Skip looked around for something to tie around his thigh. Then, he remembered there was a first-aid kit in the compartment immediately to his right. He opened the compartment and found the first-aid kit. He ripped a piece of cloth in two, took one strip, and tied it around his left thigh as tight as he possibly could. He hoped it was tight enough to stop the bleeding.
“Jake? Jake?”
Again, there was no answer. He had to get out of his seat and somehow make his way to Jake to make sure he was alive. Skip slowly unbuckled himself. He winced in pain as he tried to get out of his seat. It was no use. He must have lost too much blood. He couldn’t muster the strength to pull himself out of his seat. He tried again, and then he heard Jake.
“Shh,” Jake whispered.
Skip was relieved. “Jake, are you okay?”
Jake whispered again. “Shh. Somebody’s here.”
Skip held his breath and heard two voices. One voice was deep and raspy, the other sounded young.
The young voice spoke first in a language Skip could not understand.
The deep voice then spoke in perfect English. “How many times do I need to tell you, Private? You will speak the language of our goddess mother. If his lordship knew you were speaking our primitive tongue, he would have your head.”
The young voice responded in broken English. “Sorry … Sergeant. I not have … uh … learned our goddess mother’s language yet.”
“You are lucky it’s just your first year in the academy, Private. If you were a commissioned officer, you would be put to death for speaking that primitive tongue. When did you start your language training?”
“Ye … Yeste … Yesterday.”
“Yesterday? You should know at least half of the vocabulary by now. You are behind, Private. If you don’t pass the exam by the end of the week, you will be dismissed from the academy and be a disgrace to the Gnol way of life.”
“Yes … s … sir.”
Skip wondered who or what learned English in a week. He heard the voices getting closer.
The older voice spoke first. “Now, since this is your first field mission, Private, watch and learn.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. You’re getting better.”
“This must be the wreckage from the ship the humans stole. Let’s find out if any of these humans survived. Then, we will travel back to Chast and file our report.”
Skip was anxious. He kept his eyes closed. Maybe they would think he was already dead, especially in his condition. He heard the two aliens walk past him on his right.
The younger alien spoke first. “This human … uh … look died.”
“Yes and the proper phrase is – ‘This human looks dead.’”
“Yes, sir. This human looks dead.”
“Good,” the older alien said. “Let’s make sure.”
Skip felt his heart thumping harder in his chest. He heard one of the aliens approach. The alien placed what felt like two fingers on his carotid artery.
“This one is still alive,” the older alien said. He slapped Skip in face. “Wake up, you human scum!”
Skip did not want to open his eyes. Nevertheless, his curiosity got the best of him. He wanted to see what these aliens looked like. He slowly opened his eyes.
“Ah, it is alive,” said the older alien.
Skip was shocked by what he saw. Instead of the ugly, reptilian-like aliens he had expected, he saw what looked like two human beings in front of him. The older alien was bent over, gazing at him with angry eyes. He was a broad man with a goatee, dressed in red fatigues with black trim. On his feet were what looked like military-issue boots and on his shaved head was a red beret. On the center of the alien’s beret was an insignia Skip did not recognize.
Skip glanced past the older alien in order to get a better look at the younger one. The younger alien was slightly smaller. He also had a goatee and looked to be around twenty years old. He was dressed the same, but his head was not shaved. He had a military haircut.
The older alien grabbed Skip by his throat but didn’t squeeze. “Who are you? Are you a member of the slave resistance?”
Skip managed to speak. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The older alien laughed and turned to the younger alien. “This one speaks the goddess mother’s language, and better than you. Impressive.” The older alien turned to face Skip again. He knelt down on one knee on what remained of Skip’s computer terminal. He grabbed Skip’s left thigh with his black-gloved hand. Skip screamed in pain.
“Don’t lie to me, human. You must be a member of the slave resistance because you speak our mother’s language so well.”
Skip spit blood into the older alien’s face. The alien backhanded him across his face. Blood began to trickle from his left eye. The alien stood up and turned to the younger alien. “Keep an eye on this one. We need him alive for interrogation. I will check to see if this human over here is dead or not. Once I finish, we will find the computer’s hard drive and download all of its information. And then, we will take him with us to Chast.”
“Why … not … we just probe his mind?” the younger alien asked.
The older alien shot the younger alien an angry look. “Not here, Private! I’m sure the colonel would want the pleasure!”
“Yes, sir.”
Skip watched as the older alien walked around the tree trunk.
Unexpectedly, Skip heard the sounds of two gunshots and saw the older alien fall from behind the trunk. Blood slowly began to seep out from the two bullet holes in his head. The younger alien quickly tried to grab his firearm at his side, but he wasn’t fast enough. Skip saw Jake jump from behind the tree trunk with the handgun aimed directly at the younger alien. He fired two more shots directly into the younger alien’s chest. The alien landed dead in the snow.
Jake walked up to the younger alien still aiming the gun at him. He placed two fingers on the alien’s neck. “They’re both dead.”
Jake then turned to face Skip and nearly vomited when he saw his dear friend’s condition. “Oh, man, Skip. If I had known, I would have helped you sooner.”
Jake knelt down to face Skip.
“It’s okay. I found the first-aid kit and tied a tourniquet around my thigh. I hope I tied it tight enough to stop the bleeding.”
Jake examined Skip’s leg. “I think you did. I don’t see it bleeding anymore, but you’re sitting in a pool of blood. There’s no telling how much blood you’ve lost. We’ve got to find some shelter fast. It’s getting dark, and the temperature is dropping quickly.”
“I don’t think I can move, Jake.”
Jake stood up and looked around. “That’s okay. There are pieces of NightHawk everywhere. I’m sure I can make some sort of sled with a left over piece of wing. There’s some rope in the locker.”
Skip shook his head and winced in pain. “Are those guys human?”
Jake looked at the two aliens lying in the snow. “They sure seem to be. But the way they spoke … I don’t know. It’s like they have some kind of ability we humans don’t have. And, it’s obvious they hate humans.”
“What were they talking about, some sort of slave resistance? Maybe this resistance can help us?”
“Yeah, maybe. Listen, I better get a sled rigged so that I can pull you to some shelter. I’ll grab some food rations and water too. You’re going to need some rest.”
**********
Jake walked to the back of the shattered ship. He grabbed the rope and then began putting together a big enough sled out of what remained of one of NightHawk’s wings.
When he finished the sled and gathered the needed supplies, he made his way back to Skip. Skip was unconscious. Oh no! He knelt down and placed two fingers on Skip’s throat. There was still a pulse. Skip must have been so exhausted he had fallen asleep.
Jake mustered enough strength to lift Skip and gently placed him on the sled. He was grateful the space suits he and Skip wore were environmentally controlled as
the sky grew darker and the temperature seemed to plummet. Jake looked towards the city they had seen just before they crashed. It was dark except for the orange glow from the fire that was the result of the alien ship colliding with the tower.
The building wasn’t what Jake would call a skyscraper. It was only about two hundred feet tall. From the air, it had looked taller. He scanned the rest of the buildings. Unfortunately, it was too dark to get a clear visual of them. No lights seemed to be present within the city at all. He hoped there would be someone or something there that could help them.
As Jake walked to the back of what was left of NightHawk, he saw what it was that the two aliens arrived in. His jaw dropped. It looked a lot like a black Hummer, only more aerodynamic, and it didn’t have any wheels. Instead, it was held in place by three stands; two in the back and one in the front. Jake looked under the impressive vehicle. The stands extended like landing gear on a plane from its belly.
Jake checked to make sure Skip was all right and left him at the front of the vehicle. He walked to the door on the right side, opened it, and looked inside. Once inside, he saw that it was spacious. The front could seat three people and the back seat could seat four. The seats were made of what seemed like fine black leather. Behind the back seats was a place to hold cargo. Jake thought that would be enough room for Skip to lie down in.
He then pulled himself up to the driver’s seat, which was situated in the center of the front of the vehicle. He looked at the steering device, which wasn’t in the shape of a wheel at all. In fact, it seemed like the control stick of an old B-2 bomber, except modernized. He looked around the control panel and was stunned to see that everything was in English. He found the ignition button and pushed it.
The vehicle sprang to life. The three stands on which it was positioned retracted back into its underside. The vehicle hovered in the air about four feet from the ground. He pulled back on the controls, and the vehicle moved in reverse. He then moved to the left and right. This will do, he thought.
Jake pushed the ignition button again. The legs of the vehicle lowered, and the soft sound of the engine turned off. He stepped out and walked to Skip who was about fifteen feet away. Skip was awake again, but seemed to be falling in and out of consciousness. He didn’t look well at all.
“Skip, are you all right?” Jake asked.
Skip looked up at Jake and nodded. He pointed to the hover vehicle and said, “You—” he coughed and spit up more blood. “You were going for a joy ride and leaving me … weren’t you?” he said, trying to force a smile, but he was too weak.
“Ah, man. You’re not doing well. We’ve got to find some help fast,” Jake said as he grabbed the rope and pulled Skip to the back of the vehicle. Jake looked for some sort of lever or button that would open the back door. There wasn’t one. He went to the front of the vehicle and looked inside. He found the button that said rear door. He pushed it and the rear door to the vehicle lowered slowly.
He lifted Skip and placed him in the cargo hold. As he did so, Skip cried in pain.
“Sorry.”
Jake then went back to the wrecked ship and grabbed their backpacks. He loaded up the rations and water, also grabbed both of the alien’s weapons, and tossed them into the seat to his right, along with his handgun. He climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine. The vehicle hovered there above the ground for a few moments. He pushed the controls forward, and the vehicle moved forward slowly, but not at the kind of speed Jake wanted. He wanted it to move faster, so he could get to the city in enough time to help Skip. He estimated the city was about five miles away. He looked around and found a lever on his right side. The lever had numbers next to it all the way from zero to two hundred. The lever was set at zero. He moved it forward slowly and the vehicle began to pick up speed. He set it at forty-five.
When Jake reached the outskirts of the city, he had familiarized himself a little with the vehicle. He was also impressed with the technology. When he had hit a small river about a third of a mile back, the vehicle had hovered over it without any trouble at all.
Jake looked around. Small houses were beginning to appear. It was dark now, but both of this strange planet’s moons were full, so it was light enough for Jake to see the details of the houses and buildings. The houses were of a familiar design. “Hey, Skip, are you doing all right?”
Skip answered with pain in his voice, “Yeah, I’m just exhausted. But I’m a little concerned. I’m still coughing up blood.”
“Hang in there, buddy. We’re going to find some help. But everything looks deserted.” Jake looked around for any sign of life. “Hey, Skip?”
Skip coughed. “What?”
“These houses and buildings look familiar. They look like something out of a history textbook.”
Skip pulled himself up to get a better view of the houses and buildings. “Hmm, that’s inter—” He coughed again. “That’s interesting.”
“What?”
“It looks like Baroque architecture.”
“What?”
Skip coughed before he answered again. “The Baroque style … of architecture was used a lot in Europe … during the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries.”
“Makes sense. The lampposts for the streets are set up for what looks like oil-burning lamps. I don’t know. Maybe this place is an abandoned city for … What did those aliens back there call themselves?”
“I—” Skip coughed again, “I think they called themselves ‘Gnols’ or something like that.”
Jake slowed the vehicle down and meandered up and down the streets, looking for any sign of life that could help them. Some of the buildings had been burned from the inside out. Carriages, which looked as if they could be pulled by some kind of animal, were spotted here and there along the streets; some tipped over and burned and some left unmolested.
Jake looked straight ahead and saw the building that he nearly hit in the aerial chase about two hundred yards away. He steered the vehicle toward it.
He was beginning to get frustrated and worried. Skip was coughing more frequently, and there wasn’t a soul in sight. Why would a city like this be abandoned?
They entered what seemed to be an old courtyard, and directly in front was the building he had nearly hit. The building was made in the same style as the other buildings, but bigger and taller. It seemed to be the biggest building in the city, about three hundred feet in height. It reminded him of the Parthenon in ancient Greece – only bigger. He wondered if this was the city’s central government building or some religious center. Jake decided he would get out of the vehicle, go in the building, and take a look.
“Skip … how you doin’?”
Skip wheezed and coughed. “I’ve been better.”
“Listen,” Jake said. “I’m going to go into that main building in front of us and see if anyone is in there that can help us. Will you be okay for a few minutes?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
Jake stopped the vehicle and was about to get out when he saw two headlights approaching from the rear of his vehicle. “Wait,” he said. “Someone’s coming. Maybe they can help us.”
“You better hope that they’re not with those guys that found us earlier,” Skip said.
Jake stopped himself before he opened the door. “You’re right. I’d better wait.”
The two headlights stopped about ten feet behind Jake’s hovercraft. The communication system within the vehicle came to life. “Sergeant Rossetlagn! This is Captain Jamear. Why are you and Private Toupast not at the wreck sight of the stolen spacecraft?”
Jake glanced back toward Skip and looked through the back window for a better look. With the light from the moons, Jake could see the aliens through their front windshield. He could tell that the two aliens were dressed the same as the previous aliens they encountered.
The voice spoke again. “Sergeant Rossetlagn, do you copy?”
Skip turned, looked at Jake, and shrugged. “May … Maybe we
should make a run for it, Jake?”
Jake shook his head. “I don’t know. These guys can probably maneuver their hovercraft better than I can. Also, I noticed that these things are equipped with guns or some sort of weapon on the front, just above the headlights.”
“I say again! Sergeant Rossetlagn, why are you not at the crash site, investigating? You should have reported to me at Chast over an hour ago.”
Jake quickly made a decision. He pushed the communicator button, lowered his voice, and tried to mimic the alien who he thought was Sergeant Rossetlagn. “Yes, Captain. I’m sorry. We were on our way back, when I decided that I should investigate the other crash just ahead of us.”
There was a long pause that caused Jake to become anxious. He could see the two aliens discussing something.
“Sergeant, investigating this crash was not part of your orders. Why do you sound different, and who is that in the cargo area of your vehicle?”
Skip quickly lowered his head. “Jake, I don’t think they’re buying it.”
Jake responded. “Sorry, Captain. I thought that it would be a good idea to investigate this cr—”
Before Jake could finish, the captain spoke to him in a language he did not recognize. Then silence. The alien repeated the phrase again.
“Jake, we better make a run for it. I think they’ve got us figured out,” Skip said.
“I think you’re right,” said Jake as he noticed one of the aliens get out of the vehicle, beginning to walk toward them with his weapon drawn. Jake quickly pushed the ignition button. The vehicle’s engine roared, and its legs retracted. Jake was about to push the lever that would send them off, when he felt a sudden pain surge through his head. His ears rang and his vision blurred. He screamed in pain; Skip did as well.
The sensation was similar to when they had first encountered these aliens in space. However, this time, he had an overwhelming feeling to shut down the vehicle and surrender to the aliens. It was as if he was outside of his body, and somebody was controlling him with a remote control.
Worlds Without End: The Mission (Book 1) Page 8
