Keystones: Altered Destinies Read Online Free

them alive went without saying and added an extra layer of anxiety to the entire affair.
    While traveling to the artifact, Calm found himself restless and unable to remain still. Despite his muted emotions, he was on the verge of either death or incredible discovery. The scientists surrounding him exuded a palpable sense of tension.
    The artifact was displayed on several screens from many angles. There was no question that it was of non-human origin. A wide-based cylinder tapered toward a rounded top but otherwise looked unimpressive. The rocky ground on which it rested was barren and featureless, hardly unusual for a meteorite.

    Calm and his companion made their way to the Armstrong . The craft was as stripped down as possible. Less than two meters across and four long, it required both men to wear environmental suits to protect them from the vacuum of space.
    The real test would begin when Calm left the Explorer . The event horizon for damage from the artifact had been well documented by probes. Calm’s first job was to survive. He looked at his gloved hand and pictured himself closing the distance and touching the artifact. He wasn’t ready for the spike of fear that invaded his thoughts.
    For the first time since that first fire, the one that launched him to fame, he recognized a danger that made him uncertain. It was terrifying; it was wonderful; it was intoxicating.
    As the Armstrong crossed the boundary that promised destruction, Calm became aware of hostile forces attempting to breach his field of protection. Purple splashes of energy danced around them like lightning attacking a goldfish bowl. A handful of spikes penetrated closer to the ship, infiltrating his sphere of influence. Calm’s breath caught in his throat, unable to complete the journey to his lungs. Fear of failure and fear of death became real to him.
    Over the com system he heard, “ Armstrong report! Are you undamaged? Armstrong report!”
    “Yes,” Calm replied succinctly, unsure whether his voice could be trusted.
    “Do you still have live data feeds from our sensors?” queried his companion.
    “Data feeds are online.”
    “Then you should have known that we were uninjured. Continuing approach to the artifact.”
    Calm watched in silence as the fury of the energy surrounding them intensified. Inside his suit he was sweating, and his heart hammered in his chest. Even the most arduous of the tests that FAME had run on him failed to induce a physical reaction. Yet here he was besieged, and he felt the need to succeed.
    Panting shallow breaths, he was amazed to feel himself challenged. “Bring us in quickly,” he urged. “I don’t know whether I can maintain this indefinitely.” The landscape ahead swam closer as the Armstrong accelerated.
    Spots flared in Calm’s vision, but still his sphere of protection held. Once he was within one hundred meters of the artifact, the energy that had cascaded around them vanished and with it the pain. Calm’s heart slowed, and the rapid pace of his breathing eased. “It appears that we are no longer under attack,” he reported.
    There was a brief silence on the com system. “Could you care to clarify that statement?”
    “I’m not being forced to protect us anymore.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “You’re the scientists. You tell me.”
    The Armstrong then touched down on gravel in front of the squat artifact. Up close it was apparent just how large it was. “What do we do now?” Calm asked.
    “Nothing. Let the sensors do their work.”
    Calm waited for the Armstrong to complete several sweeps of the artifact’s perimeter before he spoke again. “Are you getting any information?” he inquired.
    “Yes.”
    “Anything useful?”
    Silence was the only response.

Cay

    Cay stared at the white ceiling above him and thought about the decisions that had led him to his cramped and windowless cell. The only view of the outside world was of the hallway seen through his transparent door. The cell