I walked this time, into a cave I had fallen in over thirty years(1) ago. Then, I was alone. Now, I entered with my entire family.
My mother. My father. And my family. Thomas and Mary Bean, Their son Brooks, he has married, but his wife was in no condition to be moved, gravid as she was.
And, of course, my own wife, Sally.
Thirty years ago, I had fallen into this cavern, and woke up on the other side of the Door. I spent two weeks on earth with the Beans. Sally and I didn't get married for a dozen years after we got back to my own planet.
For thirty years, The Beans and I have lived wonderfully in peace with the planet, Speaking with the deer, and watching the stars glide across the sky. And by now, even Thomas and Mary have learned to lighten their feet. Sally has learned how to read minds, close minds at any rate. Mine Especially, then her family, and lastly what friends she has acquired.
Though near enough in age, Brooks just doesn't have the mind power to try it. Thirty years ago, I had returned from a place that should never be visited by my people, and now, I was going back.
Brooks, Sally, and I were going back. We are the only three who would go back, by my own orders. No matter how long it took. Thomas and Mary, as much parents to me as my own, were, a little old for the task at hand. Considering how long we have been gone from Earth.
Time works differently here. A year here, measures somewhere between three and five there, and, while we have the same life span, my species lives longer to the same age. Funny, when you look at it, isn't it? But since the Beans moved here, they aged at our rate.
Our records explained why, but it was over my head. I knew that my wife would live as long as I would, and I was happy.
Our parents were there to see us off.
I have stated where I was going, but not why. A week ago, the last weapon made by my people was stolen from the museum. The thief escaped, with the weapon, into the Door.
To Earth. I walked over to the computer and turned it on.
The Door opened.
I gave my Fathers a hug each, and my mothers a kiss, waited for Brooks and Sally to do the same. I took my wives hand, threw my arm over my best friends shoulder and we walked through the Door.
"Are we... Home?" Sally asked. I smiled and shook my head.
"Nope." Brooks said. "Welcome to Earth. A place I wasn't sure I ever wanted to see again."
"And now?" I asked, sensing in him some inner torment.
"I'm not sure." He said.
"Well, decide later. We have little time, and Telar(2) has a week head start on us. How do we start Jon?" I swallowed a breath and looked out of the cave, and pointed.
"Miss Josie." I said, and walked out of the cave. The other two caught up, and we lightened our feet, and got to town in ten minutes.
The town had changed.
On our way to the courthouse, we saw people begging for food on the street, and once someone tried to pull Sally into an ally. A knife across his arm dissuaded him. We saw cars with their base pumped so high; I almost swore they could hear it at home.
I thought of the music we listened to, the song of the stars, the swing of the planets, and the love of the people.
"Given the... Fifty or so years we've been gone, I shouldn't wonder why." Brooks commented, having looked at the paper. We walked over to the courthouse, and searched for the Juvie courtroom. She would know we were coming.
I too had learned things in the time we were gone. When I had felt Miss Josie's mind, I had inserted a thought tendril into her mind about the three carvings, which, I learned, she had kept.
Little Jon, that was his name. The carvings are beautiful. I wonder... I wonder...
We knocked on her door.
"Enter," She called out.
I opened the door and the three of us filed in. Brooks took a seat, I let sally have the other, while I stood beside her. Miss Josie was looking at her desk, and after a moment, she looked up. First at brooks, Then Sally, and last me. She smiled.
She bowed her head and shook it from side to side in suppressed Mirth.
"Hello Miss Josie."
"Little Jon if I remember correctly, and are these...?"
"Brooks Bean, and his sister, Sally, My wife.
"Congratulations Jon, and hello again, Brooks and Sally. How are your parents? Are they back too?"
"No." Sally Murmured.
"Are they...?"
"No, No, no...! All of our parents are fine." I said.
"All? No, No! No, forget I asked. But what are you back for?"
"A Lad, about 20, has stolen something. It would be useless on the other side, but here..." Sally looked at me.
"The object stolen is a weapon, but not as you would think of one. It is a psychic weapon. In order to stand against it, your mind must be clear of all anger, Hate, Envy... any and all negative emotions." Brooks said.
"To make things Worse, Miss Josie, Telar has a week head start on us."
"Oh no, this is bad." Josie squared her eyes and looked at me. "A week is six days longer than it takes to get anywhere now-a-days. Do you know what Planes are?"
"Yep."
"Good." She sighed and looked out the window. "His name is Telar?" We nodded. "Twenty years old is outside of my jurisdiction..."
"He looks about 15, if that helps." Sally stated.
"Indeed it does. A fifteen-year-old run-away, I'll put out some postings." She scrawled something on a sheet of paper and handed it to me. "That's the library, I'll pick you up after I get off work. Don't stick out too much, and we'll be good." I nodded. I checked my knife, and noticed brooks and sally doing the same.
We wasted no time. Brooks went back to his old house and got money, and picked up some papers. I listened to people on the streets; Sally went to the library and read the history books.
She read. An entire set of encyclopedias. It took her two hours. She sat back, and rubbed her jaw in deep thought.
"Well?" I asked her gently. She bowed her head and put her hand over her eyes.
"Remember I read a book on chaos theory back home? The one that took me almost three days to read because it was so complex?" I nodded. "Most of that book was Formula, so I just ran the formula, for this place."
Her eyes were sad as she looked at me.
The human race will be dead in no more then 250 years.... and that is not putting Telar in the equation.
With him in?
If he keeps the weapon, a thousand years, if we get it back... Holy cow. Even gets your odds, and I'll give you another million years. I smiled faintly, and nodded. her eyes took on a pleading glint.
"He chose his own path, my love." I said as I gathered her to me. "No matter what happens, he has chosen this."
I felt love coming from her, and agreement.
Five papers were dropped on the desk in front of us. He reversed the chair and sat down. We read the thoughts on top of his head.
"Police have no reason yet to suspect intentional homicide..." "...Suicide seems highly unlikely, not with every bone on his back broken..." "...It seemed as if he had been blindsided by an entire boxcar."
"That's the one." I said. He nodded.
He picked the appropriate paper and handed it to me. "Actually all three of them. I already checked them out. You really don't want to know what I found." I already did. "If it's not powered up, I can't trace it."
"Isn't there anything we can do?"
"Metamorphic rock..." I said considering. "Sally, I want you to go home, and pick up some energizers. With a little reprogramming, we can make them trace energy. I can't make them as good as brooks, but they are better than nothing."
"Which reminds me, did you ever figure out what this is?" He asked tapping his skull. Three years after we returned, he was practicing lightening his feet up a mountain.
He lived, but there is rock somewhere in his brain. It is way out in left field, but while it may be responsible for the fact he cannot communicate telepathically, it also boosted his energy reading range from just outside his skin to the size of the planet. As long as Telar is in a highly populated area, Brooks can't zero in on him.
I shook my head. "No luck yet. You might ask your sister to do some research for you."
He swung his gaze over to Sally and asked. "Could you?"
My lovely lady smiled. "I've been waiting for you to ask." She swung her pack around, and grabbed a report written in her neat thought-script.
"Sister, you are wonderful."
Thank you. I had asked her to do the research when he had fallen. But, she has always loved her games.
"Well, if you two will excuse me," she said as she stood up. "I have fifty years to catch up, and 23 hours and eight minutes to catch up in." She said, and walked off into the racks. I smiled after her, and then looked at Brooks.
"So, what else is new, you guys are like the perfect couple."
"Yet it seems..."
"Bull. We know the species are cross-fertile. After all, Cara is at home, in bed-"
"Having a bad pregnancy." I said. Brooks shrugged.
"It happens. Even among the people, it does happen." I looked him square in the eye and tilted my head to the side.
This was my way of asking him "And you believe this?"
He shrugged. "We know that we are cross fertile, otherwise, Cara would not be having a bad pregnancy, she wouldn't be having a pregnancy."
"Point."
"The Door hasn't affected me a all, though you were damaged the first time you went through..."
"On the entire other hand, it may have affected her." I looked over to her where she leaned against the wall reading two pages every second. Brooks blinked. He kinda looked like he was trying to shake his head. "I'm just saying it might, not that it did."
"One of these days, you're going to scare us." Brooks. He meant all three of us.
I leaned toward him. "It hasn't happened yet, but I have no reason to believe you are wrong. You know what, I want you to go get those Energizers. We'll wait for you at the rock shop."
He looked up and off to the right. I could tell what he was thinking, and was not going to dissuade him from the truth. Talking HER into it...
"Right, Tomorrow at Eight AM, ok?" I nodded, and he left.
I sat there for a few moments. Then looked at the papers. I stacked them in a neat stack, and put my left hand on top of it. My eyes closed in focus as I absorbed the information, everything from murders, to the weather, to the current phase of the moon. Some of the saddest reports though...
I stood up and went to find Sally. When she put her current book down, and was reaching for another one, she noticed me. She smiled at me. "Another couple hours, and I'll be done, at least with the fiction stuff. I don't think I can stand reading more than the Encyclopedias for non-fiction...
"Come here, I want you to read a book." She grabbed my hand and pulled me down a few racks, and grabbed a book seemingly at random from the shelf; The Song in The Silence, The Tale of Lanen Kaeler by Elizabeth Kerner. "You'll love this book. Don't absorb it, read it."
She walked away, leaving me slightly bemused. But I did as she said. It took me about five minutes. But she was right; it was a good book. I put it back, and wandered toward the entrance where I saw Miss Josie.
Slipped through... Blasted kid. How could he?! Her face looked calm, but she was not in one of the greatest moods. I... suggested she notice me.
Her head turned my way.
In the hopes that you can here me Jon, I have bad news. Well, bad news and worse news actually. The bad news is this; Telar is no longer in the city. The worse news is that there are APB's out on the three of you. They'll be looking for you. Go to the Beans Old place, and I'll meet up with you there later tonight... If I can get away. As she thought all of this, she walked over to the card catalog, and began looking through it.
Jon?
We have to leave.
Back at the beans old place, all that was really left was the furniture.
I could hear Sally's thoughts.
Shouldn't be surprised, I suppose. I wonder if there are any blankets... She walked off. I thought about going out to see Rascal, and then I remembered, He was on the other side.
HEY BROOKS, IF YOU CAN HERE ME, BRING BACK ROSCOE ALSO, PLEASE.
Sally walked in. "I wish you wouldn't do that." She said, rubbing her head. "I know you sent Brooks back through the door, but still, could you keep it down?"
"Was I broadcasting? I am so sorry!" I ran to her and gave her a hug. Mentally, I went through her mind to make sure I hadn't damaged her.
When I was satisfied that I hadn't damaged her, I took a step away from her, holding her hands. "Did you find the blankets?" She nodded, just looking at me. I nodded my head a little. "Good." And I leaned in to kiss her. She met me half way.
The transition from the Kitchen to the master bedroom was lost on me, but at 11:00 I awoke to the sound of a door opening. I crawled silently out of bed and got dressed. From the door, I looked back at Sally. She never got enough sleep...
I quietly closed the door.
"Little Jon?" Miss Josie called out softly.
I touched her elbow and gestured outside, and we walked over to the rock shop.
"So what's up?" I asked her.
"I don't know how much you know about computers, but if you can keep up with all this Jargon, Here goes." She took a deep breath.
"Someone hacked into the Police computer files. Which is how the three of you got warrants on you. They however, have not yet lifted the warrants. Telar is another problem. What is it this weapon does, exactly, does it leave some mark?" I considered her thought for a moment.
"It depends on how the weapon hits. For the most part, it will break every bone on one side of the body, leaving every other bone and most organs intact. What will really confuse your people is when A person starts having a negative emotion when the... wave is halfway through them.
"As for what it does, it scans the mind patterns of a species, and if it finds the thought path that means hate is in use, it will cause a short-circuit. Even if the body manages to survive a boxcar running into it, the mind is clear. Clear the way a newborn's mind is clear."
She made a small note to herself, then asked: "Where are Brooks and Sally?"
"Brooks Is going back to get some things, and Sally never gets enough sleep, I thought it best that she sleep when the opportunity presented itself." Miss Josie nodded.
"You may want to get to your own sleep. We are going to need it. Meet me at one, at the Juvie Hall, all right? I'll have what you need to get around here and now." She added as I nodded.
And she was gone, and I was alone at last with my thoughts. I drew my knife and undid the hilt. It was hollow; inside there was a holographic generator. I pointed the knife down, and the hologram activated.
Her. My Sally. I don't think I'll ever understand what twist of luck let her fall in love with me, but I was grateful. I shut off the holo and went back to bed.
Although that's not true, is it? Telar asked me. You're afraid of me. Me and this weapon.
You know it was never supposed to be a weapon.
Yet it can be. Here! There are so many negative emotions running rampant here, I could send a wave over the entire world, and no one would be able to stop the carnage.
We are coming to get you Telar.
You think it's going to be that easy?
I looked at Sally who had slept through the conversation. It was too dark to get up yet, so I curled up with her and slept.
"So what did miss Josie say she was getting us," Brooks asked. The moment Sally had woke up; she knew all that had transpired during the night.
"She didn't. She was thinking about getting us some ID's."
Sally's forehead did some shifting. "What kind of ID's? I didn't see any marks..." She trailed off as I laughed.
"Small, plastic cards."
"Strange..." She commented. I smiled fondly at her. I nodded. "You know, I once read a book where they were recognized by the shade of their eyes..." Sally went on talking about Identification in stories she had read for the rest of the walk.
Miss Josie's mind was roiling with fury. "Little Jon, these powers of your peoples... I don't know what I can do about them!"
"Let me guess, he looks into the minds of all the people around him, sees the trap, and walks around it." Miss Josie reminded me of the Beans when I first met them. She was looking at the picture, but she wasn't seeing the photo inside it. "Miss Josie, Here..."
"Is what you can do," Finished Brooks.
We began our planning.
The problem with setting a trap for a telepath is that it won't work, unless you yourself are a telepath, or know how to make a mind wall. So the trap would consist of Myself, Brooks and Sally.
Brooks volunteered to go in as bait, but I could not let him do that, not when his wife at home was going to have his child. I did not want to risk Sally, so I was the bait.
We had our ID's, we had cash enough to get around the world twice, and we had no information as to when Telar would strike next. Our trap would be placed at the Beans Farm.
Roscoe put his forepaws on my leg, and I reached down to scratch his ears. Roscoe was Rascal's grandson. Brooks closed his eyes. There were two ways to make magic work, swift and to the point, or more... suggestive. The former gets done in a hurry what you want, not caring about any kind of consequence, with the latter, you could find someone and not let them know you were looking for them.
The only bad thing is that it could take days.
"It shouldn't though, should it?" Miss Josie asked.
I threw a glance her way. "At best it will take the rest of tomorrow. He needs the focus." I whispered. We were at the Beans house that evening, sitting there in the dark "On the other side, we don't use electricity, our power comes from the bio-electric energy of the planet we live with."
"The planet is alive?"
"Everything... Is alive."
"Jon?"
"What's up Brooks?" He held his hands two hands apart, and an image began to appear.
"He is right outside?" I asked. I suddenly appeared in the field outside, standing not twenty feet from me was Talar. He was facing away from me, my knife in my hand. On his hand, he held the Weapon, the Seru.
My knife, taking its cue from my mind tone, lengthened from a long knife to a sword. As soon as I knew the weapon had been stolen, I learned combat skills. I knew that to get back the Seru I would need it. At the disturbance of the mind field, Taelar turned, the Seru forming it's own sword.
I may not have been a swordsman, but I knew that his level was no higher than mine.
Sally, Miss Josie, and Brooks ran from the house, the moonlight shining down on us gave the perfect setting for hand-to-hand combat. Our swords clashed, and sparks flew.
Three hours into the fight, Miss Josie Yelled. "Jon!"
I looked up to see the form of ID we use on my planet: our knives. Taelar's was headed for my second vertebrae.
I rolled, and the Wave escaped from the Seru.
Sally had been towards the left; Miss Josie was in the middle, and brooks on her left. Sally leaped to the side, Brooks sat down, and miss Josie...
There was a shockwave from the impact. When I stood, Miss Josie was dead.
Brooks sat there, looking at miss Josie, sadness warring with despair. Sally was looking at me, focusing on our love. Brooks stood, and on cue, he and Sally walked toward Taelar as I walked around him.
"Even more than usual Talar..." I began the spell.
"That was a mistake. One you..." Brooks continued.
"Will never make again." Sally completed. Our hands came up to form a barrier that he could not escape from. He tried to teleport away, but failed.
"Remove the Seru," The three of us intoned. With a force of will I never expected, he resisted the command, and struggled against our bonds.
"You will not escape our cage." We stated.
"You will not hold me!"
"You cannot resist our command."
"The Seru is MINE!!!"
"Resistance is futile." As we intoned this, his head jerked back, and he began to hover off the ground. Moments passed, and he began to writhe.
"Release the Seru, you cannot resist, resistance is futile, Release the Seru." We intoned, repeating the string, again and again.
It could have taken an hour, could have taken a day, as far as the three of us were concerned, it could have been a century.
It had been twenty-five minutes when the Seru and Taelar fell. He was asleep. He would sleep until he was found. I picked up the Seru, and deactivated it. It would never function with out a power source, but nonetheless, I took the weapon with me.
I looked at Sally.
"Taler will be found guilty of murder in the first, for the death of Miss Josie, and 2nd murder for the other three deaths. He will be released in twenty years."
"Good." We then walked over to the body of Miss Josie. Sally stood there crying, Brooks squeezed Her shoulder. I took the rapidly cooling hands in mine, and crossed them over her chest. I then reached up and closed her eyes.
"Thank you Miss Josie, may you find your peace. Know that our objective has been reached, and that it could only have been done with your help." I put her money in her pocket, and the three of us walked away from the sad scene. We made our way to the Door and waited.
Dawn came, and the door opened.
That evening, Brooks was with his wife, My Mom and Dad were at their own home, Thomas and Mary were at the party, Sally and I were watching the Deer walk unafraid in the meadow.
The Seru had been returned right away, broken so as never to work again. The door had been reprogrammed; only my descendants and I will be able to open the door now.
A month after we got back, and a week after Cara had had their son; Vaughn, Sally and I were laying in the meadow watching the stars.
Sally sighed.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm a little late."
"Are you sure?"
"Even going between worlds." I had my right arm around her shoulders; I moved my left to her belly. She looked at me, not daring to hope. I leaned toward her and gave her a kiss.
Seven months later (Normal term on my planet), after an extremely easy pregnancy, our daughter was born. My wife and I held our child to the sun, and, together, spoke the traditional words:
"We welcome you, you are Nia."