Explorations: Through the Wormhole by Ralph Kern & Richard Fox & Stephen Moss & Pp Corcoran & Chris Guillory & Jacob Cooper & Jo Zebedee & PJ Strebor & Charlie Pulsipher & Stephen Palmer & Rosie Oilver & Shellie Horst & Thaddeus White & Josh Hayes

Author:Ralph Kern & Richard Fox & Stephen Moss & Pp Corcoran & Chris Guillory & Jacob Cooper & Jo Zebedee & PJ Strebor & Charlie Pulsipher & Stephen Palmer & Rosie Oilver & Shellie Horst & Thaddeus White & Josh Hayes
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Woodbridge Press
Published: 2016-08-30T23:00:00+00:00

***

Opposites. It was all about opposites. We had closed the gate to Earth and stopped the war. But we’d started warring here.

I sat, knuckles to forehead, digging in as if I might find the answer. I thought of the wormhole: ragged, smooth, ragged, smooth. The two heads of the hole. That way was closed. It would never open again — or at least, not until there was another war.

“You’re sure there were statues across Earth?” I asked, and Paddy nodded.

“All over the Earth,” he said, in his thick voice. “From all different times. Why, in Mali they still make two-faced puppets.”

Something had passed from this planet to Earth, and not on a space ship. It defied everything I knew. But the alternative was six months of slow death, warring all the way. Either that or killing each other, and then turning the war on ourselves. I couldn’t decide if it would be better to be the first to go, or the last.

“Sir.” Di’s voice was the brisk certainty of an order having been met. “Mapping is complete.”

I strode over to the console and leaned over it, tracking back and forth across the planet, until I found what I was looking for. I tapped it with my finger. “Take us there.”

“Sir?” No argument now, just confusion, and no wonder.

“Now, Di.” I left the command room, to the hatch leading to the engine rooms. I yelled for Jaq, who appeared below, face smeared with dirt.

“Jaq,” I said. “Focus on marine capacities.”

Jaq gave a brief nod, and vanished. I turned back to the control room. Drew in a deep breath. Here went nothing. I sat beside Di and strapped in as the engines thrummed to life, and the thrusters engaged. We streaked across the planet, gaining speed.

Something glistened below, stunning-bright in the sun. I pointed down. “There.”

“Sir…?” Her hand wavered on the controls. I could take over, but I needed to concentrate. I needed to be free to react, to move. Besides, if I was right, it wasn’t an ace pilot we needed, but a miracle.

“Do it.”

She dove, straight for the surface. The body of water below grew bigger, first a small lake, next a sea, lastly an ocean. Deep, so deep.

We hit it like a bomb. The pressure changed, sending sharp pain through my ears. I yelled as the water broke around the ship. The engines missed a beat. Jaq’s curses, carried over my earpiece, were loud and unmistakable. And inventive.

“Keep going,” I said to Di. I had my teeth gritted. Paddy was against the back of my chair, heavy breath on the back of my neck.

We plunged farther. Alarms sounded. The engines chugged in protest.

“Sir, we have to pull out.” Di’s voice, frightened and small. “We won’t have time if we go any deeper.”

I shook my head. It was too late. It had been too late the moment we closed the wormhole. The point of no return was passed, and passed again.

“Hull breach imminent,” said Jaq, voice impossible to read. Resigned, maybe.