A Bitch of a Paradox Read online

  “Right then, my turn,” Amanda grunted. “I’ve had it with these feckers.”

  With a thought, Amanda duplicated herself. With a flare of Magic, nine more copies of her snapped into existence around the room, and immediately unleashed hell.

  The room lit up with flashing light from the energy attacks that all of her clones unleashed. With another thought, several of her copies transformed into living energy, and jumped from Reaver to Reaver as living lightning bolts. The Reavers fired wildly around themselves as they tried in vain to fend her off. Explosions ripped through the room as her attacks flew.

  One of her still-human forms advanced on Morden.

  “This ends, here and now,” Amanda threatened him, her voice chorusing from half of her copies at the same time as her hive minds worked together.

  Within moments, several of the armored Reavers in their powerful Magical armor lay dead, while the Aegises of the three Magi teetered on the edge of collapse.

  “Impressive,” Morden replied, as he focused on holding off her relentless onslaught.

  Amanda smiled and prepared to throw as much destructive power at him as she could muster.

  “This isn’t over,” he added, and with a snap of multidimensional energy, Morden and the rest of his crew, disappeared.

  Amanda recognized the Magic right away. He’d not just Ported, he’d dropped out of the universe entirely, circumventing the Aegis Amanda had placed around the room to keep them contained.

  “Shite. I really need a way to stop them from doing that, one of her bodies said to herself. They all turned to Bethany Anne and smiled.

  “That’s not at all disconcerting,” Bethany Anne stated as her eyes flicked from one Amanda to another.

  “Sorry,” the Amanda closest to Bethany Anne replied as she turned her clones back into energy and drew them back into herself, her minds now contained in just the one body. “I needed to try and end this here.”

  “Did it work?” Bethany Anne replied. “Did he leave the universe, or just slink off to lick his wounds?”

  “Both, I guess. I’m not sure, but given his determination generally, I’m not counting him out just yet.”

  Bethany Anne pressed her lips together. “You weren’t kidding when you said these Magi would be tricky to deal with. That attack on my mind would have been fucking horrific if I didn’t have the ability to fight shit like that off.”

  “Sorry you had to go through that, but you’re not such a pushover yourself. I mean, wow. That’s some seriously impressive stuff,” Amanda complimented her host.

  Amanda remembered the time in BOB’s Bar when Bethany Anne had given them a little demonstration of her abilities by conjuring a ball of energy that floated above her hand—something which seemed to worry Tanis when she did it.

  But that was nothing compared to what she’d seen the woman do during this fight.

  “It’s interesting, it seems like your abilities with the energy you use are similar to my abilities with Essentia.”

  “I’ve never split myself,” Bethany Anne mused. “But yes, I see the similarities.”

  “Maybe they’re the same energy, or related somehow.”

  Bethany Anne raised an eyebrow. “A pack of lions and a flesh-eating virus both leave bare bones, but the commonality doesn’t make them the same. I’m no scientist, but there are no Magi in this universe.”

  Amanda laughed. “I guess not. Nice analogy by the way. It’s probably a question for people more qualified than us.”

  Bethany Anne smiled. “I agree.”

  Looking around, Amanda eyed the various open crates and the mess the Reavers had created before the fight had broken out. “So, do we know what they were looking for?”

  Bethany Anne lifted a shoulder. “Could be anything, we store all kinds of things around here.”

  They both approached the open creates. Inside, they found weapons and ammunition of all kinds. Some of the guns were discarded on the floor, thrown out as the Reavers had hunted for whatever it was they’d come here to find.

  “Looks like they were after something specific,” Amanda commented, eyeing the debris.

  “Looks that way. So, you can copy yourself now?”

  “A trick I learned recently, but yeah, it comes in handy, that’s for sure.”

  “I can see. Why didn’t you do that right at the start?”

  Amanda crossed her arms. “I’m trying to be circumspect. There are plenty of universes out there with no Magic in them at all, so I need to be careful what I do in front of others when I come to a new place. But, I saw the kind of power you were using and thought, why not? Also, I figured it would be better to end this sooner rather than later. The less impact they have on your universe, the better.”

  “Well, don’t hold back on my account. I want these melodramatic shits out of my universe as fast as we can remove them.”

  “To be sure, and I hear ye. No more holding back.”

  Bethany Anne nodded. “Good. You know Morden, what’s his next move?”

  “Good question. I’ve only really clashed with him once before, so I don’t know him that well. That said, we’ve shown our hand now. He knows I’m here and what we’re capable of. So, he might be a little more desperate.”

  “Like a cornered animal,” Bethany Anne added.

  “And just as dangerous.”

  Bethany Anne pressed her lips together. “Your Magic is better than his, right?”

  “I’m fairly confident of that in a one on one fight, but it won’t be one on one, and he won’t play fair.”

  “You assume a fair fight was my intention,” Bethany Anne replied with a grin. “Take a good look around, let’s see if we can find any clues.”

  For the next half an hour, they wandered through the area, hunting through the crates and boxes that had been opened to gather any clues they could. The crates were a mix of weapons and advanced tech, much of it military in nature. They were clearly after something, but right now, Amanda wasn’t sure what it might be.

  “Any luck?” Amanda called out as she walked back to Bethany Anne.

  “Just more of the same,” she answered, before a third voice appeared in their heads again.

  >>I have an incoming message,
  ~Go ahead,~ Bethany Anne answered.

  >>It’s from Devon. The Reavers were there, but only briefly. They kidnapped Matt.
  Amanda felt her stomach drop. ~You mean, Matt from my ship?~

  >>I’m sorry, yes,
  ~They want leverage,~ Bethany Anne commented.

  ~Of course, they do,~ Amanda answered. ~They know they’re screwed without it. So, what about Liz, ADAM?~

  >>She’s fine, as far as I can find out.
  “Let’s go back, we’re not going to find anything else here,” Bethany Anne stated.

  Amanda nodded and Ported them back, working another effect into her Magic as she Ported back to Devon.

  A duplicate of Amanda appeared on the Arkady as her other-self went with Bethany Anne. The moment she was onboard her ship, she strode into Matt’s room and took a good look around.

  “May I ask what you’re looking for?”

  Amanda smiled. It was Jinx, her ship’s AI.

  “Matt’s been kidnapped. I’m going to scry for him,” she answered as her eyes landed on the VR Rig she’d gifted him. Taking it, she sat cross-legged in the center of the room and took a long, calming breath.

  “By the Reavers, I take it?” Jinx asked.

  “Correct,” Amanda replied.

  “I will begin monitoring comm traffic to the best of my ability, but with all these alien languages, I expect my chances of successfully finding him will be low.”

  “Thank you,” Amanda replied as she began to focus her mind on Matt. If the Reavers were smart, they’d have Matt inside an Aegis, making it impossible for Amanda to find him this way. But there was always a chance they might slip up.

/>   She would be waiting for the moment that happened.

  She would find him, no matter what.

  KURTHERIAN HUSTLE

  The escape from the storage facility had been more like out of the frying pan and into the fire. The relief Zeke had felt on their return to the base had been cut short when the aliens attacked before they’d gotten behind the facility’s Aegis.

  Blasting one of the tentacled freaks that were attacking them, Zeke looked around for his next target and saw some of the other Reavers looking up. He followed their gaze to see a shimmering blue-green circle spreading across the upper atmosphere.

  The portal stabilized and a ship emerged, its weapons hot. The ground outside of Morden’s Aegis was torn up by lancing plasma beams. But the Aegis held firm against the onslaught.

  The aliens ceased their attack and retreated as the ship fired, which Zeke found curious. He’d assumed they were mindless killing machines, incapable of rational thought.

  Zeke turned to see how Morden was reacting to the ship. He was with Voss, their Magic holding several of these aliens in an iron telekinetic grip, floating over a meter off the ground.

  Morden didn’t look too concerned as the ship landed, its sleek silver hull looking decidedly out of place on the verdant planet.

  ~Reavers, to me,~ Morden ordered through the group’s Mental Link. Several of their troops had already formed up, their guns pointed to the ship as its exit ramp lowered in smooth silence.

  Zeke moved over and formed up a little behind Morden as they approached the alien ship.

  Zeke spotted a small group of figures descending the ramp. Armored bipeds with tall, ruby-topped staffs flanked a male in dark robes. He also carried a staff with what looked like a ruby on top of it, and his face was hidden within a deep hood.

  “And you are?” Morden called out while they were about ten meters apart.

  “Your death, Trespasser,” the hooded figure replied as he lifted his staff and slammed the butt into the ground. As he did, Zeke felt a strange energy spike around the staff as a blast of crimson energy shot out of it and smashed into Morden’s Aegis.

  Essentia flared around Morden and the strange energy blast was driven back. The hooded figure took a step back.

  “Kill them,” he ordered, pointing at the Reavers.

  Energy beams shot across the air and Essentia flared. The armored figures with the hooded man opened fire, and the alien ship began laying down Kinetics.

  Zeke unleashed a flurry of Essentia at the guards as the ground exploded with cannon fire. Lightning, fire, and lethal particle beams flashed, lancing out toward the visitors, cutting them down in short order as the Reaver Magi united to destroy the attackers.

  As the last of them fell, Morden was suddenly standing right next to the hooded alien and gripping him by the neck, his Magic reaching into the alien’s mind.

  “Wait!” the alien shouted, clearly in pain.

  “Why? What good are you to me?”

  “My goddess will take any harm done to me as a personal affront. I assure you, whatever your power, you would wish your ancestors had died at birth by the time she is done with you.”

  “And why the fuck should I care what your goddess wants?”

  “It is her, or the Bitch Queen.”

  “Bethany Anne?” Morden asked.

  “You met Death and lived?” The alien pushed back his hood, revealing a sunny yellow face and silver hair. ”That changes everything. You will come with me. You will not be harmed.”

  “Hah! As if,” Morden scoffed, and released the hooded alien. Morden turned to his assembled Reavers, and as his eyes passed over Zeke, he briefly paused, before turning some more and then pointing at one of his colleagues.

  Zeke let out a long breath, sighing with relief that Morden hadn’t picked him to take on this mission.

  “You, go with him,” Morden ordered the Reaver. “You’re to be my envoy. If this goddess can’t be bothered to come and meet me herself, then I’m not going to her. Meet with her and report back.”

  The Reaver nodded once and approached the hooded alien, who swiftly guided the Reaver onto his ship.

  “Do you think anything will come of that?” Zeke asked.

  “No, they’ll kill him,” Morden answered casually. “But it will keep them occupied for a while, and by the time they come looking for us, we’ll be long gone.”

  Zeke nodded. He felt sorry for the Reaver that Morden had just sacrificed, but as his mentor always taught him, it was for the greater good.

  ***

  Darick followed the hooded alien, whose name he’d since found out was Ogeel, through dark, stone caverns that looked like they had been occupied for millennia. Huge columns rose up on either side of the corridor, inscribed with indecipherable words and pictograms. In the shadows, more robed figures shuffled about, some of them with the same golden staff and ruby topper.

  “So this is where your goddess lives?”

  “Quiet! You are not worthy to speak in these hallowed halls.”

  “Well, that’s going to make talking to this goddess a little difficult,” Darick replied, amusing himself by disobeying the rules immediately.

  “You would do well to mind your tongue, human.”

  “Whatever,” Darick answered, unimpressed. He’d seen more than his fair share of self-important idiots in his travels through the multiverse.

  At the end of the corridor, a short flight of steps led down into a wide, cavernous room. Ahead, two rows of figures, in robes identical to Ogeel’s flanked a raised dais, and the veiled alien that sat upon a throne atop it. While all these other figures in robes seemed to wield the same strange energy, the alien on the throne was wreathed in the stuff.

  Darick swallowed, realizing he was in over his head without Morden and the rest of the Reavers to back him up.

  Darick reluctantly followed suit when Ogeel dropped to his knees and prostrated himself at the foot of the dais. He waited while the silence stretched out, wondering how much bowing and scraping was expected if he wanted to get out of the lion’s den intact.

  “Present yourselves,” a voice spoke from all around them, and a red glow came from the veiled alien.

  Ogeel kept his forehead pressed to the floor. “O, Gödel, Guardian of the Ascension path. I am but your humble servant, returning with the answer you sent me to search for.”

  Darick looked up and gave his best, winning smile. “Gödel, I presume.”

  Ogeel hissed. “Your Benevolence, this heathen knows not of your wisdom and power.”

  Darick felt his skin crawl when the veiled alien’s head moved to inspect him, and the everywhere-voice spoke again.

  “This is the source of the energy we detected?”

  “More than that,” Ogeel replied. “This human belongs to a group who claim to oppose Death.”

  “And does he wield this power?”

  “I’m standing right here, you know,” Darick cut in.

  “I believe so,” Ogeel replied, glancing at Darick.

  “Do you believe they have the power to overcome Death?”

  Ogeel laughed and sneered at Darick. “No, I do not.”

  “Which is why all humans must die,” Gödel hissed as she rose from her throne, looking like a predator who’d just spotted their prey.

  Darick got a sinking feeling in his gut, and shunted Essentia into his Aegis.

  “I’m here to talk,” Darick reminded her. “We could be allies.”

  “Do you ally with your beasts of burden, human?” Ogeel replied with disgust. “With the bistok on your plate?”

  Gödel addressed Darick at last. “The path to Ascension is closed to you.”

  The strange energy that Darick had picked up around Gödel suddenly surged. The next second, he found himself engulfed in a torrent of violent energy that tore at his Aegis. He tried to Port away, but found himself suddenly caged in by more of the energy.

  Darick fought against the onslaught by Gödel while the robed figures
went about their business like murder happened in front of them on a daily basis.

  His Aegis began to fail, and points of pain tore into his body as Gödel forced her energy through the cracks. This was the enemy of the woman they’d fought earlier? How were those humans still living?

  Seconds later, Darick’s Aegis was ripped to shreds and the energy rushed in, filling him to bursting.

  Moments later, darkness closed in, and took him.

  ***

  Ogeel waited to hear his goddess’ decree as the ashes of the human cooled on the dais

  Gödel descended to the chamber floor, and peered at the remains of the human. She kicked the pile of ashes, and grunted.

  Ogeel decided that making himself useful wouldn’t hurt. “Do you wish me to follow up on these other Reavers, Your Omnipotence?”

  Gödel seemed to consider the idea for a moment, and then turned to him. “No. The only good human is a dead one.” She turned again and strode towards one of the exits. “Clean that mess up.”

  TAKING STOCK

  Bethany Anne and Amanda were met by Tabitha and the cats when they got to City-on-the-Lakes.

  Liz hovered around Samhain and the kittens, visibly shaken by the encounter.

  “What happened?” Bethany Anne asked Tabitha as she reviewed the footage from the planetary security system.

  Tabitha paced the barroom in an attempt to burn off the frustration she felt at being helpless to save Matt. “Matt was taking video of the kittens and Liz playing, so he was a little way from the group when the bastards appeared out of nowhere and snatched him. They cut us off with a shield.” She contained her desire to kick something, not wanting to distress the kittens any more than they already had been. “I hate Magic. I can’t touch it.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Amanda assured Tabitha. “Morden is very powerful. I’m just glad he didn’t hurt any of you.”

  The kittens woke up. Alyssa stretched and blinked at Bethany Anne and Amanda. Good, you’re here. The bad humans took the nice human who makes a good bed. You will get him back so he can return to scratching my ears while I sleep.