5
Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy
18 Standard Solar Months Later
Gary Seven uttered a choice curse as he materialized in ankle-deep mud, knowing immediately that he had just ruined his fine leather Oxford wing tips.
This kind of thing was an occupational hazard, of course, and one could have made the argument that he should have worn more appropriate attire in his line of work that often took him to the most exotic of locales.
Gary Seven didn’t have many vices or indulgences safe for exquisitely tailored suits obtained directly from a small couturier nestled away in a tiny alley off London’s Savile Row.
He made a mental note to patronize the shop as soon as this mission had concluded and his busy timetable allowed for such extravagance even while he surveyed his surroundings.
It was just after sunrise and he stood at the bottom of a large hill, just small enough not to be confused with a mountain. There were a few houses near the top and a village-like settlement further down toward the valley. He could find no signs of technology, as was evidenced by the muddy road he now found himself on.
He stepped out of the puddle he had inadvertently been deposited in to find more solid ground on the roughly cobbled road.
He felt something soft brush up against his legs. Isis was not pleased, Gary could tell by the sound she made and the way she arched her back.
“I know, I know,” he said, looking down at the black-furred cat. “The Aegis has detailed records of two-thousand sixty-eight populated worlds in this corner of Sag DEG and this one is most assuredly not one of them,” he said and then spotted a man coming down the hill on a winding road. “But I’d venture a guess that our long search may have finally concluded.”
Isis’s meow in response was far less encouraging.
“A little faith, please,” he said as she set out on the road toward the man.
He shook his head at her telepathic response. “I have a very good feeling about this one.”
Gary ignored her sharp response about the many times he had uttered very similar statements over the last few months.
It didn’t take them long to intercept the old man. He was wearing a simple, roughly-sewn tunic that had seen better days. He was dark-skinned with a flat nose and with long bright hair that was woven into a single braid resting over his shoulder, likely a style common in this region of the planet.
“Excuse me,” Gary said to the man.
But the man didn’t slow even after spotting Gary coming toward him. He was carrying a heavy backpack that seemed so overstuffed with goods, it looked as though it was ready to burst any moment. He exchanged a glance with Seven and then continued on his way. “I do not have time to chat. I’m already late for market day and Hondra will have my hide if I don’t make any sales today.”
As the man walked by him, Seven was left to look after him. “Don’t say it,” he mouthed under his breath to preempt Isis.
He quickly caught up with the hurried stranger again. “Well, if you don’t mind the company, I’ll walk with you.”
“Do as you wish but I warn you, I may not be a very entertaining companion,” he said without sparing Gary Seven more than a furtive glance.
“Oh, that’s quite all right. I’ll do the talking for the both of us,” he said with an easy smile. “Although, I have to say, I’m quite curious as to what you’ve been up to over the last few months,” he said and glanced around once more, “on this rather plain planet.”
The other man shrugged. “The usual. Sowing, harvesting, selling, and then start all over again. It’s not the most exciting existence but it’s a living.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” he said and then decided to shift gears. “It’s taken me some time to locate your whereabouts. You didn’t exactly make it easy for me.”
The old man just grunted in response.
“I don’t know how much you know. But I’ve been able to establish that the Beholder-verse is gone. Not a single atom remains of it. Things are a bit of a mess and the Aegis has asked me to look into things. The subspace aliens are mightily miffed by the fact that they were misled by the Beholders to nearly wipe out the entire multiverse and it’ll take some doing to settle them down again. And while the multiverse may be safe for the time being, their supercollider is still out there somewhere, lost in subspace. And there are rumblings that some of the Beholders may have survived the destruction of their universe, hiding away in other realities, still posing a threat. The good news, for you, I suppose, is that you might not be the last of your kind after all.”
The old man stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Gary Seven, taking a beat to consider him closely, even sparing a moment to consider Isis by his feet. “You are not from around here, are you?”
Gary smiled as he adjusted his necktie. “What gave me away?”
He grunted and continued on his way.
Gary quickly caught up with him again. “Neither are you, by the way.”
“What makes you say that?”
“You arrived here about eighteen months ago.”
“I’ve lived here all my life,” he said without stopping.
“Oh yes? Can you recall anything about your life before that time? How about your childhood or the name of your parents?”
The old man stopped again. “My memory ain’t as good as it used to be,” he said. “Doesn’t mean I have time to entertain your wild stories of other realities and Behavers,” he added and then continued on his way.
“Beholders,” Gary Seven called after him.
“Whatever.”
Isis meowed.
“Oh, it’s him alright,” Gary said with a smile. No doubt about it. Didn’t you notice how he didn’t even bat an eyelash at our entirely alien appearance?”
His companion was clearly still not convinced.
It didn’t stop Gary to set out again to follow the old man. “It’s not going to be easy, I know. In fact, it’s going to be a lot of work. But we’ll get him back eventually, of that I have no doubt. He’ll remember.”
Maybe he doesn’t want to remember.
Gary Seven chose to ignore Isis’s thought.
The adventures will continue …
