Umbra: Dimension Drift, #2

By Christina Bauer

One day, eighteen-year-old Thorne could become the Emperor of the Omniverse, the single being who rules countless worlds. Trouble is, Thorne's father, Cole, is both the current Emperor and a sadistic freak. In fact, Cole won't even keep his promises to the very humans who got him his throne.

Well, Thorne won't stand for it.

Our hero takes a break from saving the Omniverse in order to visit the human world. His goal? Making good on Cole's promises. What Thorne expects is a routine mission. What he discovers is his one true love, what his people call their transcendent. Finding Meimi Archer is more than Thorne ever imagined possible. Now, he's willing to do anything to keep his transcendent safe, no matter what that may cost himself and his home world of Umbra.

"This story builds a world of action, adventure and makes you see things in a different light. Can't wait for the next one!!!!" – Teresa, Goodreads

Dimension Drift Series
1. Scythe
2. Umbra
3. Alien Minds
4. ECHO Academy
5. Justice
6. Slate

Also From Christina Bauer
- Angelbound, the story of a part-demon girl who fights evil souls in Purgatory's Arena
- Fairy Tales of the Magicorum, a series of modern fairy tales with sass, action and romance
- Beholder, where a medieval farm girl discovers necromancy and true love
- Pixieland Diaries, with sassy pixie Calla and 'her' elf prince, Dare

• Language: English
• Publisher: Monster House Books
• Release date: Feb 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781945723384

Christina Bauer

Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too. Christina lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby. She loves to connect with her fans at BauersBooks.com.

Book preview

UMBRA - Special Extended Edition

UMBRA - Special Extended Edition

Book Two Of The Dimension Drift

Christina Bauer

Monster House Books

Copyright

Monster House Books

Brighton, MA 02135

ISBN 9781945723384

First Edition

Copyright © 2019 by Monster House Books LLC

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Contents

Dedication

Collected Works

UMBRA

Also By Christina Bauer

Sample Chapters - ALIEN MINDS

New Appendix Of Totally Awesome Goodies

Standard Appendix Of Stuff That’s Still Pretty Cool

Dedication

For All Those Who Kick Ass,

Take Names And Read Books

Collected Works

Dimension Drift

Dystopian adventures with science, snark, and hot aliens

1. Scythe

2. Umbra

3. Alien Minds

4. ECHO Academy

5. Justice

6. Slate

---

Angelbound Origins

About a quasi (part demon and part human) girl who loves kicking butt in Purgatory's Arena

1. Angelbound

2. Scala

3. Acca

4. Thrax

5. The Dark Lands

6. The Brutal Time

7. Armageddon

8. Quasi Redux

9. Clockwork Igni

10. Lady Reaper

---

Angelbound Offspring

The next generation takes on Heaven, Hell, and everything in between

1. Maxon

2. Portia

3. Zinnia

4. Rhodes

5. Kaps

6. Mack

7. Huntress

---

Angelbound Lincoln

The Angelbound experience as told by Prince Lincoln

1. Duty Bound

2. Lincoln

3. Trickster

4. Baculum

5. Angelfire

---

Fairy Tales of the Magicorum

Modern fairy tales with sass, action, and romance

1. Wolves and Roses

2. Moonlight and Midtown

3. Shifters and Glyphs

4. Slippers and Thieves

5. Bandits and Ball Gowns

6. Fairies and Frosting

---

Pixieland Diaries

Sassy pixie Calla loves elf prince Dare. Too bad he hasn’t noticed her. Yet.

1. Pixieland Diaries

2. Calla

3. Dare

4. Winter Prince

5. Ley Queen

---

Beholder 

Where a medieval farm girl discovers necromancy and true love

1. Cursed

2. Concealed

3. Cherished

4. Crowned

5. Cradled

*This is a completed series.

UMBRA

Chapter 1

Wish to travel the omniverse? First try leaping off a hovercraft without a power chute. Should you live, then you might survive in alternate realities as well. – Beauregard the Great, Instructions for Visiting Parallel Worlds

Nine minutes.

That’s how long before this planet implodes.

I’m talking about a version of Earth that supports thousands of cities. Millions of buildings. Billions of people. Not to mention what’s almost beyond counting. Like photographs. Sunflowers. Bowling trophies. Baby carriages. As of this moment, I’m the only barrier between all that and instant annihilation.

Welcome to my Tuesday.

I’m Thorne Oxblood, and I fight inter-dimensional disasters.

For my current mission, I’m at placelet 92.248.908, planet X3894-B, strand BT704.35, and branch point 1T.783-50E. The locals have a simpler name for this location, though. Clyde’s Gym. Over the last hour, I’ve memorized every inch of this space, searching for the schism—meaning the inter-dimensional breaking point—that could tear this world apart. Nothing has shown itself yet. Nervous energy corkscrews up my shoulders and neck. What am I missing? For the umpteenth time, I inspect the gym.

Large, square space with concrete walls? Check.

Rickety slats in a worn-out floor? Check.

Faded girly calendars everywhere? Odd decoration, but it’s not my gym. And check.

Points of access? Three. Main entrance up-front, an office side door, and a small emergency exit along the back wall. Since I arrived, no one’s entered or left.

Huge letter K glowing on the ceiling? Check. This is something only I can see, and it means my family’s arch-enemy, the Komandir, stopped by this gym at some point. Not as helpful a fact as one might think. It still doesn’t show me where the schism is hiding.

Humans? Nine. Two boxers pound away in the sparring ring. Another six guys slam into punching bags, lift weights or jump rope. One teenage girl scribbles on papers behind the door marked office. Then, there’s me. To the humans, I’m just an eighteen-year-old in gray sweats. Nothing about my muscular build, short hair, and blue eyes screams, this guy’s an alien.

But I am from another world. Umbra.

And as an Umbran, my body stores tiny cybernetic organisms called sentient. These minute creatures enable me to guard the omniverse, which is the universe of universes. Tonight’s mission marks my seventy-first rescue. For the record, my sentient are extra jacked up at this point. They keep sending me mental images of this planet exploding in a silent shower of blinding light.

Not for the first time, I try to calm them. I got it, I whisper in my mind. There’s trouble at Clyde’s Gym.

Another explosion image follows. Not helping.

I rub my temples and try to focus. Think through the problem, Thorne. Since I saw the glowing K, I’ve assumed the Komandir are behind the trouble here. But maybe the symbol is a distraction. Perhaps something else is at work. After all, these humans could be about to develop drift science, which is the ability to open alternate realities. Once you can visit other worlds, it’s easier to implode your own. Drift science would also explain why my sentient keep sending images of exploding planets instead of pics showing Doc Zykin, the Komandir assassin.

Closing my eyes, I reach out to my sentient. Is drift science the real problem here?

In reply, my sentient show me beauty queens jumping up and down after winning a pageant. It’s their way of saying, yes already. Amazing how, even though they can’t speak, my sentient still manage to be sarcastic.

Fresh scenes flood my mind. This time, my sentient review my last mission.

---

I stand in a huge white space. A sign for New Cosmos University hangs above me; equipment covers the floor all around. There are tall monoliths with computer arrays, a patchwork of workstations, and round databots that zoom through the air. I stand at the drift science station, dressed in a white lab coat. It took me two weeks to infiltrate this place as a research student. After that, I spent days hacking into university systems so anyone with Umbran DNA would be immune to security. Yet the real time-suck on this mission has been my target, Helen Robbins. She’s whip-smart with long black hair, cocoa skin, and a gaze that could melt titanium.

She thinks I’m up to something.

She’s right.

Trouble is, my secret agenda is to stop this version of Earth from imploding. For that to happen, Helen must ace her latest set of drift science calculations. How do I know her calcs are key? My sentient keep making her data pad glow red. For weeks, I’ve tried to help her, but she keeps blocking any attempts at conversation. My only chance is that the school board wants fresh numbers today.

How’s it going? I ask. I know you’re on a deadline.

Helen presses her tablet against her chest. What’s it to you?

I want to help. That’s it. Honestly.

Helen pauses. Little by little, she starts handing me her datapad.

At last.

I could cheer.

Behind me, the lab door thuds open. My brother Justice bursts into the room. He’s a bulky figure dressed in cowboy boots, a black T-shirt, jeans and a Stetson. In some kind of nod to science, he holds a pocket protector in his left hand. He stomps over to my side.

How’s it going, little bro? Justice closes his eyes. I know what he’s doing—accessing his sentient. Guess you met the smartest filly in this here lab. Justice increases intensity as he says ‘smartest filly.’ I get it. Justice means that his sentient pinpointed Helen as the target for this mission. Sadly, my brother already has a loud and gravelly voice. Upping the volume only makes the words ‘smartest filly’ boom through the chamber. Everyone stops working to stare.

My jaw muscles lock in frustration. Justice came here to check on me, clear and simple. Did it take me a few days to determine Helen was my target? Sure. I don’t have Justice’s power over sentient, so I figured it out on my own. Now, I’m finally finishing my work here, and my brother shows up to ‘help.’

He could ruin everything.

I look to Helen. She’s clasped the datapad so tightly against her torso, the girl’s knuckles flare white. That’s your brother? she asks, her face scrunched in disbelief.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. Yup. Can you ignore him?

I don’t know. Helen takes a half-step backward. He’s really really really big.

Justice tips the brim of his Stetson. Thank you, sugar.

Wasn’t a complement, deadpans Helen. Justice keeps right on smiling. He’s convinced every woman loves him. Mostly because he’s the most eligible bachelor on Umbra.

I step closer to Helen. Please. You only deal with him once. I’ve got him for the rest of my life.

Helen pauses, then cracks a smile. I’ve an older sister, too. Name’s Polly. She hands over the datapad. Poll’s a lot like your brother.

Is that right, now? Justice flashes Helen a thousand-watt smile. Is this Polly of yours all charm and sunshine, just like me?

Helen chuckles. Nope, she’s more of a busybody. Thinks I can’t do anything without her.

So. Justice puffs out his lower lip. Not like me.

While Helen and Justice chat, I scan the datapad, make a few notes, and hand it back. Your results from the dark matter tests are off, I explain. The data comes another team, and I’m not surprised their work sucks. That group’s more interested in clubbing than science. Rerun the tests yourself and your calcs will be fine.

Helen scans the screen. Thanks. If these numbers were off, it could have caused an explosion.

Through space and time, adds Justice.

Thanks, I tell my brother. But I’m handling this. Which in family-speak translates to: shut the hell up.

Helen gives me the side eye. How could you know those tests looked wrong? This is all new. No one’s seen proper results yet.

Justice taps his temple. My little brother here’s a thinker. He’s got to be, considering how he’s low on sentient and all. Justice closes his eyes for a