Chameleon by Otto Gramm (new reading .TXT) 📕

The cloud was closer. The ship was enveloped by a halo of light.

– Two! – A bright ring rushed straight at them with immense speed. The flame of the white Gehenna, reflecting from the arcs, burned brighter than the lightning between them. The portal was almost docked... Flashes of fire and electric charges danced around Chameleon. Behind the transparent ceiling, Alex saw a burning shroud huge like a giant storm wave.

– One!

The ship rocketed through the ring... Short flash and in a split second, the white wall engulfed everything.

The light so suddenly turned into dark that for a long time nobody could see a single star in space.

– Did we made it? – Mitch asked timidly, as he sat at the stairs, where he was thrown away during Alex’s breakdown.

Lin, standing a little behind, slapped his nape.

– Aw!

– As you can see.

The whole crew signed with relief. Vivy let go of the helm... or it let her go? And stretched her stiff arm. Kyle slowly straightened patted both pilots on the shoulder and turned to Alex. The latter was still a little weak after the fight. Leaned on a small ledge (which ended the control panel near the stairs) he waited for his verdict. However, captain’s strict look was much more eloquent than the most abusive words. Alex could not even raise his eyes (migraine was also too painful to look straight), when Kyle slowly approached him. His tousled black hair and slightly tattered captain’s clothing were still smoking after their recent bout. The cockpit froze in silence. The new felt a light shudder when Kyle raised his hand and laid it on his head. Then he jerked it away and shook.

– Is it better now? – He asked in a calm voice, without any tremble of anger.

– Yeah, thank you. – Alex exhaled wearily. The pain immediately passed away, leaving a pleasant weight in his head.

– You’d better thank Shad too. – Captain turned again to the pilot chairs. – I promised that nobody here would torment you. I always keep my word. Though when it comes to safety of the crew... I almost took very drastic measures.

– I just... – Alex faltered out as if he had choked.

– Hard to get used to it. – Empath finished for him, returning to his place at the window. – The absence of violence and loyalty. – His voice was calm and natural, as if he had read a quote from a book.

With these words, Alex felt a heavy bubble burst in his chest and a bitterness spread through his body.

– I feel sorry for that bust...

– Aw, shut up! – Shad snapped. – Your reaction was quite normal.

– You shut up! – Will rumbled. – I wanna hear his explanations! – He turned to Alex and spoke in a lower voice. – I don’t want to be too rough, but in my time, a pillory would be guaranteed for such a trick. What devil took you?

 Again, empath came for help:

– You’ve heard that, my medieval genius.

– Listen you, jackanapes of goody Achaemenid times. – Scotsman moved menacingly toward the young man, but the latter did not even stir despite their sizeable difference in physique. – Don’t be smart ass and explain clearly.

Shad made a didactic face.

– What would you expect from people who think that you lured them into the trap of the enemy?

– Speaking of which. – Captain interfered in their bickering. – Vivy, I want you to synchronize and copy all the exam data. I’ll try to monitor that vast knowledge that dragged us to a supernova explosion.

– Not at once, Kyle. – Alex noted that Vivy never called him “cap”. – We must first check the ship for damage and I need to reach my bed.

– As you say.

– And... What’s that stupid glitch? – Pilot growled irritably, as she tapped at the holographic window.

– What happened? –Kyle and Diego asked (who had just finished reading a thanksgiving prayer in his mind).

– That signal’s back!

– Could it be the previous flight history overlap? – Spaniard suggested. Kyle, engrossed in indicators studying, slowly shook his head.

– And these Ancients couldn’t slip us some virus? – Mitch asked.

Askord did not answer: whether considered it absurd, or... Alex felt uncomfortable again and, seizing a moment, slowly walked to the exit. At the stairs, a loud whistle stopped him. All heads turned to Shad, who was still standing by the window. Without turning around, he beckoned Alex with his right hand and with his left, he let the others know that he was not addressing to them.

– What is it? – Koldoum asked, as he stood beside empath.

– Don’t fuss, nobody here thinks of punishing you.

– All the better. For I will not allow to make a scapegoat of me.

– Hmm! – Shad attentively glanced over him and turned back to the window. – I don’t remember us turning against one man. Everyone gets kicked from time to time. I do that all the time... Sometimes even Kyle gets some.

– Seriously?

– We have no subordination; he must have told you that. So throw an exemplary superman out of your head and take a look at him real.

Alex glanced at the pottering figure of captain who was busy with flashing one summary after another. He literally circled in a whirlwind of holograms. It looked comical indeed.

– His main drawback is that he always aggravates simple things.

– What’s he looking for?

– That thing. – Empath nodded at the small piece of crystal, dark like an amethyst, which was stuck in the windshield.

– What is this?

Kyle, obviously suspecting something, peered at them through an orange chart.

– I’ll tell you what it is. – Shad continued. – If you promise me one thing.

– I’ll try.

– Just, call me by name. As you hate when someone stares at you... – Shad nodded at Kyle, who had already removed some of the holograms for a better view at two men talking by the window. – ...So do I when they call me simply “empath”.

– Okay, I promise. – Alex agreed. – So, what kind of stone is this?

Shad closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His hands made strange motions as if they were stroking an invisible ball; his face strained a little. He exhaled and opened his eyes, dark and gloomy, without a trace of merry spark.

– This is the reason, which, unfortunately, destroyed two great people... many thousands of years ago. – Shad’s voice sounded quiet and sad. – It was constantly searched by those whose traces we saw in the ruined city.

– Ancients?

– Yes. And they did not leave attempts to find it until it became unsafe... – Empath paused and looked at crystal.

Alex felt as if Shad was talking to it... or reading it like a book.

– No... They themselves launched the destruction of the star. – He continued monotonously. – So that nobody could get it.

– Get what? – Alex asked impatiently.

– PURPLE STILATH! – Two voices said together.

Alex turned around and saw Kyle, who came up to them and now looked at the window with a stunned face.

– Ods mighty!

Alex remembered how silent could be a loud sensation. When Warren uncovered some anomaly in the body of One-one-four, his eyes lit up with glee and his lips slightly stretched in a grin. For the test subject himself, it foretold series of absolutely new experiments... or torture. No matter how it was called. It only meant that now Alex associated such a joy with pain, or even worse – its expectation.

Koldoum struggled to chase away horrible memories, but his brain did not want to react otherwise to a silent tizzy among the crew. When all eyes stared at him and Kyle, his stomach stopped and clung to his spine and his chest was full with icy needles. Meanwhile, Spaniard turned something on the panel, the glass started to vibrate, as if it had become liquid and the stilath gently slipped into captain’s hand. The crew surrounded them. Not without regret, Alex noticed that he was left without support – Shad had disappeared somewhere.

– I’ll be damned! – To the right sounded the booming bass of Scot. – How did he get there?

– It stuck there when we were dragged in the mist. – Diego said. – They are heat resistant!

– Does that surprise you? – There was a sonorous voice of Vivy. – We came across it in such a space!

– Never seen a purple one. – Mitch admired.

– Because it’s one of a kind, you blockhead!  – Lin replied. Even her cold face shone with delight.

Talking continued but Alex didn’t listen. He wanted to run into his room and lock himself inside, hide from everyone. Fortunately, Kyle quickly scanned his feelings and, passing the crystal to Diego, gently took Alex to the side (so cleverly that no one had noticed).

– Feeling tired? – He asked quietly as they moved to the elevators.

– I’m not used to the crowd. – He tried to rouse himself, but it looked more like a nervous twitching.

– You could surprise them, which very few people succeed... especially at first.

– It does not flatter me.

– I understand.

– So what we might get after you check the exam? – Alex asked in a serious tone.

Kyle pierced him with attentive gaze as if he was trying to look for a reason of such a question.

– Me, Shad and Vivy will try to track down the thing that took you and directed to the remains of Maiteri. – He noticed Alex’s eyebrows twitch for a second. – If you have something to add...?

– I don’t know how these... Ancients work... – The new clearly wanted to say something, but dared not.

– Was there any fear? Or emptiness? Maybe cold inside?

– Not a shred of doubt. There was only a call, and I followed her. – He blurted out in one breath.

– Whom?

Alex realized he had said too much, but it was too late. Thought, what was the point of hiding if they would still find out the truth?

– Danae. – He breathed out.

The chatting in the control room immediately ceased and all eyes were again directed at Kyle and Alex. The latter felt his cold shiver resumed.

– Now, it’s all clear. – Captain muttered, with an enlightened face. He slowly approached the pilot chair and picked up a handmade skate of Mitch. – We’re arriving in 52 hours, so you can rest. – He announced to the crew. Then he handed the sheet to the boy. – You do such a trick one more time and I’ll lock you in the gym with her. – Kyle nodded toward Vivy.

– Got it! – Mitch quickly hid his skate under a wide raglan. – I’ve had enough of spectacle for today. I’d better rest with my Sega.

– So no tea? – Nicky wondered.

– Have you made any? – Captain asked her a counter question.

– Nope.

– Then no tea.

– Grab it! – Sounded a hoarse voice from behind Alex’s back. He turned around and saw Shad. The latter, appeared from nowhere, held him out a small shiny bag full of white pads.

– What’s that?

– Marshmallow. They say that sweets help break the chain reaction of negative associations. You’ll face a lot of shocks here. Therefore, we must cure you of this unnecessary fear as soon as possible.

Alex hesitated for a while, but after Kyle and Nicky dragged some pads (with an unpleasant exclamation of Shad), he took a couple for himself.

– Sweet.

– Oh! Taste buds are restoring. – Empath noted. – From now on, I will be your experimenter! – With a malicious grimace, he glanced at the others, jumped into the elevator shaft and slid down the pylon.

– Did he treat you?! – Diego asked with such surprise as if Alex had got out of his pocket tree more stliaths.

– Him. – Captain nodded to the new, chewing. – We’ve