CHAPTER NINE

  PERADRA

  Fascinated, I observed the Suit, the access panels opened slowly, one at a time. I hadn't noticed at first but the Suit was opening every panel from the boots up. The whole process lasted nearly an hour. When opened separately there were thirty-three panels total, each one containing micro-robotics; flexors and extensors slowly searching for their receptors. I was focused in close to see every detail, occasionally a small discharge would occur, arcing from the micro-robotics' tiny components. Not every panel had inflatable padding, the individual panels each sealed in layers. Like robotic scales containing the necessary circuitry for each layer to function as a whole when sealed. When opened 'display' fashion only the padding was exposed.

  Then, as if it had lost patience, the Suit went into a destructive fit slamming both fists into every obstacle, the wall was quite resistant. We were familiar with the capabilities of the Suit by then. I engaged computer override immediately. The Suit froze and assumed a standing position next to the wall. That was the only way to halt the destruction, the Suit would continue until something broke or damage to itself was possible. The latter was a matter of how much of the Void was encrypted upon the subatomic temper of the Suit. It had managed to withstand the savage battering so far. But for how long, we didn't know.

  Like good scientists we made sure nothing was missed; the amount of damage was measured precisely and repaired if needed, stress tests were executed, on the Suit and the walls, microscopic details of the fist prints in the plate steel and the Suit were inspected for the possible exchange of particles or a new scratch. In each case a different lab was involved. The rest of my day involved piloting the Suit around for each one in turn, attempting to reenact the episode for examination. They would all have their questions.

  Normally there were two technicians at this position to answer but I would sit it out alone. The Suit reacted differently when I observed alone, everyone knew that. The process began when each lab called back to inform me of their schedules. The Suit was a top priority at PPT but there were always exceptions. Even so my relief arrived; I would have plenty of time to go to the locker room to put on the 'skin', technically referred to as the Sensor Suit.

  The route to the locker room would take me past Kevin's quarters. He now lived in a laboratory modified to fit the unusual needs that his condition required. I decided to risk a few moments to pay him a visit, the door was key card encoded but I knocked first before using mine. The answer came moments later; the voice was female, “Come in.”

  I ran my card through the slot and the door slid into the wall. Before me stood a short woman wearing a white lab coat over a sweater and jeans. Her hair was wrapped into a French braid.

  “Hello, I'm Doctor Dearborn; Kevin's Psychologist.” Her voice was petite and very feminine, the whole package had my attention. Not solely due to her charms but for the role she played in Kevin's adjustment.

  “How's he doing?”

  Before the doctor could answer Kevin spoke out from behind a partition. “Fine, I'm fine.” It didn't take a psychologist to hear the edge in his tone.

  He moved out to see me, he placed his foot so silently as he stepped that it ran a chill down my spine. Normally an action like that resulted in a solid thud, followed by another but as he shifted his weight and completed another step only a tap was heard. There was the subdued vibration of the Void enhanced machinations that whispered with every move, one barely noticed so naturally he moved.

  Our eyes met and he smiled, his chin wrinkled as he did so because his jaw was fused with the helmet and limited how far he could open his mouth.

  “Did I interrupt, I can't stay long anyway.”

  “No.” Again Kevin answered first. “I think I am dreaming virtual diagnostic programs and the Doc. here was helping me sort it out, sort of.”

  Dr. Dearborn added, “He isn't really dreaming, not anymore. The neurons inside his head have been fused with hardware; Kevin no longer requires sleep.” Kevin's face twisted into a wrinkled mask of frustration.

  “But I do anyway, I know I do because its ME! Her stupid gizmo doesn't read REM when I dream. She says I'm just trying to escape my transformation.” His cyborg fingers made quotation marks around the word transformation. Then he tried to cross his massive alloyed arms and failed. He barely had the mobility to touch an elbow. Light reflected from his cybernetic irises giving me another chill.

  “Kev, I got to go. The other Suit boxed another gouge in the isolation chamber wall, I'm on my way to the locker room” With that he seemed to go limp, Suit and all.

  “So you're gonna' leave me alone with the shrink. O.K. Eric, see ya' later.” He gestured passively and the doctor said her good-bye.

  I left the room feeling numb. Kevin was not himself. His condition was so extreme, he was no longer human. Not wholly. He didn't seem crazy, only confused. A mere six days have passed since his venture into the Void. Not much time to adapt and Alan had already put another mission into swing, with another Suit on the workbench.

  As I walked away from the door I had begun to feel that place in the back of my mind. As if someone were watching me from the Void. I tried to push it away, I was afraid I would slip like I did in the research lab with the Void Pen. Then the sensation stopped, I felt loose, comfortable. I've never been hypnotized but I had surmised what it might be like afterward when the hypnotist said, 'You will wake up feeling good, your worries gone' etcetera.

  I let the moment pass, I didn't want to get distracted from the current situation. Recording every aspect of what the Suit was capable of was very important. To be able to assign logic reasonably to the effects of the Void on man-made technology would open many doors. Closed to us were reasons for the fusion-transformations; how could being exposed to absolute nothingness effect objects from our dimension? Could it be controlled, or even directed. Could we prevent it? What is there to gain? I found it hard to see what positive influence the Void had at all and what PPT was really about.

  Inside the locker room there were other specialists donning special lab uniforms. I found my locker and pulled out the sensor suit. It was orange with white sensor pads in all the necessary locations a single zipper ran from the waist to the neck. A tight fitting hood fit over my head. I wore nothing underneath and the material was thin, making for a chilly situation. I had a full length lab coat for comfort.

  Upon return to the isolation chamber I found the first team waiting, half in the video room half in the chamber itself. They were from the Forensics Lab, to find any particles that may have been transferred during the intense contact. They required only an undisturbed scene. The next team would probably be the Kinetics Lab. They wanted to know how the Suit struck the wall and how far it had to move to do so. For them I would reenact the display in mock slow motion and they would measure every motion and action to the smallest fraction of an inch possible.

  When the final Lab made its appearance it was well into the night. I was growing weary of the Suit. Alan was in the control room monitoring the Suits status. We had been in communication for about an hour.

  “This should be it Eric.” He was as glad as I was to be finished soon.

  “I've been standing with my fists to the wall for twenty minutes, I'm starting to get sore.”

  “Hang tough, you're off tomorrow for four days.” That would have been my first break since my return. Then after a silence I detected an alarm in the headset background.

  “Eric, there are spikes across the line. I might have to lockdown.” The alarm stopped and I could hear Alan breathing. The Lab techs around me began to back away, their faces pale as if a bright light had appeared behind me. I broke from my stance and turned slowly to look. Behind me there was an oval mirror-like projection, its center reflecting back at me, the edges were arcing like the Void field giving off the brilliant pale light. I stood dumbfounded, Alan's words were broken; the signal was distorting from static to his voice, back and forth.

  Then, as if I were in the Void, the sensation of emptiness began to overwhelm me. The Suit moved, by itself, minutely. Then again, toward the projection. Alan's voice was totally cut off. I tried to move away but the Suit resisted. I called out desperately.

  “Alan, lockdown! Lockdown now!” But to no avail, static was my response. The Suit moved even closer to the projection. It was moving slow, not because I resisted – and I was, but because it was fighting Alan's commands.

  The Suit reached the projection and reached out with its hands, I was helpless. In a flash the static stopped. The Suit had stopped moving and I was sweating. When my vision cleared, the light was gone. I stood, inside the Suit in virtual darkness.

  Inside the Suit, all was silent. I tried to move, to look around but the Suit was frozen. My eyes began to adjust. There were dancing shadows, like candles placed around me about five feet away and about two feet apart. I stood in the center of a large room, a curtained partition prevented me from seeing it all.

  A wave flushed through my system, the candles grew brighter and the curtains glowed a deep red. Behind my eyes pictures formed, followed by words. Mentally I re-articulated the intended meaning of each image. I thought of nothing else as the stream of information bore down steadily.

  Momentarily I became aware that I was absorbing the Peradran tongue, clearly not an Earthly language. I began to speak aloud, the foreign words flowing from my lips, forming sentences. I detected my own accent in the vocalizations. Another wave gripped me and the accent was gone.

  Suddenly I was very thirsty. My thirst overcame the sensation and the flow of information subsided. Dry-mouthed and weary I waited. The wax from the candles pooled on the floor. The light dimmed and fat shadows surrounded each flame; motionless in the still air. Gradually each flame extinguished itself in the melted wax. Hours drifted past, my lips were dry and felt like they would crack. My tongue scraped my mouth for moisture, thirst denied me rest and the inert Suit grew cold. The padding loosened in the chill. I shivered in the thin sensor suit, for how long I'm not sure.

  Eventually light invaded the room outside the curtains, from all around. It was the morning sun. Just as the light reached the curtains a strong draft moved the fabric. After a moment a shadow appeared beneath the partition followed by another. Two figures approached, I could hear nothing but the blood rushing past my inner ear. My heart pounded in my chest. The image of the black haired man appeared from behind the curtain, I waited for the Void to invade my thoughts. The memory of the gray field was pushed aside by the presence of the unidentified man, it grew stronger as he neared the ring of candles and stopped. The second figure was female and appeared just as human as he, she lingered behind by the curtains. He appeared to speak to the female to bid her to approach with a gesture. She did as she was asked, slowly she moved to his side. She too had a presence. He continued to speak to the girl, his hands moving in an intentionally rhythmic manner. She mimicked the gestures precisely. The man nodded his approval and stepped back. The girl, more a woman, seemed intent and steadied herself with a wide stance. She began to repeat the gestures and speak simultaneously. The air inside the suit became saturated with the smell of menthol, my thirst was satiated by a rush of saliva, I swallowed slowly and licked my lips. Then the access panels opened. The girl continued to speak aloud, the tongue was not Peradran. I felt myself compelled to remove myself from the Suit, I stepped out, the fresh air was tainted with the same menthol. I could taste it on my lips. With a final wave of her hand the access panels closed. I was rooted to the spot, not frozen, it was like I was stuck to the floor. I teetered as the man approached.

  “I am Morbannon, master of the circle in which you stand. Your actions will dictate if you are freed or not.” He spoke in the new language, hearing it and understanding was strange. “You understand what I say because I did not intend for you to be brought here.” Then, in English he said, “Nevertheless you will have to stay for a while, Eric.” He spoke my name; it sounded longer with his accent.

  “Where am I?” I asked in English.

  “You are deep inside the Great Ridge, in Central Peradra. My worlds' only land mass. This is my Keep.” He spoke in Peradran.

  I remained rooted to the spot and the girl's eyes never left me, as if she was concentrating. Their presence remained. I felt it deep inside, near to what the Void left in me. Since I had no word for the Void in Peradran I asked as best I could, “Do you know of a place, a dimension of nothingness?.” His expression revealed that he had, cautiously he answered aloud.

  “The place you speak of can be nothing other than Zeraad, the reason I brought your armor here to me. Zeraad is inside you, no?” His question surprised me, no machine on Earth could detect and prove its existence.

  “I believe it to be true that I carry it inside, I've been there.”

  “You are not a Wizard, how can this be possible?” I had no secrets from this Morbannon, he was in control. To be truthful would assure my security in this strange place. I wanted to sit, hold my head and collect my thoughts. He continued, “I know something of your world; you exist in a neighboring dimension. You have accessed Zeraad and lived.” Then he brightened. “This armor makes it possible. I understand, you have mastered a way to control the armor. Here my control is alien but effective. You see, the armor once inside Zeraad had become residence to a very special entity.” He paused to look at the girl, who remained focused.

  “We, of my world believe the Suit, as I call it, to have been altered by the Void. We also know the Void can, in fact, alter any item that comes in contact. We call these items machines.” As an afterthought I added, “The Suit has the ability to self-animate, its behavior is uncertain at best.”

  “Yes, I am aware of that. When I perceived the Suit it immediately reacted to my scrutiny. The reason will be apparent once I have your word you will cooperate.” He glanced at the girl once more, her coercion remained fully effective; I bore no urge to oppose her will.

  We stood in silence for a moment, Morbannon regarded me casually. His eyes aglow with an eerie light. My patience was essential. These Wizards, of which I was not, controlled uncanny abilities.

  “I agree.” My tone was level.

  The girl responded to his signal and I was free. Her hands dropped to her sides, I remained still. Then I could sense the Suit behind me, like someone was staring at me. They must have felt it too, Morbannon raised his hands as did the girl. A rush passed through me, temporarily my joints stiffened. My connection with the Suit was the source of tension. The wave passed as did the feeling from the Suit.

  “Bring more candles.” The girl relaxed, letting her hands drop once more. Then she turned toward the curtains and moved to leave. Morbannon added, “The red ones.” The original candles were white.

  After she left, Morbannon motioned that I approach. I stepped forward and noticed a small pendant around his neck was glowing dimly red. The glow increased until I was outside the circle of candles then faded completely. I regarded the Wizard, he appeared to be forty-ish with pale skin, his eyes were a curious shade of green, maybe an inch taller than I; six-two, six-three and built like a tank. His left hand rested casually on the pommel of a silver sword at his side. He wore black pants and a white shirt with red stripes on the collar, buttoned tight against his throat with a silver skull.

  I stood in my sensor suit and pulled back the cowl.

  He led me through the curtains ahead of him. The room outside the curtains was well lit by large stained glass windows. Each window was bordered by Gothic arches of wood, as was the only door.

  The girl was returning with the candles, her arms were full. “Cohiri, please replace every candle and light them one by one, in counterclockwise order. Put the melted ones in the wax bin in the lab.” She conceded and moved through the curtains, out of sight. He led me through the door to another room, designed like the first but a quarter of the size, only one tinted window filled the walls to each side. A closed door, offset from the one we passed rested in its arch.

  “Open it.”

  The latch was heavy but slid easily. I pulled at the iron bound portal, it swung open to reveal a long hall without windows and lit with ornate lanterns. At the far end three archways stood, between each was shadowed gloom.

  Part way down the hall a hint of light could be seen through the right arch. He led me through it to a crowded room, full of trophied animals. Some bore a slight resemblance to those I found au fait. Others were so strange that there was no doubt of their alien origin. Beasts right out of Earthly mythology regarded me with transfixed stares. The head of what could only be a dragon was the centerpiece above a great mantle. Surrounded by other reptilian trophies of lesser stature. An odor permeated the air, no doubt from the preservation process used to prepare the trophies.

  It was in that room he described the tale that led to my arrival. How he opposed his former teacher from starting a war with the Lalgoræ and succeeded only to lose his soul as punishment. About his banishment and his search for the way to regain his soul and reach immortality. He explained his malignant past and his victory in the demon camp. He also told me of his agreement with the girl Cohiri, and to return home required her Amulet. I was to remain long enough for him to repossess his soul, then he would send me back.

  I had no idea how time passed in this dimension relative to Earth. Or if Earth was gripped in temporal stasis due to my absence, like when I was in the Void. All I knew was that it was not the Suit self-animating but the Suit responding to the will of a Wizards lost soul. The two fused, like Kevin and his Suit, together as one. If Morbannon could separate his soul from the Suit, then there was a spark of hope for Kevin. If somehow I could gain Morbannon's help, the magic of Peradra might free Kevin from his condition. Absently I watched Morbannon speak, occasionally he would use an English term.

 

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