Shelby and Shauna Kitt and the Dimensional Holes. P. H. C. Marchesi
our enemies, then,” said the president, furrowing his forehead.
“They are part of a very delicate balance,” replied Lendox. “Klodius, Earth, and Miriax have coexisted, though in separate dimensions, for thousands of years – until the dimensional holes opened.”
“What caused these holes to open?” asked Marina.
“We do not know,” replied Astrax.
“Do you know how long they’ve been there?” insisted Marina.
“We have been monitoring it for about 15 years now.”
“And all this time, these klodians have been coming to Earth?” asked the president. “Why didn’t you intervene sooner?”
“It did not seem wise to announce our existence, considering what we have gathered of your violent history,” said Astrax, disapprovingly. “We expected the dimensional holes to close on their own, but now we understand they will not. We must close them, or klodians will do considerable damage to both our planets. The more klodians land on Earth, the less positive energy there is for our planet to absorb.”
“And their planet?” asked the president. “Does it get stronger every time they kill someone?”
“Considerably more so,” said Astrax, coldly.
“So they just pick random people and kill them?” asked Marina.
“Not exactly,” said Lendox. “Klodians are naturally drawn to those who emit the most negative energy: those who are greedy, miserable, or desperate.”
“And then?” asked the president, looking as if he dreaded the answer.
“They do not have to do much,” replied Astrax. “A regular human heart begins to wither immediately upon close proximity to a klodian. It does not take long until the person is dead.”
“Where do the dark marks around the face come from?” asked Marina.
“From their nails,” said Lendox. “They release poison, and the dark circles are where the poison burns through the victim’s skin.”
Marina stared at Lendox for a moment, frowning with disgust and shock. The president and his advisors, too, seemed stunned into speechlessness.
“And we feared it was an unknown virus,” muttered the president, finally. “We were afraid it would spread and kill everyone.”
“The klodians have no interest in killing everyone, or in destroying Earth, for that matter,” resumed Astrax. “They know very well that if they do either, Klodius cannot survive. What they do want, however, is to increase chaos, fear, and violence on Earth as much as they possibly can. By doing so, they can strengthen their planet, and weaken yours and mine.”
The president and his three military advisors exchanged glances, and one of them gave the president a slight nod.
“Clearly, these klodians are a common threat,” said the president, confidently. “We are willing to offer any military aid necessary to destroy them.”
“We are thankful for the offer,” said the mirian consul, looking unimpressed, “but we have sent emissaries to all the governments of Earth requesting a different kind of help.”
“Oh?” said the president, taken aback. “What kind of help are you referring to?”
“We need the help of humans who have a high concentration of positive energy. Such humans can be trained to protect Earth from any incoming klodian visitors. Of these humans, we intend to select four to go to Miriax.”
“To Miriax? What for?”
“To be trained to seal the dimensional hole between Earth and Klodius,” concluded Astrax, emphatically. “It is the only way to prevent any further contact between the two planets.”
“We have developed a charge of particles – what you would call torpedoes – that will accomplish this,” added Lendox. “Two spaceships have to fly through the dimensional hole into klodian space, and release a charge from there. The hole will begin to close immediately.”
“Won’t the pilots be stuck there?” asked the president.
“Our simulations show that the hole will take a few minutes to close completely,” said Lendox. “The ships need to fly back into this dimension before that happens, and release another charge from here. Only then will the dimensional hole be closed on both ends.”
“Going into klodian space sounds extremely risky,” said the president. “Can’t we just release a charge from Earth’s space?”
“Allow me to explain with a human example,” said Lendox. “A dimensional hole is like a tear in a piece of cloth. To seal the tear, one needs to stitch so that the thread holds both sides together. In just this manner, the dimensional hole needs to have the charge released on both sides, or it will not be sealed permanently. ”
“I see,” said the president, frowning ominously. “I just don’t understand one thing: why can’t you train your own people to do it?”
Astrax looked considerably displeased with the president’s blunt question, and Lendox quickly took it upon himself to answer.
“Mirians cannot survive in klodian space, any more than klodians can survive in mirian space,” he explained. “It seems the universe does not intend the two species to co-exist other than through their mutual reliance on Earth.”
“That is why we need humans who can withstand large amounts of negative energy,” added Astrax, dryly. “Without them, we cannot protect Earth or Miriax.”
“But how are we going to find those people?” asked the president. “We don’t have technology that detects happy people!”
“We do,” ventured Lendox. “We scanned your planet, and found suitable candidates from every region of it. From this region, which you call United States, we have compiled a list of their names, ages, and the places in which they are currently living.”
Lendox reached inside his jacket, and produced something that looked like a crystal ballpoint pen. He clicked on it, and the holographic image of a boy with limp blonde hair and crooked teeth appeared in the middle of the room, hovering slightly above eye level. At the bottom of the image were captions in a strange, curly alphabet. To Marina’s amazement, the letters immediately began to reshape themselves into English letters that she could actually read.
“Tom Lewis, 14 years old, Carson City,” Lendox read. He clicked the pen again, and this time they saw the face of a girl with large dark eyes and braided hair.
“Loretta Jones, 13, Denver.”
Marina glanced at the president, wondering what he would say, but he was apparently at a loss for words. She noticed that the three military advisors exchanged uncomfortable glances as Lendox continued clicking. The faces of Robin Lee, 15, Kaela Stubbs, 16, and Breanna Hughes, 14, appeared before the president finally stepped forward, and impatiently gestured with his hand for Lendox to stop.
“You want to leave the fate of our planets to kids?” he asked, exasperated.
“They are the only likely candidates to succeed,” said Lendox, looking puzzled at the president’s reaction. “They are gifted with stamina, creativity, and hope. Their positive energy offers the best chance for success we have.”
“It’s out of the question,” snapped the president. “There has to be some other way.”
“Most human adults, regrettably, do not have much positive energy,” said Astrax, matter-of-factly. “As a result, they are easy targets for klodians.”
“And what do you propose we tell these kids’ parents?” asked the president, desperately. “Should we tell them that nice aliens are going to borrow their kids for an intergalactic war on which the future of the human race