The Ivory Tower

by
Nathan C. Weber

    Jaymi walked across Central Plaza from City Hall. She had just been visiting her father in his office, but as usual, he had no time for her. His schedule was always full. She really hated the fact that he was mayor of Monument City.

    As soon as she reached the edge of the plaza, the earthquake started.

    "An earthquake?! In this part of the East Coast?"

    It wasn't a major earthquake, but nevertheless, people were reacting drastically. Cars were skidding out of control mostly from the drivers' surprise than the actual tremors. People in the streets were screaming and running for shelter. Jaymi decided to do the same in a more calm and sane manner when she notice the ground next to her being pushed aside by something coming up from beneath the surface. As the object began to protrude upward, Jaymi was knocked aside.

    "What the hell is that?" she exclaimed.

    As the object rose higher and higher at a moderate speed, Jaymi recognized it as an ivory colored obelisk. Steadily it rose until it finally stopped. When the obelisk ceased its motion, the earthquake stopped simultaneously.

    "Well," mused Jaymi, "at least we know what was causing the earthquake."

    She looked the large tower over. It measured a good ten stories high. This was easy to see as the ivory tower was juxtaposed to many of the taller office buildings in town. At the base of the obelisk was a single stone door that looked well sealed.

    "Looks like it'll take quite a lot to break in there. I wonder..."

    Jaymi stepped closer to the door. Upon it was a gold plaque with strange script on it.

    "So much for trying to figure out what that says."

    Just then, the script began to change until it formed words written in English. The plaque now read: Enter The Ivory Tower.  Jaymi stepped closer to the door and touched its surface. Much to her surprise her hand went through the door, and a strong force literally sucked her inside.

* * *

    Mayor Wilson Jareau was startled by the sudden earthquake that started. Earthquake occurrences on the eastern coast of the United States were, if nothing else, nonexistent. Not being trained to react properly to an earthquake emergency, the mayor went to his office window which had a view of the northwestern corner of Central Plaza. There before his disbelieving eyes appeared a tall, white tower. It held his gaze as if it were hypnotizing him.

    "Where the hell did that come from?" he gasped.

    It was then that he caught sight of a young girl venturing too close to the tower's base. He opened his window to yell out a warning when he realized who it was who stepped towards the strange tower. But before he could issue his warning, Mayor Jareau watched in horror as his daughter was sucked right into the stonework of the tower.

    "Jaymeee!!!"

* * *

    Trisha Fate sat reading with interest about the mysterious Ivory Tower that had appear in the center of Monument City the day before. She had listened to the radio this morning and saw the news flashes on television last night. She had just about finished the fifth of several articles in the paper when a knock came to her door. Trisha got up out of the sofa-chair and went to answer the door.

    "Hi, Trisha."

    Star Child stood at the door, but for some reason, was not her usual smiling self. Trisha pulled out a thin band with a tiny speaker from her pocket and wrapped it about her head.

    "Star Child," began Trisha's speaker, "what brings you here?"

    Since she had no vocal chords with which to speak, Star Child had built a device that could read Trisha's thoughts and voice them out loud. But only those thoughts that were formed for producing speech were voiced. Star Child did not respond but walked straight into the living room. She stood there with her back to Trisha for a long while. Trisha knew that there was something seriously wrong. For some reason, she also knew that it had something to do with that tower.

    Star Child turned to Trisha. "I need your help. That tower is evil. It goes around looking for specific individuals who can power it. I believe it has found such an individual on this planet."

    Trisha shook her head. "Wait a minute. Start from the beginning. What is this tower?"

    Star Child held her breath for a moment. "It's a highly advanced computer. It feeds on a certain type of brain pattern in order for it to run continuously at full strength." Her features grew dark. "It will imprison that person until he or she dies, after which it will seek out another person."

    "How come you know so much about this tower?"

    Trisha could see Star Child tense up. Apparently she had struck a very foreboding memory.

    "I was a victim of its evil purpose, but I was fortunate enough to escape. My powers were too strong for it. But now that it has another, it will be stronger. Perhaps even strong enough to defeat me."

    Trisha thought for a moment. She didn't remember anyone saying anything about a disappearance or even that the tower had captured someone.

    "Are you sure that it has found someone? There hasn't been anything in the news about disappearing people."

    "I know it has found someone," cried Star Child. Then a little more calmly, "I can feel its power levels. Because I was once a part of it, I know what it's feeling when I am in close proximity to it."

    Trisha realized that this was going to be a long day. "I'd better call Kevin. If anyone knows anything about a missing person when the media is clueless, he will."

    Trisha picked up the phone and dialed. After waiting a few moments, the phone was finally answered.

    "Monument City Police Department, Fourth District. May I help you?"

    "I'd like to speak to Lieutenant Kevin Brown, please. Tell him it's his informant."

    There was a pause over the phone. "Hold on a minute."

    Though the receiver was probably being covered by the officer's hand, Kismet's genetically enhanced hearing could make out what was being said on the other end.

    "Hey, Lieutenant, you got a call here from some broad."

    "Tell her I'm a little busy right now."

    "She said to say that she's your informant."

    There was a banging sound. "Holy s**t! Quick, gimme the phone. Hi, there!"

    Trisha smiled. "Busy, huh?"

    "Damn, I figured you might have heard that. What's up?"

    "I have reason to believe that somebody disappeared around the vicinity of that tower downtown. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

    There was a long pause at the other end. Long enough to confirm Trisha's suspicions before Lt. Brown even resumed talking.

    "Jesus. You told me a lot about the things you're able to do, but I didn't know clairvoyance was one of them. How'd you find out?"

    "I'll tell you later. This is urgent. I need to know who's in that tower."

    "Hold on a moment," said Kevin. "Jack, could you get me some coffee? Thanks." A door slammed. "Okay. The person who got sucked into that tower was the Mayor Jareau's daughter. Quite frankly, even I'm not supposed to know, but the mayor's an old college buddy of mine. He called me up last night and told me everything. The Federal government has put a serious clamp down on this thing. Nobody gets within a hundred yards of that thing. What are you planning to do?"

    "Get the mayor's daughter out, of course."

    "Whoa! Hold on there! Didn't you hear what I said? Those marines down there mean business. They've brought out their best platoons. There's no way you can get through their security."

    "Oh, ye of little faith," chided Trisha.

    "Look, promise me you'll stay away from that thing. We don't know anything about it."

    "On the contrary. I have a very reliable source of information that can tell me everything about it, inside and out."

    A long, and very pained sigh came over the line. "Alright. I never could talk you out of anything. Just...be careful, okay?"

    "I will," Trisha said softly.

    There was another long pause. "I love you."

    "I know."

    Trisha hung up the phone. Okay, big talker. Let's see how you're going to get past those military grunts and into that tower.

    She looked at Star Child. "We need a plan."

* * *

    Jaymi looked around the large cavernous room she had found herself in. The walls literally glowed with a life of their own.

    "Cool!"

    "Welcome to the Ivory Tower!"

    Jaymi nearly jumped at the sudden booming voice which spoke to her. She looked all around the huge room but could not find the source of the voice.

    "Please, be seated. You are my guest."

    A large throne suddenly appeared where there was none before. Jaymi's blood ran cold. Something about this whole situation was completely wrong.

    "No thanks," she said with as much courage as she could muster. "I prefer to stand."

    There was a disconcerting pause. "As you wish."

    "Where the heck am I? How did I get in here?"

    "You, my friend, are inside the Ivory Tower! A place of magic beyond your wildest imagination. It is a device where those who enter it may live out their most ambitious fantasies. What fantasy would you like to act out?"

    Jaymi glanced about her once more just to be sure nothing had changed. "If this is such the hot little dream palace you have here, where are all the other people who'd like to live out their fantasies?"

    "My dear friend, this tower only works for people with very special minds and imaginations. Surely, you are such a person."

    "Look, this is really nice and all, but I've gotta get home. Check you later, dude."

    That was when the lights went out.

    "Hey! What gives!?"

    "This tower not only can produce your fondest wish, but it can also create some of the galaxy's worst nightmares!"

    As if on cue, a lightning bolt struck near Jaymi's feet. A haze of blue light which barely highlighted the darkness showed that she was no longer in the tower but on top of a rocky hill in some god-forsaken nether world. Jaymi could hear her heart pounding followed by heavy breathing. Only it wasn't she who was breathing. She snapped around and caught sight of a hideous creature standing on the crest of the next mound of rocks. It had the body of a horse and a human torso. Its head was a massive set jaws filled with row upon row of dagger-like teeth. It had spines protruding where ears were supposed to be, and each quill was dripping with deadly poison. It had large claws for hands that could probably rip any flesh creature asunder were it to get a hold of one.

    When it caught sight of Jaymi, it bellowed with a horrendous roar that sounded like an exploding volcano. Jaymi froze in her tracks like a frightened deer. As the creature advanced, its hooves created large, blinding sparks as if they were flint stones striking against steel. It was the second roar that prompted Jaymi to run. And run she did!

* * *

    Outside the tower, sentries patrolled the plaza making damned sure that no one came near the alien tower that stood near City Hall. A marine walked his routine path and intersected with a National Guardsman who was also there with his company to aid in keeping the perimeter secure. They nodded to each other in silent acknowledgment. Both kept wary eyes on the press who camped out on the streets near the plaza. What they didn't notice was two figures flitting silently overhead and landing on top of City Hall. As far as they were concerned, there was nothing to worry about.

    In his office, Mayor Jareau paced the same stretch of carpet he had paced for the last twenty-four hours. He knew that the government was doing everything in its power to try and get her daughter out of that tower. Still, to have to wait, not knowing what kind of horrors could be his daughter's fate inside the tall, white obelisk which seemed to be taunting him outside his window.

    A knock came at the door. Mayor Jareau hoped that it was the government scientists who were working 'round the clock to figure out a way to break into the ivory menace. But when he opened the door, he did not see the mousy looking men who had been in his office earlier that day. Instead, two black women with somber looks stood before him. At least one of them was somber. The other wore a mask which covered her entire face save two openings for her eyes and an opening at the crown of her head. A single spit curl hung down her forehead and across the bridge of her nose. She wore a stylized Spandex outfit which was a deep blue color. It was accessorized with yellow boots, a yellow belt, and yellow fingerless driving gloves. She was also armed with a sword and scabbard across her back and a dagger and sheath strapped to her naked right thigh.

    The first woman was even stranger, truth be told. She had long, flowing, violet-colored hair. She wore a very low cut orange Spandex tank top and matching briefs. Her outfit was accessorized with red boots, long red gloves, a very wide red belt, and a red head band. What Mayor Jareau noticed the most was the strange look in her eyes, as if she were possessed.

    It took a while for the mayor to register the fact that these people were out of the ordinary. When he finally came to his senses, he tried to dash for the security intercom on his desk, but the woman in blue nimbly somersaulted across the room and landed behind his desk. She took a fist and rammed it into the face of the intercom, splitting it in half.

    "I'm sorry about your office equipment Mayor Jareau, but we can't risk having the authorities called until you hear us out."

    "I don't make deals with terrorists! Now, leave me alone! I'm in enough pain already." He was on the verge of breaking down.

    The woman in blue softened her voice. "You're worried about your daughter."

    Mayor Jareau looked up in shock, in horror. "How did you know about my daughter!? Who are you working for!?"

    "We were sent here by someone who cares about you," said Kismet calmly. "We think we know a way to get inside the Tower. Once inside we can destroy the tower and rescue your daughter."

    The mayor looked from one woman to the other. "What is it you want from me?"

    "We want you to remove the security patrol from around the tower and evacuate Central Plaza and all the surrounding neighborhoods." It was the violet-haired woman who spoke.

    "I-I don't know if I can do that. The Federal government has taken over the whole operation. It's out of my hands."

    "You must find a way if you value the lives of the citizens of Monument City," said Star Child.

    The mayor sighed heavily. "Who are you people?"

    The woman in blue spoke. "I am Kismet, Guardian of the Night, and this is Star Child. She was once a victim of that tower as your daughter is now. That's how come we know so much about it. Still, it may not be enough." Kismet walked to the office window. "It's going to be one hell of a nightmare."

    "Wait! Kismet. Yes...you're that vigilante the police have been after all of these years. You expect me to just go along with..."

    Kismet turned around and smashed a fist on (nearly through) the mayor's desk. "God damn it, man! Your daughter's in there! She's in mortal danger! We're her only hope! This is not the time to worry about whether what I do on my own time is legal or not. Right now, if your daughter's mind gets hooked up to the central computer in that thing, you can just kiss the whole f**king planet good-bye!"

    Kismet leaned on the mayor's desk and inhaled and exhaled deeply to calm her anger. With what she was about to attempt, her nerves had to be in perfect order and as rigid as steel. The mayor sat down in his chair. He looked like he was going to melt right into the imitation leather.

    "I'll do what I can."

* * *

    How far had she run? Jaymi couldn't tell. The creature didn't seem to be near any longer, but she was taking no chances. She continued to run until she was absolutely sure that the mutant creature which had been pursuing her was no longer in sight. Only then was she able to sit down and relax.

    "I don't know what's going on," she said between gasps, "but you can be sure that I'm outta here first chance I get."

    Suddenly, sinister laughter emanated from everywhere at once. "There is no escape!"

    Just then an earthquake erupted as hundreds of stone spires began to shoot up through the ground. Jaymi jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being impaled by one of the spires. When the quaking finally subsided, a veritable forest of stony spikes dotted the countryside. Jaymi began to pick her way through the titanic stone structures in hopes of finding a way out. If not out of the tower entirely, then at least back to the cavernous room where she first appeared.

    After a long trek through the stone forest, Jaymi came upon an expansive sea of black crude. It bubbled and hissed as steam rose from the pitch, except that there was no heat emanating from the muck itself. In fact, it was quite cold, almost freezing. A small lizard nearby ventured close to the edge. A large bubble rose up and burst enveloping the lizard in eerie mist. The lizard didn't move after that. It stood stone still. Jaymi reached down and picked the lizard up, and when she did, it shattered into a hundred small fragments. She also noticed that her fingers were slightly frostbitten.

    Jaymi leaned her head back and screamed to the top of her lungs, "I am NOT having a good time!"

    More maniacal laughter ensued in response to her complaint.

* * *

    Star Child lowered Kismet down in front of the obelisk's doorway before touching down herself. Kismet looked around to be sure that no one saw them. They had to be swift else someone would see them and try to stop them.

    "Now what?"

    Star Child stepped near the doorway, which looked tightly sealed by stone work. "Grab onto me and hold on as tight as you can."

    Normally, this would have been followed by a humorous remark, but the seriousness of the situation had even dampened Star Child's sense of humor. Kismet complied with Star Child's wishes and wrapped her arms around Star Child's chest. That was when Star Child touch the stone door and seemingly passed right through it taking Kismet with her. They both plummeted through a brightly lit shaft. If Kismet had a voice she would have screamed. Despite the fact that she normally hangs around on the rooftops of office and apartment buildings, she had always had a constant fear of falling.

    At the last minute, Star Child used her levitation powers to slow their descent. They landed in the center of a large cavernous room which glowed with light from ceiling to floor.

    Kismet put a hand to her chest to see if her heart was still beating. "Christ, Star Child. I realize you were using gravity to speed our arrival here, but next time warn me, okay?"

    "Sorry," said Star Child, a smile barely tugging at the corners of her mouth.

    Good, thought Kismet. She's not letting this whole situation overwhelm her. She looked around the room. There were no signs of doors or windows. In fact, there was no indications of where the walls met the floor and ceiling.

    "Where do we go from here, Star Child?"

    Star Child looked about in confusion as if she had never been in this room before. Kismet certainly hoped that wasn't the case. Suddenly, Star Child whirled around and fired a bolt of energy from her hand at one side of the room. Like a popping bubble as seen from the inside, the room disappeared to reveal a dark, rocky realm. A light blue haze played at the horizon, battling the darkness for possession of the sky, and losing.

    "Nice touch," commented Kismet.

    The roar that filled the air about them sounded like a thunder clap. Both women turned in time to see the horrible creature from whence it came. It had a horse's body and stood a good ten feet tall from fore hoof to head, which looked like the massive jaws of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. It began to charge sending sparks flying and bellowing as it advanced. In one of it's claws it wielded a giant battle axe.

    Star Child fired a blast at the creature, but it merely deflected the energy with its axe. Kismet, who had drawn her sword and dagger at the sound of the first roar, was preparing for an attack of her own. She moved to a pile of rocks where the creature's height would no longer be an advantage to it. When it came near, she leapt toward it, weapons at the ready. The creature in turn swung back at her with the monstrous battle axe. The sound of cold steel meeting steel reverberated loudly across the windless terrain. Kismet was flung to the ground by the sheer force of the creature's swing, but much like a cat falling from a high perch, she was able to right herself and land on her feet.

    Star Child took advantage of the monster's focus on Kismet and fired several energy blast in rapid succession at the creatures head and chest. This, however, only succeeded in momentarily dazing, and eventually, further angering the creature. It made a mad dash for Star Child and swung with all its might in an attempt to cleave her straight down the center of her body from head to toe. The axe never made contact. Star Child had phased her body into an ethereal form, and the creature's swing was carried straight through throwing it off balance. It stumbled and fell to the ground with a thunderous crash.

    Kismet knew that this was her chance. Her katana had been knocked free of her hand when she had first attacked the creature, and she realized that no puny dagger was going to make any difference to this gargantuan mutant. After a quick glance, she found the perfect weapon. A quick dash across the open plain to a large rocky cliff put her next to her instrument of choice, a large boulder about ten times her size. Kismet effortlessly hefted the huge boulder. Judging from its weight, she estimated it to be at least two tons, well within her limits.

    Muscles bulging and tendons straining, she carefully, but quickly, carried the boulder back to the battle. The creature was still on the ground shaking its head. It was about to attempt getting back on its feet.

    "Star Child, keep him busy!"

    Star Child began pummeling the creature with everything she could muster. The creature roared in defiance, but was still in a bad position for retaliation. It suddenly noticed the large shadow that loomed over its head. But before it could even cry out in rage, in protest, or even in fear, the huge boulder came crashing down upon its head. A sickening crunching sound was heard when the large rock finally connected with the ground. Streams of blue-black blood flowed from beneath the massive stone. Star Child began to feel ill and turned away from the gruesome scene. Kismet wasn't quite feeling very rosy herself.

    "Let's move on a ways, then we'll take a short rest," said Kismet.

    Star Child merely nodded.

    After Kismet retrieved her sword, the two friends moved on. Kismet was studying her katana sword with unique interest.

    "Something wrong?" asked Star Child.

    "Look at my sword," said Kismet. She held it up for Star Child to see.

    "I don't see anything," said Star Child after a few moments of inspection.

    "That's the point. After that clash with that giant battle axe, there should be a dent the size of Manhattan on this blade."

    "Let me see it."

    Kismet handed the sword to her alien friend who held it aloft in her right hand. Then she held up the index finger of her left hand. Star Child's finger began to glow with energy. She touched her charged finger to the sword's blade. Immediately, it began to glow even brighter than Star Child's finger had. After she removed her finger, the blade continued to glow for a few minutes longer.

    "Just as I suspected," mused Star Child.

    "What is it?"

    "This sword is made of an alien metal."

    A shocked look appeared on Kismet's face. "That's impossible! It was bequeathed to me by Mr. Nippon. He owned a little knick-knack shop not far from my apartment."

    "Mr. Nippon?" asked Star Child. "Don't you know what Nippon means?" Kismet shook her head. "It's the Japanese word for Japan. Believe me, there's nobody in Japan with the name Nippon. I wouldn't be too surprised if your friend was an extra-terrestrial visitor."

    Kismet smirked. "A Japanese alien?"

    "Hey, some people would say the same thing about me looking like an African descended person."

    "Good point. So what exactly is my sword made of?"

    "It's a specialized alloy made partly of ionized particles placed in a stasis field and regular tempered steel. Basically, you could cut through diamonds with that thing."

    Kismet looked at her weapon with fresh eyes. "And he knew all along. In a way, I'm honored, but I'm also scared s**tless. What if someone got a hold of it and tried to recreate the metal?"

    Star Child shook her head. "Not likely. That stuff's way out of your planet's league. Hell, it's way out of my planet's league."

    "How come you know so much about it?"

    Star Child looked off into the distant horizon. "I did a little wandering after my exile. I guess I was kind of lucky to find a place like Earth. It's really a lot like my home planet. Just a little lower on the technological scale."

    Star Child and Kismet reached the edge of a cliff. It held a spectacular view of the surrounding realm. They both decided that this was as good a place to rest as any. Kismet used her enhanced telescopic vision to survey the area in case any other creatures decide to come out for some fresh air. That was when she caught sight of the large spires of rock spreading toward the horizon.

    "Weird."

    Star Child looked up. "What is it?"

    "There's some kind of petrified forest not far from here. It pretty much goes on forever." Kismet looked down at Star Child, her eyes quickly adjusting for normal vision. "Do you think Jaymi went in that direction?"

    "Probably, but not of her own accord. I think we can pretty much assume that anything unusual appearing here will have something to do with Jaymi. The tower's computer tries to scare its victims into submission when they turn out to be defiant." Dark memories clouded Star Child's thoughts. "Some of the things I went through make this look like a picnic in the park."

    Kismet nodded her sympathies. Before, she would never have known that anything really traumatic had happened to Star Child. She had hidden it so well until the Ivory Tower came back to haunt her once more.

    She sat down next to Star Child. "Star Child, how come those blasts didn't level that nightmare from a Dungeons & Dragons game? I've seen you carve tunnels out of bedrock without even blinking from any stress."

    Star Child sighed. "It's part of what I was telling you before. The tower gains power and strength just by being in the vicinity of someone with the type of brain pattern it needs."

    Kismet nodded in understanding, then nearly jumped when a new realization hit her. "God, now there are two of you in here!"

    "Somehow," said Star Child, "I believe there may be more than that."

* * *

    Jaymi rested against one of the stone spires near the sea of black sludge. She thought about her father and wondered what he was thinking when he discovered that she had turned up missing. She hoped that this would remind him of how important it was to pay more attention to her. Now, all she had to do was find a way to get back to her father alive and in one piece.

    A cold wind began to blow softly. Jaymi shivered. Outside the tower it was the middle of July, but here it felt like November. She wished she had a sweater. Jaymi stood and headed back into the forest of spires. There was no sense in staying near a lake that was well below freezing.

    She walked only about a few yards when out of the shadows shot an arrow hitting a spire just above her head.

    "Now what?"

    Jaymi ducked behind a tall pillar and kept an eye out for the archer. Soon a young girl, not much older than Jaymi, walked from behind one of the pillars. At first she looked quite human, but as she stepped further out of the shadows, it was clear that she was another one of the strange creatures that inhabited this strange world. She had a slightly purple tint to her skin and her long hair was a pale green. Her eyes glowed a luminescent yellow and her ears looked like those of a mule deer. Instead of feet, her legs ended in hooves, and switching behind her was a tail like a horse.

    Jaymi stepped out into the open. "What the hell's the big idea? You trying to kill me or something?"

    The strange girl took a step back. "Who-who are you?"

    "I'm the one you tried to shish kabob with that arrow."

    "Gosh, I'm sorry. I thought you were...someone else. What are you doing here? Don't you realize it's dangerous around here?"

    "Tell me something I don't know," said Jaymi sarcastically.

    The strange girl looked Jaymi over from top to bottom. "You're a curious creature. What are you?"

    "I'm a human. What are you?"

    The girl held her head up and spoke with great regality. "I am an Odocoilean. I am a member of the Royal Hunting Pack."

    "I see. How did you get here?"

    "The same as you, no doubt. This evil Tower has been trying to take over my mind, but I am too clever for it. So far, it has not been able to catch me."

    "It's been after me as well. What does it want our minds for?"

    "I do not know," said the girl.

    Jaymi looked around for a moment as if she were expecting some other obstacle to appear out of nowhere. "Maybe we should stick together. That way we can watch each other's back."

    The girl nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."

    "My name's Jaymi."

    "I am called Tryptan." She looked around in the same manner that Jaymi had done. "We should move on. It is not safe to stay in one place for too long."

    The two new friends headed further into the stone forest.

* * *

    Kismet and Star Child picked their way through the forest of stone pillars. Kismet used her infra-vision to locate Jaymi's path.

    "These heat signatures are only a few hours old," commented Kismet. "She can't be too far ahead."

    "We must hurry before the computer succeeds in tricking Jaymi into doing what it wants," replied Star Child.

    The two walked a few hundred yards until they reached a large expanse of black liquid. It bubbled and fumed as a heavy mist rose above it.

    Kismet gave a low whistle. "This stuff's gotta be worse than liquid nitrogen. There's more heat coming from the rocks than there is from that black gook. I sure hope Jaymi had the common sense to stay away from that stuff."

    "From what Mayor Jareau told us, Jaymi is a very bright girl. Most likely she backtracked."

    "Well, she didn't go back the way she came." Kismet looked up and down the coast. "Wait a minute. Looks like she sat down to rest here, then continued in this direction."

    "Let's go."

    The two women broke into a jog with Kismet in the lead following a trail. After a few minutes, Kismet stopped, and Star Child nearly crashed into her.

    "What's wrong?" asked Star Child.

    "Hoof prints. The two trails both meet and continue together."

    Star Child studied the ground. She was no tracker, but she could just make out the hoof prints in the thin layer of dirt that covered the granite terrain.

    "They're quite fresh," continued Kismet. "About an hour old. Maybe less. Do you think she was forced in this direction?"

    "I don't know," said Star Child. "It's possible. Or maybe she's found a travelling companion. For now, let's not make assumptions, but we should hurry."

    Kismet and Star Child continued their jog, then they broke out into a flat run. Kismet was still following the trail.

    "This is odd," she called back to Star Child. "There are only two hoof prints. Whatever is with her, it's biped."

    As they progressed further into the forest, Kismet could suddenly pick out voices in the distance with her augmented hearing.

    "I can hear them. It seems to be two voices, but their both similar. They don't seem to sound like their in any urgency."

    Star Child smiled. "I was right. A travelling companion, which also means a third person with the necessary brain pattern. Apparently, this third person had been able to outfox the computer."

    "How can someone outfox a computer?"

    "It's not hard if you act unpredictably."

* * *

    Tryptan stopped and sniffed the air with her nose. After locking onto a scent, she pivoted her ears in that direction.

    "What is it," asked Jaymi.

    "Something or someone is coming. They're not too smart since their coming upwind of us. We'd better hide."

    Jaymi looked around at the almost identical pillars. "Where?"

    "Use your imagination."

    Jaymi scrambled behind a pillar with a vertical niche in one side. Turning herself sideways she squeezed into the opening. Tryptan went in the opposite direction and hid behind another pillar. She knocked an arrow in case of trouble. As she peered around the corner of the pillar, she saw two larger creatures that looked similar to Jaymi. These humans had a rich brown complexion as compared to Jaymi's pale beige. The one in the blue uniform looked about. From the weapons she was carrying, Tryptan theorized that these were hunters sent by the Tower to capture Jaymi and her.

    "The tracks split up here," she said to her companion. "You look behind that pillar over there." Tryptan realized in horror that she was pointing directly at the pillar where Jaymi was hiding. "I'll go this way."

    The two split up. the human in blue was walking directly toward Tryptan's hiding place. She tensed with fear. It seemed she would have to use her bow and arrow after all. Tryptan waited until the human was within a few yards of her. Then, she leapt out and fired hitting the human in the deltoid right above her left breast. The human fell to her knees, pain etched deeply into her face.

    "Damn it!"

    Tryptan knocked another arrow, but the human had ripped the arrow out and disappeared into the forest in the blink of an eye. Tryptan cocked her ears in all directions in order to try and pinpoint the human. Suddenly, without warning two very strong arms grabbed her from behind.

    "Let me go!"

    "And let you shoot me with another arrow? I don't think so."

    "I won't let you control my mind! I won't!"

    "Hold the phone. I'm not going to control your mind. I'm here to get Jaymi Jareau the hell outta here."

    Tryptan stopped struggling. "You do not work for the Tower?"

    Kismet let her go. "Heck no. If anything I plan to destroy it. Permanently."

* * *

    Jaymi heard the footsteps coming closer and closer. She wanted so much to scream and run, but fear prevented her from taking any such action. Suddenly, she heard something that she thought she would never hear in this strange world.

    "Jaymi, are you here? Your father has sent us to get you out of here."

    Jaymi didn't know if it was a trick or if it was real. The hope was just too great.

    "I'm in here," she called out.

    Seconds later a young black woman appear within her field of vision. She smiled at Jaymi. "What are you doing in there?"

    "Hiding from you. We thought you were monsters or something."

    "Can you get out of there?"

    "Yeah, hold on a minute."

    Jaymi strained and pushed, but she could not slide back out the same way she slid in. She tried again, this time exhaling as much as she could to make her frame smaller. It didn't work.

    "I'm stuck! I can't out!"

    "Don't panic," said Star Child. "We'll get you out of there." Star Child looked around the pillar toward her friend. "Kismet, we need some assistance over here."

    Kismet walked over to where Star Child was. Beside her was a curious looking creature. Star Child then noticed the bloody hole in her shoulder.

    "You're hurt!"

    "Don't worry. It's alright." Kismet looked at Tryptan who dropped her eyes. Kismet smiled. "We just had a little misunderstanding."

    "Jaymi's stuck in this crevice," said Star Child.

    Kismet looked at the pillar. Sure enough, there was a huge crack running lengthwise on the side, and in it was a very upset teenage girl.

    "Well now, it seems you've gotten yourself between a rock and a hard place," said Kismet in an amused tone. "Literally."

    "Help me out of here," cried Jaymi.

    "Okay, okay. Close your eyes."

    "What are you going to do?"

    "Get you out, of course. Now, close 'em."

    Jaymi did as she was told. Kismet felt around the edges of the crevice and tested for weak points. Finally, she braced herself and placed her hands on the insides of the crack. With a grimace, Kismet strained against the sides of the rock. The pressure she exerted caused her wound to bleed more, but she couldn't think about that now. Muscles strained in her arms until suddenly a cracking noise could be heard.

    "Star Child, get ready to pull her out of there fast!"

    Finally, the sides of the pillar gave way. Star Child quickly reached in and snatched Jaymi out of harms way. Kismet jumped back away from the pillar.

    "Look out!" screamed Tryptan.

    With the sides gone, the large spire began to tip over like a felled tree. Kismet, however, had anticipated this. The pillar came crashing down toward her, and she effortlessly caught it. Then, she eased it down to the ground and let it drop with a loud thump. Tryptan was nearly beside herself in disbelief over the events that had just occurred.

    "I can't believe you did that. I've never seen anyone as strong as you before."

    "It's a talent," said Kismet smiling.

    "Who are you?"

    "I am Kismet. This is Star Child. Who are you, might I ask?"

    "I am Tryptan. I am a member of the Royal Hunting Pack on Odocoileus."

    "Star Child?"

    "Sorry, I'm not familiar with that planet."

    Jaymi looked at Kismet. "I know you. You're the one Dad's always bitching about. He doesn't like you too much."

    "Yeah, well we had good heart to heart conversation about that. That's why we're here trying to get you out of here."

    "Are you going to take Tryptan with you, too?" asked Jaymi hopefully.

    "Are you kidding? Someone with as much guts as she's got doesn't deserve to be locked up in this hell hole."

    Tryptan beamed a smile at Kismet.

    "Great," said Jaymi, "let's get out of here." She began to walk in a particular direction.

    "I'm sorry, we can't leave just yet."

    Jaymi stopped in her tracks. "Say what?"

    Kismet looked at Star Child. "We've got to destroy this thing and make sure that it never terrorizes another being ever again," said Star Child.

    "But..." started Jaymi.

    "Look, we can't ask you two to risk your lives, but this evil machine has caused too much pain in the galaxy. It has to be destroyed."

    Jaymi was about to protest, but something in Star Child's eyes made her think twice. What was it she saw there? Fear? Rage? Or perhaps a mixture of both? Revenge.

    "I would be honored to fight with one as gifted as you, Kismet," said Tryptan.

    "You sure about that?"

    "I am a Royal Hunter-Warrior," she said proudly.

    Kismet admired her gumption, but she had doubts as to whether or not Tryptan could actually handle the situation. After all, she would be walking right into the very place she had been trying to avoid all this time. However, the young alien's bravado was quite refreshing.

    "I guess I'll go, too," said Jaymi. "It's best if we all stuck together."

    As much as she disliked having the two girls with them, Kismet had to admit that Jaymi's reasoning was crazy enough to actually make sense. Star Child nodded in agreement to Jaymi's statement. It was obvious to Kismet that she had a plan.

* * *

    The four walked back out of the stone spire forest. Kismet used her infra-vision to locate their trail so they could backtrack to where they first appeared in the realm. She made a point of circumventing the dead mutant centaur that they had slaughtered earlier. When they had finally reached the point of origin, there was no trace of a way back to the large white room.

    Kismet turned to Star Child. "Any ideas, Star Child?"

    Star Child looked closely at a nearby cliff, raised a hand and fired a blast of energy. Instantly, they found themselves in the large room again.

    "Wow, that was radical!" exclaimed Jaymi. "How'd you do that?"

    "Tell you later," said Star Child. "Right now we've got to move fast. The computer will stop at nothing to get one of us three into a mind reader unit. Follow me."

    Star Child walked right through one of the walls and disappeared. Kismet looked at the other two who were a bit shocked at the sight.

    "You two hold onto my hand."

    Kismet led the others through the wall. It wasn't long before they were able to catch up to Star Child. They walked down a meandering pathway which led to a door. Star Child blasted the door with a bolt of energy, but it stood as if nothing had happened.

    "I was afraid of this," said Star Child. "The culmination of our brain patterns has increased the computer's power, especially since were so close to it."

    "This looks like a job for good old fashioned brute strength," said Kismet.

    With a hefty kick, the door was flattened in seconds. The four entered into a room that was wall to wall circuitry. In the center of the room was a five-foot-tall pylon holding an artificial brain made of metal and wires and protected by a transparent dome. On the side of the pylon read the words: CENTRAL ENCEPHALOGRAM READER TERMINAL.

    "Well, here I was trying to find another way of tricking you into submission, and you simply bring yourselves straight to me. This is indeed most pleasant."

    "It won't be very pleasant for you much longer," said Star Child. "This time you will not live to see another planet."

    "You again! I thought I was rid of you for good."

    "You are the creator of false dreams and hideous nightmares. But this time, I'M going to be your worst nightmare."

    Star Child fired a blast at the brain. It was the most powerful blast that Kismet had ever seen Star Child throw. Surely, that would be the end of the evil Ivory Tower. But it wasn't. The brain was still there.

    "You are too late, my foolish organic."

    Kismet instinctively turned to see a horrible sight. Both Jaymi and Tryptan were bound by metal tendrils. Their struggling proved useless as two large electronic skull caps lowered over their heads.

    "NO!" screamed Star Child.

    Kismet jumped out of the way just in time before a giant explosion of energy from Star Child could envelope her. Star Child's body was glowing with a blinding light that surged forward with a strength and power that Kismet had never experienced in her life. Power equivalent to a nuclear explosion was focussed on the artificial brain. Because the energy was contained and focussed, Kismet did not feel any effects from the blast. Neither, however, did the brain. Maniacal laughter filled the room.

    "Fool! I now have more power than you could possibly imagine! Your puny efforts are merely being absorbed!"

    When it seemed the Star Child was finally spent of her energy, she collapsed to her knees. She was breathing heavily, and dark rings had formed around her eyes from the immense stress that she had put herself through. But when she looked up, she was smiling. It was a sinister, almost insane smile.

    What the hell is she smiling for, thought Kismet. We're losing for Christ's sake! Then a new revelation hit her. I'm sure she had a plan. If I'm interpreting that smile right, somebody just took the bait.

    Star Child looked at Kismet. "Your sword, now!"

    Kismet knew exactly what she had in mind. That blasts were merely decoys to fool the computer into thinking that they were the only usable weapons they had. Unpredictability. Kismet drew her sword, and in the blink of an eye, she charged toward the huge pylon. At about six feet in front of it, she crouched down low and jumped up as forcefully as she could. Her sword in an offensive position, she flew toward the brain itself.

    "You! What are you doing!? Stop!"

    Before the computer could take any retaliatory action, Kismet swung with every ounce of strength she could dredge up, and then some. The hideous sound of scraping metal was heard throughout the computer room. With a mighty swing of her katana, Kismet literally chopped the electronic brain right off of the pylon.

    "NOOOOOOOO!!!"

    Kismet landed on her feet behind the pylon. The brain came down with a shatter. The glass dome that had covered it fragmented into millions of tiny shards. Kismet dodged the deadly shrapnel with catlike agility and skilled ease.

    Kismet looked about her. Even though the central unit had been destroyed, the computers were still functioning. In fact, there were going haywire!

    "Star Child, what the hell's happening?"

    "I pumped it with all of that energy so that when you destroyed the brain center, the rest of the computers wouldn't be able to handle it. They're going to self destruct any minute, so grab the kids and let's beat it!"

    Kismet ran over to where Jaymi and Tryptan were still being held. They were both unconscious. A few swift strokes of her sword had them free of their bonds in an instant. Kismet picked up Jaymi and slung her over her shoulder. Star Child grabbed Tryptan in the same manner and they both dashed down the long corridor.

* * *

    Lt. Brown paced just outside of the personnel barrier. The mayor sat on one of the municipal benches. Normally, he would have made a note of complimenting the city planning commission for their foresight on convenience, but right now things were anything but normal.

    "It doesn't look like anyone's going to come out of there, Kevin," said Mayor Jareau.

    "They'll come out, Will," said Lt. Brown with a conviction born of desperation. "They have to!"

    "Give it up, Kevin. If they haven't come out by now, they'll never come out."

    "My God, man! Your daughter's in there!"

    Mayor Jareau leapt to his feet. "Don't you think I know that!? Christ, Lieutenant, how long have they been down there? Six, maybe seven..."

    Mayor Jareau never finished. He was interrupted by a commotion going on at the base of the Tower.

    "Something's going on," said Lt. Brown. Hope filled his voice.

    At the base of the Tower, the stone door had disappeared leaving a dark gaping hole. Several soldiers stood near the opening, not exactly sure about what to do. Suddenly, an orange and red streak shot out of the doorway knocking several marines over. It arced toward the sky and disappeared. Shortly after that, a woman in blue and yellow came running out at speeds no normal human could attain.

    "Get everyone the hell outta here! This baby's gonna blow!"

    No one doubted her word. People scattered everywhere. Just as everyone reached shelter, a stone-shattering explosion rocked the plaza. Large stones and dust flew everywhere. Several windows were smashed by the force of the explosion. Any that were left were finished off by the hurtling debris. When the smoke finally cleared, there was very little left of the Ivory Tower.

    Kismet, who had protected Jaymi with her body, lifted the girl up into her arms and looked around for the mayor. She found him standing next to Lt. Kevin Brown. Kismet walked over toward the mayor.

    Mayor Wilson Jareau could not believe his eyes. He honestly believed that he would never see his daughter again. But when he saw how Kismet was carrying her, his worst fears were played once more.

    "Is-is she...?" He couldn't get the words out.

    "She's fine," said Kismet. "But get a doctor to look her over just in case. She may have suffered some psychological trauma."

    "Oh, God, thank you." Tears rolled down the mayor's cheeks. "Thank you!"

    "Com'on, Will," said Lt. Brown as he took Jaymi from Kismet's arms. "Let's get you and Jaymi to a hospital."

    He led the mayor to his car, and before getting into the driver's seat, he took one last look at Kismet and gave her a wink which said, Nice work. Then he drove off.

    Kismet was about to leave herself, but when she turned, she walked right into a tall, imposing man with four stars and several medals on his chest.

    "You! I want to talk to you! I want to know who the hell you think you are, and how the hell you got inside that thing when our best minds couldn't crack it open!"

    Kismet took a step back. "Maybe they didn't have the right brain patterns," she chided. "Besides, I only answer to two people: me..." She pointed toward the sky. "...and the Big Guy."

    With that she did a backflip into a nearby crowd of on-lookers and disappeared without a trace. The general stood there clenching his teeth and turning livid.

* * *

    "That was absolutely incredible, Trisha," said Kevin Brown.

    He sat on the couch in Trisha Fate's apartment drinking a hot cup of coffee. Across from him in a plush sofa-chair sat Trisha doing the same. On the far side of the room, Tryptan was entranced by a huge wooden box with moving pictures inside them.

    "As I said before," replied the small speaker on Trisha's forehead, "`Oh, ye of little faith.'"

    "Well, after pulling off a stunt like that, I'm certainly going to have more faith in you from now on. Count on it."

    Trisha sipped her coffee. She always liked it with a lot of cream and a little sugar. "I still can't believe that we were gone for six days. I guess there was a time displacement inside the tower. According to our body clocks, we were only in there for three or four hours." Trisha sipped again. "I don't know how I'm going to explain this to my boss back at Monument City Computronics."

    Kevin winked at Trisha. "You could always say you were called to perform a service for the mayor."

    "Get serious. I need an alibi the average person can swallow."

    Kevin thought for a moment. "How about an emergency summons for jury duty. I think I can swing getting the papers for that. There's a fishing buddy of mine in the appellate court system."

    Trisha gave him a sideways glance. "You seem to have a lot of friends in some interesting places."

    "Hey, we were all studying law together. I just found criminology infinitely more interesting than judicial or politics."

    Trisha set her cup down on the end table next to her. "My only problem now is Li'l Miss Mule Deer over there."

    Realizing that she had become the topic of conversation, Tryptan had turned to pay attention to the other two.

    Trisha got up and sat down next to Kevin. "It's going to be hell trying to find out where she came from. Maybe Aquia's ship's computer has something on the subject."

    "Well, I have no doubt that you will succeed," said Kevin laughing. "As far as I'm concerned, you can do just about anything you put your mind to."

    "And don't you forget that," cooed Trisha as she gave Kevin a tender kiss.

    "Oh, ick!" said Tryptan in disgust. "You guys must be in heat phase."

    Trisha and Kevin looked startled at Tryptan. Then, they both began to laugh.

END

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