Read Online Mobius by Vincent Vale - Free Book Online Page B

caused bloody lesions to tear across the skin of the doppelgänger’s face and arms as it shined forth so brilliantly. “You don’t look well.”
    “Since you force me to stand here, I must endure the effect of being so close to the orb.”
    “Yet it’s been in your stomach for at least an entire day.”
    “My master specifically designed my stomach to contain the powerful energy of the orbs.”
    “You reveal too much!” said Sensimion triumphantly. “Now, swallow the orb! Unless you wish me to thrust it down your throat with the full extent of my arm.”
    “My life has been short, but one of purpose,” proclaimed the doppelgänger. And as the doppelgänger’s mouth gaped wide in a toothy grin, he launched the orb with the flick of two fingers into the open hatch of the dimensional augmenter.
    The doppelgänger’s sudden movement caused Sensimion to discharge his weapon, sending a plasma molecule toward the doppelgänger’s head, where it impacted in an explosion of face, brain, and skull. Atticus’ doppelgänger fell dead.

    I waited patiently in the pod-ship, unaware of what was transpiring below me. I heard Atticus’ cries over the control room intercom: “Abort! Abort the maiden voyage! There’s a saboteur aboard the station! His disguise is amazing—he looks exactly like me! I don’t know how or why, but he has tampered with the dimensional gateway!”
    “The station is safe,” said a technician. “We haven’t activated the dimensional gateway.”
    I felt a chill up my spine. Sensimion’s concerns for the station’s safety were right. I spoke to Atticus over the intercom: “Where’s the saboteur now?”
    “I’m uncertain,” replied Atticus. “Only ten minutes ago, a stranger with pale features and mesmerizing blue synthetic eyes rescued me from inside a wall, where I’ve been unconscious for almost an entire day, drugged by my doppelgänger. Even now, my savior’s trying to catch the saboteur.”
    Just as Atticus began to elaborate on his encounter with his doppelgänger, the dimensional gateway came alive.
    I heard Atticus yelling at a technician: “Are you deaf? Why have you activated the gateway?”
    “I haven’t,” pleaded the technician. “It activated on its own.”
    I looked down on the ring of dimensional augmenters and saw the formation of the dimensional fissure. Dancing facets of rich magenta and brilliant white light emanated from the center of the gateway, until a blinding light exploded outward, and then receded. The dimensional fissure, although now imperceptible, was fully formed.
    I heard Atticus’ panicked voice: “This data is impossible. The dimensional augmenters are over-distorting the tertiary dimensions. Dimensional symmetry is chaotic.
    “Shut it down!” I called, horror-struck as the dimensional augmenters made a hideous sound, like the sustained cry of a dying animal.
    “I can’t,” replied Atticus.
    I moved close to the communication node to ensure Atticus would hear me. “Shunt the power of the fusion reactors away from the dimensional augmenters.”
    “I’ve already tried,” he replied. “Wait, I did it!”
    But Atticus’ howl of success was premature, as one of the fusion reactors ruptured. A plume of superheated plasma curled up toward the pod-ship. It impacted with terrible force, disabling the gravity drive and causing an internal explosion, which sent a hail of molten shrapnel into my left arm.
    “Fucking hell!” I screamed, as my arm burned.
    The pod-ship was still attached to the docking platform by a single clamp—it dangled without power. The gravity wake of the dimensional fissure pulled the pod-ship downward. The docking clamp tore free and my pod-ship entered the dimensional fissure.

 
    GODS
    AND
    MONSTERS
     
     
    I woke up, barely able to see. My vision was distorted. It felt like I was in bed. It was dark. I tried to clear my eyes but couldn’t. My right arm was a stump. It flailed back and forth.
    “My arm! Where’s