The alien cursed silently to himself as he unlocked the cell and crossed the room in two giant strides. He ripped the covers off the bed to find pillows and blankets stuffed beneath them. It was in this moment he knew he had severely screwed up, and knew he had to do something quick to fix it. Nobody else can find out about this.
◆◆◆
Patrick began counting to himself silently. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Over and over again, from one to ten. Patrick’s Dad had once told him, “Just take it ten seconds at a time and you can make it through anything.” Patrick was somewhere between the third and fourth round of counting when he realized he wasn’t dead yet. Far too long had passed for nothing to have happened.
Dropping his hands from his head, Patrick noticed the hissing was greatly subdued, replaced by a soft chant-like hum. Picking up his weapons he peeked over the top of his hiding spot and saw Flupotia standing in the middle of the cave. She had her eyes closed and stood completely still, the only movement coming from her lips. All four snakes in the cave appeared to be in a trance-like state, their eyes fixated on Flupotia.
Patrick felt a wave of euphoria and relief crash over him and he almost jumped in the air, feeling only a tad guilty for doubting Flupotia. Whatever she was doing, it was mesmerizing. Her voice was incredible, and Patrick couldn’t help but be drawn in by it. He climbed over the rock and began his way towards her, his heart racing faster with each step. It was true, Flupotia was beautiful, but as she sang Patrick truly felt he had never seen anything more beautiful. The way her hair was tied up with a few loose strands hanging around her face, the curve of her lips, even the way she stood with confidence. But it was the song above all else. Her voice was simply amazing, and Patrick felt he could listen to her sing forever.
Now entirely lost in her voice, Patrick was only inches from her as he reached out to touch her. As soon as his fingers graced her face, the singing stopped, and she collapsed into his arms. Patrick fell to his knees, the sudden weight in his arms throwing him off balance. As his kneecaps cracked on the ground he was snapped from whatever trance he himself had been in. He looked down to Flupotia, who was desperately trying to stay conscious.
“Patrick, the snakes. Kill them, now.”
As Flupotia slipped into an unconscious state, Patrick snapped into action. The snakes, unlike Patrick, were still stuck in their trance. He had no idea of knowing how long they would be stuck in this state. Patrick picked up his gun and aimed it directly at one of the snakes’ head. Much to his own surprise, Patrick pulled the trigger with no hesitation. An explosive round fired off and the snake’s head was obliterated. Turning quickly, Patrick aimed at the second snake they were fighting and blew its head off just as fast as the first. Patrick took aim at the other two snakes. It was a combination of rage taking over and knowing it would just be easier to deal with them now that led him to pull the trigger. As he felt his finger tighten, Flupotia grabbed his arm. A shot fired off, blasting a hole into one of the cave walls. The smell of burning flesh and Earth filled the air.
“Leave them. This was a fair fight and hopefully, we’ve done enough so they know who they’re dealing with. If we’re lucky, they’ll just let us pass on our way back up.” She grunted as she tried to stand. “I can barely stand; you’ll need to support me.”
“Whatever that thing was you just did, it took a lot out of you, didn’t it?”
Patrick helped her to her feet, and she placed one arm around his shoulder, using her free hand to brush the strands of hair that had fallen out of her face. “Honestly, I’m surprised to be awake right now. Taking on the four of them, I’ve never attempted something like that. Usually, it’s just small animals or a couple of soldiers while I snuck around. And after all of that, I could barely make it to a safe place before passing out for hours. Physically speaking, I shouldn’t even be able to move right now. Whatever magic is at play in this cave, whatever it is that woke me up, I’m thankful for it.”
She looked to the two snakes, slowly coming out of their trance. “Unfortunately, we don’t have time to figure that riddle out right now. We have to get out of here, the trance is already starting to wear off. I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like explaining myself to either of them right now.”
Patrick’s nodded his agreement, trying to quiet the questions that raced through his mind. How was she able to that? Could other aliens do it? Why did the trance impact the snakes differently than me? There were so many unanswered questions, but Patrick knew now wasn’t the time to ask them.
They left through a tunnel on the other side of the cave. Much to Patrick’s relief, this tunnel was much smaller than the one they had entered through. It was no wider than four men across, reassuring him that the snakes could not follow.
◆◆◆
IV: The Second Guardian
The tunnel that left the snakes home was windy and dark. It was littered with small cutouts every dozen yards or so. Each of these cutouts had a small torch burning, lighting the way. Some of the cutouts were set up as small camps, capable of holding no more than two or three. Flupotia told Patrick these had been set up for patrolling aliens. This led to her reassuring him that these tunnels weren’t monitored, since the digging had ceased. Feeling safe, the two chose a small cutout to rest in. It was positioned perfectly, tucked away in a corner where the path made a U shape. It was a great vantage point, should anyone come from either direction.
As Patrick dug through his backpack, he was amazed at what Flupotia had done to prepare for their quest. He pulled out an apple and began to eat as she grabbed a brown package, no larger than an envelope, from her bag. Patrick continued to watch as she placed it on the ground between them and pressed down on the single button on its surface. Within seconds Patrick was staring at a full-size tent that filled almost the entire space. It was large enough for both of them to lie in comfortably, and almost stand up fully. Patrick stepped inside where more surprises awaited. There were two mats already on the floor with blankets folded nicely at the foot of each. There were no pillows, but Patrick refused to complain. Where was this technology when I was earning my survival merit badge?
Patrick finished his apple off and jumped onto the mat, pulling the covers up close. Flupotia followed close behind, falling asleep almost instantly. Patrick knew he was exhausted and wanted desperately to sleep, but it wouldn’t come. His mind raced up the tunnel to the chamber of the snakes and the guilt he felt for killing them. It then traveled further up the tunnel where he was sure the aliens had discovered they were missing and had sent someone after them. Then his mind reached even further, outside the confines of the alien base to his home. He was worried about his family living with an alien in their home and being none the wiser. Patrick let out a small laugh as he pictured an alien trying to keep up with his chores. With everything he was going through, Patrick was still worried about coming home to an overgrown yard, trashed bedroom and overdue homework assignments.
He wondered if his grades were going to slip as school ended. He wondered how Mark was doing, coping with this new imposter as his best friend. If anyone had figured out it wasn’t really Patrick, it had to be Mark. If his parents grew suspicious, it only put them in greater danger. Mark was more rugged and capable of taking care of himself. Patrick knew these thoughts would do him no good, so he began counting again. One through ten, over and over again until his mind finally shut off and he fell into one of the deepest sleeps of his life.
◆◆◆
Agent 9456ED rolled over in Patrick’s bed, growing tired of his assignment. While everyone else was running around plotting and learning about the humans, he was stuck with a 9:30 curfew. This is ridiculous.
His first month had been an exercise in patience, the days all bleeding one into the next. It was always the same; wake up at 6:00 AM, get dressed, eat breakfast, off to school, come home, work on homework and chores, watch some TV with the family, and then get ready for bed. Every now and
then after school, the alien was forced to hang out with Mark. He didn’t particularly like Mark, thought his jokes were immature and he showed no ambition. But the alien knew he had to keep up appearances as Patrick, so he did his best to feign interest.
As summer break finally rolled around, the alien thought things were going to change. He had heard from other aliens that summer break on Earth meant school was over and the fun started. But not for Patrick. Patrick had enrolled in summer courses, getting a head start on college. The alien’s patience was growing thinner by the day as he settled into a monotonous summer of playing Patrick.
On his days off he did his best to avoid Mark but was unsuccessful more often than not. Today was one such day. The alien had planned to go back to base for a break, hoping to plead his case for reassignment. However, as fate would have it, Mark was waiting on the porch for him as he walked outside.
They ended up spending the first half of the day at a comic bookshop, a typical hangout he wasn’t a fan of. He found it disturbing and humiliating the way aliens were depicted in some. The aliens were either barbaric or incredibly advance. In both scenarios they were always the bad guy and Earth would always beat them. If only these pathetic humans knew the truth, they wouldn’t be so smug.
◆◆◆
Flupotia sat out by a small fire she had put together while Patrick slept. The recipe she was working on was a new one, something she hoped would be capable of satisfying both their tastes. It was a vegetarian dish, not that Flupotia was a vegetarian by choice. She had grown up on a planet where the diet rarely consisted of meat. The animals that roamed Pluto were few and far between, and it was considered a great sin to kill one of them. Before spreading out to the other planets, the aliens had survived off a mostly vegetarian diet. For this dish, she was attempting to use vegetables from Earth. She figured it was a good middle ground to start with.
Patrick stepped from the tent, groggy-eyed and with a little bit of dried drool crusted around his lips. The smell had been enough to wake him, and his curiosity about her power was enough to get him out of bed.
“Need any help cooking?” he offered up his hands as he stood beside her.
“I’m all set, thanks. Why don’t you sit down though, food should be ready soon.”
“Thanks, I’m starving.”
Patrick sat down and warmed his hands by the fire. It wasn’t cold in the tunnels, it was actually quite warm, it was more that his body had been numb with fear for so long, he had to work feeling back into it.
“So,” Patrick wasn’t really sure how to ask, “what was that whole singing thing back there?”
“That,” she sighed, “happens to be a very long story. But we have some time to spare.”
Flupotia tapped the spoon on the edge of the pot as a few drops of liquid splashed into it. The spoon was delicately placed on a nearby plate, and she took her time turning towards Patrick. Her face was solemn as if she were looking for the right place to start her story.
“The power was discovered hundreds and hundreds of years ago by my ancestors. One day, a woman left her child outside playing alone. The child loved to sing, always belting out one song or another. On this particular day, a Garantua managed to find its way into the woman’s yard.” She paused, seeing the confusion already spread across Patrick's face. “A Garantua is similar to a scorpion, but is roughly the size of a large dog.” Patrick nodded his understanding, and she continued.
“So this woman is upstairs looking out her window, just admiring her child. She sees the Garantua coming into her yard and approach her daughter. In a clear panic, she runs outside, only to find that the Garantua isn’t attacking or attempting to harm her daughter at all. This goes against everything that is known about their behavior and demeanor. It was just standing there, swaying back and forth to the rhythm of the child’s singing. The mother slowly made her way around the Garantua, picked up her daughter, and ran inside. A short while later the Garantua ran off. The story spread quickly, and people came from all over to hear her sing. As she got older many men proposed to her with lavish gifts. She turned dozens down before finally saying yes. The two got married in a huge ceremony and started a family together. They ended up with three daughters, all having the same abilities as their mother. These women came to be known as the High Priestesses of Pluto. They were seen as Gods among us. Life continued on as it will, and the daughters grew up, got married and started their own families. Again, they only birthed daughters, all with the same gift. Things continued this way for quite some time, their political influence growing hastily. The King decided they were a threat to the crown, having amassed far too large of a following. He ordered an attack on all the men, women and children living at the High Priestess’s temple. It was a slaughter; none were thought to have survived.” Flupotia turned away from Patrick to hide her face, pretending the food needed tending.
“There was however one child that did escape. She lived her life and kept the ability a secret.” She turned back and smiled at Patrick, unable to hide the fact she had been holding back tears.
“Like the others, she got married and had a daughter of her own. With no choice, she came clean to her husband. Together they spent their days protecting the child and making sure she didn’t expose herself or them. That family line continued on for many years after, and split off. There are five living descendants that I know of, myself being one. My father doesn’t know, if he did, I believe he would have killed me long ago. He probably would have killed my mother too, if she was still alive. I’ve managed to keep this a secret through life, and I hope to keep it for the rest of my days.”
She handed a bowl of food to Patrick and held onto it until he looked her in the eyes, seeing a fear he didn’t know she could feel. “Please, if ever we are to get out of here, do not reveal this secret to anyone. No matter how much you trust them. My life is truly at stake.”
Patrick sat stunned and taken aback. He couldn’t quite believe she had just trusted him with this huge secret. He was, in a strange way, honored. On his end, it made trusting her that much easier as well. Now that he knew her secret, her future depended on him as much as his depended on her.
“You’ve put a great deal of trust in me. Thank you for that. I promise your secret is safe with me.”
“I’ve never shared this secret before. It means a great deal, so thank you. Somehow, I just know that I can trust you. Sure, there’s a part of me that had no choice, but you just have this thing about you…” her voice trailed off as she began eating.
Flupotia seemed vulnerable in this moment, lost in her own thoughts. “I have a question for you,” Patrick faltered slightly, swirling his spoon in the bowl of soup. “This singing thing… could it be used as, say a love potion of sorts?”
“I’ve never used it in such a way, but I imagine that’s why the old High Priestess’s had so many men wishing to marry them. Why do you ask?”
“Well, it’s just when you started singing back there, I sort of fell into a trance of my own. It was like all of a sudden you were the most beautiful thing I had ever heard or seen.” Patrick felt his face flush red hot. “But as soon as you stopped singing, I promise all those feelings left!”
For a few seconds, Flupotia just stared at Patrick, making him feel incredibly uncomfortable and regretting his decision to tell her. Her lips parted and gave way to a huge smile filled with laughter. It was a long and hard laugh. One that was incredibly contagious. Within moments both of them were filling the empty tunnel around them with their hearty laughter.
“Sorry, it just feels so good to laugh,” Flupotia said as she wiped away the tears now streaming down her face.
“No, it was much needed.” Patrick smiled back at her as she scooped more food into his bowl. “So, what is the government like on Pluto? How did this king amass so much power?”
“Long story short,” she paused as she took a bite of her food and then placed the bowl down.
“Pluto started out with two great
tribes. There was Dalterch the Builders and Cynieil the Healers. From their union, six tribes formed. Mynerry the Elders, the first to split off were known for their wisdom and guidance. Karisay, the Bloodline tribe, grew the fastest of them all, defining family values and love for all of Pluto. Advierry the Scribes were responsible for recording our history and charting the stars to predict our future. Caeerer were the Explorers, the first to venture off-world and begin to explore the galaxy. Kerierst the Colorful were known for their sense of style, defining our culture and even designing our ceremonial garbs. Maseerry was the final tribe to split off, simply known as The Young. They lived by their own rules, and showed everyone what it meant to have a truly free spirit.”
“And what happened? Was there a war between the tribes?”
“No, there was never a war. One was born into Advierry; he claimed to have seen a future with one united Pluto, a Pluto united under the rule of a child born from Karisay. Nobody questioned it until it was too late. The family line was cemented as royalty, and the tribes disbanded.”
Flupotia looked down at her food, pushing it around with her spoon but not eating. “Some still hold true to their tribal roots, but there is less and less each generation. This is why I am here. I want to one day return the tribes to their glory, and give the power back to the people.” She looked down at her hardly eaten bowl of food and dumped it on the ground. “Suppose we should get moving then.”
She stood up without another word. Patrick quickly shoveled the rest of his food down as she packed the tent. And just like that, the two were off again. Back on their quest to fight through the next guardian. With each step Patrick’s fear grew, unsure of how he could face the man-eating Martians.
All too soon, Flupotia stopped short and spread her arms wide, showing off what was in front of them. There was a small door carved into the wall ahead of them. The door appeared to be made out of thick steel and was bolted shut from the outside. Flupotia produced a key and removed the chains. As the door swung open it revealed nothing but darkness ahead.
The Birth of a Rebellion Page 6
