The Key Read online



  The Key

  By Brian Fisher

  Copyright 2011 Brian Fisher

  Second Edition

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Chapter 72

  Chapter 73

  Chapter 74

  Chapter 75

  Chapter 76

  Epilogue

  Author's Notes

  Chapter 1

  "If you are playing this, then I am already dead." Raul stood before her on an outcropping of rock, overlooking the deep blue waters of an ocean. There was a sadness in his dark brown eyes that the hologram could not fully convey. "I don't have many regrets from my life. Most of the ones that I do have are petty." The hologram sighed. Holographic sunlight filtered through the hologram, giving it an ethereal, angelic presence. "What I regret the most is that I never did something while I was alive that I feel that I have to do now, or I will never be at peace." Raul shimmered slightly as his eyes fixed on T'Sula. "I love you T'Sula Mir. I always have."

  She closed her eyes as Raul spoke, wishing that when she opened them again, he would be standing in place of the hologram. She could always count on Raul to be there when she needed him most. He had been a good friend, and she had thought that someday he might be something more. Now it was too late. He was gone.

  "There, I said it." Raul continued. "I wish that I could have had the courage to tell you before."

  "Me too." T'Sula whispered as the hologram faded into the mist that drifted over the holographic ocean. She quietly said her good-byes to Raul, and dried the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks. Raul had been a good friend, and a trusted colleague. T'Sula knew that she had to let go. If she couldn't do that, then she would be lost.

  The wind carried the smell of the ocean as it tossed T'Sula's shoulder length, black hair. She smiled, and breathed deep, as the sun set over the ocean, turning the sky purple and pink. T'Sula sat on a high outcropping of rock that had withstood millennia of waves endlessly crashing against it just as they were today. T'Sula admired the majesty and beauty around her. Trees and scrub grew aplenty here, except on the rocks, where nothing could stand against the wind and ocean for long. She knew of the power inherent in nature. Her Bakeeron heritage mandated that.

  A tear gently rolled down her cheek as she stood, and turned her back on the ocean. T'Sula reached her hand into the pocket of her dark blue jump suit, and pulled out a tiny black chip, no larger than her thumb nail. She held the chip between her thumb and first two fingers, and quickly snapped the chip, ending her time in the holo-tank.

  She stepped out of the tank, and into a clean, well lit, white room. Holo-tanks lined the walls and a cluster of computer terminals sat in the center. Each terminal was being monitored by an Olcai. Their smooth, shiny black skin stood in sharp contrast to the bright white of the hotel uniforms.

  "Ms. Mir, I hope that you enjoyed your session." one of the Olcai looked at her with one of its bulbous brown eyes. Try as she might, T'Sula still could not tell the difference between the males and females.

  "Yes, the session was very relaxing. Thank you." T'Sula smiled, running her fingers through her hair. Lying had never been her strong point, but she didn't feel the need to expose herself to a stranger.

  "Excellent. I hope that you enjoy the rest of your stay with us." the Olcai said as it looked back at its terminal. T'Sula smiled at the little creature, then quickly left for someplace more relaxing.

  The hallway was clean and sparsely decorated. On the walls were holographic images of various worlds. The swamps of Olcaina seemed to be a favorite, followed by the lush mountains and forests of Bakesh.

  T'Sula smiled a sad smile at the memory of her home world. She watched as the hologram of the Grand Forest of P'Kare, near the Temple of the Wind, changed through the seasons. Leaves turned color, and dropped to the ground before the first snow gently frosted the forest. A few small animals finished their preparations for the winter, and disappeared from sight. The picture felt like a piece of home, in the midst of an artificial world. It was a bright star shining in an infinite ocean of black.

  T'Sula continued to walk. Her mind raced along, uninhibited by conscious thought. She needed the time to think, to decompress. She would have preferred any number of worlds to escape to other than Olcai, but Olcai had been the closest peaceful refuge available. The manufactured, artificial world scared her in ways that she didn't care to admit. There was a quality to the planet, to the entirety of it, which in its own way was contrary to the natural order of things. Still, T'Sula decided to take refuge, and rest in any way that she could.

  The vast city gradually disappeared with each of her footsteps, to be replaced by the ocean vista. It wasn't an ocean like any other planet would have. This one covered all of Olcai, except for the six cities that were tethered, equidistant from one another, and the numerous atmosphere generators that stretched from the water to the sky. There was no land on this planet, only the metal skeleton that held the giant construct together, and the water that had been melted from ice floating in the nearby solar system.

  Her mind still swam with thoughts and memories as T'Sula gazed out at the horizon. She found a place to sit, and decided to swim. She stripped out of her jumpsuit, revealing a modest, black one-piece swimsuit, and headed for the water. The swimsuit covered her well, showing her trim, athletic figure, and hiding the scars that defined her life. Oblivious to the attention she attracted from the handful of men that she passed, T'Sula dove into the ocean.

  The water was warm and clear, allowing T'Sula to see the base of the city. Thousands of lighted windows sparkled like stars in the water. The city was as deep as it was tall, culminating in a massive, self lighted shaft that ran to the very center of Olcai.

  T'Sula pulled a small rebreather from a hidden pocket in her swimsuit, and placed it between her lips. The water felt good as she swam, as if the mere touch of the liquid against her ski
n could wash away the troubles in her heart and mind. She tried desperately to clear her mind of those that she had lost. Raul was still there with her, as was Jason McWilliams, and Nom. The first two she wanted to keep with her, if only as memories. However, she was relieved that Nom was dead. No, she thought, death was much too good for him.

  Faces of the innocents came to her, and left her as she swam. Hundreds of faces blurred together, merging into one monstrous form that threatened to break her mind and body. T'Sula forced herself to focus on the monster. Deep in the ocean of Olcai, she wrestled with the creation. As she fought, it began to take shape. First the body defined, and then the face. T'Sula nearly screamed as she looked into her own eyes.

  Alien sea creatures swam past her as she wrestled with her demons, the innocents that she could not save or protect. The struggle was long and intense, but finally T'Sula did not have to fight any more.

  T'Sula was exhausted when she finally pulled herself out of the water. She quietly retrieved her clothes, and found a place to sit until she was dry. Hunger pangs eventually caught her attention, so she dressed and made her way back into the heart of the city.

  It took T'Sula a few minutes to reach the lift that took her to the open-air food court. From her seat, she could see the city sprawling in all directions, and ending in the all-encompassing ocean. Dozens of restaurants and vendors served all types of food, to any of the races that T'Sula could see. There were Caldonians clamoring for the various fruits at one of the smaller vendors, and a few Malgar waiting to be served at one of the pricier restaurants. T'Sula paused and took a deep breath, savoring the smells coming from the different cuisine. Her stomach started to growl, so she walked over to a vacant table, and sat down.

  "Please place you order when you are ready." scrolled through the air in front of her, in a dozen languages. She ordered Earth style vegetable lasagna, with a cappuccino, and quietly waited for her food.

  Her life had become a maze filled with mist. It was a conundrum, a question with no answer. 'Why go on? Why fight only to lose everything and everyone?' the questions ran rampant through her mind, allowing no thought, only a desperate frustration.

  She had heard that time would heal her wounds, but maybe time would not even tell. Her heart ached in so many places and so many ways that she could not shut it out. Nothing made sense any more. Why should she risk her life only to lose those that she loved? First her parents and now Raul. The Ta'Reeth, in one way or another had taken them all.

  The tears almost fell and her hands began to shake before she pressed them firmly against the tabletop. She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath.

  T'Sula opened her eyes and breathed. She was doing all that she could do, taking life one precious breathe at a time.