Chapter 1: Alliances

Aidoann had taken to training alongside Kris and Cal. She was not, of course, privy to all the secrets of the People, and she'd known that going in. But her inclusion had opened up the way for a partial sharing of information.

The Silent Eternal Ones had not been idle. The People's own intelligence, coupled with the intel the Family provided, had found several nodes of Elder Thing activity. One they hadn't suspected, but that made perfect sense was: the area around Chernobyl.

The hoverjet had brought them to the forbidden zone undetected, its stealth fields fully active. Kris, still recovering from her surgery in which Brother Nemon's people had transplanted Cal's heart into her, couldn't accompany them on this mission. It was just as well, anyway. The area was far too "hot," even yet, and even though Cal and Aidoann were pretty much immune to radiation (at least, in the short term), Kris had no such immunity. Cal had been somewhat relieved to learn she wasn't to accompany them.

On the way over, Aidoann got the chance to talk to Cal. "So, Cal. Did you and Kris have The Talk yet?"

He smiled, even in his "Kid Kthulhu" form. "Yeah. Course, things are different now. I mean, we're still, you know, working things out…but Aidoann, I can't deny it: things are just plain different between us. Better, don't get me wrong, but…" He hesitated. Then, "You know, before all this, we'd shared a bed on a couple of occasions. Not for sex, just…two friends who felt comfortable with each other. Comfortable enough, I mean. But that was then. This…"

"I know, Cal. Now you aren't just two friends anymore. And sharin' a bed carries certain…considerations that ye didn't have before."

"Well…..to tell the absolute truth, I, I guess I had 'em in the back of my mind. I mean…well, I just did, that's all. But I never really thought about it…it just got to the point where I…felt like I couldn't live without her."

Crystal Simone, Cal's best friend since fifth grade, had turned out to be a sleeper agent for the Silent Eternal Ones. When she was ten, before she'd ever met Cal, they'd operated upon her, implanting one of their brains into her body, while at the same time altering her biochemistry to be able to tolerate the alien brain. A side effect had been that the changes had restricted the growth of her heart, so that that organ did not grow with the rest of her body. By the time she was sixteen, she was going into heart failure due to her ten year old's-heart being unable to keep up with the demands of her adult body. The only answer had been a heart transplant…and Cal, because of his unique heritage as the actual, direct son of the Great Old One, Mighty Chthulhu himself, was a universal donor. Any organ from him would take perfectly well in anybody else.

Brother Elder had immediately vetoed the idea, not wanting to waste time or resources on a girl who was, even if she had fought alongside them, still basically an enemy agent. Simply unnecessary, he'd said, and counterproductive.

So Cal had to use his trump card. Being a supernatural being, anything he promised to do, he had to do, no choice. So he'd promised Brother Elder that, unless Kris got her heart transplant, he'd continue to…do what he did. And what he did was to pull out a knife and gut himself.

Aidoann looked over at Cal. His alternate form didn't seem quite so monstrous. She'd seen true monsters, and the very worst ones, more often than not, could pass as perfectly human. And she should know.

One of them had almost ended her life.

The hoverjet landed, turning in mid-air as it lowered gently to the floor of what had once been a green and vibrant forest, and the pair emerged. All around was death and desolation: the trees were naught but gray trunks, incapable of ever blooming, every bush dried and desiccated, almost mummified. It took them a moment to adjust to the sheer sense of death all around them. When they spoke, it was in hushed whispers, almost as though they were afraid of breaking the silence. "Ooo, Cal. I…I never thought 'twould be…like this."

"Neither did I, Aidoann. It's no wonder they shut down all the news feeds about this place. I would have, too." It was a place of death.

Yet somewhere in this place of death, something lived. Something that, by all accounts, had been responsible for the disappearances of four armed men….

They set up some passive and active sensors. Aidoann pulled out a PDA Brother Jenar, chief technologist for the People, had cobbled together. "It should work," He'd told her, "But don't rely on it. You and Mr. Michaels will be going into one of the most hostile environments on Earth. The most alien, at least. I'd trust my eyes and ears before this."

"Twould help if we knew what we're looking for," The Scots' girl had remarked.

"Something that's very likely to come looking for you," he'd grimaced.

Neither Brother Oberon nor Aidoann's Family's Oracle had been able to detect any usage of magic in the affected area, but that didn't mean the Silent Eternal Ones weren't involved. So the pair moved cautiously, Aidoann studying the screen of the PDA. "Cal…look." And she motioned to what looked like a concrete exhaust port, sticking straight up out of the ground. "What d'ye suppose tha' could be?"

"No idea." He checked the schematics on his own PDA. "It's not listed on the official plans. Let's take a look."

Shining a light down the shaft only showed more shaft. "This thing must go pretty deep. What's the reading?"

Aidoann consulted her Geiger counter. "Pretty high, but not as high as other places we've already crossed. Why would that be, I wonder?"

Grunt. "Don't know. But it bears investigation." He handed her his PDA while he prepared himself.

In his alternate form, Calvin Michaels resembled an anthropomorphic squid, or octopus. His hair was a crown of tentacles, and his fingers were more tentacular than normal human fingers. He had no true skeleton in that form, and so could squeeze himself into some very small spaces.

Right now, he concentrated on becoming thinner, until he was only a few inches across. His uniform, the loose fitting karate gi, brown with the winged "K" on the front, and which Kris had originally designed, had been redesigned by People clothiers, shrank with him, keeping around him. He thinned himself to the point where he could pass through the narrow pipe. "Don't stay in human form too long, Aidoann. We both have some immunity to the radiation here, but there's no need to press our luck."

"I shan't. I do have a little sense, y'know."

He blanched. "Sorry. Wasn't meaning to imply you didn't."

"Tis quite alright. Keep in contact." Unlike previous times, Aidoann no longer had to risk complete nudity when she shifted; the People's scientists had developed a material that could withstand her temperature when in her fire form, and had designed for her a minimal-coverage suit that enabled her to use her powers without breaking any public exposure regs. At least, it had held up so far. They both suspected the material's upper limit was nowhere near Aidoann's.

Down the square concrete pipe Cal went. The pipe, or whatever it was, went fairly deep underground, and, were it not for his superior sight, his sight-that-was-more-than-sight, he'd have been fumbling in the dark. And something told him this was not the place to be doing that.

He found himself in a small, square enclosure, deep underground, smelling of death and decay. All around were the bones of various animals, and over by one corner were several rocks placed in a circle. But what really drew his attention was the opposite corner: facing the wall were four well-preserved human skulls. They were side by side, and every single one was turned facing the wall.

For some reason, that sent chills along his arms. "Aidoann? Can you see what I'm seeing?" As per standard practice, they both wore body cams, and Cal's was infrared-enabled, with an infrared emitter in case of total darkness.

"Yes, I can, Cal. You're in somethin's lair. I think that's fairly obvious."

"But what?"

"Somethin' intelligent, Cal. No animal would arrange skulls in tha' position. I'm thinkin' ye maybe should be a gettin' oot o'there. Until we know more."

"Alright. Well, there's nothing to see down here anyw-*" But even as he said it, he noticed some scratches on the wall, some strangely symmetrical scratches, scratches gouged into the hard concrete itself. Four parallel scratches at intervals, spaced along the wall. "Frank? You seeing this?"

"Indeed I am. And I agree with Ms. McCloud. There's no reason for you to remain there, and several good ones to leave. I think you've gleaned all the information you can from that one spot, anyway."

"Okay, I'm coming up."

Topside: Aidoann waited nervously as Cal ascended the pipe, or vent. She kept scanning around her with both her natural senses and the sensors the People had provided. Nothing.

Wait. Was that a rustling in the leaves, just over to one side? Instantly, Aidoann was on her guard, in her fire form already. Her body cam was a casualty of her transformation, as was always the case, but Cal would be joining her in a moment, so an accurate reading should be preserved…

She heard a sound like a cross between a sigh and a growl. But where was it coming from?

Cal emerged from the pipe, seeing her in her fire form. He raised an eyebrow, and she gestured at the spot where she thought she had heard the sound. He turned his attention to the area.

There was nothing there. He probed the area with his own sight, finding nothing. "Frank? Are you seeing anything we don't?"

"I'm getting a bit of a spike in radiation levels, but it's hard to pin down. Infrared shows nothing."

"Well, I know there's somethin' here. I can sense it. And it's no' happy aboot our bein' here."

"Aidoann's right, Frank. I can tell there's something here, something unnatural."

"Supernatural?"

"Not like that. But something that shouldn't be. Something we can't leave alive." He turned to his partner. "Aidoann, get ready. Give me a fire spread."

"Aye, Kid." And the agent of Hastur shot her flames out in a wide area, heedless of the danger of starting a fire. After all this place had been through, a wildfire would be a gentle spring rain by comparison.

The fire spread out, covering a large radius around them and the strange square vent. Something coughed, not a normal human cough, but a cough like an African lion might give. Something big.

All at once, the dry, dead leaves rippled, and coalesced into a long, snakelike form, with two powerful looking arms from behind its reptilian head. As soon as it appeared, the thing leaped at the two, claws extended.

Aidoann caught it with a fire blast, which knocked it back. It scarcely touched the ground but rebounded, its coils thrashing and writhing in a disturbing way, and uncoiled its whole body straight out at Cal, like a spring, knocking him aside. Then, with amazing speed, the creature slipped into the vent and disappeared down it.

"Cal!" Aidoann ran over to him, careful not to get too close, as she was still in her fire form. The fires she'd started showed no signs of spreading; Cal wondered if the radiation could be responsible for that. He didn't see how. "Are you alrright?"

"I'm fine, Aidoann. Just got the wind knocked out of me, is all. It still down there?" He nodded towards the vent that led to the underground bungalow.

"Yes, I was watching, I didnae' see it emerge."

He stood up. "Then I have to go down and get it." She gulped and nodded; that had been the understanding all along: they couldn't just leave the whatever it was. It was a proven killer, and, left alone, would probably kill again. "You just be careful. Tha' thing's prob'ly got a head full a' poison, and it might even affect you."

Back down the pipe Cal went, readying his magical weapons, his spells. There was the defensive spell, which would form a brief force-field around him, the offensive ones, such as the pure force blast, the TK grab….and he hoped they'd be enough.

He dropped lightly to the floor of the thing's lair, instantly turning to face it. It was the same coloration as the dry, desiccated surroundings up above, but down here, and especially moving around as it was, such camouflage was useless.

He turned to face it, readying his spells. Whatever this thing was, whatever it had once been, it was a killer now. He had to-*

"Moy." For a moment, Cal didn't understand, not being prepared to hear actual words from the monster. The creature turned away from him, scrabbling, scratching at the walls, as though trying to get away, producing more of those parallel scratches. "Moy. Moy."

So the thing could speak. Hardly surprising; many animals could mimic human speech….

But then it turned back to him, clutching something in its arms, holding it to its body closely. He squinted to make it out. It was a book. "Moy. Moy." And his translator finally translated the word into English: "Mine."

…

He was silent on the way back, remaining in his "Kid Kthulhu" form. Aidoann looked over at him sympathetically. "Ye did the right thing, Cal. You could'nae leave the creature back there, to cause more harm. This way…this way is better."

He sighed. "Yeah." Then, he stole a glimpse at the sleeping reptilian form coiled behind them, bound by the strongest chains they'd been able to find, and deep in enchanted sleep. "But I'm still gonna get 'talked to,' I'm sure."

"We can learn more about it alive than dead. Surely Brother Elder will see that."

Innsmouth was coming up on the radar, and the People's tower control was already synching up with their computers. The days when human pilots had to physically navigate their crafts onto the runways were way in the past, given the People's technology. An electronic "handshake," and the autopilot handled it from there, with minimal human involvement. "So how does it feel," Aidoann said, a teasing look in her eyes, "to have someone waitin' for ye when ye come home? Someone who's so verra' special?"

It was a mark of his increasing maturity that he didn't blush. "It…it feels nice, Aidoann. I mean…abyss, I've known I've loved Kris for a long time now, but I just never was honest enough with myself to admit the depth of it. Or to her. Doing so…is an enormous relief."

"An' see, there ye were, all those years, denyin' yuirself, tellin' yuirself how bad it would be if she found out…and now look."

He nodded. "I know, Aidoann. It's just…I guess I was scared."

Aidoann rolled her eyes. "Men. 'Tis a wonder the species survived this long."

Cal smiled in return. He felt sorta the same way.

…

Cal ducked and dodged yet again as another piece of bric-a-brac came his way. "Can't be—leeve you'd do me this way!" Kris was livid, looking around for something else to throw. She'd already exhausted pretty much all the small objects, there in the below-ground apartment they'd reserved for her, and was eyeing the blu-ray player.

"Kris, will you listen to me? I never once said I wanted you off the team! All I said was, I just wanted you to take it easy for a little while! Kris! You just had a freaking heart transplant, for Hydra's sake! I just want you fully recovered, that's all!"

All of a sudden, she seemed to break, and started to sob. "You—you just wanna be out there with Miss Hot and Naked…I'm just in the way."

He came over and took her in his arms. "Now you're just being plain silly. Kris, you're the one I love. If I haven't made that perfectly clear by now, well, I don't know what more I can do. Aidoann's a colleague, and, yes, a friend. But come on. Do you really think there's anything between us? Really?"

She lay her head against him. "N-no. It's just…oh, I don't know what it is. I, I just feel so useless lying around here like this."

"You're not useless, and you're not lying around here, either. Brother Tanis has told me all about your progress. But come on…heart surgery, Kris? That sort of thing kinda takes it out of ya. Are you really surprised?"

"I…I guess not. It's just…I guess I always saw the movies, TV shows, where the guy, the girl just bounces right back up like they're made outta rubber or somethin'."

"I don't want you to push yourself. I did tell Brother Tanis about that, but he was way ahead of me. Just take it nice and slow. I want you back by my side. And," and here he pulled her close, his whispers barely audible in her ear, "watching my back. Still not sure I trust you-know-who, and let's face it: Aidoann is an unknown, still. No matter how you look at it, her group is opposed to ours."

She clutched him. "Cal…what about that? Would you…would you really help usher in the reign of the Old Ones, again? I mean…really?"

Again that barest whisper in her ear: "Don't know yet. You seen the news lately? The Old Ones could easily end up being the lesser of two evils. But no matter what, I'm in this, at least for now."

But then he drew back, looking her full in the face. Kris hadn't felt like applying her usual makeup lately, and he honestly couldn't tell the difference. She was beautiful, no matter what. He turned her face up to his. "But what matters most to me, right now, is you getting better. I need you for more than just watching my back."

…

Cal, Kris, Frank, Aidoann, and Brother Elder were in the observation room, watching the creature on the closed circuit TV. It apparently needed no furniture, simply coiling itself in a corner. "So what's the book?" asked Cal.

"A Russian grade school primer. Very simple, aimed at ages six to eight, or thereabouts." On the screen, the creature read its book, turning the pages very carefully. It actually seemed rather content, unlike a wild animal.

Brother Elder turned to Frank, the Fantastic Battle Brain. "Frank? Deductions, educated guesses?"

The blue-skinned man with the transparent skull nodded. "Several. For starters, I'm fairly sure this creature was never human. Not nearly enough time has lapsed to account for genetic variation…and it would have to be pretty severe variation. Besides, most mutants are not viable. I see nothing about this creature that indicates that. It's not a malformed freak, in other words.

"As to what it could be: we've checked with Aidoann's Family, and they have no record of any such creature. It matches no characteristics of They of the Air, so I doubt Yog-Sothoth's group is involved. And we've checked with the Servants of Yig; the Father of Serpents denies any relation. Obviously nothing to do with the Silent Eternal Ones. And, of course, it's nothing of ours.

"You wanted educated guesses? I think we're looking at a visitor from another world. Maybe its ship crashed here, and…it befriended a Russian family? Hence the book, and the limited vocabulary. Then, the accident, and the family got moved out. The liquidators moved in, killing everything in sight. Maybe it hid at first; food wouldn't have been difficult to obtain. But as time went by…the only food left was what walked in on two feet, carrying guns. In a way, you can hardly blame it. That is, if that's the case." He paused. "All this is just a possibility, of course. But if so, it was a world-class version of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So what do we do with it?" asked Cal.

"Unsure." Brother Elder steepled his fingers in front of his face. "We obviously can't just let it go. It has nowhere to go. Its ship is probably impounded in some Russian version of Area 51….we may need to investigate that, and soon. That's assuming it didn't crash so hard pieces of it aren't strewed across the tundra.

"But…we don't know if Frank's supposition is accurate or not. How do we prove the thing's intelligence?" As they watched, the creature used its two forelegs, the only ones it had, which were armed with what looked like very sharp claws, three "fingers," and an opposable "thumb," to gently turn the pages of the book. "We've had eye-tracking software watching it. It's not reading the pages; its eyes track up, down, sideways, and diagonally. But it seems to linger on certain words, and, of course, pictures interest it greatly."

But even as they watched, one of those razor-sharp-looking claws passed over a page, tearing the page ever so slightly. A look of what could only be described as horror crossed the thing's alien countenance, and it pressed the book down on the floor, trying to press the page back together.

"Got an idea," said Cal, jumping to his feet, and grabbing a Scotch tape dispenser. "Let's see just how intelligent it is."

"Mr. Michaels! Mr. Michaels! You will not, I repeat, will not-*" But Cal was already at the door to the secure room.

Cautiously, he opened the door, having already shifted to his "Kid Kthulhu" form. He was far less vulnerable that way. The creature froze, watching him from across the room, even as it still tried to press the page back into its previous state.

Cal eased a little ways into the room. He held up the tape dispenser. "Tape," he said. "For you. Help you." Too late, he regretted not having switched on his translator. "Frank? Translate for me, would'ja?"

"chtoby pomoch' vam…"

Slowly, he approached the thing.

"Calvin Brody Michaels, if you go and get yourself killed, I swear I'll never speak to you again!" He smiled; same old Kris. He wouldn't have her any other way.

Slowly, cautiously, he tore off a piece of tape, and slowly, ever so slowly, reached over to the book, keeping his gaze on the thing at all times. It returned the favor, its coils bunched. He was reminded of how Earthly snakes have to coil before they can strike…

He carefully placed the tape over the tear in the page, then backpedalled softly towards the door. He left the tape dispenser behind him.

Once back in the observation room, he was met by a hard look from Brother Elder. "Mr. Michaels. We really need to have a talk about the importance of following orders."

He nodded. "You're probably right, but this was just too good an opportunity to miss. Have you kept watching it?"

"I have," murmured Frank, even as Kris came into his arms, embracing him and, at the same time, pounding him on the chest ("Don't you ever do me that way again!"). "An excellent tactical move, Calvin."

"Now, don't go encouraging him, Frank."

"Oh, no. But look." Their attention was once again drawn to the creature on the screen.

Satisfied that its precious book was as repaired as it could be, the creature turned its attention to the tape dispenser. It peeled off a strip of clear tape, and, predictably, got it stuck all over its clawed hands. But unlike an animal, such as a dog or cat, it did not thrash about, but instead looked very closely at the tape, and, very carefully, peeled it away from its hands. It quite deliberately examined the tape, taking note of how only one side was sticky. "People," Cal said, leaning up against the back of a chair. "That's just not animal behavior."

"I concur. I think my previous assessment is closer than ever to being right. We're looking at a visitor. Wrong place, very much wrong time."

"Then we'll have to treat it that way," replied Brother Elder. "I'll get the translation people on it tonight. And we'll see to its comfort…after all, we do wish to be civilized. Now." He turned to Cal, Kris, and Aidoann, a slight smile on his normally severe countenance. "You three have something to attend to. Meet back here tomorrow morning, and we'll go over what we've found out."

Cal was mystified. "Something to attend to? Er, what do you mean?" Even as the two girls each took him by an elbow and expertly guided him out of the room.

"You're his intended," Aidoann said to Kris. "So, 'tis only fair you should get in the firrst blow."

…

The next day: Cal met with Brother Elder, back in the observation room. There hadn't been much change made to the alien's quarters; Brother Elder explained it. "We've identified the species. Our visitor is a Xiclotl, from a world out around the star humans had designated LHS 3003, in the constellation Hydra. The bad news is, the Xiclotl are not very good with alien languages, due to their more rigid mouth structure. I've got Frank working on a translator." He turned to the young operative, noticing the bruise on his face. "I see Ms. Simone got her point across."

"Yeah." Cal worked his jaw back and forth a few times. "I guess you could say that."

"We've an excellent dental policy, should you need it. However, it is to be hoped that you won't rush in where angels fear to tread next time."

At that point, Frank, the Fantastic Battle Brain, entered, carrying a device resembling a thick tablet, with another device like a speaker for a cell phone connected to it by a thin USB cable. "Ah, there we are. Cal? You're just in time to see if this device works. Mind taking this into our guest's room?"

"Me?"

"You showed no hesitation before. Plus, our guest should recognize you as a friend, or at least as a non-enemy, since you helped it repair its book."

Cal glanced at Brother Elder, who shrugged. "Might as well. The creature knows you by now, and should see you as non-threatening."

Cal entered the room where the creature was. Once again, it stopped reading its book and stared at him in a way that made him uncomfortable. He placed the speaker device in the middle of the room, and backed out, never taking his eyes off the coiled alien.

Back in the observation room. "Alright. Now what?" Just then, Kris and Aidoann entered, glancing at the alien behind the glass.

"Now we see how accurate our old records of Xiclotl speech is." And Frank spoke into a microphone. They could hear the speaker in the room emitting a hissing, sibilant sound, replete with clickings and pops and a couple of sounds Cal couldn't readily assign a name to. The creature in the room stopped and stared at the speaker, its book forgotten, for once. Frank spoke several sentences into the microphone on the tablet. "We are friends. We are the People. Who are you?"

The creature looked at the one-way glass, then began to make sounds of its own: more hissings, clicks, poppings, and those strange sounds Cal couldn't identify. There was a moment as the processor in the tablet Frank had cobbled together translated. Then, "Who you? Where I? Where *{static}. What happened to {more static}. What is….what is this place?"

"Fascinating," murmured Frank. "An almost perfect translation, lacking some verbs, and from records at least six thousand Earth years old." He took the microphone and spoke into it. "You are among friends. We are the People, followers of Great Cthulhu, and the Great Old Ones. We do not know how you came to be here. Can you tell us?"

Gradually, the story emerged. The alien's name was completely untranslatable, of course, and virtually unpronounceable, so they settled for calling it "Ssithiss." It was as good a name as any, and incorporated part of the alien's own name. It had come here many years ago, but its ship had suffered a malfunction and had crashed in the northern part of the Ukraine. That had been many years ago. It had been injured, but was able to apply what was for its kind first aid. But it was all alone, and still injured. Then, one day, two young humans had happened by and managed to spy it. Its camouflage wasn't good enough for it to totally disappear. For reasons known only to them, the young humans had sought to aid the injured creature, bringing it food, binding its wounds, and—most important of all—not reporting it to the authorities. But it had languished there in the forest. Its ship had been damaged beyond repair, but it had been hopeful that it could construct a communications device, to send for its people. The family (actually, the children) who'd adopted it had been completely ignorant of the Great Old Ones. "You followers of Great Cthulhu?"

"Yes, we are."

"Praise be to Old Ones! Despair beginning. Found someone have I who can help us!"

"Help you? What is wrong?"

"My world in great danger! The Spawn of Ygdrll at war us. Danger of being overcome, killed, all of us!"

…..

The group conferred in Brother Elder's office. "Evidently, ours isn't the only world in danger of being 'judged,'" he said. "If what we're being told is true—and I see no reason why it should be otherwise—the Silent Eternal Ones are actively pursuing a genocidal war on Ssithiss's home world. Whereas here, they seek to upset the balance, there they are actively at war with the populace."

"Where is this world, that the creature hails from?" asked Aidoann

"It's a planet circling a star known as LHS 3003, in the constellation Hydra. Only about twenty-one light years away. The natives call it Sshtor 'al' Vere, which, in their language means, basically 'Home of the Species.' Were we to translate it to our own phrasing, using their nomenclature, we'd probably call it 'Manhome,' or something close.

"And, from what Ssthiss was able to tell us, it is a world at war."

"Ssithiss was chosen for this assignment because of his youth and flexible mind. He was to seek out other enclaves of Old One worship, and seek help. Needless to say, from what he's told us, that things are a good deal worse where he comes from. They don't seem to have any organization analogous to us, or Aidoann's people. So they're basically defenseless."

"So….what do we do, sir?" Cal had learned a long time ago that Brother Elder had a plan for just about everything. Including the end of the world.

Brother Elder's face took on a most sober expression. "It is now more important than ever to establish communications with the King in Yellow, in far distant Carcosa. I had hoped we'd be able to use the Shining Trapezohedron for that, but our latest intel tells us the crystal is probably in the Elder Things' home base, in Antarctica. We need to retrieve it for more than one reason.

"But one thing that appears to be unavoidable. We—our agents, you, in other words—must journey to far distant Carcosa and confer with the King in Yellow in person.

"However, I am drawing up plans for an assault on the Elder Things' base in Antarctica. Now." He turned at looked at the young people. "Mr. Michaels, Miss McCloud, would you mind stepping outside for a moment? I have some matters to discuss with Ms. Simone."

Cal and Aidoann looked at each other. Cal gave Kris a hug and joined the agent of Hastur out in the hallway. "You know what he's going to ask her, do ye not?"

In the office: Kris had taken a seat in front of Brother Elder's desk. "I think I know what you're about to ask me."

"Indeed?"

"Yeah. You wanna know if…if I'll be a liability to the team on this mission. Right?"

Pause. "Yes. When you first woke up, after the heart transplant, you were heard to mention that 'the voices had stopped.' I gather these 'voices' were the Elder Things, attempting to communicate or control you. Or am I wrong?"

"No. You're right. I called 'em voices, but, but that's not what they were. It was more like a, a continuous pressure to do certain things."

"What was it like, for you, before you were transplanted?"

Kris shook her head. "I don't remember anything about that. Nothing. My first memory is waking up in some enormous cavern-like place, with all these creatures around. Of course I knew who and what they were, and that I was one too, but, but….it was different for me. It's like, for the first time, I was on the outside looking in.

"I knew I was supposed to buddy up to, and betray, Cal. But….something happened. I don't know what. I mean, yeah, I met him, okay, he's the mark, the target—you understand I'm using the best human-like terms I can—I knew I was supposed to, to, get with him, somehow, get him to trust me, and, and then…then put a knife in him. Or something like that. Maybe bring him to the Elder Things. Either one would've worked. But…. it's like….once I got to know him as a person, it, it somehow made me more of a person. And that…made him more important to me than, than…well. Than doing what they wanted. It's like, for the first time I wasn't thinking of the Elder Things as 'We.' I began seeing 'em as a 'they.' In other words, not me." She shrugged. "I don't know what it means. I'm just telling you how it seemed.

"But…" and here, Kris dropped her gaze, "I, I guess I can understand your suspicions. If…if you don't think I should be on the team anymore…well, I guess I can't blame you."

Brother Elder leaned forward across his desk. "Ms. Simone. It's true, I actively discouraged any involvement with you when you first came to our attention. I did my best to strongly dissuade young Mr. Michaels from having anything to do with you. But as you've seen…" And here Brother Elder gave a tight, rare smile, "where you are concerned, he is remarkably resistant to persuasion.

"And it cannot be denied that ever since you've come to my attention, your every action has been of a positive nature. You've shared risks with our operative, and, to be honest, proven yourself to me, at least. I won't lie and say there is no room for legitimate concerns….but do you think you will be able to maintain your individuality, your personality, in the very heart of the Elder Things' lair? I'm asking you seriously. If not, now is the time to say so. It will not reflect badly upon you to admit to a possible vulnerability."

Kris was silent for a long, long time. Finally, she spoke up. "All I know is, I'd sooner die than betray Cal."

"Then," said Brother Elder, standing up, "we'll go with that."

….

Brother Elder called a roundtable meeting. "Alright. Here's what we know. Ssithiss's people are under siege, basically, from the Elder Things. There's no question but that's going to disturb the balance. They sent their emissaries to ask for help. We've got our own problems, but nothing to the degree they do. They're not that far away, in relative terms; should the Outer Gods decided to take a hand there, there's no reason to think they'll stop there.

"And our own intel is telling us that the Spawn have been active, especially in the area around Chernobyl. That makes sense. It's an extremely hot subject, in more than one sense of the word. The Russians don't like to admit it even exists, and strenuously avoid any outside intervention. So there's a definite risk that their actions there will remain unchecked.

"One option that's open to us is a full-scale military assault on their main base in Antarctica. That's the oldest and strongest base they have. A victory there would not only restore the balance, it would take out a vital control center for them. Needless to say, it is heavily defended."

"Sir?" Cal spoke up. "I take it we can do this, in terms of sheer military power, we've the means, but wouldn't that sorta make the news? To put it mildly? There's no way that could be construed as a covert action."

"Yes, of course. But we do have certain highly placed officials in both the United Nations, NATO and her allies, as well as control over some major petroleum concerns. Drilling in the Antarctic ice cap would be nothing completely unexpected, and we do expect to do some drilling, believe you me. Plus, this option has the advantage of possibly securing the Shining Trapezohedron, which we believe to be held there." He paused a moment. "I feel the time has come for us to take a more proactive stance. The Elder Things have been very active, establishing colonies in many different locales, often completely unknown to any inhabitants there. I can foresee a time when we may need to take action in a much more open way, if we're to even hold our own. If we could just re-establish relations with far distant Carcosa, we could conceivably acquire assistance from the King in Yellow. But if we cannot locate the Shining Trapezohedron, the only other way to do that is to journey there in person. And that," here he leaned back and sighed. "presents its own problems."

Cal looked straight at him. "If my vote counts anything, I'm all for it. I'll lead our forces into the Spawn's stronghold myself."

But both Brother Elder and Frank were shaking their heads. "Inadvisable under these conditions, Mr. Michaels. The day may come when you will be needed to lead our people, but this is not that day."

"And don't you even dare think about risking your butt out there, Calvin Michaels," said Kris. "I've got too many plans for you…and that butt."

He turned in his seat and looked at her, and, not for the first time, Kris marveled at how different he was now. Before all this, he'd been just Cal Michaels, high school student. But now, she could see the resolve in his eyes. The purpose. And yes, the love.

He'd been a boy. Now he was a man.

"They almost took you from me, Kris. That makes it personal."

She pulled over closer to him. "Hey," she whispered, "You ain't gettin' rid of me that easy."

Looking at them from across the table, Aidoann felt her throat tighten just a bit.

Cal, Aidoann, and Kris were in the People's mobile command center, a massive aircraft carrier hovering high over the Antarctic. This was the first time Cal had seen the People stage a full scale military action. It was impressive.

For starters, there were thermite boring bombs, remotely controlled, designed to burrow as deep into the ice shield as possible. Then, once the rocky surface had been reached, there were the disintegration bombs: shaped charges designed to explode in sync with, and strengthen, the vibration of each previous charge, building a harmonic vibration designed to crumble even the hardest stone. Then the standard bombs, bunker-busters, as the Silent Eternal Ones were no doubt dwelling within the deep caverns, beyond the reach of any ordinary weapon.

And all this was just the distraction.

Cal, Kris, Aidoann and Brother Elder reviewed the soldiers selected for the actual invasion process. It came as a shock to Aidoann, at least, that they were not human.

Ranging anywhere from six to eight feet tall, they could best be described as anthropomorphic frogs, with the characteristics of fish. Each of them had a fine coating of scales, which Brother Elder explained served as a kind of natural body armor, two legs, and two arms. They wielded what appeared to be spears with oddly-shaped heads, sort of a cross between a trident and a battle axe. The sharp eye could detect the beam emitters in the tip of the weapons, and Cal and the rest had been given a demonstration of the power of said beams, which seemed to be more like particle cannon than anything like a laser or maser. Whatever the beams touched blew up most enthusiastically; Cal could just imagine what they could do in a confined space.

These were the People's shock troops, highly trained and absolutely dedicated to the ideals of the People, and the Deep Ones. And utterly loyal to Mighty Cthulhu.

And, Brother Elder explained, that meant they were utterly loyal to him. The Scion of their god.

That…was a very sobering experience for him.

Aidoann had had some misgivings about that. Once again, she was struck by the basic difference between her group's goals and the People's. The People, along with the Deep Ones, were committed to ushering in the reign of Cthulhu, when the stars would be right, and the sunken city of R'lyeh once again rose to the surface. She, her Family, was committed to just the opposite: they were dedicated to opposing the Great Old Ones and all their schemes and plans. By rights, she and Cal should be mortal enemies. He was the actual son of Cthulhu, while she was the daughter of Hastur. Two opposing goals. Sometimes she lay awake at night, unable to sleep, wondering about that.

Her Family had given her leave to associate with and to train with Calvin and Kris. But to what end? She dearly hoped she wasn't supposed to be a spy, reporting back on enemy strengths, weaknesses, and movements. And, in fact, her Family had made no such requests, which made even less sense, actually.

Some nights she'd been unable to sleep. Like tonight. She found herself in the commissary, trying to still her mind enough to get some sleep.

"Mind if I join you?" Kris had come up beside her, her hair tousled. Aidoann thought admiringly that Kris always seemed to look fresh, somehow. She was wearing a man's bathrobe that was three sizes too big for her.

"O'course not. Pull up a chair." Kris did so, and sat down across the table from the Scots girl. Aidoann noticed she did seem exhausted, as though she hadn't been getting much sleep herself, lately. "Could'nae sleep?"

"No. Although for a different reason than yours, I'm sure."

Aidoann started a bit. "Why, whatever are ye talkin' aboot?"

Kris smiled tiredly. "Oh, come on, Aidoann. I understand your problem. You told us yourself. Your group opposes the Great Old Ones; yet, here you are, working with a group that's all for 'em. If you didn't wonder about…a few things…it wouldn't be natural."

Aidoann blew out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding. "'Tis true. I…wonder. I cannae ask you to go against what you believe in…but we're idealistically opposed. I doon't want us to be enemies, Kris! Now or ever."

Kris reached over and laid her hand on Aidoann's wrist. "Maybe we won't be. There's gotta be a reason—a good reason—why your people told you it was okay to work with us. You haven't been asked to spy on us, so there's gotta be some area or areas where we…overlap, goal-wise. I mean, it's the only thing that makes sense."

"So I'm figurin' for myself."

"But there's more, isn't there?"

Aidoann was still as stone for a moment, then nodded. "Aye. There's…more."

Kris's hand hadn't left the other girl's wrist. "You wonder what you'd do if you were ordered to attack us. Am I right?"

There was a long, long moment. Then, once again, Aidoann nodded. "I…I wonder."

"What have you answered yourself?"

Aidoann looked off out the window. Except for them, there was no one else in the commissary. "The both of you would haveta have become verra' different people than the ones I know now. I…I could'nae bring myself to harm my friends." She wouldn't meet Kris's gaze.

Kris nodded. "I sorta feel the same way. We've grown to be the best of friends lately, you with us. And that's why I have a favor to ask of you, Aidoann."

Now Aidoann looked up at Kris, to meet such an intense look that it made her look away. "A favor?"

"Yes." Kris's fingers curled around Aidoann's wrist. "And I don't want this going any further. Maybe it will never have to. But…in this upcoming mission, or for that matter any you're along on, but especially this one…I want you to promise me something. Something very serious."

"What?"

"I want you to promise me….that if it should look like I might be falling under the control of the Elder Things again…I want you to promise to kill me. No hesitation; just kill me."

"What?! Kris!"

"I mean it, Aidoann! I won't go back to being a mindless thrall in that hive mind again. I especially won't betray Cal! If it looks like either might be happening….!"

"Kris! I, I could'nae…."

"You're the only one who can, Aidoann! The only one I could trust to do it! You know me well enough to know if I've changed or not! Now promise me! Or would you rather have me zombie-fied, with everything I know about the People, and your own Family, for that matter, siphoned off into that group mind of a batch of monsters? Would you have me turn into just another monster?"

"I, I…Kris! I doon't know if I could do that!"

Kris squeezed her wrist. "You'd have to, Aidoann. For my sake. For everybody's sake. Now, come on! Promise me!"

Aidoann looked at her friend, and saw the fear in Kris's eyes, the fear that she might betray everything and everyone she loved, and also the steely determination to not let that happen. She drew strength from that. "Okay, Kris. I promise. But you'd better put up one helluva fight first!"

Kris laughed, a nervous release. "I'll do my best."

The two chuckled a bit in relief. "Doon't be dooin' me that way verra often, would'ja? I dinna think m'nerves could handle it." Then, Aidoann asked her, "Had ye not best be gettin' back to him?"

"Hm? Oh, you…you think I…uh…no, Aidoann. I'm still in my own room. Cal and I haven't…you know."

"Oh?" A sly expression crossed Aidoann's flawless features. "An' why not? 'Tis not like it was, when ye were pretendin' to be 'just good friends,' now, is it?"

Kris's face was beet-red. "Well, I-I just mean…I mean, we, we talked it over, and, and we just wanna both be, you know, ready. Like really ready."

"Mm-hm. And when d'ye suppose ye'll get ready? Sometime in the twenty-eighth century, maybe?"

"Aidoann…"

"Ye've kissed, haven't ye? I mean, like really kissed?"

The flush spread across Kris's face. "Well, uh, yes. I mean…yes, b-but…"

Now Aidoann put her hand on the other girl's. "Kris….all I'm sayin,' is, doon't let fear stop you. Either of you. I'm no expert m'self, but my mum is, and she can tell ye that hesitation, and that feeling of wanting to get things just perfect, is mostly based on fear. But there's no need to fear with the one you love. You know, you really should talk to her sometime aboot things like this. 'Twouldn't be a bad idea. Avail yuirself of her as a resource. Why not?"

But of course, she knew why not. From the outside it was easy to see. While Cal and Kris might well be "officially" an item these days, there were still some areas that neither one was comfortable with, just yet.

Hopefully, they'd overcome that hurdle in the near future.

To be continued….