Sentinel

a science fiction short

by

Jack Hardy
Copyright 2009 Jack Hardy
Smashwords Edition 2013 - US ersion

License Notes
!"" rights reser#ed$ %his e&ook is "icensed for yo'r persona" en(oyment on"y$ )t may not &e re*so"d or gi#en away to other peop"e$ %he !'thor retains f'"" )nternationa" )nte""ect'a" Copyright on a"" materia" herein$ +o part or who"e may &e reprod'ced either physica""y or e"ectronica""y or stored in a data&ase or retrie#a" system witho't the !'thor,s prior permission$ %he right of Jack Hardy to &e identified as the so"e !'thor of this work has &een asserted in accordance with sections -- and -. of the Copyright /esigns and 0atents !ct 19.. and 'nder the US Copyright !ct of 19-1$ %hank yo' for respecting the hard work of this !'thor$

Also available by Jack Hardy GRASK a far-future science fiction frolic

Contents
I> II > III > IV > V> VI > VII > VIII >

I>
Gates knew he was being followed. As a fugitive, hed gone to great lengths to geneticallyenhance his sensory inputs, specifically those for the purpose of aintaining his freedo . !he aug entations had cost hi dearly. An e"tortionate a ount in any ones fortune but #ust a fraction of that which hed illegally appropriated fro those presently doing the chasing. $t was orning on lackluster Adge, fourth planet of the Aeglia %yste . !win suns busily burning off a thick lac&uering of fouls elling dew, turning the lush alien world into an openair sauna. Adge wasnt his favorite place on the 'i . $t was far too hot and far too crowded. !oo any #ungles swar ing with fatal fauna. (ut beggars couldnt be choosers. Adge was a stepping stone. A planethop to his ne"t hidey hole. )ith sweat varnishing his oily skin, Gates e erged into one of the any arkets that lined the colonys twisting thoroughfares, and paused to catch his breath. His genes had been nurtured in cooler cli es. *ever any need to co bat such sapping hu idity. $f he hadnt co e prepared he would have drowned in his own sweat by now. He co anded his skintight undergar ent to cool the oisture leaking fro his skin, then continued on his way. !he colonys arketplace was an ant nest of activity. +ibrant colors and pungent odors. (anging usic and shrill noise. !ee ing with colonists and e"traterrestrials alike. $t was a good place to ingle, to dissolve, to hide ... but aybe not for a an twice the height of the local inhabitants. Gates pulled up his hood and stooped on. !he tail had been following hi all day. A shadow oving a ong shadows. ,iscreetly distanced. -ollowing Gates through the a.e of cluttered streets and colorful ba.aars. *ever too close and yet never too far always showing #ust enough presence to keep Gates alert and on his toes. Gates had wondered how the authorities had finally gotten their act together sufficiently enough to trace hi all the way to lackluster Adge. After all, hed assu ed at least a do.en new identities since his last encounter with a halfwit law enforcer. %o eone had done their ho ework. /r aybe a disgruntled ,*A scanner had s&uealed at the spaceport. Gates assu ed his pursuer was a bounty hunter0 he recogni.ed the techni&ues. !he shadow could successfully anticipate Gates own actions. 1redict his every ove al ost. 'eactions too slick to be those of a cop. !wice Gates had thought hed anaged to outwit his relentless tracker. And twice his evasion had been cleverly out aneuvered. !his shadow was good. (ut Gates was better. )ith one sweaty pal per anently wrapped around the blaster in his pocket, Gates was as ready as he could be for the inevitable challenge. $t would co e, all right. And when it did only one of the would walk away fro the faceoff. A long list of fallen hunters lay behind hi . A trail spanning half the Ar . /ne ore would ake little difference. A test of his skills and an inconvenience to his ti e, thats all it would turn out to be. Gates was yet to eet his atch. He sidestepped a s&uir ing *uurnwor and slipped between two stalls, i ediately picking up the pace. !he congested ba.aar eandered its way along the street as far as the eye could see, laced with rising snakes of stea and flashing neon advertise ents. A thick ledge of grey cloud was oving in fro the west, like a floating, dirty glacier encroaching upon the town. !hat eant rain. And rain coupled with the heat of the two suns eant ore hu idity. Gates hunkered into his raincoat and kept his face downturned. Adge was a du p. A typical overcrowded frontier town on a newlyestablished 'i colony on the assend of nowhere. And that was being nice. As with any such

outposts, Adge en#oyed all the trappings of a place far re oved fro the watchful eye and clenched fist of Glo erate %pace. !he blosso ing colony was an interwoven #u ble of gaudy styles and clashing cultures all #ostling for do inance on the s all plateau of bare rock that stuck itself up like a thu b above the alodorous, green isted swa ps cloaking the tiny planet. $t was a ish ash of alien and hu an. A chaotic confluence of traders, settlers and fortune hunters. 2awless and ripe, and safe for runners like Gates. $n a disorgani.ed colony whose nu bers swelled by a thousand new faces every day, it was an ideal place in which to blend unnoticed and un&uestioned fro the overstretched autono ic authority. !o fugitives like Gates, Adge was safe haven. )hat it lacked in finesse it ade up in confusion. /r so he had believed. A glance behind hi told Gates his tail was still wagging. This is becoming tiresome. Gates tongued a stud behind one of his right olars. ,ucked through a shawl of shtreepta beads. 3 erged the other side looking forty years older. *o one see ed to notice the subtle shi ering that had briefly surrounded Gates head, ageing hi by decades in a split second. *o one had noticed his nondescript raincoat thicken out to beco e a long patchwork s ock. (link and it was issed. !he holopro#ection was perfect. Gone were Gates sharp a.ure eyes, his short crop of ver illion hair, his heavy sideburns in their place lay liverspotted #owls, crooked yellowed teeth and a balding pate nestled within a swirl of lank grey hair. He even stooped a little bit ore, #ust to co plete the illusion. Lets see how observant our friend is now, he used. A few inutes later, the sinuous ba.aar erged into a heaving arket s&uare packed with hundreds of da..ling stalls. $n the center, a ragtag band of usicians elevated above the crowds on a floating platfor were tooting their pipes at a group of fla boyantlydressed #uggling acrobats leaping fro one stall canopy to the ne"t. Gates paused at a ultitiered stand bri ing with iridescent candies and picked up a sour suckpop. As he paid the ruddycheeked proprietor, he saw his tail pass by on the other side of the stall, apparently unaware of Gates transfor ation. Thats right, he thought, keep walking, keep looking. Where on Adge have skulked off to! $t was Gates first good look at his shadow. !he an looked like a thespian. He was a lean, narrowfaced hu an with dark sunken eyes, tri goatee beard and a ane of #et black hair. His clothing was une"ceptionally fashionable, per itting hi to ingle effortlessly into the towns a alga of vivid, and so eti es tasteless, styles. 4ore i portantly, Gates geneticallye"tended senses infor ed hi the shadow was ar ed to the hilt. %niggering, Gates lingered long enough to ake certain his tail was swallowed up by the crowd before escaping down a side alley. Third time luck", he chuckled as he left the hustle behind.

II >
$n no ti e at all, Gates was on his own, navigating the narrow streets that crisscrossed the town. $t was arket day. 3veryone who was anyone was down there, either plying their trade or buying wares. Gates eased off his pace. *o need to rush. *o need to look like a runner. His shadow, it see ed, was lost. *ow he could concentrate on procuring a eans to leave this hectic planet before he was tracked down yet again. He ca e to the cobbled alleyway leading back to his attic apart ent. !urned into it. %tarted cli bing the steep incline. !hen stopped dead in his tracks. !he unco pro ising u..le of a percussion blaster was pointing at the hairy gap between Gates eyes, literally centi eters fro his fake nose. Gates knew that Adge had its fair share of bandits0 hed already dispatched one or two of the ore deter ined individuals. 5,ont shoot67 he cackled. He kept his fist clenched around the blaster in his pocket, dislodged the safety. 5$ possess nothing of worth. !his frail old ti er eans you no har .7 As ever, his perfor ance was first class. He even allowed a globule of thick saliva to dangle precariously fro the corner of his pretend lips. 5%ee, $ have nothing for you. *othing e"cept aybe an infection67 Gates false rheu y eyes narrowed as they focused along the blasters thick silver shaft to a fist, an ar , a face, a crooked s ile he recogni.ed within a tri goatee beard. Adrenaline flashed in his chest. 5Ardian Gates.7 !he shadow spoke in a cool onotone that cut Gates clean to the core. 5How nice of you to walk by.7 52et e pass, you scoundrel67 Gates de anded, still brandishing his charade. 5/r $ will su on the authorities and have you forcibly re oved6 $ a well8respected in these parts. )ith contacts in the 9ouncil. $ll have you tar and feathered67 5,o they still do that:7 5$n so e places, yes.7 !he an who had been tailing hi all day shook his head. 5'eally, $ do know who you are beneath that disguise, you know. $ am the authorities, you nitwit. Judge, #ury and e"ecutioner if need be.7 He stuck out a anicured hand. 5*ow, if you would be so kind as to relin&uish your weapon:7 Gates considered his options for a o ent. !he way he saw it, he had two choices; fight or surrender. A fight ight end up essy0 hed already had too any of his li bs regrown over the years to think it would be any other way. %urrender could buy hi precious leverage and ti e. <now thy ene y and all that. !he an oved the guns cool no..le a centi eter through Gates pro#ected guise until it pressed against his real brow. 5!his unleashes a neural pulse capable of frying your synapses, 4r. Gates.7 He said. 5'egrettably, it will not kill you, but it will render you with the $= of a carrot. ,o you like vegetables, 4r. Gates:7 59arnivore.7 Gates answered with a spit. 5+egetables give e gas.7 1laying the ga e, he re oved the blaster fro his pocket and handed it over. And the other one.7 Gates sighed and handed over the hidden gun tucked beneath his ar . 5And now get rid of the disguise ...7 Gates killed the holopro#ection to reveal his tall, bald do e of a head, his long ashen face, his tiny cupshaped ears and his thin slit of a outh. He blinked large, black, bulbous eyes.

!he shadows s ile widened to show i aculate teeth. 5Ah, at last, the real Ardian Gates. -ugitive %i bient. )anted on five planets for the illegal ac&uisition of ore than a do.en priceless possessions. >our holofile does not do you #ustice. >ou are uch tri er in real life.7 5'unning keeps a %i bient fit.7 5$ prefer yoga yself.7 !he shadow kept the blaster tight against Gates pallid forehead while he took a s all blue capsule fro his pocket. 5>ou know the procedure, 4r. Gates. 1lease, swallow this.7 (ehind the no..le, Gates long brow crinkled. 54ust $:7 5>ou ust. $t is an i obili.er,7 the an e"plained. 5%hould you try to flee, this will te porarily deactivate your cerebral corte".7 5How nice.7 5$t is very effective.7 5$ a sure.7 Gates took the bright blue pill and popped it in his outh, aking a dra atic swallowing sound. He opened his outh wide, for inspection. !he shadow see ed satisfied. He lowered the blaster to hip level and took a step back. 5*ow we can both be ore civili.ed.7 Gates spread his hands. 54ay $ ask ..:7 54y na e:7 5$ was thinking ore along the lines of how:7 5)e are all creatures of habit, 4r. Gates. >ou were betrayed by your own behavioral idiosyncrasies. !hat and the tracer olecules sprayed on the last artifact you stole.7 5!hats sneaky.7 5(ut highly a using.7 !he an produced a glowing purple orb fro his pocket about the si.e of an eyeball and held it in front of Gates frowning face. 5>our win was your defeat.7 Gates heart sank0 the shadow had obviously already raided his digs. )hich eant all his identity chips were now rendered useless. 5Alas, purple was never y color.7 5*or luck, it would see .7 !he an urged hi forward with a wave of the blaster. 5!his way, please. )e have a rende.vous to keep.7

III >
!he shadows na e was Gu and he confessed to have been hunting Gates for little over one week. )orking for a aster he was unwilling as yet to reveal. Gu had chased Gates across half the -ringe before finally ho ing in on stinking Adge. !o his own ad ission, Gu was a specialist in tracking prey. (ragging wholeheartedly about his legendary skills as he arched Gates to the rende.vous point. 5Apparently it is genetic,7 he said as they cli bed to the roof of a tall residency block. 5!housands of years ago, y people could track a single deer over half a continent si ply by following its droppings7 54y, you ust be so proud.7 !hey e erged onto a flat rooftop. Gates assu ed a crosslegged position on the lip of the guttering and folded his lanky ar s across his flat chest. -ro here he could survey the istladen swa ps that surrounded the hotchpotch town far below, beneath a saffron sky now choked with churning cloud. He heard Gu whisper into the tip of his collar. As he did so, a bright dot ateriali.ed in the leaden sky, e"panding at a ferocious rate as it sped towards the . $n less than a second it had adopted the fa iliar glassy discshape of a shuttlecraft. $t ca e to a perfect standstill above the rooftop, blasting hot air across the . 5,oesnt look like a prison ship.7 Gates uttered. !he ship settled into a low hover. Gates sei.ed his o ent. $n a blur, he lashed out a foot. 9aught the bounty hunter cleanly in the back of the knee. !he blow sent hi down hard. $n the sa e fluid ove ent, Gates leapt into the air, snatched the blaster fro the falling Gu, and rolled to his own feet. He ai ed the u..le at the ans astonished e"pression and pro ptly regurgitated the blue pill hed been forced to swallow. %pat it over the edge of the roof. 5!he orb, if you will.7 Gates said, flapping fingers. Gu was rubbing a hip. 59rude, yet effective.7 Gates waved the gun i patiently, 5!he orb.7 Gu took the glowing orb fro his pocket and held it aloft. %ub issively, Gu dropped the orb into Gates outstretched hand. 5!hank you so kindly.7 54y displeasure.7 Gates s&uee.ed the trigger. Gus eyes rolled all the way back into their sockets. He shook for a o ent, then flopped onto his back. Groaning. !witched for a few seconds before rolling drunkenly onto his side. A tendril of ucus oo.ing fro his slack outh. Gates stowed the weapon in his ar pouch. 5$ pressive.7 He rifled through the shadows pockets to retrieve his own blaster. %napped the identity chip off his thu bnail and dropped it in a hidden pocket. 5*ice eeting you, 4r. Gu.7 He chirped as he rolled the bounty hunter to the edge of the roof. 5-or aybe a few seconds you were a worthy opponent.7 He put a foot against the shadows back, pushed, and the an disappeared over the edge. A second or two later, he heard a dull thud as the tail et his aker. Gates turned. )alked over to the waiting craft. An oval aperture opened to allow entrance. A an appeared in the doorway. A an with a blaster in his hand. 1ointing directly at the soft spot between Gates eyes. 5$ possible67 He yelped as so ething like an invisible eteor hit hi in the face.

!he world went black before Gates toppled to the roof.

IV >

3verything was .oo ing in and out. 9haotically. A kaleidoscope of colors cra.ily overlapping. 3nough to ake it feel like there was a nest of .ilt wor s ating in the pit of his sto ach. (learily, Gates clawed hi self into a seated position and prayed that the pounding in his head would dissolve. %o ething s elled bad. He reali.ed with so e horror that hed soiled his pants. 3very inch of his skin was tingling, itching. He coughed up a knot of gooey blood and winced as the pain in his head e"ploded. 5$ced tea cures any ail ents.7

Gates cracked open a watery eye, focused on a tu bler of greenish li&uid held before his face. )ith a shaky hand, he accepted the drink and let the cool li&uid soothe his parched throat. 5!here is a change of clothes,7 ca e the voice, 5and a sonic shower in the corner. >ou will find e on the flight deck when youre ready.7 A blurred silhouette beaker fro his hand. oved across Gates blurry vision, scooping the e pty

3"hausted, Gates slid back to the softness of the cot and let the nu bing darkness engulf hi once ore.

V>

He slept like a baby for eight hours straight, then showered, breakfasted and dressed, but not before inspecting his prison cell. $t was a si ple bo"8shaped roo . 4etallic silver, co prising a sonic shower cubicle, an anti8grav cot and a net containing fresh clothes and sundries dangling fro glowing ceiling. !here was a door, invisibly dove8tailed into the sea less wall, that shi ied open whenever he approached. %o, not entirely a prison cell. Judging by the vibrations tickling his geneticallyenhanced senses, Gates concluded he was aboard a #u pship presently negotiating the shadowy real s of supraspace. 9utting through spaceti e fro A to ? with total disregard for the rest of the alphabet. (ound for any one of a handful of planets where his past indiscretions were frowned upon, and lengthy custodial punish ents awaited. Gu had done his #ob well. 3"e plary, in fact. >et precisely how hed anaged to survive the fall and then iraculously ateriali.e in the shuttlecraft re ained a ystery to Gates. And Gates despised ysteries. #ver" man has his price, he re inded hi self as he gu..led iced tea. $u is e%ceptional, but not an e%ception. He spent so e ti e e"a ining the cylindrical corridor connecting his cell to the flight deck, before accepting there was no visible eans to escape the #u pship. *o sign of any other roo s. 9oncealed, no doubt, and unwilling to appear at his co and. !he flight deck was a transparent do e clinging like a wart to the nose of the #u pship. A pair of flight couches on swivel bases. %everal colorful holo8pro#ections detailing ships syste s. Gates stepped into the s all, twilit bubble. His captor, Gu, glanced up fro a holopro#ected star ap and s iled. 5Good orning, Ardian. $ trust you slept well:7 a

Gates leaned on the back of one of the chairs, letting his enhanced senses absorb every facet of his surroundings, analy.e, co pute, calculate. 5As well as a pulveri.ed brain can slu ber. 4ay $ ask where we are bound:7 5>ou Gates 5(ut $ a 5!hen ay.7 ade an e"pression that would have raised an eyebrow had he had one. not at liberty to answer.7 Gu added. ay $ at least know how:7

Gus s ile lingered. $t was one of those annoying s iles that wouldnt look out of place on a clown.

54olecular agents coating the blaster.7 5$nert until they sensed 5At which point they i blackout.7 59lever.7 5$ndeed. %ubtle but effective. /ne of 5And you:7 He saw Gu draw a deep breath. 'ub at his pointy beard. !hink about his response. 5$ often e ploy clones in situations $ dee risky to y health.7 He said. 5>ou ust understand. 9apturing one as deadly as the great Ardian Gates ...7 5>ou flatter e.7 y favorites.7 y ,*A.7 ediately began a countdown to your inevitable

Gu spread his hands. 5>our ethods are unorthodo" and yet productive.7 Gates nodded. 5!o go to such lengths for a si ple anti&uities thief is &uite e"traordinary.7 52ike you, $ a perfectionist.7

5And a handso ely rewarded perfectionist at that.7 He saw Gus eyes narrow. 54y dear, Ardian. -inancial gain is not y otivating factor.7

5$ find that hard to digest given that the rewards for y capture are astrono ical. !he orbs worth alone which $ notice you have taken back is esti ated beyond the gross national product of so e s all planets.7 51erhaps.7 5$t is a fact.7 5And it re ains undisputed. (ut $ reiterate; financial incentives are of little interest to e.7 5!hen you are not saint.7 5How so:7 5(ecause only a saint would offer his services free of charge.7 Gus s ug s ile was back. erely an e"ceptional bounty hunter, 4r. Gu, you are also a

5Alas, the age of chivalry is long dead. (ut of course, you are right had $ been a bounty hunter. !he cost of tracking you to Adge alone would cripple ost s all banking institutions. (eing that $ a not a bounty hunter, $ have no fee to recover.7 -or the first ti e since sensing the shadow tailing hi , Gates e"perienced a o ent of uncertainty. 5!hen what is your gain:7 59ontinued friendship.7 5-riendship:7 Gates al ost choked on the word. 5(i.arre as it ay sound, yes.7 isdirected or

5>ou have captured e for a friend: !hat is bi.arre6 >ou are either desperate. 4ay $ en&uire to what end:7 Gus ga.e shifted to the ulticolored supraspace aelstro 54aybe $ shouldnt say. 4aybe $ have already said too uch.7 5$ pro ise to behave.7 5>ou do:7 5$ swear on your life.7 trainer

sliding past the ship.

5!hats y worry67 Gus ga.e returned to fi" on Gates, eyeing hi like a lion ight watch a ewling cub. 5>ou wont believe e. At least, not yet.7 5$ ight.7

5$ doubt it.7 5!ry e.7

!hey stared at each other. A inute passed. !wo e&ually8balanced co petitors trying to read poker faces. %trangely co forting. !hen Gu took a deep breath and spoke; 5)ith or without your e"tensive wardrobe of holopro#ected disguises, Ardian Gates, you are not who you think you are.7 5$ a not:7

5$ndeed, you are not.7 5-unny, because $ was definitely e when $ showered this have perfor ed a nasty deed, sir, and cloned e while $ slept67 Gu ade steeples of his fingers. e ory strata was wiped so e ti e ago. @nder your own orning. @nless you

5Ardian Gates. >our instruction.7

5And you fib, sir. $ have no recollection of that.7 5!hink about it. >ou wouldnt, would you:7 Gates thought about it. 1erfor ed a strata scan for hidden deletion entries. 9a e up blank. 5$t akes little sense.7 He said, curious to discover his captors true 5)hy would $ do such a thing:7 He saw Gu shrug. 5Apparently, you were bored with your lot in life.7 54y lot:7 5Guarding the Gate between the @niverses. >ou have done this any ti es over, Ardian. >ou and $. 2ike this. !i e after ti e. 1laying out the sa e ga e across the centuries. $ hunt you down. 9onvince you to have your e ories reinstated. )e return to our duties. !hen you grow bored and hanker for a different sti ulation.7 Gates ade a snorting sound. 5How &uickly our polite tAte8B8tAte has fallen fro the bi.arre to the ridiculous6 Good day to you, sir. $ returning to y cell.7 He turned to leave, but heard Gu add; 5As your friend, Ardian, you asked that $ reawaken you after a preset ti e interval. 'estore your e ory strata. !o end your vacation with the ortals.7 Gates spun round and leveled his own ga.e on his s ugly8s iling captor. 54y vacation with the ortals: Are you insane as well as filthy rich:7 otive.

54y word can be proven.7 5How: $ have life of e ories6 (eginning in the wo b6 $ grew up on ,ashk. 4y father was the +iceroy to the Great 4andilaga. $ spent years self8educating before turning to a life of fine cri e. $ have the e ories to prove it67 5*o doubt. 4any lifeti es, in fact. %panning space and ti e. /verlapped. All asking your true identity.7 Gates chortled, 54y dear 4r. Gu, $ believe you have cloned yourself one too any ti es6 1erhaps it is your own e ory strata that has been wiped67 Gus e"pression was deadly serious. 5$n fact, Ardian, you arent even a %i bient. *either are you a living, breathing being. 9o e to think of it, you are utterly alien beyond belief. >ou are a child of the cos os. /ne of the elder founders. >ou are, for want of a better e"pression, a god.7

VI >

Gates studied his bearded captor for long, unco fortable a response; 5$f $ a this ship:7 a god, whats to stop e fro

o ents before offering

snapping your neck and taking control of

Gu tapped his te ple. 5!he *ano achines $ in#ected into your cerebral corte" while you slept. Again, under your preset instruction. $f they are not deactivated by the proper code within the ne"t eight hours they will eat away your brain strata. >our decision. $ believe after about thirty seconds a an will plead for a &uick death. %o e have even been known to gouge out their own eyes and forcibly C well, you get the picture.7 53ven in this advanced and see ingly civili.ed age we are but ani als.7 5Alas. !his is true.7 Gates let out a long sigh. 5And, of course, only you know this code.7 Gu shook his head. 5$t re ains secure at our destination. Appro"i ately seven hours distant. @nfortunately $ a not privy to it. Again, your instruction.7 5And $ take it this ships course is preprogra 5*aturally. (y you again, yes.7 5(y e.7 ed also:7

Gu nodded. 9asually, Gates walked across the flight deck toward his captor. 5!hen you are e"pendable, are you not:7 Gu ade a dis issive gesture.

$n a blur, Gates slid an ar around his captors neck and s&uee.ed, hard, before Gu could react. He twisted his grip, felt vertebra crunch, tendons snap, brain ste rupture. $t was over in less than a heartbeat. Gus lifeless body slid to the deck. 5*o instru entation is fool proof.7 Gates s irked as he ga.ed around the flight consoles. 5!here will be a way to alter this crafts course. And a way to deactivate your precious *anowhateverthey aybe.7

5(ut, alas, you will not discover it.7 Gates whirled round, to find yet another incarnation of his inescapable captor standing in the doorway behind hi , sporting a fa iliar percussion blaster. 5!his clone business is fast beco ing tedious.7 He growled. 5!he sa e can be said for your inept atte pts to break free.7 Gu nu ber three said as he depressed the trigger.

VII >

'eality ebbed. )aves of grey against an inter inable blackness. A tor ented sea of writhing shadows. -orks of neon lightning cracking the far distance, splitting heaven fro hell. Gates felt cold. He spent so e ti e drifting in and out of consciousness, his drea s feverish and de onic, before reality resolved with a thud. ,runkenly, he cla bered to his bare feet and scanned his new surroundings with a degree of disbelief. He was standing in the iddle of a broad glassy disk apparently floating in free space. All around hi were stars. (illions of stars. All si.es. )ith a great swathe of feathery blueandyellow flecked with red arcing overhead. !he ighty Ar in all its agnificent glory. He was out on the -ringe of the 'i , he reali.ed. 3ntirely naked. !he breath caught in his throat. At first glance there didnt appear to be any visible canopy protecting Gates fro the harsh vacuu of space. He was surrounded by raw infinity. A glittering panora a of breathtaking beauty reaching outward forever. !he notion that he ight si ultaneously asphy"iate and deco press at any o ent ade his flesh creep. -ortunately, his geneticallyenhanced senses were screa ing at hi to rela", to chill0 there was so e kind of invisible force field for ing a do e high above his head. He was safe of sorts for now. Gates shivered involuntarily. !here was so ething stuck to his hand. A glowing orb the si.e of an eyeball purple, throbbing softly. He pulled at it, but it see ed to be welded to his skin0 part of his actual hand. What warped game is this! he wondered as he spun on one heel, letting the ad canvas of stars whirl about hi . What insanit" have become a part of! Am still dreaming! s this the first inklings of $us dreaded &anomachines disassembling m" conscious mind! Gates di..ied hi self as he absorbed the unending vista, arveling at the a#esty of creation. $f this was to be his end, he decided, then he could not think of a better view to fill his ga.e6 !he whole of the Gala"y lay here at his fingertips, aweso e in its breadth and serene in its silence.

$t was utterly peaceful. %o ething was co ing toward hi . %hi ering against the starry backdrop, heading his way across the glassy disk. Gates steadied his #igging ga.e and s&uinted, trying to discern the s oky shape against the glitter backdrop. $t was a thin slither of coagulating a new for as it approached. atter. A ripple of reality re olding itself into

Gates #aw slackened as he watched a tall figure sculpt itself out of thin air and begin to stride effortlessly towards hi . $t was a naked hu anoid. 4uch like hi self. ,epilated fro wearing a stupid grin on its long, pale face. head to toe, and

5Ardian Gates67 !he figure hollered with a lanky wave. 5$t is $ ...Gu6 )elco e back to the brink of eternity67 Gates #aw re ained e barrassingly loose as the newlyfashioned entity loped up to hi . 5Gu:7 5>es, the real Gu this ti e6 *o clones67 5(ut you look e"actly like 5(ut of course67 Gus shiny, coalblack eyes glistened with the light fro Gates si ply gawped. a illion suns, while e67

$t was like looking into a irror. $nto his own face. At an e"act duplicate of hi self. % iling lopsidedly with his own practiced s ile6 'es cloned me( Gates reali.ed with horror. That sneak" $u has gone and cloned me( !he double calling itself Gu placed a co forting pal on Gates shoulder.

5)elco e back to the $ris, Ardian. $ts so good to have us ho e67

VIII >

!i e had no eaning on the periphery of infinity. *or the depth of space for that atter since both could be construed as threedi ensional concepts inapplicable to his superior senses. !he distant edges of the @niverse were as near as the closest star. And the closest star was so ewhere within hi . 3ternally entwined. As the Guardian of the Gate, he balanced the perpetual energy flu" between @niverses. %uch was his lot. !he degree to which e"pansion or contraction was per itted was down to his control. And the constant induce ent of the ultidi ensional tides that pulsed within the shadowy supraspace real beyond the $ris danced to his tune. -ro this e"trastellar focal point safely fi"ed within the nth di ension, he could observe the unfolding of spaceti e. 4arvel at the evolution of gala"ies. ,ictate the proliferation of life. He could watch their endless, pedestrian procession across the void. %ee billions of stars die as gala"ies collided. And s ile as a billion ore were reborn in their wake. !his was his calling. !his was his life. (eneath his feet, through the transparent disk, a vast, brilliant whirlpool of colorful, bubbling atter spun la.ily around the invisible pinprick of a black hole. !he $ris. $t was a turbulent funnel of fibrous fire, stretching across half of space, turning, rolling, broiling. A frenetic entrance to a atri" connecting a thousand @niverses. !he Gateway to everything. And it was in his charge. $n his outstretched hand, the purple orb pulsated. !he discharge fro this @niverse to the ne"t was i inent.

/n cue, Gu his identical twin, standing atop his own disk on the other side of the $ris was about to instigate the assive flu" discharge. Ardian could read his thoughts, as Gu could read his. He braced his feet against the cool glassy surface. He liked this bit. !his was where @niverses were created6 %uddenly the spiraling cone of atter gathered pace, accelerating to a lu py blur streaked with a bla.e of every color i aginable and so e not. 'ere she blows. He watched, wideeyed, as the great, writhing vorte" collapsed slowly inwards, swallowing the huge concentric rings of fire like water swirling down a plughole. ,raining fro one @niverse to another.

Ardian Gates s iled, as did Gu, si ultaneously. !he Guardian of the Gate was back in business ... until his ne"t vacation, that is.

The End?

Words from the Author

$f you liked Sentinel then please consider checking out y full8length science fiction adventure novel GRASK available for the *ook, <obo, %ony 'eader, other e8readers and !ablets;

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