19. Chapter Three, Scene Eight

Meet Dennis.

Oct 03, 2023

Hello to my sixty-two favorite people in the world! Yup, you are 62 now! Amazing!

Okay, I’m going to tell you something you don’t necessarily need to know, because it is technically, not part of Bottled Embers, but I hope you find it interesting.

I started writing another story a long time ago about Dennis the Ruby Observer and Maggie-Anne Winslow, a college girl who just wants to go to the Spring Beach bonfire. Dennis ends up giving up his whole way of life to save Maggie from a horrific fate. They fall in love, but there are cosmic obstacles that come between them and they end up going through hell just for the sake of being together only to get separated in the end anyway.

It’s a whole thing, full of drama, passion, tragedy… But I never wrote it out. It’s one of those embers that burned too hot and just fell out of the bottle.

I still have my notes and the outline, somewhere, so maybe one day, but since it kind of takes place in the same world as this story, I just had to find a way to incorporate at least some part of it here.

I hope you like how. 😁

As for the story…

Previously… Logan and Cathy get closer and we get the first inkling that Cathy’s motives might not be entirely pure when she starts asking questions about Elle. Then things get complicated.

By the end of the Winter, we are invited to visit the PG base just outside the city. I've never been there before but Luke has. General Morgan, meets us on the tarmac with a contingent of guards. I stare at the green and gray camouflage and black boots as I taxi the shuttle in, trying to picture my friends from the club there.

The base really isn't very big. There is a guard tower on each end, some clusters of small buildings, and two bunkers, surrounded by modest houses for the officers.

"Thank you for coming all this way on such short notice." The General extols as Luke proffers him a quick salute.

As I disembark, the General raises his chin, "Ah Logan, my boy. Cathy has been talking a lot about you these days. You'll be glad to know she's guarding our prisoner, so you'll see her when we go inside." I pull my collar up against the wind, trying not to look too awkward, then Tom steps out behind me and the General really starts to grin like a Cheshire cat.

We walk to the rear of the base and I look around at the dozens of soldiers going about their duties, only half hoping to see familiar faces. First assignments are usually quite long and always off-world, but there are people here from every known race in the system. Discretely, I send out an energetic pulse to explore, and my suspicions are confirmed. It is a relatively small complex, but the myriad beings present make up a considerable force with the standard garrison including a good dozen wielders of raw energy. The thought makes me shudder. So many powerful warriors, armed to the teeth.

The General's office is tucked away behind the prison wing, in the larger of the two bunkers, and we walk through rows of cells full of all manner of hardened criminals. Some of them shout and jeer and others stare absently, hardly aware of our passing. I sense energy signatures from all over, gilled Marmedininans, scaly Drakisthan, even buddies of our good friend Grismand. All races with reputations for high raw energy capacity, and yet they are caged in what looks like normal brick and mortar and metal bar cells, complete with bunk beds and stainless steel toilets. Strange.

"I was expecting Logan, but I am glad to see Thomas as well, for a change. Come to see where dear old Dad used ro work?” The General says smugly when we walk through the door. Tom grimaces at the jibe but Luke covers.

"Yes, well, I do encourage them to take an interest after all." Luke glances back towards Tom who doesn't seem to want to enter the office. I still don't get why he wanted to come along.

The General signals for the door to be closed from behind a large wenge wood desk, his face plastered with a self-satisfied grin.

Tom is still hovering by the door as I take in the office at a peek. It is a small room, reflecting cool tones and conservative taste, with few personal items. The chairs are of the same heavy wood, carved in straight lines, with navy cushions. The window behind the General's desk admits too much light and the navy carpet and gray-green painted walls are otherwise unadorned. A picture frame on the richly polished desk depicts a woman of about thirty years holding a miniature version of herself with a mop of chestnut curls.

"I assume you've brought him up to speed?” Morgan utters staring hungrily at my brother and I.

Luke nods and the General beams: “Very good! Very good, yes!"

"I don't think I need to remind you of our understanding, regarding my sons, do I General?" Luke says in his usual enigmatic tone, maybe a little more hostile than the situation calls for.

"Yes, well, I'm afraid we will have to discuss the details of that understanding at another time." The General suddenly breaks eye contact and his smile dims slightly. "Down to business,” he announces, pushing himself up from the seat he just sat down in with his hands on the desk. “Three days ago, we came across a Ruby Observer."

I gasp and he looks at me and again at Tom.

"You've heard of them then?" Morgan tilts his head, inviting me to speak.

"From our father." I nod, frowning as I wonder how much I can reveal. Luke makes no move, but Tom cuts me off before I can continue.

"Ruby Observers are legendary, the rarest of Elder Races. They exist in the radioactive vacuum, hovering over planets and watching the unfolding of civilization, a kind of protection from asteroids and the like. As a rule, they never interact with the inhabitants, only observe and so no one has ever been able to confirm their existence." Tom recounts from one of our favorite bedtime stories, then interrupts himself: "You've really caught one?"

"There are stories, I’m sure you’ve heard, of crystalline beings with vision that extends into the electromagnetic plane, that can harness godlike powers by charging in unfiltered sunlight." The General offers.

Luke nods quietly, then adds, "How did you get hold of it?"

General Morgan huffs out a narcissistic grin, "Him, my dear Doctor McKeen, and his name is Dennis."

* * *

The General himself escorts us to the interrogation room, eager to show off his acquisition. We enter through swinging double doors into a large room, at least sixty square meters. It is bare, but for a few chairs, a cluster of technical equipment, floodlights, and a large cylindrical tank in the center the contents of which are obscured by clouded glass.

"Logan!" Cathy exclaims and runs into my arms, planting a stout kiss on my left cheek. It's all I can do to keep my feet as I attempt to dislodge her, whilst the General glares in obvious amusement.

"Cathy, it's good to see you," I mumble for only her to hear. Luke chuckles under his breath observing the spectacle, and I swear my ears are on fire from the blood rushing to them.

"Lieutenant Morgan," The General addresses Cathy sharply and she steps back, suitably restrained, to deliver her report.

"I've kept the lights on all night and he is at the minimum pressure for the tank, point oh-three Newtons." She picks up the control tab and Luke springs into gear.

"Is that really the lowest you can manage?" He asks, instantly irate, she nods vehemently. "And the power supply?" He demands.

She looks bewildered, glancing around the room as if searching for an escape route. Luke snatches the control tab away from her, tapping furiously.

"It is an impromptu containment after all. I've already got men working on a more permanent solution," The General articulates importantly, trying to seem in control of the situation.

"How soon can we move him?" Luke looks up at the General who seems confused by the question.

"Wherever to?" The General looks at once aghast and amused at the suggestion.

"Surely you don't expect me to do it here?" Luke exclaims, incredulous.

"This room fits the exact specifications of your lab."

"Not hardly, and a Ruby Observer is a far cry from anything we have done before." Luke snorts derisively.

"Am I to understand you refuse to cooperate?" He utters with raised eyebrows and pursed lips, the small crowd of soldiers pausing in their bustling to look curiously.

"My dear General, I could spend half the afternoon pointing out every flaw in your security but the fact remains that there is no way to address them in time." Luke's irritation is almost comical, mainly because it is so out of character. Any other person working so hard on his nerves would very quickly experience the extent of Luke's powers of persuasion.

"If I may interject, Sir, Luke does know what he is talking about." Tom dares to butt in and is shot with such withering glares that neither of us dares to speak again. Luke and the General argue back and forth, each refusing to understand the other's point of view, always with this unvoiced threat hanging between them.

"At least let me work with your people to rig a larger, external containment field, something he can't phase out of." Luke pleads ineffectually.

"You have the boys for that! Do you doubt your son's skills?"

Luke glares at the General, then chews his lip, looking at me, and shakes his head slightly.

"Victor," Luke remarks severely. "I have every faith in my sons, but I can't infiltrate his crystalline form, and if we turn off the lights and the vacuum he will phase, and nothing any of us can do will be able to stop him."

Morgan stares Luke down, all but calling him out, whilst Luke clenches his fists in frustration. I have never seen Luke so flustered. I wonder silently why he still won't make the General a little more tractable but he seems too distracted to notice my introspection.

Eventually, Luke tosses his hair and grabs the chair back with a resigned sigh.

"Clear the room!" The General barks in his command voice then sits down smirking. Cathy takes a seat obstinately, beaming at me, as the escort files out and Luke taps some more on the control panel. She really has got a pretty smile.

The footsteps of the leaving grunts, echo on the scuffed linoleum tiles. As the doors close, Luke taps one more button, and the overhead lights dim, mechanical locks click, and hermetic seals hiss into place. Tom looks around not quite sure what is happening, but the two Morgans seem right at home.

Standing off to the side, I look at Luke, shuffling my feet, feeling sorry for him. He looks like someone in a tough spot, torn between doing his job and maintaining his principles. Luke does not like to improvise, but the General didn’t exactly give us much of a choice.

With one more acrid glare at the General, Luke taps the control tab and sets it aside when the floodlights suddenly switch off.

The overhead lights are dimmed from the lockdown, and without the bright ultraviolets it‘s a little difficult to make out but as my eyes adjust I notice the walls of the tank starting to clear.

Tom stands opposite, and Luke walks over to the Morgans, but all I can see is the milky glass fading to transparency, and inside, a huge, blood-red, faceted gem, roughly the size and shape of a man.

We all watch enticed as the jewel starts to cloud over. It is almost enough to distract me from Luke's influence, which spreads out from him like a wave as the cloud in the gem spreads out like smoke, swirling and eddying until the entire thing has turned opaque. Then it cants over to the side, to lean on the glass with a soft clink. The facets start to smooth out into a more humanoid configuration, cracks start to form and then it breaks into a man. The red jewel aspect absorbs into pale freckled skin and red curling hair down to the middle of his leanly muscled back. His square face is revealed, ageless, centered by a sharp straight nose, a wide thin-lipped mouth, and softly arched brows. He slumps against the glass, breathing heavily, green eyes pleading.

I am riveted. He looks so sad.

Luke's mind touches mine in a weirdly distant way, I know I am supposed to be doing something.

"Logan," Luke prompts, I shake my head, feeling a little disoriented for a second. Oh, the restraints. Rubbing my hands together I feel the friction and then transfer it to the tank with a touch and Cathy’s eyes glint as they catch mine.

The glass glimmers, golden as my focus sharpens. My energy saturates the silica molecules. It takes a little longer on solids but after a moment or two, the energy has seeped through to the other side.

The man inside stands up, a little taller than me, presses his hands against the energized glass and his eyes widen in surprise. He can sense me.

I transfer a little more energy to the tank making it glow brighter. I focus on how my power feels, evenly saturating the glass and the metal that frames it. Satisfied with the concentration, I cause a number of bright spots to form at shoulder, wrist, and knee height.

I can see a reflection of the room and the Morgans behind me. They both gasp as hot strands of energy erupt from the saturated glass into the tank, sticking to Dennis' naked freckled skin at intervals and then elongating to join up into rings. The Morgans are practically salivating. My rings cinch in around the man's body, and I tighten up the attachment points to the tank, straightening him up, hands down and in front, holding him in place. His eyes narrow and his fists clench as he realizes his predicament.

"He is resisting." I cock my head and say out loud to no one in particular with a rueful smile. The golden bands shimmer brightly. I turn my back to see Luke drop to his knees between the Morgans, palms up in his lap, head bowed.

Tom watches at a distance, snarling in disgust. I ignore him. He has been in a foul mood for weeks now. I can't imagine why he would even want to see this. Any mention of Luke's work or Cathy and he shuts down, oozing negativity, yet he asked to come along. I peek at him one last time, irritated by his bad attitude then turn my attention back to the task at hand. Concentrate on the energy.

Fighting down the all too familiar wave of nausea, I become aware of the building pressure of Luke's mind reaching outwards. He always fills the room, before he sharpens and focuses. If I close my eyes I can just imagine the process. The dark orb of the entity's consciousness spins in its attempts to subvert Luke's intentions and the bright cracks inevitably, opening up more with each revolution.

Something starts to slip.

My eyes dart open and I re-place my hand on the tank summoning yet more energy to send through the glass. The slipping sensation stops. I tighten my grip, wishing for cuffs or cable ties, anything physical to use as a hold.

Dennis groans and then glares at me, his green eyes burning. I can feel the pressure, the heat rising, and glance around the room, just to reorient myself. The General is wearing a maniacal grin, but Cathy is starting to look worried. Tom is about tense enough to snap. I start to wonder if he might. Luke is fully focused on his quarry at the moment and he won't be able to help Tom control himself if things get out of hand.

My mind drifts away from the entity, and after a moment I notice him slipping again. I shake my head. It is weird, I've never struggled like this before. Tightening my grip yet more, his body starts to twist and crush beneath the energetic bonds, which glow painfully bright by now but rather than being subdued he seems to redouble his efforts.

"Luke, I can't hold him." I cry out without thinking.

"Just a little longer." He answers breathlessly, a slight frown marring his features.

"Dennis," Luke mutters softly as his fingers twitch. The entity stirs, my bonds loosen inexplicably and I tighten them up again, the amount of energy it takes is starting to make my arm glow.

The General sits up a little more and Tom's presence is growing worryingly powerful, but I have to concentrate.

Dennis scrunches his eyes shut. Luke's frown deepens.

"Maggie," Luke mutters, and it all but materializes in the air. I shut my eyes, feeling nauseated but at the same time incredibly excited.

There is a tree on a hill.

The taste of strawberries and chocolate floods my mouth.

My head aches abominably.

I can hear Luke breathing heavily.

I feel his rapid heartbeat.

Something slipping... I can't remember... Maggie. I long so desperately for Maggie.

Thanks for reading! I hope you’re enjoying following along with my Bottled Embers!

Next time… Logan wakes up with no idea what happened following his moment with Dennis. Tom and Cathy have an argument and Luke has to intervene.

As always, the easiest way to ensure you don’t miss the next installment is to,

for FREE! Also, I promise I would genuinely LOVE to know what you think so far, please feel free to

Bottled Embers

19. Chapter Three, Scene Eight

Meet Dennis.

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