Robert. “Hang tight. We’ll be at the base shortly. If you need anything, just holler.” He dipped his head, then returned to the cockpit.

  An hour and a half later, the ship landed at Lord Noskov’s base.

  Dr. Snowden followed Evaran out of the ship and studied the landing pad they were on. It jutted out over the mountainside, and two other landing pads were off to the right. Looking into the distance caused his heartbeat to race. The grand majesty of the Appalachian Mountains was on full display. The powerful smell of the forests on the sides put him at ease.

  Emily laid a hand on his shoulder. “Pretty cool, huh?”

  “Yeah,” said Dr. Snowden. “I’m loving the view.”

  Jake walked up to them. “It never gets old. Sometimes I’ll come out here and just watch the sunrise or sunset.”

  “I guess you never really saw that much when you were on that station,” said Dr. Snowden. “Evaran filled us in on all that.”

  Jake looked down for a moment, then back up. “Cool, and you’re right about the station. It’s why I love being outside so much. The openness is awesome.”

  “It musta been tough transitioning to Earth,” said Emily.

  “Yeah. Having a girlfriend helped, and of course, my dad, Lord Noskov, and a base.”

  Emily and Dr. Snowden nodded.

  “So you two have traveled with Evaran for the last six months, huh?” asked Jake, putting his hands into his pockets.

  “Yeah. The start was a bit rough, but I think we got the hang of this time-traveling thing,” said Dr. Snowden.

  Jake nodded.

  “Evaran saved us from an alien abduction,” said Emily. “When he dropped us off back on Earth, he came back in three months, and we asked to travel with him.”

  “Three months? That’s about how long he took for me too.”

  Emily tilted her head. “Maybe he just wanted to see how we would adapt.”

  Jake grinned. “He was probably hovering in the stealthed Torvatta, and watching us.”

  “You never know,” said Dr. Snowden. He shook a finger. “Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever asked him what he did in that time.”

  “He probably traveled. He takes me and Dad out to see Jells once a year in January and tells us about some of the adventures he’s been on. All up and down humanity’s timescape.”

  “Wow,” said Dr. Snowden with wide eyes. “If we had the Torvatta, I’d go check on them. I spent most of my time looking at his early days in the universe.”

  “That would be cool to see,” said Jake.

  They all turned their heads when Robert called out for them.

  Jake motioned back toward the base door. “Guess it’s time to go in.”

  “I’d like to come out here later tonight,” said Dr. Snowden.

  “Me too,” said Emily.

  “I’ll join ya,” said Jake. He turned and waved a hand forward.

  Dr. Snowden followed Jake and Emily toward the base’s massive high-tech doors. There was an open area between the landing pads and the door, but outside that, there was a steep drop-off. A side area near the doors extended out and looked like it had a bench on the wall, with an unusual knee-level humped structure a few feet out. Past that was a circular area that had what looked like a fire pit of some type. He could see the faint shimmer of a shield around the outside of the base. Maybe it was to prevent detection. His ears caught the sound of the doors sliding back.

  Evaran and Robert were already in front of the doors by the time the others reached them. Together, they entered the base.

  Dr. Snowden’s eyes widened as he surveyed the immediate interior. It was a large cargo bay, with cargo containers everywhere. High-tech consoles and workstations were along some of the walls. The bright lighting, clean floors, and a sickly sweet cleaner smell made him think the base was well maintained. A pale man in dark clothing with tactical armor rushed over toward them.

  Evaran extended a hand to the man when he was within range. “Mikhail. It is good to see you again.”

  Mikhail grinned big as he forearm-shook with Evaran. “Evaran! Always good to see you, friend.”

  Evaran gestured at Dr. Snowden and Emily. “I have with me Dr. Albert Snowden and Emily Snowden. They travel with me.”

  Mikhail almost tore off Dr. Snowden’s hand in hearty shake. He then shook Emily’s hand. “Friends of Evaran are always welcome here. I’ve already made living arrangements.”

  “Very good,” said Evaran. “I do not expect to be here for long. The top priority is finding the Torvatta.”

  Mikhail smiled and bared his fangs. “W
e’ll find it, and whoever took it.”

  “Excellent,” said Evaran. “I’m sure Dr. Snowden and Emily would like to get something to eat and be shown to their rooms. It is about dinnertime, and the last time we ate was breakfast. As for me, I will be in the command center.”

  “Cool,” said Jake. “Should I wake Lord Noskov or any of the other ancients?”

  Evaran shook his head. “No. If they are sleeping, then that is how it should be. Assuming we find the Torvatta, we will skip ahead and visit them when they are awake.”

  Dr. Snowden cleared his throat. “Is Lord Vygon sleeping too?”

  “All four ancient vampires are,” said Jake. “They used to stagger it, but with all the craziness out there, they need their full strength and numbers. They have decreased their sleep to about a year, though, instead of five and also beefed up the bases and increased their group size. Those not guarding the bases usually go hang with the Ollikrin Nation.”

  “Ahh,” said Dr. Snowden. He moved his lips to the right. “I was kinda hoping to see either of them. I remember the Ollikrin Nation. Maybe we can visit them. Anyways, I am kinda hungry.”

  Robert smiled. “Let’s head to the cafeteria. Then we can show you your rooms.”

  “I still want to check outside tonight.”

  “I got you,” said Jake.

  “I shall join you,” said V.

  “Anyone is welcome to join us.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  Mikhail gestured toward a large archway in the distance. “I’ll head to the command center with Evaran and catch up with everyone in a bit.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” said Dr. Snowden.

  Robert motioned forward. “Food awaits us.”

  Dr. Snowden examined the room that he would be staying in. It was smaller than what he was used to on the Torvatta, but it had a bed, a bathroom, a living room, and a small area with a workstation. A large screen hung on the wall in another area, and he could see how someone could adjust to living in the room. The warm lighting and clean smell enticed him.

  He took a seat on the bed and ran a hand through one of the gray tufts on his head. Although he was getting used to not sleeping on the Torvatta, he missed it. Like Emily, he felt secure there. Being out and about back on Earth made him realize how vulnerable he was.