“Amazing.” Jesse mumbled as he looked over the glowing blue crystals lining the wall and floor of the cave. Aegis whined softly beside him.

  “I know girl but this could be important.” He said to her. “It’ll be okay. We will just take a quick look and then camp at entrance of the cave.” They needed a sheltered place to rest after all.

  Didn’t bears live in caves? I wonder if this world has bears. Probably some huge and not aggressive kind. Jesse silently worried.

  The air in the cave felt pleasantly warm and there was a breeze coming from inside it, blowing out towards the exit.

  Odd. Caves are supposed to be cooler than the outside air, well if it’s warm out at least. What could be generating that breeze?

  He waved his hand over one of the crystals. Jesse felt strange, an imperceptible something emanated from it. He felt drawn to them. He placed his hand on it and immediately retracted it.

  The crystal was warm and when he had touched it he felt a tingling sensation. Almost like how a low electrical current feels passing through your fingers. He placed his hand on it again and left it there this time. Nearby Aegis whined lightly and nudged his leg.

  “Fascinating.” He said, staring into the crystal transfixed. He saw something move out of the corner of his eye and his head snapped in the direction.

  It was a slug on the wall of the cave, only the slug was about two feet long and a foot in diameter. And it glowed with the same blue light as the crystals. It moved across the wall and stopped in an empty spot before, well it either vomit or it shit. It was hard to tell but out came a small piece of crystal

  Gross. So these slugs make the crystals? Was I just touching it’s poop?

  Jesse’s stomach roiled at the sight, it was pretty gross looking. Slime covered the newly spawned crystal and it seemed to bond into the wall. The slug then ponderously moved down further into the cave until Jesse lost sight of it.

  “It didn’t react to us at all.” Jesse noted to Aegis

  He looked down and found Aegis with her hackles raised and standing in front of him protectively. She hadn’t barked though or chased after the creature. “Well that was odd. And kind of gross.” Jesse said, shaking his head. “They must produce the crystal. Doesn’t explain what it is though or why it glows and feels warm. Unless all of the crystals are just as… fresh.” He said with distaste. Unlikely however. Surely not all of these could be so fresh as to retain heat. Not with how slow the slug moved. These crystals were also many times larger than the one it had produced. “Maybe they are the eggs of the slug creatures?”

  Jesse pushed on one crystal and found it was secure in place. “Maybe I'll try lightly hitting it? See what happens?” He thought for a moment and then swung his rebar at the crystal. He hadn’t swung hard, just a lazy swat. It was enough apparently.

  .

  Jesse’s eyes fluttered open. His vision was blurry and ears rang.

  Why am I on the ground? What the hell happened?

  There were fragments of crystal around him. He felt along his limbs and found that he seemed to still possess them. He was mostly unharmed, with a few scratches here and there. Small bits of rock and crystal dug into his skin painfully. His back hurt from where he had hit the ground.

  He stood, head spinning. He had been blown a few feet from where he had been previously. Aegis had also been thrown, though not as far since she was on the opposite side of him, away from the crystal and explosion. She looked uninjured though and was starting to stand as well. “Okay well I won’t do that again then. Those things pack a punch.” He told her, with a small cough. “Good thing I didn’t hit my head.”

  The larger crystal fragments scattered around still glowed with the same intensity as before. He picked one up and felt the tingle and the warmth, same as before. “Fascinating.” He spoke under his breath.

  “Golem, can you scan this?” He asked absently.

  “Critical power failure.” Was the reply. Oh yeah. Forgot about that.

  He heard scratching sounds coming from further within the cave. “Time to go.” He said to Aegis. Together they began moving to exit the cave.

  I don’t know what’s down there and I don’t want to.

  He scooped up half a dozen crystal fragments as he ran, trying to make sure he didn’t drop them as they quickly moved through the dimly lit cavern. They both continued until they reached the mouth and ran into the light of the setting sun. Jesse turned and readied his rebar.

  Inside the cave he could see spider like creatures flooding up like a pot boiling over. They too glowed with a blue light. “Shit!” He yelped and stepped back a few paces. Aegis jumped in front of him and barked viscerally.

  The spiders ran to the mouth but stopped just before they entered the sunlight. There Jesse could get a good look at them. Their abdomens were glowing blue, just like the slugs had been. Their many limbs were a deep black and they bore nasty looking fangs on their too large mouths. Glowing blue goo dripped from the fangs, sizzling as it hit the ground.

  They stood for a moment before turning and scuttling back deeper into the cave. “Well I’m not going back in there.” Jesse told Aegis, feeling a weight off seeing the creatures retreat.

  “Do you think they are related to the slugs? Like different stages of the life cycle? Or are all creatures in that cave infected with some sort of blue glowing bacteria or something?” Jesse asked Aegis, trying to rationalize the increasingly irrational things he has been witnessing. “Well regardless let’s get far away from this cave. I don’t want to find out if those things come out at night.” He said, moving off in another direction. He followed the cliff face hoping to find the edge of the debris field in that direction.

  .

  After about an hour or two of walking, it was hard to tell, Jesse nearly dropped one of the crystals from the cave. Luckily he managed to get his hand out to catch it before it struck the ground. The act caused the other five crystals to shift precariously.

  “Well this isn’t safe.” He noted to Aegis. “I need a better way to carry these.” His dog, or course, did not answer. She started sniffing around the area as he pondered what to do.

  He looked down at his improvised weapon. He had blisters forming from carrying the bar around for so long. “Maybe it’s time for an upgrade.” He said to himself.

  He went to nearby saplings, prodding them experimentally. He bent one and found it surprisingly flexible but firm at the same time. He struggled to use the rebar to cut it from the ground. He repeated this a few times. Next he gathered some larger leaves from a type of tree he didn’t recognize, though his experience with trees was admittedly limited to what he had read in books. He had never even seen one in person until now. He found a fibrous vine like plant next. He used the vines and saplings to weave together a rough sack shape. He used some rocks to test it out. “Probably better to be safe.” He said, eyeing the crystals.

  The first attempt had the rocks falling out weak spots in the bottom of the bag almost immediately. Jesse then wove a criscrossing pattern with the vines on the bottom and reinforced it with another sapling. This attempt yielded much better results, the makeshift bag holding up well. He placed the crystals in the bag, wrapping each one in some more of the fibrous vines as an added measure of safety.

  Aegis bounced around him happily, chasing squirrels and other small animals and generally enjoying the natural environment. Jesse smiled looking at her before the weight of all that had happened pressed in on him once more. He resolved to continue his work.

  Next he used the vines to fashion a sort of handle to his rebar. He tested it out and found that, while it wasn’t comfortable and it left a sort of sticky sap from the inside of the vine on his hand, it was significantly better on his blisters. Nodding to himself, Jesse stood and looked around. The sun was setting. He sighed.

  “I guess we can stop for the night. That took longer than I thought.” He told Aegis while giving her a good scratch.

  Jesse surveyed the surrounding area for anything that looked like it could provide a useful resource. As he was watching another rift opened in the air and deposited a large section of wall that had been ripped in half. Wires protruded from the top of it.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  “Well it looks like things are still being dropped. I need to find Kara and Becca soon. This debris field is huge though, I still haven’t found the edge. I really need Golem.” He said to Aegis.

  I wonder if I could use those. Jesse thought as he looked at the wall, an idea forming. He climbed up the wall and yanked on the wires. They didn’t budge. He, with great effort, began swinging the rebar into the wires. Sweat poured down his face by the time he freed the wires. The protective sheath of the wires was beaten to hell around the bottom where it had been crudely cut free. Jesse hopped off the wall and took deep ragged breaths. Aegis nuzzled him.

  Jesse decided they would make camp up against the wall. It was as good a place as any. Camp was really stretching the imagination though, considering the lack of fire or shelter or anything resembling camping gear. Either way he felt exhausted, his legs felt like jelly and his body ached. He settled down leaning his back against the wall, groaning as his knees popped audibly. “I’m too old for this.” He told Aegis.

  Jesse sat for a moment pondering his situation. The shelter, his home, had clearly been transferring to this world. Until now he hadn't really thought of the implications of this. Teleporting one planet onto another was probably not a situation that would be good for either. Could he do anything to stop it though? Probably not at this moment. For now, he needed to focus on finding his daughter and making sure his injured wife was okay.

  After a few moments of rest Jesse sighed and shifted the bag closer to him. “Let’s get to work.” Using his teeth he stripped the rubbery insulation from around the wire. This particular wire was a medium gauge solid core copper he noted. Next he pulled the smallest crystal from his makeshift bag. “Let’s see what happens.” He said almost touching the two before thinking better of it. “Maybe we should take some safety precautions.” He noted.

  He wrapped the length of wire around a stick with the exposed copper protruding past the end of the stick. He then used the stick to touch the copper to the crystal. Nothing happened. “Well we didn’t explode at least.” He said with a chuckle. He unwrapped the stick and this time used his hands. Once the copper part touched the crystal Jesse lightly touched the copper. He felt that same tingling sensation as when he touched them directly.

  Well isn’t that something. He thought. The crystals must produce an electrical charge that can be conducted by the copper.

  Jesse refused to admit to himself that this wasn’t electricity. He knew electricity. He had worked with it on a regular basis in his career as an engineer. Wherever he was seemed to defy what he had spent his life learning though, and the dissonance wasn’t something he wanted to confront right now.

  What if I could use it to power Golem? It behaves similar to electricity, no it is electricity, so it should do something. Though perhaps not enough power to provide the AI its full capabilities, maybe it could at least wake him up. Jesse thought as he examined the crystal.

  “Worth a shot.” He said scratching Aegis idly.

  He opened his AI module on his left arm using the release buttons located on each side of it. The top popped off. Inside was the power core, or what was left of it. It had been burnt out. It appeared black and soot crusted off it. “Shit, I’m surprised it can even report power failure. That portal did a number didn’t it?” Jesse said.

  He pried free the power module and allowed it to fall to the ground with a small thud. He brushed off the space inside and cleaned it the best he could with his limited resources, using some leaves and the air pump that came standard on the human body, his lungs.

  “Here goes nothing.” He said as he took the small crystal and wrapped the copper wire around it. He then connected it to the terminals in his AI module, hand tightening the screws as best he could. He wished he had his tools. He then tried to replace the cover. The crystal blocked it from fitting back in place. Jesse sighed and put the cover in his bag. “I’ll have to rig something else up to cover it later.” He said with a sigh. “Nothing to do now but wait.”

  Wait he did. And then he waited some more. And some more. After a few minutes he sighed again. “Guess it’s not a powerful enough source.” He said to Aegis. His hopes having been crushed, Jesse laid down to try to get some rest. He shut his eyes and was startled to find text begin scrolling in his vision.

  Midwestern Consortium AI, model number: Custom-Golem boot sequence initialized.

  Text then started scrolling across his vision, the OS boot up information.

  “Hell yeah”! Jesse shouted, shooting to his feet. Aeigis flew up, her fur puffed and ready for a fight.

  “Sorry girl.” He said with a smile. “It’s nothing, I promise. Nothing to do but wait.” He said as he settled back down. The initial boot sequence for the AI took an hour, given the complexity of the program and the size of the database it contained.

  Jesse could hardly contain his excitement. Words couldn’t express how much he missed having Golem. The AIs constant stream of information and capabilities would make survival substantially easier. The AI may even be able to track Becca.

  Finally, blessedly, Golem's voice rang into his mind. “Boot sequence complete. How may I help you sir?”

  Jesse let out a huge sigh of relief. “Golem!” He said aloud, despite being able to converse with the AI mentally. “I am so glad to hear your voice.”

  “You do not hear my voice in the traditional sense. I create a projection directly into your auditory nerve.” Golem replied. Jesse shook his head.

  Golem do a self diagnostic. Jesse thought at the AI.

  “Primary systems are nominal. The new power core appears atypical. I suggest seeking a standard Midwestern Consortium power core. The current energy signature is nonstandard. Unknown side effects may occur.” Golem answered.

  “What’s the energy signature appear like?” Jesse asked.

  “No record of this type of energy signature is contained in the database. It does not feel right.” Golem answered.

  It doesn’t feel right? What does that mean? Jesse asked, confused.

  “Unknown.” Golem replied.

  Jesse decided to drop the subject for the time being.

  Can you tell me where we are? Jesse asked.

  After a moment Golem answered. “I can not. The star map does not match any region of earth.”

  Make a map of where we are now and continue mapping as we move. How far can your scanners reach? Jesse asked, forgetting the exact spec.

  “Confirmed. A half mile if there are limited obstructions.” Golem answered.

  Please tell me there is water nearby. Jesse begged. And run a constant scan for Rebecca and Kara.

  “Confirmed. There is water a quarter mile to your west.” Golem said. A compass appeared on the top of Jesse’s vision on his HUD. “Rebecca and Kara are not within range.”

  It’s great to have you back Golem. Jesse mentally nudged.

  “Acknowledged.” Was the reply.

  Talkative as always.

  After a refreshing drink in a nearby stream, which Golem had informed him was clean and safe to drink, Jesse was feeling much better. His stomach grumbled but his mood was improving. Things didn’t look quite as bleak. He felt stronger than ever. That reminded him. Golem, can you scan me and tell me the current state of my health?

  “Your vital signs have improved over your baseline of the last health diagnostic three days ago. Your resting heart rate has decreased and several key metabolic results have shifted towards optimal. Your muscle density has increased by approximately 23%. Your health on average is nearing when you were approximately 20 years of age.” Golem reported.

  Wow. Jesse thought at him, shocked. Uh, what caused this change?

  “Unknown, my systems were offline when the change occurred.” Golem reported.

  How is Aegis? Jesse asked.

  “Her general health has improved as well. Without a physical presence in her I am more limited in my data but her weight, muscle, and bone density have all increased. The arthritis that had been present in her forelimbs appears to have disappeared.” He reported.

  “Remarkable.” Jesse said. He would have to investigate that red mist. Whatever healing properties it contained seemed to set the clock back so to speak. He wished he knew how but without lab equipment it would be hard to determine. Maybe Golem could get a scan of it if it appears again. He needed to get some of that list to Kara, he thought with a spike of anxiety.

  Hey Golem, what can you tell me about these crystals? He thought at the AI.

  “The crystals are resistant to my scanner on a molecular level. I can report that they emanate an energy of some kind. My database does not contain reference samples for this type of material and energy.” Golem replied.

  Yeah that’s about what I gathered. All right, well scan for any human life within our radius. He said. And any dogs actually, like coyotes.

  In the distance he heard yapping. The sound made his blood run cold. He hoped they weren’t coming for him again.

  Golem, wake me up if anything larger than a squirrel enters your scanner radius. Keep watch for me.

  “Acknowledged” was the reply. Jesse laid down to finally sleep. He needed to keep up the search but he was barely able to keep his eyes open. His stomach roiled with anxious thoughts and the yapping noise rang through the forest, causing his sleep to be troubled. Visions of the fierce creatures attacking him and Aegis played through his mind over and over. He prayed the creatures would stay away. His prayers fell on deaf ears.