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    Geron Kees
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

The Darkness Between Doors - 13. Chapter 13

"Amazing amount of destruction," Nyf said, sounding slightly appalled. "The materials used to build this place are immensely strong and durable. The walls of these buildings seems to be crystallized."

"What could do that?" Mike asked.

"I don't know. There are weapons in the empire armory that neutralize the electrostatic attraction between the lattice of positive ions in a metal and the fluid of valence electrons in which they are immersed. Something similar to that effect, but operable on a broader spectrum of materials."

The man grunted. "Sounds like a classic science fiction disintegrator to me."

"It would have that effect, yes."

"Do you hear that?" Cally asked, his voice hushed.

"Yeah." Derry nodded, slowly. "Creepy as hell."

The air around them was filled with sound, which seemed almost to beat at their ears through their sound receptors. Derry could hear wind, though there seemed very little movement of the air yet, and something that sounded vaguely like the clicking-tick of the turn signal in his Mom's SUV. And something else...

"Sounds like voices," Cally said then. "Like a hundred people, all talking at once."

Yes, that was it. Whispers, and chants, and the droning sound of one of his teachers going on and on about fractal geometry. A choir sang somewhere nearby, completely off-key, while another voice laughed maniacally, and yet another screamed insults. And all in a not-quite-language that seemed terribly threatening, but which could not be understood, not one word of it.

And it was getting louder.

Derry looked up at the dark cloud, at the red pulses of light inside it, and for a long moment was sure he saw faces. Terrible ones, inside the cloud, circulating with the great black currents, pausing momentarily to stare at him as they sailed by. The hair on the back of his head stood up then, and he held onto his pistol with what was surely a death grip. The urge to run was incredibly strong now, and even as he fought to stand his ground he felt Cally move up against him.

"I got your back," his boyfriend said, though his own voice sounded terrified. Derry took his free hand, found Cally's free hand, and they clamped their gloved palms together.

In the distance, maybe a hundred yards from them, there was movement, and two figures emerged from behind a large shipping container and starting running their way. Two of the Crites, tossing away their staves as they ran, their arms pumping as they raced towards the doorway.

Mike Hamlyn raised a hand and waved towards them, and then his amplified voice boomed out into the lowering darkness: "Run! Come on!"

And then Derry and Cally were yelling, too, urging the two runners on to even greater feats of motion.

The cloud, immense and close now, pulsed, and a furiously white bolt of something terrible arced downward and found the pavement, which immediately exploded, sending chunks of material everywhere. The bolt moved rapidly across the pavement, ripping a long, deep gash in it, found the two runners...and then they were simply gone.

Derry was stunned, horrified, and amazed at the same time.

"Nyf, what was that?" he heard his granddad ask. "What will it do to our suits?"

"You must not be struck," the artificial mind said then. "I advise an immediate retreat!"

And then, much closer to them than the first pair had been, two more runners emerged from their hiding places. One was empty-handed, and the other cast his staff to the ground, and both men raced towards the door. Mike Hamlyn backed up then, forcing Derry and Cally back towards the door, but again raised a hand and waved it furiously. "Run! Run fast!"

The world had settled into an odd, gray twilight now. The cloud had grown to block out the last of the red daylight. The voices had become a crowd - no, a mob - screaming and ranting and bellowing discordantly, pulsing against Derry's eardrums. Another white bolt found the ground then, and raced towards the runner on their left. He saw it coming out of the side of his eye and tried to dive out of its way, but it followed his movements tenaciously...and then, he too, was gone.

The last runner was fifty feet away now, and closing fast. Derry was certain he could see the look of frantic fear on the Crite's face, the sure knowledge that he was close to death.

Another bolt dropped from the sky then, and raced towards the last runner...raced straight towards the door where they stood. Derry's grandfather turned then, and spread his arms wide, and propelled them back through the darkness of the doorway. They emerged into the transfer station at a run, and turned to face the cargo door, weapons drawn.

"I'm shutting the door down!" Nyf called on the private link.

"No, wait!" Mike bellowed, in a tone that brooked no argument. "Give that last man a chance!"

Time simply stopped then. The others in the tube station had moved closer to them as they emerged, but then had frozen at Mike's yell, which was in the clear on the translator and at top volume.

All eyes turned back to the doorway, and Derry imagined the last Crite running, his arms pumping, his feet flying across the pavement as he approached the safety of the doorway, and...he'll be coming through right...now!

But the doorway remained quiescent, the dark surface of the amazing spacial intersection that filled its oval not parting to reveal the Crite. More moments passed, and then thirty seconds, and then...nothing.

"I'm shutting down," Nyf said quietly.

A panel on the wall to one side of the doorway flickered into life. A series of lights raced back and forth across its surface, and then slowly winked out, one by one.

Derry felt an odd tension in the air, heard a humming, like a swarm of bees in a nearby nest; and then the darkness within the oval of the door faded, and was gone, revealing the stack of staves behind it, and the wall beyond them.

"He didn't make it," Derry said, sadly.

His granddad's face looked as sad as Derry had ever seen it. "No. I guess not."

Derry found that he was still holding Cally's hand, and gave it a very great squeeze, indeed. "I love you," he whispered on their private link. "I love you so much!"

He heard Cally's relieved, still nervous chuckle, and the other boy squeezed his hand back. "I love you, too! We have so much fun together!"

Derry couldn't help gasping at that. "You call that fun?"

"I was with you," Cally said pointedly. "That's what mattered to me."

Derry's grandfather turned and found Gilden. "You sure one of those Crites was Crowla?"

"Yes."

"What happened to them?" Dith asked, from his seat on the floor. But the expression on his face said he knew. "The storm...it got them, didn't it?"

"Yes," Mike replied, shaking his head sadly. "I'm sorry about that. We did what we could."

"I heard," Dith said. "You waited for them, but they couldn't make it." He looked back at the empty oval of the now deactivated doorway. "What was that thing?"

"The great menace," Nyf said then. "Tell him it was the great menace."

"Was it?" Mike asked privately, sounding astonished.

"I don't know. Just tell them that."

Mike repeated the words, and everyone in the room stiffened.

Koort stamped a foot on the floor. "So close!" He whirled on Dith. "Only a few steps away through a door! You nearly had it down on us! Fool!"

"We didn't know," Dith returned in a strained voice. "How could we?"

"You knew that something was off about what you saw there, didn't you?" Mike asked.

"Yes. The first time we went, it was several hours before the storm arrived. But each time we went back it was there much more quickly, as if it was waiting, and knew we would be back."

"I suspect it was," Nyf put in then.

Erva moved closer and peered down at Dith, then looked up at Mike. "Crowla was lost?"

"Yes. We saw three of the Crites killed by...by the thing that was there. The last was running for the door as we came back through it. We waited...but he obviously didn't make it."

Koort gave a sigh, and let his head hang down for a moment. "Then justice is served, and we did not even have to work for it. Crowla has decreed his own sentence."

Derry's grandfather gave his head a shake. "What a waste. What a...a stupid waste." He turned to face Dith. "You're in command of your holding now."

The Crite looked aghast. "Me? I cannot...I am not the...the people will need to name a new---"

"You're the man," Mike insisted, cutting him off. "Because I'm going to tell you what happens next, and you're going to do it. Hear me?"

Dith stared up at the expression on Mike Hamlyn's face, visible now that he had dropped his head bubble. It was not an expression to be argued with. "I...I understand."

Mike looked at Koort. "Do you have a complaint against this one?" He indicated Dith.

The Narthie frowned at Dith. "Not to my knowledge. I, myself, slew the one that killed my friends. The leader that set that one to his task is now also dead. Those in between, like this one, are not my concern."

"Anybody else?" Mike asked, looking around at the others.

"I do not," Mergrun said. "Dith has offended our holding, but he was kept from more dire action by your appearance there." The Crite made what was surely an offensive sound. "One cannot try a man on what he has not yet done, though I am fairly sure that murder was in his mind in regards to Erva and his people."

Dith dropped his gaze at that, but said nothing.

"I am of a similar mind," Erva said, stepping closer. "What Dith may or may not have been ready to do before your arrival is now moot. It is what he will do now that matters."

All eyes turned to the Crite on the floor, who blinked at the combined stare, but nodded. "I will do what is needed now, to ensure the safety of my holding."

"Good." Mike nodded. "The first thing you are going to do is to get your people to turn in those staves. I want them all brought here, understand? And not like an army on the move. Small groups of your people, each carrying as many staves as they can. Dump them in a pile here, and then leave."

"I will do that," Dith said. "All I will need to say is that Crowla is no more, killed by the great menace on the broken world beyond the door. Enough of my people have been there to remember the great storm, and the fear that it inspired. They will comply."

Mike nodded. "Okay, let's do this."

Dith made an attempt to stand again, had trouble with it, and Garmin grunted and waved a hand at Mergrun. The two Crites moved in and helped Dith to his feet.

"Can you stand?" Mergrun asked, not letting go of Dith's arm just yet.

"I think so. I'm a little wobbly."

"You're lucky you're not dead," Erva pointed out. "Gilden's lance could have easily done to you what you may have intended to do to others."

Dith winced at that, and nodded. "I know. I'm sorry."

"If you really are sorry, this will be easy," Garmin said. "Just have your people bring the staves here. No hiding a few of them away for later, hear?"

"We can detect them at a distance," Derry's granddad said. "Just so you know."

By now the rest of the Crites from Crowla's holding had regained consciousness. A few had risen enough to sit up, but most had remained where they had sprawled, watching and listening, but afraid to do anything that might draw unwanted attention. That they had been defeated by the Armenti and their accompaniment of Crowla Holding's own neighbors was clear.

Mike turned to face them. "You all heard what has been said here. Go back to your holding with Dith. He's in charge, at least for now. Return with the staves, dump them here on the floor, and then turn around and go home. No funny business, you hear me? My patience is getting thin with you people."

Dith started to walk past Mike on his way to the archway leading deeper into the tube station, but stopped when Mike stuck out an arm in front of him. "This is your one chance, Dith. Listen to me carefully. Do this, return the staves, and then go home."

The Crite nodded. "And then?"

Mike shrugged, and then smiled thinly. "And then I and my two men will be leaving. What happens to you and your people after that will be up to your neighbors to decide." He leaned closer to the Crite. "But if we are forced to come back here again, it won't just be three of us."

Derry had an idea then. "Nyf, do you have footage of all those battle robots that came when we talked to the crew of that moon ship back on the starport moon?"

In one of their earlier adventures, Difris has sent them to one of the empire's fleet starports to investigate why a door from that place had suddenly opened a new link with the transfer station. They had found a primitive spaceship from the world the fleet base moon revolved around landed at the port, and its crew trying in vain to gain entry into one of the empire's ships landed there. The aliens had thought the port abandoned, and the technological treasures there up for grabs. Nyf had put an end to that notion by having Mike Hamlyn, Derry, and Cally approach the aliens amidst a veritable horde of security lifeforms that resembled giant spiders, armed to the teeth, and proclaim themselves the owners of the moon, and not happy with trespassers. The poor frightened aliens had gotten the word, and had left.

"Yes, I do," Nyf said, chuckling.

"Show 'em," Derry directed. He turned to Dith. "This is what will happen next time there is a problem with doors from Rustgevend."

The large round viewer appeared in the air before them, and the scene on the distant star port played out before the stunned audience. "On our last mission, we ran into some people who thought an empire starport could be casually looted. We convinced them otherwise." Derry pointed at the viewer.

As the thousands of battle lifeforms, resembling giant, metallic spiders, raced across the paved landing field of the starport towards the grounded moon ship, they were seen extruding forth giant cannons and projectors and other weapons of mayhem, all to the accompaniment of an incredible din as those thousands upon thousands of metallic legs churned up and down with their motion. The final moment, when they encircled the moon ship, and Mike, Derry, and Cally stepped forward to warn the aliens off, was pretty impressive to watch, even for Derry, who had been there at the time.

"These are empire security lifeforms," Mike said, smiling sideways at Derry. "These are the troops that go to work when talking fails." He turned to look at Dith. "You get me?"

The Crite looked horrified, his eyes bugged out at the image on the screen. "Oh, yes! We will not...we will do as you have asked. There will be no more trouble."

Mike waved a hand at the image on the viewer, and Nyf took the hint and made it vanish. Mike sighed then, and smiled at Dith. "We don't want to bring you trouble. You people are citizens, which is why just three of us came to look into what was happening here. We really don't have time for games, though. You understand? It is absolutely imperative that you not use the doors until we have mastered this situation." He leaned closer, causing Dith to flinch. "You remember the life form you saw at the shipping facility?"

Dith blinked uncertainly. "Life form?"

"Yes. That thing that looked like a giant thunderstorm. It's a living thing. The great menace. Or, one of them."

Dith shrank away from him. "A living being!"

"Yes. By using the doors, you risk bringing one of them - or even more than one of them - here, to Rustgevend. Do you understand me?"

The fear in Dith's eyes ran deep. "Yes. I do understand you." He glanced at the now inoperative door. "Now I can see why door usage was prohibited. To bring one of those...things...to Rustgevend...no!" He jerked his eyes back to the humans, and waved his hands in agitation. "I swear that all will be done as you have asked. This menace must never be allowed to come here!"

Mike nodded slowly. "That's all we ask. Don't make things worse for us while we fight these things. As soon as it's safe, we'll come back and tell you so."

Dith was in a hurry to leave then, as were all the Crowla holding's Crites. Derry and the others watched them hustle through the archway into the depths of the station.

"You think they will comply?" Gilden asked, a little skeptically. "Do you think they will return and forfeit the staves?"

Garmin and Mergurn both made amused sounds, and Koort roared out a laugh, and smiled at the Sasparian. "Wouldn't you?"

Erva came to his son and took the staff from his hands, and tossed it over into the pile with the others. Then he smiled at Gilden, and gave him a hug. "I am proud of you."

Gilden looked happy at that. "It was an amazing adventure. I'm...I'm a little sorry it's over." He smiled at Derry and Cally. "Must you leave so soon? We were just becoming friends."

Cally grinned at Derry. "We have time for a few stories before we go, don't we?"

Derry nodded, but looked at his granddad for confirmation. "Sure. A few good stories, told around the fire?" He smiled at Gilden. "And we'd love to hear some stories about life on Rustgevend."

"That would be enjoyable, I think," Mike agreed. He let his gaze travel around the circle of their new friends. "Inishee holding? Tomorrow night? Around the fires? You're all invited." He smiled. "There are a million open doors out there. Each one has a story to tell. You won't be bored, I can assure you."

"Rustgevend has its own stories to share," Koort told them, smiling. "I need to see to my fallen friends, and inform their families of what has happened here. But I think I can do that in a day's time and make it back to Inishee. So I, for one, will be there."

"We will assist you, brother," Erva said then. "My son, Gilden, and I."

Gilden gave a nod of his head. "We will."

Mergrun and Garmin stepped forward as one. "So will we," Garmin said.

"And gladly," Mergrun added.

Derry looked at Cally, and then at his grandfather. Mike Hamlyn smiled, and gave a slow nod.

"I'll help." Derry said.

"So will I," Cally joined in.

"We all will," granddad decided. "As soon as we are finished here, in fact."

"What will you do with the staves?" Gilden asked.

"We can reactivate the door and push them through," Nyf offered, on the private channel.

Mike managed to hide his surprise, and passed that answer on to the Sasparian lad.

"Will that be safe?" Derry asked.

"Yes," Nyf replied. "I have had time to process some of the data we obtained at the supply center on the other side of the door. I believe it will be safe to reopen the door long enough to dispose of the staves."

"Was that really a creature of some kind?" Cally asked. "That big thunder cloud?"

"Many creatures, actually," Nyf responded. "You may have been prescient with what you told Dith, Mike. This is, perhaps, the great menace, after all."

Mike Hamlyn looked surprised at that. "What? One thing like that, on one out of the way planet, would force the Armenti to shut down door travel everywhere?"

"I don't think there is just one," Nyf countered. "I am still digesting the data. I will not know for some time yet. But I do think it will be safe to dispose of the staves. And then we close down this door, and lock it so it cannot be reopened."

Derry considered that, and decided that Nyf probably knew best. "So we wait for Dith and his men to come back, then we help Koort with his friends, and then we go back to Inishee and sit by the fire and share stories with these people?"

"Doesn't sound like a bad way to end this trip," his granddad said. "Helping our new friends. Does it?"

It didn't, actually. Derry shrugged, and smiled at Cally. "We only have a few stories to tell."

"The planet of the fur people, the planet of the bear horses and glass people, and the star port," Cally agreed. "And we'll have to be creative with them."

"That will be enough," Mike said. "We want to hear their stories too. I'm sure they have a lot to tell. And a night is only so long."

Derry smiled at that, and nodded. "I'm hungry. And I could use a nap."

"Time for that, too," Mike said. "Time for a lot of things now, it seems."

That was true. The new time calibrator that Difris and Nyf had come up with would see to that. For a brief moment Derry imagined what might lay ahead of them in times to come. What had his grandfather said? A million open doors...

Oh, yes. Their task was only just beginning.

 

* * * * * * *

 

Derry sighed happily, and settled back among the cushions of the outdoor sofa on his grandfather's wide front porch. Cally was next to him, and the two were holding hands between them, listening to the thunder rumble in the distance. The afternoon sky had darkened, and the first patterings of rain were falling on the tin roof above their heads. It was wonderful to be home again, to smell Indiangrass and conifer, and to see the dazzling faces of red trillium and hepatica lining the edges of the woods. The boys were tired from their recent adventure, but happy at its outcome.

"I can't believe only four hours passed while we were gone," Cally said. "That time thing that Difiris came up with sure did the trick!"

"Uh huh. It means we can take a lot more trips through the doors, and not get in trouble with my mom."

"Or my folks, either," Cally agreed. "It's sure gonna be an interesting summer. When it gets here."

"Yeah, well. We can only do weekends with Difris and Nyf until school is over, I guess."

Another rumble of thunder came to their ears, and Cally's hand tightened around Derry's.

"You okay?" Derry asked.

"Yeah. I just...it's weird to come home, and there's a storm here, too."

Derry nodded. "It's one of ours, though. There's nothing in it to fear."

"Yeah."

The front door opened then, and Mike Hamlyn came out and looked over at them. Derry quickly withdrew his hand from Cally's, but the brief frown that appeared on his grandfather's face told him the man had seen the action.

Derry tried to bluster his way through. "Hi, granddad. What's up?"

The man smiled. "Your mom said not to go anywhere. Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes."

"We're not going anyplace," Derry said, waving at the rain sprinkling down. "We had enough of getting wet back on Rustgevend."

Mike nodded, and looked out into the fields of Indiangrass, waving in the breeze. "That storm there made this one look tame."

A moment of silence dropped between them then. Derry looked over at Cally, who raised one shoulder in a question. "What do you think?" he asked, on their private channel.

"He saw us," Derry responded. "I know he did."

"Maybe he didn't," Cally offered. "He hasn't said anything."

Derry licked his lips, looking for something to say to break the silence. "Um...It was cool it was mom's night to cook," he managed to his granddad. "Saves you the trouble of coming right back to a hot stove."

He was feeling nervous, but his granddad's continued silence gave hope to the notion that he was not ready yet to tackle the issue of Derry's and Cally's closeness.

And then that notion fell through.

Mike Hamlyn looked back at them, then at the screen door, as if determining where inside the house Derry's mom might be; and then he came over and sat down in the rocker next to where Derry sat at the end of the sofa. "About the two of you."

Derry's nerves spasmed then. "Huh?"

His granddad watched them, his eyes going from one boy to the next. "I'm okay with it. I said that before, and I'll say it again now."

Cally's elbow tapped hard against Derry. "He does know."

Derry suddenly felt breathless, as if all the air had been sucked away from around him. "You...know." It came out as a statement, not a question.

His grandfather's eyes filled with sympathy then, and he smiled. "Relax. I said I was okay with it."

Derry turned to look at Cally again, but he couldn't seem to confine his words to their private link. "He said it was okay."

Cally simply stared at him, and then let his gaze go back to Mike Hamlyn. "Okay?"

Mike turned and settled back into the rocker, and set it to moving. There was a flash of lightning off to their left somewhere, followed by the bang of thunder. The rain seemed to gain energy then, coming down in sheets. The Indiangrass responded joyfully, waving in accompaniment to the wind and the rain in a welcoming dance.

The man nodded. "Well...my initial reaction was not so understanding." He turned to look at them again. "I don't really get a man loving a man. Or...well, like you two." He sighed, just barely audible over the rain now. "But it isn't my decision. It's not up to me."

Derry simply nodded.

His granddad's eyes were anything but accusing. "I got to thinking how your dad would have reacted, Derry." He smiled again. "He loved you so much. Just so much. I decided he would have worried about the effect of this on your life - on your future, I mean. But I also decided that, after all was said and done, he would have continued to love you so much, and to support you in the life you were living. I felt I owed him that much, at least, to try do the very same."

Derry was slightly aghast. "It sounds like you've known for a long time."

His grandfather laughed at that. "Kind of hard to miss. Don't be surprised if your mom suspects, too."

Derry's disbelief intensified. "But...what do I do?"

Mike Hamlyn shrugged. "Nothing. If your mom finds out for certain, I am pretty sure she'll take it even better than I did. I would suggest you tell her, in fact. There's a lot more known about this than when I was a kid. You are who you are, Derry, and it's just that simple."

His grandfather went quiet a moment, as if thinking. The rain tried to come onto the porch with them, but the old house's builders had known their stuff, and the porch wasn't having any of it. The boards near the rail in front of them grew damp, and then soaked, but none of the raindrops reached the dry oasis where they sat against the front wall of the house.

Granddad turned to smile at them again. "You know what? I've come to see how small a bump in life this really is. You love Cally, and he loves you. After all we have seen and done on Rustgevend, after all the lives that we've seen affected by events just in the past few days, what you two have seems not to be something to fret about. It's yours to participate in, not mine. I kind of realize I'm in the same boat as your dad was. I love you, Derry, and that's all that really matters. How you live your life is not up to me. But I do want you to know that I support you in this, and that I will always be here to fight for what you believe in. Understand?"

Derry fought to hold back tears then. Cally sniffed, and settled against Derry's shoulder, found his hand again, and squeezed it tightly.

"Thanks," was all Derry could manage.

"Not needed, son. I've had a good look at the kind of man you are, out there among the stars. The kind of man you'll be, rather. A good man, Derry. Both of you. That matters more than what you two do in the privacy of your own lives. Understand?"

Derry nodded. "Yes." He bit at his lip, and rubbed his nose awkwardly. "I was a little bit scared of how you'd take this."

His grandfather nodded. "Been there, myself. Scared, I mean. You'll pull through." He smiled then. "I love you, son. And I'm pretty fond of the people you spend your time with, too."

Cally snuffed hard, and squeezed Derry's hand again. Derry could only nod.

His granddad smiled again, and got to his feet. "Um...I'd better go help your mom, before she comes looking for me. I'm glad we finally talked, Derry."

"Me, too."

Sympathy filled his grandfather's eyes once again. "It'll be fine, son. You'll see. You two get yourselves together, and come on in for dinner in a few minutes. Okay?"

Derry nodded, and Cally squeezed his hand again in support.

Mike Hamlyn sighed, smiled one more time, then opened the screen door and was gone.

"I love your granddad," Cally said, rubbing at his nose and squeezing Derry's hand.

Derry sighed, really let the air come out, realizing now that his last few breaths had been trapped somewhere inside of him. "Yeah. Me, too."

Cally laughed. "It'll be okay, like he said."

Derry hitched himself around in his seat to face his boyfriend, and smiled at him. "I love you."

Cally grinned. "I love you back."

Derry glanced back at the door, then bent forward to kiss Cally. The other boy accepted the kiss, and gave it back with all his heart. For a moment their faces stayed together, sharing some things they both had longed to experience for several years now.

Openness. A lack of fear. Love without shame.

Freedom.

The rain beat steadily upon the roof now, but the sound was restful, unhurried, clean. Rain washed away the grime of the day, and left everything shining again. Nature understood the rebirth of the world on a daily basis like people never could.

Cally sighed. "I'm so happy, Derry."

"I know." Derry nodded. "I feel it, too."

"What do you want to do tomorrow?"

Derry sighed. "Granddad said something about a hike after lunch."

Cally laughed. "A hike? He wants to go see Difris again."

"Uh huh. Don't you?"

Cally didn't have to think about it. "Yes. I don't think I'll ever get tired of walking between the stars."

Derry laughed at that and jumped to his feet. Then he reached a hand down, waited for Cally to take it, and then pulled his boyfriend up to stand beside him.

"Me, either. But let's eat dinner first."

They went into the house then, smiling. Derry paused at the threshold, the screen door ajar in his hand, and took a last look at the rain coming down, at the fields of grass and flowers, and the woods beyond. It was wonderful to be home.

His eyes lingered on the woods in the direction of the ancient mound, left there so long ago by a people that had once held the stars in their hands, but had now gone missing.

We'll find you, Derry promised, as much to himself as those lost others. We won't give up.

He smiled a last time, at the rain, the world it fell upon, and the secrets that world held hidden, and then carefully closed the door behind him.

Copyright © 2021 Geron Kees; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
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3 hours ago, ReaderPaul said:

@Geron Kees -- how much time in the story has elapsed since the first tale?  Summer vacation had started in the first story.  But now, in this story, they can only do weekends until school is over.  So they used up summer vacation and are back in school already?  What part of the school year?

In the next adventure, will we learn what sensory receptors Nyf has access to if he is not with someone wearing an exploration suit or gadgets designed to work  with Armenti and related AI sensors and data collection connections, whether wireless or wired?  That was not specifically addressed either in "The Odd, Onward Door: Never a Door Lost" or in "The Odd, Onward Door: The Darkness Between Doors."

If Nyf comes to earth in the next adventure and rides around with Mike, I can imagine he would be able to tap into cellphone calls, with the superior encryption breaking made possible by over thirteen thousand years of Armenti tech advances in AI and in information tech.  Nyf and Difris have probably analyzed the cell phones of the guys, and understand them better than even Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile do.

Good question. Yes, the first two stories took place in the same summer. If I had been smart, I would have continued in that vein, and not have to now try to explain how much time has passed. Really, no appreciable time SHOULD have passed.

I think when I was writing this story I was just thinking of the current time of the year, and didn't consider the problem with that. This is what happens when you are trying to keep track of a lot of characters and story lines. Now, how to fix it? Hmm.

Nyf has his own sensors and can use them to see and hear what is going on around him, as well as to do most of the same analytical functions that suit sensors can perform. The suits have some range on him, is all, which is why he ties into the suit array of whoever he is riding with.

I would say NYF could easily tap into cellphone frequencies (among others), and that human encryption would be less than secure against his level of quantum intelligence.

 

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1 hour ago, ReaderPaul said:

Geron said earlier something about Nyf being more powerful than earthly internet.  I certainly agree about the tv standards and Nyf's ability to intercept them.  He would also be able to intercept radio signals, over-the-air transmission of data, and who knows what else.

 

Nyf would be able to intercept any form of communication that impinges upon him as radio frequency, or which he could tap into using any of several nefarious methods which we will not go into here. :)

 

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1 hour ago, ReaderPaul said:

@Geron Kees

Have the guys ever had a conversation with Difris and/or Nyf about the below-the-clothing differences between humans and Armenti?  In the previous tale, and I quote:
 

"Ah. That may make more sense than you know." Difris emitted a faint sound that Derry had come to think of as a chuckle, but which apparently did not always denote humor. The spider extruded its legs and stood, and swept his voice globe about the room. "All of this, everything: this place, the doors, the empire itself, was created by the Armenti - the builders." The voice globe swung their way and came to a stop. "They bore a considerable resemblance to your kind. I can see how you could be mistaken for them, especially by those who only knew them from visual representations or descriptions from memory."

A light went on inside Derry's mind. "Those were the guys we saw in the movies you showed us of what this place once looked like a long time ago, when it was busy. They looked like us, except they had big, round eyes, and no lips."

Cally laughed, his eyes bright, and Derry grinned at him.  "Well, they didn't have any lips."

"You are correct," Difris confirmed  "There are other differences, not noticeable when both your species are clothed."

Cally laughed again, and bounced his eyebrows at Derry.  "Aw, you're just guessing, Difris.  You haven't seen us naked."

The spider emitted the faint chuckle-sound again.  "Certainly I did . I inspected both of you quite closely when you were unconscious in the station infirmary."

Cally blinked, and his eyes widened.  "You undressed us?"

"A brief physical inspection was necessary," the spider agreed.  But the voice globe wavered uncertainly.  "Was this a taboo among your people?"

Derry looked at granddad, who was trying to hide a smile. "Well, it's polite to ask, first," Derry said.

"I apologize. I will not look again without permission."

"I'll say you won't!" Cally responded. "I'm kind of particular who gets to see my goodies."  His eyes briefly touched Derry's, and both boys couldn't help grinning.

Derry felt his face redden, and hoped that granddad's smile didn't mean more than it seemed.  The man appeared to be enjoying their brief discomfort, although there was no hint of maliciousness to it.  But it was almost like the three of them were sharing some secret, and Derry could readily guess what that secret might be....

So, what are the differences between Armenti males and human males?  Do they have three nipples, or a prehensile penis, or what?  Enquiring minds would like to know!  LOL

I deliberately left that up to the reader's imagination!

Prehensile penises? How come YOU aren't writing fiction? :)

 

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What a nice ending to an exciting story! I’m so glad they have grandpa’s support, and was hoping we’d get around to them having the talk.

I loved the creativity, ingenuity, and all the possibilities you put into the Armenti technology. It sparked the imagination and made me wonder if there isn’t some advanced alien race out there somewhere, waiting to be discovered…

I hope that the great menace doesn’t stop them from exploring further. With so many worlds to discover, you could keep adding to this for ages, if you wanted to!

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On 6/21/2021 at 10:46 AM, headtransplant said:

What a nice ending to an exciting story! I’m so glad they have grandpa’s support, and was hoping we’d get around to them having the talk.

I loved the creativity, ingenuity, and all the possibilities you put into the Armenti technology. It sparked the imagination and made me wonder if there isn’t some advanced alien race out there somewhere, waiting to be discovered…

I hope that the great menace doesn’t stop them from exploring further. With so many worlds to discover, you could keep adding to this for ages, if you wanted to!

Thanks. I like this series, but I have a ton of other stuff in the works or needing completion. I want to get back to it, but when? Dunno.

Thanks for the great comments! :)

 

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On 4/30/2021 at 11:42 AM, drpaladin said:

After seeing The Great Menace or Great Meanness (considering the malevolence it displayed), I doubt anything the Armenti considered weapons would affect it. More likely using energy weapons would only make it stronger; energy can be diverted, trapped, shielded from, or transformed, but not destroyed. Since so many of the Doors are still active and the entire system wasn't shut down, I believe the inherent safeguards in the Door system prevent the Menace from entering them. In the same way, I don't believe the system would allow any energy blast to traverse a doorway. We've seen they don't allow simple, direct energy transfers like light, heat, and cold. Seeing the devastation wrought on the finest of the Empire's technology clearly shocked Nyf. If the Armenti were still actively battling the Menace, it would be difficult to see them not utilizing the Door system in earnest to do so and we've already seen they no longer seem to be using their star ships. The Armenti, if they still exist, may be no better off than any of the other isolated worlds we've seen thus far.

@Geron Kees, the last two days I have been re-reading "Tunnel in the Sky" by Robert Anson Heinlein.  Some of his observations about the "gates" used in the book remind me of a more complicated version of the Doors.  Heinlein talks about the fantastic amount of energy (from uranium) requited to operate the gates, and the mathematical precision required to get the alignment correct if one goes thru a gate to another world than earth.  Obviously, the Armenti system is better.  Did you ever read the Heinlein book?

@drpaladin had some fascinating observations.  However, I think there might be some limited circumstances where the clouds or part of a cloud could travers the door system, or the Armenti might not have put the restrictions in place.  I am guessing you might address that in a future story, perhaps five or fifteen stories down the line.

At the spaceport, some of the ships might be able to shed some light on things.  And is there a shuttle so that the guys could go down to the planet the spaceport circles,  and investigate further?

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16 hours ago, ReaderPaul said:

@Geron Kees, the last two days I have been re-reading "Tunnel in the Sky" by Robert Anson Heinlein.  Some of his observations about the "gates" used in the book remind me of a more complicated version of the Doors.  Heinlein talks about the fantastic amount of energy (from uranium) requited to operate the gates, and the mathematical precision required to get the alignment correct if one goes thru a gate to another world than earth.  Obviously, the Armenti system is better.  Did you ever read the Heinlein book?

@drpaladin had some fascinating observations.  However, I think there might be some limited circumstances where the clouds or part of a cloud could travers the door system, or the Armenti might not have put the restrictions in place.  I am guessing you might address that in a future story, perhaps five or fifteen stories down the line.

At the spaceport, some of the ships might be able to shed some light on things.  And is there a shuttle so that the guys could go down to the planet the spaceport circles,  and investigate further?

I read Tunnel in the Sky as a kid (and several times again thereafter), along with all of Heinlein's books. That was one of my favorites (Have Space Suit - Will Travel, The Star Beast, and Citizen of the Galaxy also come to mind!). But his musings on energy sources were of those times, before the science of our times had given us some insight into sources of power so much greater that than of uranium fission (matter/antimatter, zero-point, black hole event horizon tapping, and large-scale fusion come to mind). So while I love these books as classics, the science is somewhat dated.

Also, the alignment problems he mentions suggests a linear mindset, where one gate needs to be 'aimed' at another somehow. Sort of like aiming an antenna in a certain direction to hit a receiver. Across a distance of light years, with both the source location and the destination location moving at different speeds and in multiple different directions, such a feat of alignment would be considerable. This was before quantum entanglement was suggested, and the coordinate theory of space/time that suggests that the universe bears some unique information that designates where every part of it exists in space-time relative to every other. The idea that a star gate such as the Armenti version simply grants access between two separate locations without needing to cross the physical space between is much more appealing to my mind than a device that somehow crosses the space between two locations by even extra-dimensionally creating a real time link, but one requiring complex alignment and power maintenance. So I will continue with the Armenti version for now. :)

As for the clouds traversing the door system, it's going to come down to what they're composed of, as well as their motivations and goals. All are as yet still in the realm of unwrought things. Guess I'll get to those ideas when I get to that story!

I have seen a need to return to the spaceport moon at some point, too. Um, I think I left the bathtub there running! :)

 

 

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4 hours ago, Geron Kees said:

I read Tunnel in the Sky as a kid (and several times again thereafter), along with all of Heinlein's books. That was one of my favorites (Have Space Suit - Will Travel, The Star Beast, and Citizen of the Galaxy also come to mind!). But his musings on energy sources were of those times, before the science of our times had given us some insight into sources of power so much greater that than of uranium fission (matter/antimatter, zero-point, black hole event horizon tapping, and large-scale fusion come to mind). So while I love these books as classics, the science is somewhat dated.

Also, the alignment problems he mentions suggests a linear mindset, where one gate needs to be 'aimed' at another somehow. Sort of like aiming an antenna in a certain direction to hit a receiver. Across a distance of light years, with both the source location and the destination location moving at different speeds and in multiple different directions, such a feat of alignment would be considerable. This was before quantum entanglement was suggested, and the coordinate theory of space/time that suggests that the universe bears some unique information that designates where every part of it exists in space-time relative to every other. The idea that a star gate such as the Armenti version simply grants access between two separate locations without needing to cross the physical space between is much more appealing to my mind than a device that somehow crosses the space between two locations by even extra-dimensionally creating a real time link, but one requiring complex alignment and power maintenance. So I will continue with the Armenti version for now. :)

As for the clouds traversing the door system, it's going to come down to what they're composed of, as well as their motivations and goals. All are as yet still in the realm of unwrought things. Guess I'll get to those ideas when I get to that story!

I have seen a need to return to the spaceport moon at some point, too. Um, I think I left the bathtub there running! :)

I also think you should stick to the Armenti and the Charlie Boone version(s).  I really enjoy that/those versions.

I read the Heinlein stories as a kid in the 1950s and 1960s.  I continued reading his books and short stories through the years, and he had some great ideas.  Yes, a lot of the science is dated now, but the concepts live on in various forms.  Have Space Suit -- Will Travel was a great book.  The first time I read Citizen of the Galaxy I was to young and naïve to properly appreciate it.  Farmer In the Sky was a great read, as well.  The Heinlein book I have enjoyed most in recent years is the posthumous publication of The Pursuit of the Pankera: A Parallel Novel of Parallel Worlds.  It is a parallel novel to The Number of the Beast: A Parallel Novel of Parallel Worlds (the revised title since Pankera came out).

The protagonist of Tunnel in the Sky and the problem he and his high school class faced reminded me of Ronja going through the wrong elf-door at times.  Also reminded me of the time Derry and Cally went through the door of the fur people instead of the door to Earth.

These stories of yours are very good.  I am going to have to eventually re-read one series of yours.  Been a long time since I read the Road stories.

Thanks for the great writing.

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29 minutes ago, ReaderPaul said:

I also think you should stick to the Armenti and the Charlie Boone version(s).  I really enjoy that/those versions.

I read the Heinlein stories as a kid in the 1950s and 1960s.  I continued reading his books and short stories through the years, and he had some great ideas.  Yes, a lot of the science is dated now, but the concepts live on in various forms.  Have Space Suit -- Will Travel was a great book.  The first time I read Citizen of the Galaxy I was to young and naïve to properly appreciate it.  Farmer In the Sky was a great read, as well.  The Heinlein book I have enjoyed most in recent years is the posthumous publication of The Pursuit of the Pankera: A Parallel Novel of Parallel Worlds.  It is a parallel novel to The Number of the Beast: A Parallel Novel of Parallel Worlds (the revised title since Pankera came out).

The protagonist of Tunnel in the Sky and the problem he and his high school class faced reminded me of Ronja going through the wrong elf-door at times.  Also reminded me of the time Derry and Cally went through the door of the fur people instead of the door to Earth.

These stories of yours are very good.  I am going to have to eventually re-read one series of yours.  Been a long time since I read the Road stories.

Thanks for the great writing.

I have Pursuit of The Pankera right here on top of my reading pile. I was originally told it was the first version of what became The Number of the Beast, and that in many ways it was superior, but that Heinlein convinced himself it was not very good, nor what he wanted. He did that more than once in his later writing years.

But that Heinlein is an influence for me is a given. I always loved his able and determined young protagonists, and how they could win out in the end. I, uh, borrowed some of that for my own stories. :)

I have been trying to get to the third Road story for quite some time. I have a long fantasy tale that needs completing, and a couple of sci-fi tales...and, well, a few short stories...no a bunch of short stories...in my unfinished folder, to do first. I could use Keerby to rearrange time for me about now! :)

Thanks for the encouragement!

 

 

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On 9/1/2021 at 5:13 PM, Geron Kees said:

I have seen a need to return to the spaceport moon at some point, too. Um, I think I left the bathtub there running! :)

So Ragal left the bathtub running on that moon, way before the Armenti built a spaceport there? (From "Is That A Monster in the Closet, Charlie Boone?")  @Geron Kees, I thought you weren't planning to connect the series!

Realistically, they could be connected if Charlie were to dream about the Door universe, and send his split-presence there.  But the physical laws would be different enough that Max or Auggie could not take them there (since Auggie uses a slightly different means of transport than Max or Keerby or Pacha uses).

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18 hours ago, ReaderPaul said:

So Ragal left the bathtub running on that moon, way before the Armenti built a spaceport there? (From "Is That A Monster in the Closet, Charlie Boone?")  @Geron Kees, I thought you weren't planning to connect the series!

Realistically, they could be connected if Charlie were to dream about the Door universe, and send his split-presence there.  But the physical laws would be different enough that Max or Auggie could not take them there (since Auggie uses a slightly different means of transport than Max or Keerby or Pacha uses).

Man, you would do really well as a scriptwriter for the SyFy channel! :)

Halloween Charlie Boone will start in about a week's time!

 

 

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Great series you have going here, love me some good sci-fi with plausible technology. You explain things very well!

Just a few ideas:

1) borrow some robots from the space station for exploration of the doors, assuming they can go through doors, or get upgrades to the computing level of Difris or Nyf. Have them come along as security for the trio of humans as they travel.
2) more 'mini-minds' like Nyf and Brik. Each human should have his own 'buddy'.  Even make them some bodies, maybe not as big as the other robots, but more scout sized.
3) send a wired connection through the doors as they explore, giving a live feed back to Difris.

Anyway, enough of me hijacking your ideas. Looking forward to sequels. I think I'll dive into the Charlie Boone stories now :)

Edited by G90814
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5 hours ago, G90814 said:

Great series you have going here, love me some good sci-fi with plausible technology. You explain things very well!

Just a few ideas:

1) borrow some robots from the space station for exploration of the doors, assuming they can go through doors, or get upgrades to the computing level of Difris or Nyf. Have them come along as security for the trio of humans as they travel.
2) more 'mini-minds' like Nyf and Brik. Each human should have his own 'buddy'.  Even make them some bodies, maybe not as big as the other robots, but more scout sized.
3) send a wired connection through the doors as they explore, giving a live feed back to Difris.

Anyway, enough of me hijacking your ideas. Looking forward to sequels. I think I'll dive into the Charlie Boone stories now :)

Some good ideas there, but some of the rules of the story may tend to prevent me using some of them. But there is some food for thought, and thank you! :)

The Charlie Boone series did not start out as sci-fi or fantasy. It sort of found its way to fantasy starting in the second tale, but I think it was the 6th story (Is That A Rocket in Your Pocket, Charlie Boone?) where it hit the science fiction world directly on. So if you're expecting sci-fi, a little patience is required to get there. 🙂

 

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Of the three stories, this is my favorite.  The great menace was definitely scary and felt like a living hell that could easily destroy the empire.  I also liked that Crowla brought about his own demise.  This is a very satisfying ending that leaves me wanting more stories.  It would be fun if the guys could use this planet as an R&R stop occassionally between adventures.  I'm sure they would have fun telling their friends here the story of the latest adventure around a campfire.  They couldn't do that back home on Earth.

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14 minutes ago, raven1 said:

Of the three stories, this is my favorite.  The great menace was definitely scary and felt like a living hell that could easily destroy the empire.  I also liked that Crowla brought about his own demise.  This is a very satisfying ending that leaves me wanting more stories.  It would be fun if the guys could use this planet as an R&R stop occassionally between adventures.  I'm sure they would have fun telling their friends here the story of the latest adventure around a campfire.  They couldn't do that back home on Earth.

No, but here they have to hide who they are by pretending to be the Armenti.

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On 4/4/2023 at 2:15 AM, raven1 said:

Of the three stories, this is my favorite.  The great menace was definitely scary and felt like a living hell that could easily destroy the empire.  I also liked that Crowla brought about his own demise.  This is a very satisfying ending that leaves me wanting more stories.  It would be fun if the guys could use this planet as an R&R stop occassionally between adventures.  I'm sure they would have fun telling their friends here the story of the latest adventure around a campfire.  They couldn't do that back home on Earth.

I have always intended to write further entries in this series. It is, alas, simply a matter of time! :)

 

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Posted (edited)

3 hours ago, Geron Kees said:

I have always intended to write further entries in this series. It is, alas, simply a matter of time! :)

 

Time does have a way of slipping quickly past us.  You should talk to Difris about finding a good place to spend writing and getting to use that time coordinator gizmo. 😄

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23 hours ago, raven1 said:

Time does have a way of slipping quickly past us.  You should talk to Difris about finding a good place to spend writing and getting to use that time coordinator gizmo. 😄

If it were that easy, I'd have already done it! :)

 

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Just re-read these stories to refresh my memory. Still hoping for a continuation!
I also think there's still possibility to link with the Charlie Boone universe, just Armanti space is on the far side of Boonespace, and Earth is one of their most recent outposts before the Fall!

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13 hours ago, G90814 said:

Just re-read these stories to refresh my memory. Still hoping for a continuation!
I also think there's still possibility to link with the Charlie Boone universe, just Armanti space is on the far side of Boonespace, and Earth is one of their most recent outposts before the Fall!

I do plan to do more of these Door tales, if I can just give birth to the story I am writing now. It's resisting completion mightily!

I don't plan to do any crossovers anytime soon. I have a lot of things I want to work on before I would try something like that. But another Door story looks good for this year. Stay tuned! :)

 

 

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19 hours ago, Geron Kees said:

I do plan to do more of these Door tales, if I can just give birth to the story I am writing now. It's resisting completion mightily!

I don't plan to do any crossovers anytime soon. I have a lot of things I want to work on before I would try something like that. But another Door story looks good for this year. Stay tuned! :)

 

 

PUSH! PUSH!

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23 hours ago, G90814 said:

PUSH! PUSH!

Well, I'd much rather deliver a healthy story than to just squirt one out on the floor! :)

 

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