All of us nodded.

"They found the markers, then used the genetic code from another people to splice onto said discovered paranormal markers."

"So?" Jonesy shrugged.

John sighed and Archer kicked in, "What he's saying is, that the dome people... that we're sorta..."

"Related," Alex said, perv issues aside, I knew he wasn't a dull tool in the drawer.

"Wait. When did all this happen?" Randi asked.

John nodded. "That's a great question. Looks like the Graysheets have been playing with transference and spacial issues for a long time. When they discovered this other world had been decimated by natural disaster, but the people that survived it... they appeared... resilient in a way that would not have been possible here. Evolutionary challenge," he shrugged, his emphasis on the last two words obvious.

"So the dudes with the gills?" Sophie asked.

John nodded. "Them or someone like them. Whatever it was, it got them thinking that the genetic diversity within that gene pool would be a fine mix with the discovered markers."

Tiff studied John. "Wait a sec, that's not all, right?"

John's face kinda fell. "No," he said quietly. "It appears they've manipulated their history as well. The Zondoraes wanted to acquire a fresher source so they used this Transference passage they named the Pathway. They manipulated it for both distance and... time."

"Holy shit!" Bry said, slapping his forehead. "So these clowns went back in time, screwed around with shit they shouldn't have, to what...?" he looked at everyone, realization dawning, "so they could 'grow people' for future advancement in our world? Now!? That's utter bullshit."

"I call it, bro," Tiff said and they did a high five to clench the point.

Huh. I shook my head at the Weller pair.

John nodded. "Pretty much. And," he raised his finger, "they used electromagnetic pulse technology to construct the domes. It's really brilliant actually..."

We rolled our eyes as John went into a lengthy discussion about the implementation of the most modern and environmentally intelligent choices for the dome people's daily living, steam-powered everything.

"You mean, they live in this sauna of a dome and don't have lights and showers and crap?" Tiff asked.

John laughed and shook his head. "No, I think they intended for them to live without interference for an indefinite time frame, then there would be degradation of the dome from some unknown cause, and the people of the domes would be gradually integrated into the outside, living in an environment which had recovered from whatever tragedy occurred years ago."

"Wait a sec," I began slowly, "there's some stuff that doesn't make sense." All eyes fell on me and Jade stood, molding her body to mine. "Who caused the problem with the dome?" I asked, thinking of the holes all over the walls. "Why would the Zondorae brothers care so much to construct all of these dome-things, then let them get ruined?"

John said, "Actually, they're spheres. They're partially buried underneath the earth's surface. Thermal nuclear energy helps with stabilizing the temperature, the operational systems, pulse, all of it. Once they got what they needed, they were just going to wash their hands of it."

The group looked at John.

He sighed. "I guess it doesn't make much difference if it's a dome or a sphere to you guys?"

We all shook our heads.

"Anyway," John huffed, sort of irritated his friends weren't interested in the finer details of dome/sphere construction, "remember the badasses we trounced when we were there on our informative visit?"

We nodded. "Dead or alive?" Tiff laughed.

John smiled grimly at her joke. "Both. They're criminals from our world. These idiots left salt quartz. It directly breaks the pulse rhythm that allows the sphere to rejuvenate itself..."

"It does?" Sophie asked.

John nodded. "Yes, it's so fascinating! You see..."

I raised my hand, staving off a tech rant. "John, come on, stop with the shiny thing and get to the point."

He was like a dog with a ball thrown.

John grinned. "Alright. Anyways, it's on a monthly cycle in which the pulse-signal 'reboots'. When this happens, the interior environment is cleansed, the older air released to the outside, and new air drawn and filtered for the interior. It also strengthens the walls by drawing on the electromagnetic fields of the earth through the pulse system interlay that is integrated within the structure itself." John looked at each of us expectantly. Seeing some confusion but mostly understanding he went on, "What it means is that somehow, the criminals we ran into, must've gotten a hold of these salt crystals, used them as pseudo weapons to damage the sphere and the hapless residents are sitting ducks for this criminal contingent to come in and take over."

I palmed my chin, thinking about all the sleazebag variables. Finally I said, "We're gonna have to stop this. Shut down this Pathway thing, make it so they can't return."

"That's naïve, Caleb," Archer said.

I frowned at his words.

Archer expounded, "They'll just send some other scientists to do another dirty job."

I shook my head. "No. We need to destroy their access, fix the dome," he looked at John, "sphere... and put the Graysheet dudes on notice."

Alex and Bry laughed. "You and what army?" Bry asked, his muscular arms folded over his chest.

My eyes narrowed. "This is where the sissy-sucking-titty-babies get off the train, guys." I let my eyes sweep the group, challenging all that were there. "Parker has been a problem... an enigma," I said, pulling out the terminology.

Jonesy chortled in the background and I silenced him with a stare. "But this time, maybe we can do something for the good of both worlds. We weren't meant to skip all this evolution, right John?"

He nodded. "No. They've used an environmental challenge from a world that's not ours, applied it to a legitimate genetic discovery and made a new species of people with that stolen genetic code."

"Who?" Randi asked.

"Us," Alex answered, pulling her inside the cradle of his huge body.

My friends fell into an uneasy silence.

John's final comment made the decision an easy one for me. "And the girl..." John began and I instantly intuited which one he meant.

"The redhead?"

John nodded.

"She's the key to all this. The Queen is center stage in their plans."

"What do you mean, John?" Jade asked, a furrow appearing between her brows.

"She was the one they got the genetic material from. She has the properties of both indigenous peoples there," John responded.

"So... what is she?" Bry frowned at Tiff. "I mean," she began again, giving him the piss off look, "I know she is the 'Queen of Ohio'," Tiff said, rolling her eyes. "But besides that handy little detail... so what?"

"She's their genetic messiah," John answered.

The group waited.

"They call her the Key," John elaborated.

"The key to what, dude?" Jonesy asked.

John shrugged like it was obvious. "Control," John said.

CHAPTER 10

Clara's world

the return of the youngest Travelers

The very sphere Clara had sought in her time of need had ultimately betrayed her with a creature more insidious than Prince Frederic. Aye, more mad but more cleverer as well.

Clara frowned, looking over her shoulder at the additional Band. How would a mere dozen of the Band neutralize the threat of the dredges of Kentucky? Had King Otto lost total control? Did Caesar rule even now?

Bracus, Philip, Edwin and Matthew used the key that Clara always carried to unlock the portal.

It did not move.

Matthew turned to Clara, seeing the worry etched upon her features, knowing full well what had put it there. Her concerns were his.

"It does not move, Clara. Perhaps another key?" he asked, looking at the key in his huge hand, polished brass and large.

She knew it was the very key for the portal, having procured its fashioning after the last siege.

Clara came to his side, studying the key that lay there. "Nay, this is the one, I am certain."

Matthew and Bracus looked at one another. "They have damaged the locks? Mayhap barring our entrance, anticipating our return?" Bracus speculated.

"Nay, it makes no sense. That weasel of a royal has his sights set on Clara," Matthew glowered at his own words. "Yet, he bars our eventual entrance?" He shook his head, negating the possibility of such.

"It be something else," Edwin said. "Someone else."

In that moment, a coincidence of magnitude occurred:

Winking into their space in a flash of iridescent light that was at once blinding as it was beautiful, like a bubble set in the sun with water upon it, the Travelers burst into existence.

Color washed over the Outside, sealing the grave markers in a multitude of pale colors that rippled and swarmed, causing their milky whiteness to glow in phosphorescence for a moment, then vanishing.

Matthew and the rest of the Band moved the women behind them. Rowenna shoved past Bracus and stood at his side while he frowned down at her.

"Wipe that look from your face, Dear Heart," she said mildly.

Bracus sighed, stubborn woman.

As Clara gazed upon the young Travelers she felt a hope spark in her heart. Mayhap these young ones could aid them if there be any wish of resolution.

She made a move to go forward to meet the young man who controlled the foulness that was death but Matthew put his hand around her arm in wariness. "Caution be the order of the day, Clara," he said in a low voice.

"Aye," she responded even as she walked the three horse lengths to where the young man stood, her mind on her people.

On hope.

*

I looked at Randi and she nodded her head. "We don't have to touch but it makes it easier on the send-off."

"Ya make it sound like it's some kind of rocket ship!" Tiff said, smacking her gum.

Bry rolled his eyes. "Get rid of the GD gum now!"

"Yeah, Tiff, what if it gets in your hair," Sophie said without guile.

Maybe.

They narrowed their eyes at each other.

"Come on, Randi, shoot the juice before we have a bitch-slap-fest," Jonesy said. All female eyes fell on his dumb ass like a lead weight.

He shrugged, not in the least concerned that he'd pissed off the girls.

I suppressed a smile with supreme effort. The effort was ugly.

Jade gave me a look, not entirely pleased that I found Jonesy even remotely funny.

Randi huffed. "Okay... right." She looked at the anxious eyes, interpreting Jonesy's comments for what they really were.

Blowing off anxiety like wayward steam.

It was a big deal. Traveling between worlds, saving another.

Trying to.

I nodded at Randi and John did too. We squeezed our linked hands together and with a surge of heat and light, zapped into the frozen darkness that marked our transport.

Our entry into the sphere world.

*

I saw the young woman with the red hair. The Queen, I reminded myself. I approached her cautiously, my eyes flicked to the huge dude behind her, his eyes steady on my approaching figure.

There was no way I was messing with this chick with a guy that was six foot seven and two hundred forty plus. As I drew closer to Queen Clara, I studied his outfit. Intimidating-much, he had so many weapons hanging off him I could hardly see his clothes. My eyes went back to the Queen.

She stood waiting for me as I came to stand in front of her. After a moment of mutual study she smiled and it was breathtaking, the abuse of her face, the blood and sweat covering her from head to toe... she still managed to look regal.

I could totally see her royalty, it didn't matter what she wore. She held herself with grace and purpose. Queen Clara narrowed that purpose on me and asked softly, "What say you?"

I stared... what? I couldn't understand her and turned to John.

"What's she asking, John?"

John shrugged. "I don't know... but, it sounds like some kind of late, 19th century diction. Not exactly, but around there."

I looked at how everyone was dressed. Weird... old-fashioned. Uh-huh.

"Hi, ah... we're here to help fix your dome," Caleb said and pointed to the sphere wall and corrected himself, "I mean, your sphere."

Daniel came to stand beside Clara. "He speaks as a fragment somewhat however..." Clara shrugged helplessly, "I cannot make sense of most of his speech."

"These guys don't get what we're saying, dude," Jonesy said, restating the obvious.