“You can do this, Welks,” I said, trying to encourage him. “Just be careful.”

  He gave me a curt nod and then stepped forward, walking into the swirling portal. We waited, hoping that Welks would reappear—or any of them, for that matter—but no one did.

  Our group exchanged anxious glances. The count of missing comrades was growing. What if they’d all walked to their deaths—or to Hell itself? We had no way of knowing the truth.

  The portal, in the meantime, continued to swirl. It taunted us with its mystery.

  Dr. Sharaf could no longer contain her frustration. “You’re all cowards!” she snapped. She marched forward and stepped into the swirling portal. Just like the rest, she vanished.

  I turned to Lt. Quinn. “I have to go in, sir. I can’t just leave them—wherever they went.”

  He glared at me, his jaw tight with anger. “Fine, Starn. Go. But if you don’t come back, I’m not wasting another man searching for the rest of you. For all I know that thing is a blender that makes cocktails for aliens. You’ll all be on your own, whatever you find.”

  I nodded, understanding the risk. “I’ll do my best, sir.”

  With that, I took a deep breath and stepped forward. One second later, I entered the colorful vortex. I was engulfed by its strange energies, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d just killed myself in the dumbest way possible.

  Chapter 21: The Key to the Stars

  I stepped into the portal and my surroundings vanished. I found myself hurtling through a wormhole. It felt as if my body was being stretched, compressed, and twisted into a variety of unnatural shapes. The experience was unnerving, to say the least.

  After what felt like an eternity, I was suddenly ejected from the wormhole. I crashed onto a cold, hard, stone floor. Pain surged through my body, and I rolled on that floor, struggling to stand. I groaned, every muscle aching in pain from the ordeal.

  With considerable effort, I managed to push myself up and climb to my feet. I took a moment to catch my breath and survey my surroundings.

  As if my hearing was tuning into a new channel, I heard screams. Then, next, came the crackling of flames.

  Dr. Sharaf’s assistant lay dead on the floor. His body was twisted and broken. Dr. Sharaf and Ana were cowering in one corner of the large temple-like chamber, which seemed to be a cleaner, more pristine version of the one I’d just left behind.

  The source of their fear and the general chaos was a monstrous ape-like creature. It towered over fifteen feet tall and wore crimson robes. It had killed Dr. Sharaf’s assistant, and it was now engaged in a fierce battle with Welks.

  The air was full of nasty smoke that was thick with the acrid smell of burning flesh. Welks had unleashed his flamethrower. Even as my numb fingers worked to unsling my rifle, another jet of searing thermite gel spat toward the creature.

  My brain was catching up, but my fingers weren’t. I couldn’t fire my gun—not yet.

  Welks nailed the giant with another gush of flame—but that wasn’t doing the trick. The burning ape-creature wasn’t out of the fight. He snarled and roared as he charged toward Welks, intent on tearing him apart.

  I raised my laser carbine and aimed at the ape-monster’s massive head. I had to nail a critical area, something that would stop such a huge beast in his tracks. I steadied my weapon, and this time, I managed to squeeze the trigger.

  A bright spray of bolts erupted from my carbine. A dozen of them struck the monster square in the face. Blinded and horribly wounded, the creature staggered and collapsed to the ground. Welks barely managed to jump out of the way. The massive body shook the chamber when it hit, and the stench of burning fur filled the air.

  When the damned thing was done thrashing around, I checked on Dr. Sharaf and Ana. The women were visibly shaken from their ordeal. Welks, covered in soot and sweat, slumped against a nearby wall, but he didn’t seem to be hurt, either. The four of us had survived a nasty fight. It was time to get out of this place.

  But… how to get back?

  My eyes moved to the center of the chamber. Something very important was missing. There was no vortex waiting for us—whatever that thing had been, it was gone.

  That’s about when we began hearing a series of horrible cries from outside the temple. Gazing out the entrance, I saw a city not unlike the ruins we’d just left behind on Proxima Centauri b.

  But this city wasn’t lying in ruins—it was clean and free of dirt and debris. There was no sign of the overgrown, tangled mess of vines and purple growths we’d left behind.

  Welks walked near me, breathing hard and staring. “That thing…” he said, “it just came out of nowhere.”

  “I think we’re still in trouble,” I replied. “From the sound of it, there’s an entire city of these big boys just outside—and they’re pissed.”

  Dr. Sharaf wasn’t paying much attention to either of us. She was walking around the temple, poking at the various symbols.

  Ana spent her time examining the dead ape. She seemed immune to the horrible smell of burnt fur and flesh.

  “Don’t you hear those things outside?” Welks asked the women. “They sound just like the weird cyborgs we fought the other day.”

  I turned to him, my face pale. “They are the same, sort of,” I said. “I think they’re the originals. I think this might be another of their cities. One that isn’t overgrown and in ruins.”

  “It’s the same city,” Dr. Sharaf said, “you simpletons.”

  We all turned and looked at her in surprise.

  “When we traversed through a wormhole to arrive in this star system, that was a different case. On that occasion we traveled through space, going from the Solar System to Alpha Centauri. This journey was… different. We’re in the same place, but we’re in a different time.”

  We gaped at her. “How’s that even possible?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “The science is certainly beyond our own. I’m not even entirely sure we’ve really time-traveled. Perhaps we’re in a projection of their history. Perhaps everything here is a hologram, or a hallucination.”

  “What are you talking about?” Welks dared to ask. He pointed at the dead, burnt, monstrous ape. “That looks real enough to me!”

  Dr. Sharaf didn’t seem to hear him. “This may even be a weird, in-between state,” she continued in the tone of one who’s talking to herself. “An echo of memories of the past… There are many possibilities.”

  The howling sound came from outside again, and it was louder this time.

  “Girl!” Dr. Sharaf said, turning to Ana. “Help me find those symbols you touched before, at the four points of the compass!”

  Ana nodded, swallowing hard. She limped quickly to the walls and poked around, just as Sharaf was doing. The two women walked around the entire temple.

  Before they’d completed their circuit, a set of massive hairy feet appeared at the entrance. Then they took a hesitant step closer. Someone had finally come to investigate and discover our crimes.

  The two women completed their walk, touching the walls, and a brilliant point of light appeared in the center of the chamber. I staggered away from it as it swelled into a swirling rip in time and space. The vortex had appeared again.

  Welks, for once in his life, didn’t hesitate. He charged at the spinning apparition and dove through. “I’m going home, baby!” he shouted, and he vanished.

  Dr. Sharaf knelt and inspected the ape. It was somewhat clothed, and it had earlier worn something metallic upon its head.

  “A circlet was here,” Sharaf said loudly. “See this fold in its fur?” She stared at Ana. “What did you steal?”

  Ana shook her head.

  “Damn it, girl!”

  Sharaf reached out her hand, and Ana reluctantly put a strange circlet into the doctor’s hand. Clutching this against her chest, the old woman trotted to the anomaly spinning in the center of the chamber and dove into it.

  “Come on,” I told Ana. “We’re next!”

  “I’m scared,” Ana told me, staring at the spinning vortex.

  “I don’t blame you, but we’ve got to go!”

  Right then, the monstrous ape-like creatures that had been gathering outside the temple felt a surge of courage. Perhaps they knew somehow there were only two of us inside now. Or perhaps the equivalent of their local constable had finally arrived to investigate. Whatever the case, they began to walk into the temple.

  I showered them with laser bolts, but only lightly, aiming low. I hit them in the legs, searing smoking holes in their fur. They didn’t deserve to die just because some crazy aliens had invaded their city.

  They kept on coming, however, despite my warning shots. They howled at me, putting up their hands to shield their faces and their eyes.

  I fired a few more bolts, and I backed toward the spinning mystery in the center of the room. Ana looked around wildly, as if she was going to run—but there was nowhere to go.

  I looped a thick arm around her. She struggled, but she couldn’t break free. Then, dragging her with me, I backed into the spinning abyss.

  The sensation of traveling through the wormhole was just as bizarre and disorienting as the first time. When we emerged from the spinning vortex, we found ourselves back in the ruined city on Proxima Centauri b. We were greeted by worried faces from Red Company and Dr. Sharaf’s research team.

  “What the hell happened in there?” Lt. Quinn demanded. His eyes scanned our disheveled group.

  Dr. Sharaf stepped forward, her eyes shining with excitement. “We’ve made an incredible discovery, Lieutenant. It appears that the wormhole transported us to a different time—or perhaps some kind of artificial projection commemorating this very city.”

  The group scoffed, exchanging glances with one another. We all watched then as the vortex sputtered out, like a dying flame.

  “It’s true,” Ana said, her voice barely above a whisper. “It was the same place—but it was different. It was clean and new—not in ruins.”

  Dr. Sharaf nodded, and she triumphantly held up the strange circlet she’d taken from Ana. “This artifact we retrieved is proof of our experience. The ape-like creatures in that other time were wearing these. They seem to be a mark of status, or power.”

  Lt. Quinn looked skeptical, but he knew better than to dismiss our testimony as mere talk. “We need to report all this to Captain Hansen. Like… immediately.”

  Together, we made our way back to Borag, discussing the implications of what we’d seen. Questions were raised about the true nature of the wormhole and the beings that had once inhabited the city.

  As we walked, I couldn’t help but steal glances at Ana. I kept wondering how she was dealing with everything that had happened. She seemed to be okay, but I kept finding myself worrying about her.

  As we made our way back to Borag, the thought of the ape-like creatures gathering an army to repel us from this possibly sacred place weighed heavily on my mind. I voiced my concern to Lt. Quinn, who furrowed his brow in thought.

  “You’re right, Starn,” he said, glancing back at the ruins. “We can’t take any chances. I’d like to set charges and demolish the whole place—but that’s not my judgement call to make. We need to regroup aboard Borag and assess the situation.”

  He signaled for the rest of Red Company and Dr. Sharaf’s research team to quicken their pace. As we hurried through the tangled jungle, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched by unseen eyes. The sensation was probably just an illusion after all we’d been through.

  Finally, we reached Borag. Her massive bulk towered over us. The ship’s crew had already been alerted to our return, and the airlock doors hissed open as we approached.

  Once we’d climbed the ramp, there was no rest to be had. Instead, Captain Hansen debriefed us in detail. We explained our findings and experiences. Her expression grew serious as she considered the possibility of an alien army coming to defend their sacred ground.

  “We can’t risk staying here any longer,” she decided. “We’ve collected valuable information, and we need to analyze our findings from a safe distance.”

  With the crew at their stations, Borag’s engines roared to life, lifting the massive ship off the ground. The jungle below receded as we gained altitude, and soon the alien ruins disappeared from view.

  Chapter 22: The Dark Forest Theory

  Captain Hansen called a meeting in her quarters, inviting Dr. Sharaf and me to discuss our recent experiences and findings. I was surprised to be on the guest list, as I was just an enlisted man. I couldn’t imagine that Dr. Sharaf represented a physical threat to the captain. I supposed I’d been summoned because I’d been in the thick of the action at the alien anomaly site—and the captain trusted me.

  Just as we settled into our seats around the computer table—and Captain Hansen opened her mouth to start the meeting—the door slid open.

  Blackwood walked in wearing his usual sneering expression. “I heard there was a meeting discussing the findings of your little adventure. As the ship’s accountant, I believe I should be present,” he said, placing his hands on his hips. He clearly expected to be welcomed.

  I watched Captain Hansen’s reaction. Her face hardened as she looked at the bean-counter. “This is a private meeting, Blackwood. Your presence is not required.”

  Blackwood’s expression twisted into a scowl as he folded his arms. “Captain, my job is to safeguard the financial interests of Interplanetary Excavations, Inc. Whatever you’ve discovered could have significant implications for the company.”

  Captain Hansen stood up. “I am well aware of your responsibilities, but this is a matter of security and scientific discovery, not finances. Your input is not necessary at this time. Now, please leave.”

  Blackwood stared at her for a moment, his jaw clenched. He finally turned on his heel and marched out of the room, the door sliding shut behind him.

  Once Blackwood was gone, Hansen took a deep breath and turned her attention back to Dr. Sharaf and me. “Now that we have some privacy, let’s discuss the events that transpired during your expedition. Let’s focus on the potential consequences for our mission and crew.”

  Dr. Sharaf began to brief Captain Hansen on our experience in the alien temple and the city we encountered. “Captain, we found ourselves in what appeared to be a different version of the ruined city, one that wasn’t overrun by the jungle. There was an ape-like creature that attacked us, but Starn here managed to kill it. The place was inhabited by creatures similar to the cyborgs we fought earlier, but they were definitely all flesh and blood.”

  Captain Hansen leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. “Why would they be different in a city that wasn’t in ruins?”

  “Well,” Sharaf continued, “they seemed to be the original beings, not the modified versions we’ve encountered before. It’s hard to explain, but they didn’t seem as aggressive or threatening as the individuals Red Company met days ago.”

  Hansen rattled a set of plastic computer papers. Images and text flickered at her touch. “What’s this nonsense?” she asked. “It says here you quite possibly traveled to a different time, or perhaps visited some sort of projection of the past. Are you serious, Doctor?”

  “Absolutely,” Sharaf said. She seemed mildly ruffled. “Starn,” she said, turning to me. “What was your impression? You were there.”

  I nodded. “It’s true,” I said. “It seemed to be the exact same place with living residents and clean, recently built structures.”

  “Did you investigate the entire city?” Hansen demanded. “I see a few vids here, but there’s nothing definitive.”

  “We weren’t able to exit the temple—if it was a temple,” I said.

  “The city was full of howling aliens,” Dr. Sharaf said urgently. “If we’d left, we’d have been killed.”

  Captain Hansen set down the reports and pushed away from the table. “You two have to understand how insane this all sounds. Do you have anything else?”

  Dr. Sharaf seemed flustered, but I squinched up my eyes in thought. Just as Sharaf was about to go into some kind of tirade about not trusting her professional opinion—or something else equally unhelpful—I got an idea.

  “Our location readings,” I said. “We’ve all got body cams and embedded computers in our gear.”

  “Speak for yourself, marine,” Dr. Sharaf said.

  “Oh… yes, I meant Red Company personnel.” I searched for a moment and managed to pull up a compass reading. “There, see? We were at the same coordinates inside that temple—on both sides of that strange vortex.”

  Captain Hansen examined my proof with interest. This seemed to irritate Dr. Sharaf for some reason.

  “I don’t understand why you’re willing to accept teleportation between star systems and reject time travel out of hand.”

  Captain Hansen sighed. “I guess you have a point, there. Both are beyond our technical abilities. Both have fantastic implications.”

  “Ah,” Sharaf said, smiling and nodding as if she had finally caught on. “You’re in denial. It’s a natural first reaction to any unexpected stimuli. No need to apologize, Captain.”

  Hansen set her jaw for a second. I could tell Sharaf was irritating her.

  “In any case,” the captain said, “this new crop of aliens doesn’t seem to pose an immediate threat. They didn’t follow you back to the ruined city—if they are even capable of doing so. You appear to have managed to escape and return to this time and place—or reality, or whatever it is.”

  Dr. Sharaf nodded in agreement. For once she didn’t have an argument to offer.

  “Starn,” Captain Hansen said. Her gaze was thoughtful. “You don’t think these beings will gather an army to repel us from their sacred place?”

  “No, Captain,” I said. “At least, not immediately. We can’t be sure, of course, but for now, it seems they’re more concerned with their own world and problems than with us.”