Universal Code

by William Songy

  The puldahl lights were illuminating the area above him and were about to drop to his level. He stopped fumbling, became motionless and decided to wait and see what the puldahl was going to do. It continued to descend and it was apparent that the drone intended to continue down to the lower level. When it got close, Sana reached up and grabbed it. The puldahl let out a mechanical noise that sounded more like a scream than an alarm. He moved the puldahl over the door and used the light to survey the cause for the mechanical failure. The control sensor on the right looked like it had been disabled. Sana looked at the puldahl and pulled off one of the legs it used to land. He took the elongated metal piece and slid it into an empty slot on the side of the sensor. The door instantly came to life and slid open. The movement nearly caused him to fall into the darkness below.

  He tossed the damaged puldahl downward and climbed out of the chute. It was then that he heard the alarms going off. They have to know by now, he thought. Sana was relieved to see that he had counted correctly; it was the room he remembered from his study of the maps. To his right was the location where the telenium charges were fired from the Alani’s Gabari cannons for defense. He grabbed one that was still packaged and hoped that it didn’t go off prematurely. He needed to get to the reactor before the unstable substance exploded.

  Through the walls he could hear the sound of Redum soldiers frantically moving around in search of him. It appeared that, despite the run-in with the puldahl, they didn’t know what level he was on. Sana slid out of the doorway and ran down a hallway that led to the reactor. The charge was either heavier than he had considered, or his arms were simply exhausted. Regardless, it would all be over soon. From behind he could hear approaching footsteps. Sana backed into a nook and tried to hide the glowing blue light on the charge. The two doors slid and closed in front of him and the small platform moved quickly upward. In a matter of seconds, he was on an upper level that seemed to serve as an observation platform over the reactor and the surrounding workstations. This was not on the map.

  It was almost too good to believe, all he needed to do was walk over to the end of the platform and toss the plasma charge over a short glass wall. He was certain to die in the explosion and that wasn’t good enough. If he was going to go, it was going to be in a way that they would know who was responsible. He decided to run with the plasma charge and jump into the reactor. The Tish would see him as he flew through the air and knowing it was the slave from Tozan, the trophy of Ningal the Nam-nim that had killed them all. What good was that if they all died anyway? It would be the only satisfaction, even if for a microsecond, that Sana would get, so it didn’t matter. Perhaps he could take the look on their horrified faces into the next life to remember for an eternity. This was all he had and just thinking about it gave him some peace about what he was about to do.

  The platform beneath his feet started to move. Sana leaped off in time to prevent being taken back or falling back down. The free man of Tozan thought about his father before taking the final run and leap of destiny. He hoped that he was able to see what he was doing and that it made him proud. They would be together again in a matter of seconds.

  Sana ran down the short walkway, put his foot on the glass wall, and launched himself as far as his exhausted legs would allow. He yelled like a madman for effect and observed the horror on the faces of the evil creatures manning the workstations as they all turned to watch him fly into the reactor. All of them knew what was about to happen and were helpless to stop it. Sana threw the telenium charge and noticed something odd appearing out of thin air in front of him. This was something he had never seen before and had no idea how to avoid it. It was directly in his path. Was it the door to eternity? Just as he watched the telenium reach the reactor, it consumed him. He heard the sound of the explosion then everything went black.

  Chapter 23

  “I thought you were finally dead,” Einar said coldly staring down the man he had been hunting as he regained his breath, “I shot you on the roof of the Baraza Zima.”

  “Sorry to disappoint, but I am still very much alive. And I have no idea what you are talking about. I’ve never been to the Baraza Zima building. I’m a wanted man and have no reason to go there,” Asger snarled as he walked confidently from behind the oversized throne and past the Pharaoh, who stared at Einar with a piercing glare. The Egyptian leader seemed perturbed by him and was clearly anxious to get to the sentencing.

  “A lot of good people, leaders are dead because of you,” Einar yelled back staring Ulven down.

  “First, I’m not the one bound to the judgment stone…you are. Second, as I said before, I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m just a simple, peace-loving man on a mission of freedom. I want to make the Universe a place we can all live in,” Asger replied indignantly against the charge levied against him.

  “Really, a pirate, a slave trader? How did you get away from the Baraza Zima? I shot you. You should be dead,” Einar said coldly as blood matted hair hung over his brow. His red-green eyes were ablaze with hatred.

  Asger looked down while patting various parts of his body and said, “No, I am quite alive and standing before you in the flesh. Look, I was told that there was a couple from Econ here, and I came to help. But if you insist on this story…well, that kind of complicates matters. My desire to help is fleeting a bit. Well, for you it is anyway. This beautiful gem next to you is a different story. I may buy her from the Pharaoh,” Asger said as he glanced provocatively at Eerika. He was intentionally provoking Einar hoping that the hot-tempered agent would get loose just so he could watch him get beaten by the armed guards.

  “We both saw you,” Eerika shouted in response.

  Asger took a second to look Eerika over slowly from head to toe and back again. She didn’t move her arms to cover her body but stood and stared at him as he took pleasure in her exposure. When his wanton eyes returned to meet hers, Asger’s lustful expression made her feel dirty and cheap. The leering smile on his face amplified his thoughts. He turned around and said something to the rear of the stage that was inaudible to Einar and Eerika. A second being looking like Asger Ulven walked up onto the stage and stood facing them. Either Asger’s likeness had been perfectly replicated or he had truly found his identical twin. From their position, it was impossible to tell the two apart. The hair, the clothing, even the boots were identical.

  “It’s so cute that you have a fan club. I didn’t realize that other people wanted to be like you,” Einar said mockingly hoping to strike a nerve with Asger that would summon a confrontational response.

  “Which of us is Asger Ulven?” he asked as he looked back and forth at the two prisoners while maintaining his cool demeanor. The second Asger said nothing and simply stood emotionless.

  “Good makeup? Excellent costume? So, you found someone to dress up like you. That doesn’t make you less of a murderer,” Einar snapped back.

  Asger looked to his left and gave a slight nod of his head. The hair changed from platinum white to a charcoal grey, the fair complexion faded to an olive color and the eyes became a brilliant yellow.

  “Everyone knows that some of the Canopions and citizens from Tavoy can shapeshift. That doesn’t mean that our evidence of past transgressions wasn’t you. You can try to present your case to the Bara—"

  “The Baraza Zima? The Code is dead. As far as I am concerned, you have no real proof of anything. That doesn’t matter right now. Do you realize that I have the power to save you and the very lovely Eerika, or I can allow the Pharaoh to take your life? All I have to do is tell the Pharaoh that I am done with you, that you pose a threat, and he will sentence you on my recommendation. You are already going to be punished for killing the Babi. If you are of value to him, you live. However, it's not looking that way right now,” he looked over Eerika’s body a second time, “she is most certainly useful. Unless you can give a reason why you should be forgiven for the killing of Babi, you will be fed to the lakulu.”

  “Lakulu?�
�� Eerika repeated.

  He smiled at her response, “Did you happen to see the two skeletons on the floor when you walked up? Did you happen to see how they became a pile of bones? That was the lakulu. They have a thing for blood, but it is camel blood that really gets them in a frenzy. That is what is in those bowls. One drop and you are done. Now, you want to come clean about why you are here?”

  “We were supposed to be at the Baraza Zima, but you, or a lookalike and the Redum military of the Tisht decided to kill the members of the Jamhuri Delegation and anyone associated with them. Someone in YOUR likeness attacked and killed innocent, unarmed civilians, and elected members of the Universal community. We were attacked and our transport was damaged. We ended up here by mistake. I didn’t even know this planet was here. It’s not in our database. The question is, why are you here and why would anyone take the time to frame you for the assassinations and other crimes you have been accused of?” Einar inquired.

  “I will offer you this, I did not betray my country. And that is all I will say of it before you are put to death,” Asger’s face turned red as anger was getting the better of him. He squinted his eyes taking a final look then turned to walk away.

  “You didn’t help the Yanuwaians when they tried to assassinate President Vardely? He is the president of Viennin in case you forgot. Go ahead and walk away…you coward!”

  Annoyed and realizing that the conversation was fruitless, Asger turned back to the Pharaoh and gave a nod before walking past the pink stone throne. The Pharaoh appeared satisfied then raised the ankh and gave a command. The Egyptian with the bowl began to make his way from the platform over to Einar. A guard pulled Eerika back away from Einar and began to lead her toward the same door from which she had entered. With nothing to lose, Einar thrust his foot into the genitalia of the short abusive guard. As he doubled over, Einar used his bound wrists and put them around the guard’s neck. He spun and tossed the guard several feet down the stairs into the now motionless man with the bowl of old camel blood. The thick substance exploded into the air covering them both. The sight of the green airborne wave of deadly lakulu made the once tough guard scream at the thought of how he was to live out his final moments. Before he could figure out a way to protect himself, the lakulu savagely attacked him. Bloodcurdling screams filled the auditorium as the two were ravenously ripped apart.

  Einar saw the Pharaoh jump to his feet and point the ankh at him. The noise of the feeding frenzy was too loud for him to hear what was being said, but he didn’t understand the language regardless. A stinging pain across his shoulder blades reminded him of the guards with the whips. He turned to see the six leather straps of the whip coming at him for a second strike. He reached out and caught two of the straps. The sharp metal on the ends of the leather cut into his forearm. Einar jerked the whip away and leveraged it to his advantage. One guard still held a whip, the third had taken Eerika out of the great hall and was not a threat at the moment but would soon return. Guards from the stage with their weapons raised charged at him.

  The sound of a mighty horn pierced the grand hall drowning out the sound of the feeding frenzy. The Egyptian stopped as if one of their gods had suddenly come down from the heavens to pass its judgment on them. Einar stood, uncertain of what it meant, but thankful for the time to catch his breath and remove the bindings from his wrists. The horn rang out in a sequence of three. The Pharaoh moved away from the throne and disappeared through a door at the back of the elevated stage. As if no longer concerned about Einar, the Egyptians scurried about like exposed rodents after a light was turned on in a dark room. They quickly disappeared through the doors on the outer wall of the great hall anxious about something. There was an awful stench and gruesome sound emanating from the bodies that were being devoured. He felt no remorse for either of the men but would set the birds to fire if he could find something to use as fuel. The sight of fleeing little fireballs in the air was appealing. Unfortunately, Einar realized that there was no time for that.

  Einar ran to the doorway Eerika was escorted through. There was a short dark hallway with a door on each side and an opening on the opposite end. He quickly stuck his head into the doors and found the rooms to be unoccupied. Eerika was nowhere to be found. Einar ran back into the Grand Hall and out of the main entry passing by the large hieroglyphs of the pharaoh. The scene was chaotic as the village people were running in all directions clearly antagonized by the horn blasts that continued to bellow. Einar looked up to see the incoming craft and knew by its design that it was not from Viennin. The symbol on the bottom of the craft confirmed that it was a Tisht transport that was landing several hundred feet away. They had tracked them down and were there to kill them just like they had done to the others on Aigi.

  Einar resolved to find Eerika and return to the cover of the mountains until a rescue party was sent for them. He considered another run in with the stupid monkey…Babi and wondered if it would be better to remain in the lower mountain and work away from the city. This would more than likely result in their being found rather easily as it would be difficult to put significant distance between them. It could also complicate any rescue since it would be more difficult to know when his fellow countrymen had come for them. Returning to the mountain where the transport was would likely mean he would have to kill the remaining Babi, which would draw too much attention. He could risk an encounter with another unknown aggressive creature in a different section of the mountain range. It seemed that the planet was ripe with things that wanted to kill.

  He ran back to the building where the women had bathed him and ran from door to door and found that the rooms were empty. Einar ran back to the grand hall and returned to the room where he last saw the guards take Eerika. His instincts were telling him that he needed to take a second look in the room sensing that something was overlooked. He could barely see through the darkness. In the rear of the room, there was just enough light to reveal that the texture of the stone on the wall was not consistent. Einar moved closer to observe the cause. Before him was a wooden door he had not noticed the last time. Einar ran and threw his weight into it without consideration for the noise. The door flew open to reveal a large chamber with fifteen-foot high walls of stone and brick. In the center of the room was a large bed that was several inches off the floor and was covered with linen cloth sheets and animal skins at the foot and on the floor. Eerika was lying on her back bound to the bed by her wrists and completely naked. Einar was instantly furious but pushed his anger aside and ran over to her side to release the bindings.

  “I guess the leader…the little tough guy with the jewelry and makeup that was sitting on the big pink throne, was going to have his way with you?” he said while helping her up.

  “The Pharaoh? He was about to try…I guess. I would have died first,” she quickly shot back.

  Eerika was embarrassed by her nakedness but there was no time for modesty. She leapt up the second her wrists were free and paid no attention to Einar as she searched for something to wear. In a nook on the outer wall, some linen clothes were being stored on the floor in a corner. Disappointingly, the material was as thin as what she wore prior to being stripped and tied to the bed. With no time to waste searching for clothes, Eerika decided that at minimum two layers would be required and threw on a second robe, bound them, and slipped on a pair of knitted grass sandals before heading to the door. She turned to locate Einar and was surprised to find that he had turned his back to her. “I’m dressed now,” she replied appreciatively of his respect for her privacy. She approached and looked down at Einar’s waist, “You’re not exactly covered up either. Your forearm and wrists look awful. Not to mention your head. Why did everyone go crazy? People were running frantically all over the place when they tied me down here.”

  “I’m not sure, but I saw a Tisht transport. I’ll bet they were trying to hide you. I’m sure little pharaoh man wants you pretty badly. We should set this place on fire.”

  “It’s stone,” she rep
lied with a confused expression.

  “The roof isn’t. The contents aren’t. Burn up his stuff and melt all the gold,” Einar said tossing one of the skins from the bed across the room.

  “We don’t have time for this. Besides arson, what is the plan?” Eerika asked while adjusting the grass sandals.

  “Right, let’s get you to a safe location. It looked like the Tisht transport was landing just outside of the city. I guess there is an opening over there. They may be here for us…I don’t know. We need to get somewhere out of the city and wait for SINSTER to come and get us,” he said.

  “What if that doesn’t happen? What if they can’t send anyone out for a while. You saw what happened back there. We need to find a way to get back on our own,” she said challenging Einar to a more proactive plan.

  “We’re not going to repair or build a spaceship out of palm trees and stone. Regardless, let's get out of here and figure this out. We don’t know what is on the other side of the desert or mountains. There may be other ways out of here,” Einar noted.

  They ran out of the room and back through the stone entry where the life-sized hieroglyphs seemed to come alive in Einar’s peripheral vision as he ran between them. Despite knowing of the impossibility of such occurrences by stone carved images, he could not fight the urge to look left and right. Einar’s brief focus on the hallucinations of the hieroglyphs caused him to lose focus on the path ahead. His body came to a sudden and abrupt stop as he ran into the backside of a camel that stepped out of an alley. The impact seemed to take away whatever breath that remained in his exhausted lungs.