Biocode: Discovery

By Terence McAdams

When Ciara arrives on Alcyone, the Taniwha initiate an audacious assault aimed at her capture. They have amassed a formidable invasion force but need Ciara’s singular ability to navigate the wormhole. Narrowly evading capture, she returns to Earth, only to find herself the quarry of a secretive faction known as ‘Ananke’.

Accused of smuggling weapons of mass destruction into South Korea, she is confined within the stark walls of a police cell. While there, Ciara has a vision of Scottie on the precipice of death at Kealakekua Bay on the day of James Cook’s demise. Through her visions of naval officer William Hartley, Ciara learns that Ananke agents are Taniwha with human hosts. Over the centuries, they have shifted from person to person, infiltrating governments and the world’s most influential organisations.

When a startling discovery forces Ciara to return to Alcyone, she faces the challenge of mastering time travel to retrieve a critical artefact. Can she elude the clutches of Ananke, save Scottie’s life, and halt the Taniwha invasion?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Apr 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9781035862283

Terence McAdams

Terence McAdams’ books seek to educate with plot-twisting narratives interweaving science, technology and history. His writing focuses on positive role modelling through richly-drawn characters. His doctoral research was focused on girls’ computer programming, and he advocates for girls in STEAM. Terence also writes technical examination papers for the International Baccalaureate and published many articles on technology, data analysis and education. Terence seeks to enlighten and engage readers about scientific advancements through intrigue.

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About the Author

Terence McAdams’ books seek to educate with plot-twisting narratives interweaving science, technology and history. His writing focuses on positive role modelling through richly-drawn characters. His doctoral research was focused on girls’ computer programming, and he advocates for girls in STEAM. Terence also writes technical examination papers for the International Baccalaureate and published many articles on technology, data analysis and education. Terence seeks to enlighten and engage readers about scientific advancements through intrigue.

Dedication

To the Polynesian people, whose rich heritage and profound connection with the sea and stars have inspired dreamers across the globe. May this story honour the depth of your culture and the strength of your spirit.

Copyright Information ©

Terence McAdams 2024

The right of Terence McAdams to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035862276 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035862283 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

Thank you Chrystene Rae for the incredible generative AI video, Juliet Kim for Korean translation, and Faye Yang for Chinese translation.

Chapter 1

Back Again

A mesmerising vortex of light swirled into existence inside a vast, empty chamber. Its radiant energy peaked in a dazzling flash, and as it receded, it left behind a sleek silver spacecraft. Alerts pinged on the phones of Zixin Yang, Hana Kim, Sophie Cho, Scottie Ngatai and Seungchan Oh. Propelled by a surge of adrenaline, Zixin sprang from her bed, dashed through the dimly lit corridor, and hammered on Sophie’s door.

Wake up. The ship’s back.

Sophie opened the door, revealing herself in a thick, black full-length puffer jacket. She looked Zixin up and down and asked, Are you going like that? It’s about 10 degrees outside. You’ll freeze on the boat.

Zixin looked down at her red tartan pyjamas. Good point. I’ll meet you outside in five minutes.

It was a swift 20-minute drive to Moseulpo Harbour from the sprawling grounds of Sanjung Academy. The students climbed into the small fishing boat, one of several owned by Hana’s father, and started the engine. The sea thrashed and churned as they made their journey to Geumdo Island. The entrance to their destination was inside a large sea cave lit by photoluminescent algae. As they neared the jetty, the students became impatient, leaping onto the dock before they’d stopped moving. They ran up the steps to the laboratory entrance, their footsteps echoing around the cavern.

The Sanjung laboratory had remained abandoned since the Pleiades, the murderous alien race Ciara freed from stasis, escaped their temporary prison. Dr Kim considered moving his research and development operations back to Geumdo Island but waited to ensure the wormhole had stabilised. His cautiousness seemed well-founded because the alert indicated that the tunnel to earth’s twin planet had recently been activated.

The students sprinted through the maze of corridors to the vast meeting room next to Dr Kim’s former office. The location was an endpoint for a cosmic string, which was why the spaceship had appeared there. Scottie was the first to arrive and pushed hard on the door. Despite pulling with every ounce of his strength, the door wouldn’t budge.

Zixin reached him a few moments later. It won’t open, gasped Scottie.

Let me try, said Zixin, shoving the Kiwi out of the way. She slid the door sideways into a wall cavity, revealing a large entrance.

Ordinarily, this would be an opportunity for a sarcastic putdown, but the sight of the alien vessel took Zixin’s breath away. The room hummed with an eerie, pulsating energy, hinting at the power contained within the ship. Ciara must be onboard because the alien spacecraft couldn’t traverse the wormhole without her to activate the cosmic string.

Hana caught up with Scottie and Zixin. Gasping, she asked, Why are you waiting in the doorway? Go inside.

The students nervously entered the dark room. Without warning, the large shadow that dominated the centre split open to blind them with a brilliant, luminous light. They held their breaths as the silhouetted shape of a tall figure appeared.

You took your time getting here, said Ciara. I’ve been waiting over an hour.

The six friends embraced her all at once while bombarding her with questions.

What’s the other planet like?

How come you’re back so soon?

Is the wormhole stable?

Only Sophie was quiet, although this was typical for the girl with the highest recorded IQ in South Korea. She peered around Ciara into the open vessel. Noticing it was empty, she asked, Where’s Mr Hartley?

Ciara staggered back from the group hug, visibly exhausted and dizzy. Zixin, with her snake-like reflexes honed by years of martial arts training, quickly reached out to support her. Concern etched in her voice, she asked, Are you alright?

I need food and sleep, said Ciara. Traversing the wormhole exhausts me. I shouldn’t have returned so soon because I hadn’t fully recovered from the first trip.

Scottie, whose Māori heritage had ingrained the importance of community, seemed concerned. Why did you return if you hadn’t gotten over the fatigue? What was so important?

The question lingered, heavy in the air. Ciara’s complexion became ashen. Her eyes drifted downwards, fixating on the floor as she struggled to convey a response. In the wake of her silence, Sophie pressed again, Where’s Mr Hartley?

A wave of guilt washed over Ciara. The events had unfolded so rapidly, and she had left him behind. Zixin noticed her friend’s troubled expression and, with a concerned frown, said, When you feel up to it, tell us what happened.

It’s all a bit hazy. It will take a few days for my memories to return. Until then, my recollection will be imprecise. Ciara felt a second wave of disorientation. My blood sugar level is low. Do you have any snacks with you?

Zixin gave the others a worried look, put her arm around Ciara’s waist and said, We didn’t think to bring any food and the shops in Moseulpo will be closed at this hour. We can organise food at school if you can hold on until we return.

Checking her smartwatch, Hana said, I’ll message the chef and ask him to prepare some breakfast. He’s likely up jogging at this time anyway. A request from the daughter of Sanjung Kim, the biotech billionaire, would be acted upon with alacrity. The food would be waiting for them when they arrived back.

As they approached the door, the room plunged suddenly into darkness. Although the ship no longer emitted light, the entrance remained open. Ciara felt an unsettling silence. The ship’s familiar low hum had vanished.

Scottie was the first to speak. What happened?

As adrenaline surged through Ciara, her unsteadiness disappeared. She hurried back to the alien vessel, approaching the control console, only to find its electronic display lifeless and dark. It’s dead, she said. Unless we can fix it, Mr Hartley is trapped on Alcyone.

Zixin put her arm around Ciara’s shoulders. Come on, she said. Let’s get you some food. We’ll figure out what to do later.

They headed to the pier where the boat was waiting. The temperature dropped as soon as they opened the door to the small underground inlet. Ciara found the cold unbearable after the dramatic change from tropical Alcyone to Jeju Winter. She shivered uncontrollably until Scottie put a blanket around her shoulders.

The current was with them on the boat ride back, and they arrived at Sanjung Academy just 40 minutes later. They went immediately to the school cafeteria, where the chef had prepared bacon, pancakes, and maple syrup. The food, along with the coffee, worked wonders, and Ciara’s spirits rose. There was an excited buzz in the air, with mindless chatter providing comfort. She knew that it couldn’t last long.

Sophie reached out to touch Ciara’s arm, hesitating awkwardly just centimetres away. Will you tell us what happened to Mr Hartley?

Evading the question, Ciara took a bite of her bacon and followed it with a sip of coffee. Even though she’d only been away for two weeks, she had missed the rich aroma and taste of coffee nearly as much as she missed her friends. It was surprising that such an advanced civilisation as Alcyone’s could operate without this uniquely wonderful beverage.

The others looked at Ciara expectantly, so she decided to face the guilt of leaving William Hartley behind.

He was fine the last time I saw him, said Ciara. As James Fernley’s closest friend, they felt a debt towards Mr Hartley. When he asked to be shown around the city, the Patupaiarehe duly obliged. I wanted to go with him, but he said I needed to recover from the journey.

That makes sense, said Scottie sympathetically. You do look pretty exhausted.

Ciara pulled out a small, flat gold disc that resembled a watch battery. One of the Patupaiarehe women, Aroha, took me to my quarters and gave me this. She held up the small device that glinted in the artificial lights.

Sophie leaned forward to get a better look. What does it do?

Nothing now, said Ciara, pressing down on the disc. It’s supposed to activate a 3D hologram, allowing me to see and hear everything around Mr Hartley. I watched him navigate the city, discussing defence strategies. There’s also a mode where he can talk directly to me.

Wow, said Chan, reaching out to take the disc.

Ciara quickly pocketed it, pretending not to notice, One night, I was woken by the chambermaid, Aroha, assigned to me. She said Taniwha had breached the building. They were coming for me, so I had to return to Earth or risk my abilities falling into their hands.

A tear formed in Ciara’s left eye and rolled slowly down her cheek. I tried to argue, but she said there wasn’t time. I abandoned him.

Sympathy was etched on her friends’ faces. Nobody spoke until Chan asked, Why were they after you?

Ciara paused, pondering the question. The Taniwha intend to invade earth but can’t traverse the wormhole without me.

You did the right thing, said Hana. There was no other option.

Ciara, pausing mid-bite of her pancake, glanced up at Hana with a warm, grateful smile.

A gifted opera singer, Chan wasn’t particularly technology-minded. He was obviously impressed as he asked, Did you need extensive training to operate the alien spacecraft by yourself?

Ciara smiled at his expression, The more sophisticated the technology, the better the user interface, she said. I just place my hand on a panel and think about the action it should perform. The ship takes care of the rest.

Scottie’s expression was an odd mix of excitement and mischief. You’ve just travelled across the galaxy to another planet, becoming the third human to traverse a wormhole. You must be pretty stoked.

Travelling through a wormhole’s nothing, said Ciara. It’s not like it requires any special abilities. A ghost of a smile appeared on her face. Oh, wait a minute. It does require incredibly rare powers to oppose the massive gravitational pull.

Yeah-Nah, said Scottie. When it comes to wormhole travel, you’re only tied for third.

Will you two stop flirting, said Zixin. Just tell us about Alcyone already.

Hana glared at the Chinese girl while Scottie looked away, his cheeks turning pink.

Ignoring Zixin’s outburst, Ciara said, The first day is hazy, but I remember marvelling at the two moons in the sky. They are either much larger or much closer than ours.

Sophie’s eyes widened, as they often did when she had a sudden thought or idea. Does Alcyone have seas?

Ciara nodded, understanding the reason behind Sophie’s question. The seas are too rough to traverse in a traditional nautical vessel. I was told that two dominant life forms emerged, evolving on separate, isolated continents. When the Patupaiarehe developed flight to explore their planet, they encountered the Taniwha.

I still can’t picture what Alcyone is like, said Scottie. Describe the details so I can visualise it.

I’ll tell you more, said Ciara, but not until I get bacon and more coffee.

Scottie jumped up. I’ll get you some, or you’ll wait 10 minutes for a robot to arrive. He walked over to the kitchen door and asked the chef for bacon before going to the coffee machine. A minute later, he returned with a double espresso and hot water on the side.

Ciara glanced at Scottie’s girlfriend, who stared impassively. With Hana’s all-clear, she smiled and thanked the handsome Kiwi. You must really want to hear about Alcyone, she said.

Ciara blew on the steaming cup and sipped her coffee before continuing,

Alcyone is smaller than Earth with a slightly lower gravity. I could leap six feet in the air without difficulty.

Chan was leaning forward and listening intently. Did you get taken to a city?

Ciara nodded. It’s the last city. The Taniwha destroyed all the others. The Patupaiarehe live in harmony with all living things. Their city is not like our concrete jungles. Most of it is underground with a few tall structures that extend beyond the forest canopy.

Scottie unzipped the small bag draped over his shoulder, retrieving a pad and pencil. Could you sketch it for us? Or at least talk me through the city’s details while I draw. My grandfather would be stoked to see a painting of an alien world.

Ciara recalled the striking painting of the Patupaiarehe girl adorning the wall of the meeting house within the marae. The profound impact of the artwork lingered in her mind. Of course, she said, a hint of emotion creeping into her voice. Can it wait until tomorrow?

Scottie nodded excitedly. Yeah, no worries, he said, putting his pad and pencil away.

Sophie, who had been quiet throughout, suddenly asked a question. How do you produce the negative energy to keep the wormhole open?

The question momentarily threw Ciara. She wasn’t sure how she did it, only that her DNA contained exotic matter. Inside the ship is a chair with a helmet above it, she said. The Patupaiarehe put the device over my head, and a screen lit up. They called it a transducer, which makes sense if it’s converting energy for the ship to use.

Sophie studied Ciara as if gauging the accuracy of her words. Is the helmet attached to the ship’s hull?

It’s part of the hull, said Ciara. I really don’t know what happens. It’s like giving blood. You sit there and wait, except you don’t get sweet tea and a biscuit afterwards.

Seeing Sophie’s blank expression, Ciara continued. You get hooked up and sit back until you’re done.

Chan frowned. Like a battery?

Ciara nodded. Exactly!

Still frowning, Chan asked, Then how could the spacecraft traverse the wormhole on earth without you connected?

I asked the same question, said Ciara. A residual amount of energy is left. Just enough to travel short distances.

Clearly pleased he’d asked an intelligent question, Chan continued. What would happen if you disconnected from the helmet mid-journey? Would the wormhole collapse and crush the ship?

Ciara gave a weary shrug, exhausted by the barrage of questions she couldn’t answer. The helmet grips to my head, with no way to pull it off. I imagine the Patupaiarehe built-in fail-safes.

Chan was leaning forward, determined to pursue this line of thought. What if you were killed? Would your DNA generate energy even after you’re dead?

Bro, seriously, said Scottie. You’ve got to work on your empathy.

A robot steered its way across the cafeteria and stopped at their table. Chef asks if you want anything else, Hana Kim, it said.

Another coffee for me, please, said Ciara, wondering why she was being so polite to a machine.

The others wanted nothing, so the robot took the empty plates away.

Now that you’ve returned, you’ve endangered the earth again, said Sophie. The wormhole will become unstable without a ship to pass through it.

Sophie, exclaimed Zixin and Scottie together.

Looking stricken, the genius Korean girl opened her mouth to apologise, but Ciara reached out, squeezing her hand gently. It’s okay, Sophie, she said. I understand your concern.

The wormhole won’t become unstable again, said Ciara. The Patupaiarehe scientists were aware of this issue and developed a …let me think. What did they call it? A subspace destabilisation field, which they fitted to the ship.

Sophie’s eyes lit up, and she leaned forward with a burst of energy. Did they say how it worked?

Now that Ciara had remembered the term subspace destabilisation field, the rest of the conversation came back more clearly. They said the device emitted an array of controlled superluminal particles to disrupt the quantum coherence of the exotic energy.

Scottie raised an eyebrow. And you remembered that? What is it in English?

Ciara laughed, They shoot a beam from the back of the spacecraft to get rid of the exotic energy trailing it.

Chan looked thoughtful and asked, Do you think that’s what broke the ship?

Maybe, said Ciara. But Mr Hartley is stuck on Alcyone in a city under siege, and with the ship dead, we’ve got no way to rescue him.

My dad’s research team will work on it, said Hana.

Zixin laughed. What? The team that couldn’t get the scanner to turn on, she said.

Zee has a point, said Chan. We’d be better off finding the second ship, the one Mr Fernley used.

Scottie clapped Chan on the back. Great idea, bro, he said. Then Ciara could save Mr Hartley.

Ciara appreciated Scottie’s enthusiasm, but she couldn’t avoid a touch of negativity. The ship could be anywhere, she said. I really have no idea. I don’t know, maybe Mr Fernley will tell me.

The others exchanged glances as if wondering if she’d gone mad. Ciara laughed, In one of my visions, she said. There might be a clue to where Mr Fernley hid the ship.

Until then, said Zixin. There’s nothing we can do. We might as well enjoy being students.

I’ve forgotten what that’s like, said Ciara. The suggestion triggered a thought and she asked, Who won the last house event?

Odae House won the egg hunt, said Zixin, scowling.

Hana’s expression darkened. Noticing this, Ciara said, I’m guessing we beat Halla, though.

You cheated, said Hana, folding her arms across her chest.

We didn’t cheat, said Zixin. It wasn’t even deceitful.

This was obviously an old argument by now. Ciara looked at her friends and raised an eyebrow.

Zixin sighed. Sophie programmed drones to recognise the eggs, which was effective when they were out in the open. Unfortunately, an entire batch was hidden in one of the ponds, and only Odae House thought to look underwater.

Far from being a childish game, the house competition had become even more important to the students at the school. It was a welcome distraction from the tragic events that had transpired over the previous few months. With Odae having won the last two events, only 3 points separated the top three houses.

A group of students entered the cafeteria and sat at an adjacent table. A beautiful girl waved at Scottie, and he waved back. Hana glared at him, then at the girl, who looked away. Ciara didn’t recognise her and guessed there were several new students.

While thinking about these changes, Zixin explained how Sophie’s drones worked. Ciara wasn’t paying attention because there was a thought on the edge of her memory. An important idea that she couldn’t quite grasp.

Zixin clicked her fingers in front of Ciara’s face. Did you hear a word I said?

Ciara had heard a few key phrases and guessed at the rest. Um, she said. Sophie added LIDAR sensors to the drones and programmed them with Visual Simultaneous Localisation And Mapping to search the grounds. She fine-tuned a convolutional neural network for object recognition. When the drone spotted an egg, it relayed the coordinates, and a student went to fetch it.

Zixin looked away in disgust. I knew you weren’t listening.

Ciara looked at Sophie with a puzzled expression. That’s exactly what I did, said Sophie. But that wasn’t the way Zixin described it. Despite the touchy subject, even the Halla House students laughed at that.

Next week’s event will be different, said Scottie with a stupid grin. It was a childish expression, seeming to imply that he knew something they didn’t.

Each house has to perform a dance routine with all seniors participating, he said. I can’t wait to see Sophie dance.

Nor me, said Zixin. You have no idea how good she is. She turned to face Ciara. You, however… I’m not so sure.

Ciara wondered whether Zixin was bluffing about Sophie but was too tired to find out. On that happy note, I’m going to lie down to get over my interstellar jet lag. She got up and headed off to her room.

When she got to the boarding house, Ciara could hear Mrs Hamilton tidying the study area. Not wanting to see anyone, she took the stairs instead of the lift. Her muscles burned with lactic acid, one painful step at a time. She opened the