The Titan Mystery – Part 9

McKinley stood in front of the strange being, wondering what was going to come next. instead it seemed pre-occupied.

“How can we help you?” McKinley prompted him, hoping to get some idea or clue to what was going on.

“Help… yes, McKinley. I’m sorry, the problem I have in concentrating is part of what is going on. If you will permit me, I would like to communicate with you mind to mind.”

“Mind to mind?” McKinley asked.

“Yes, I realise the you currently communicate with your primitive verbal communication, but in our time we have learned to speak, mind to mind” The being continued “We can discuss everything much more efficiently.”

McKinley looked over to Seanna “You can’t be serious!” she hissed at him.

“Oh! Aggressive, I remember this of young female, what was your name? Oh yes – Seanna.” the being seemed genuinely hurt with Seanna remark. “Let me assure you young Seanna that no harm will come to McKinley. Step closer my friend.” The being prompted, McKinley stepped up and stared into the eyes of the being. In that instant he found himself in the middle of the great hulk of the Titan, he thought floating at first. But it was more like suspended. Despite McKinley’s fear of heights he felt no fear. He could look around without feeling anything. Then he was aware of a presence next to him. It was the being he just just bee talking to.

“Welcome Commander McKinley to the Titan. I am called Endevin, this space craft and it’s mission had one specific purpose. To bring human kind to the next level of being, this isn’t evolution. The term is very outdated, but it’s how you might term what happened in our time.”

“I don’t understand.” McKinley replied.

“Imagine if you will the power of the mind, this conversation is happening in our joined minds. You have the potential to do this as well as I can – you just haven’t learned to yet.” McKinley looked at Endevin keenly as he continued. “Now imagine what that means for us as a physical being, we are no longer tied to our physical forms and no longer need them to sustain us. We are still at this time tied by location and time. We as beings have to re-learn our reality and existence, Earth and our other planets were no longer the right places for us to exist. So we had to find other places that exist outside the physical realm to live and to develop our new reality. Titan is one of many spacecraft destined to complete this task. Myself and my four other companions are sentinels of the Titan, we are the caretakers for the millions of beings that are contained and exist in this very space and to take them to this place.”

At this point Endevin and McKinley were trasnported through the hulk of the huge ship. All over were energy tues with what seemed like human forms inside them, they glowed white under the faint blue light. Row, after row after row of people, being transported to wherever their destination was going to be. McKinley was stunned, in awe of what was gonig on, of what he had missed. Then he thought we was going to miss them – Titan was so huge that details the size of a human form were easily lost. Then in a speed which was unimaginable they were back, suspended in the middle of the gigantic centre of the Titan.

“So why do you need me Endevin?” McKinley asked as he look at him.

“Things went wrong, as with anything from the physical realm they are flawed and can be broken! The core of the Titan is broken and is leaking energy, distorting time and reality. Despite our elevated level of being we are still in many ways just like you are, vunerable and our understanding of our new form is very limited. You are not able to percieve it yet, but the effects of the core malfunction are affecting our very perceptions or time and reality and we are not able focus on the present. We are trapped in this vessel, it is like torture, we need to get to our destination and to do this we need to re-work the core of the Titan. We are unable as we have not concerned ourselves much with technology for centuries, we used mechanoids to create the Titan as we are unable to construct such a vessel”

“What would we know about fixing a core, centuries in adavnce of what we use?” McKinley replied.

Endevin continued “We have plans for you to examine, I believe your own spacecraft will be able to receive these plans and analyse them.”

McKinley nodded “We will do our best. But I need to know a few things Endevin. First there was a creature that was able to appear as me but older and he killed two of my people. What do you know of him?”

Endevin looked concerned “This must explain why we are still here after over a millenia – the creature you mention is a Paralan. They inhabit the bodies of others to survive and exist in our – your physicality. They are our enemies and are trying to immortalise themselves in the way we are. So far they have failed, but their thirst for this power has driven them mad. The protective energy that we sentinels exist in has kept him away from us – but obviously he, or they have killed all the previous attempts to help us.”

“There are also people, like myslef and Seanna in hibernation, is that anything to do with these Paralans?” McKinley was pleased to be getting answers to hopefully finding a way out of the time trap, but with this new information he feared that there was a long way to go before they got out. If they did.

“The Paralan need a physical form to inhabit – the host is not dead, but not alive either. But without them the Paralan cannot exist in your physical world – they themselves are in a dark limbo, they are trying to escape to the light and are desperate.” Endevin explained “They will be impervious to your weapons, be warned. Although they need a body to exist in your world, they are not harmed by the physical effects you can inflict. Only the host body can be.”

“We blew him away off the core platform and into nothing – surely the blast and fall would kill him?”

“Only the host I’m afraid McKinley. Your monster will be very much alive and seeking a new host. While you and your people are here, they are protected. But out there you will not. I can help you though, I can help you to see through the physical form you see to the monster below.”

“That would be helpful Endevin.” McKinley allowed himself a wry smile, there was hope and a challenge. There was also the possibility of taking back the plans for the core design when or if they left.

“Are you ready McKinley?” Endevin asked.

“As I will ever be!” He replied.

“The information you need has been sent to your spacecraft – in order to rework the core while it is functioning you will need the mechanoids. I’ve implanted the information in your mind that you need to activate and instruct them. Good luck to you and your people McKinley! I believe that is what you say!”

“One more thing Endevin – if this has happened before, won’t the same things happen again?” McKinley asked

“Normally that should be true – but time is distorted, broken and unstable. The damaged core has done this, every time you and your crew find the Titan, event are likely to play out differently each time!”

McKinley nodded “Let’s hope this is the right time then!”

In that split second McKinley found himself back where he was before, stading in front of Endevin and his sentinels. Looking around he looked at Seanna “You all ok?”

Seanna looked back at him – “Are you ok? That was only a few seconds, was that it?”

“I’ve been talking to Endevin for about half an hour!” McKinley looked up at Endevin, who smiled back.

“Efficient you see McKinley!” he said.

Jearo stepped forward. “Have you sent some data to the ship sir?”

McKinley smiled “Yes I have – don’t ask. I need to know what’s wrong with the core. The information should have what we need to analyse it. I have to then find the mechanoids to repair the thing.”

“We’re going home?” asked Jearo with some excitement.

“Damn right we are. Let me know what you find out Jearo, take Leonard, Javin and Huan and devise a plan.

“Certainly” Jearo answered, taking the small team they took a work station in the corner of the large control centre and began talking with the Tycho and devising a plan.

“Blake, take the rest of you and secure the area. Endevin will tell you how to idedtify the creatures that seem to be around here and trying to stop us. Kill on sight, anyone you see that is hosting a creature is trying to kill us. You will only kill the body shell they’re inhabiting, but this should slow them down and protect us a little.”

“Sir?” Blake asked.

“Talk to Endevin – he will explain!”

“What about me? Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Asked Seanna, now looking completely lost and out of place.

“Sure, come over here, I’ll fill you in” McKinley smiled “We’ve got on top of this a bit I think!”

©Simon Farnell 2016

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