Closer To The Core (25,000 Light-Years Book 1)

by S. Hansen

  'I will Dantil… I just really need Adam to be okay.' She sighed and caught a glimpse of his pleased face. He stood quietly concentrating on listening for a few moments before speaking again.

  'His heart beat is stronger than it was before.' Polly's gaze shot from Stark to Dantil in an instant and a spark of wonder was back in her eyes.

  'How can you know that? The water wouldn't help that fast.'

  'I can hear all of our heartbeats. I don't know why it is stronger only that it is. I don't know humans but I have learned a lot about the two of you already. Adam is strong and fearless, he is an agent on Earth and that must mean he was chosen from all the other humans. If he was chosen over so many other humans either your race is very weak or he is stronger than you think.' At last a genuine smile spread across Polly's face as she gently hugged Dantil with the jug in one hand. She softly spoke as she returned to her duties as Stark's doctor.

  'Thank you Dantil, you are a good man, well not a man I suppose. You are a good Dantan, one day you will have a very lucky wife.'

  'Oh I already do, well sort of.' Polly was surprised to learn this about her new friend and questioned him with her expression only.

  'It's like I said before, all Dantans are matched with another. I have a match, her name is Tanika and she is another bloodline member. We aren't married yet, I am supposed to marry her next cycle but I want to explore...' his voice trailed off as he thought about his life on Drium.

  'You don't love her, do you?' Dantil's brow furrowed as he thought about the word that he had heard only once before.

  'Love is a feeling yes?' Polly began drinking the water and gestured to Dantil that he could lower Stark once more. She moved away from Stark's side and rested a hand on Dantil's shoulder as the pair of them stood in front of each other. Dantil came from a generally short race so only stood marginally taller than Polly who was very willing to grow taller but despite her determination had never made it past five foot four inches tall.

  'Love is different depending on who you feel it for, the way I love my family is very different from romantic love. Romantic love is what humans talk about more than any other feeling. That love is the feeling Dantil, that love is inexplicable, it's a desire to lay down your life for someone, it's not being able to imagine your life without someone, it's wanting nothing more than their happiness, it's spending time with someone knowing they don't feel the same way just so you can be near them, love is unconditional.

  ‘It sounds quite sacrificial.’

  ‘You aren't wrong... but it is so hard to explain I could try for hours. In our ancient civilizations we had different words for the different kinds of love but now love is love. Love is....’ Polly couldn't find the words to describe an emotion that seemed so natural to her that she realised it may be too innately human to explain in words. She stepped towards Stark's side; he was far less restless now in fact he looked almost serene. She combed her fingers through his hair, looked to Dantil and spoke softly.

  'Love is breath-taking, heart breaking, agonising pain that you keep asking for more of.' Dantil looked away from Polly and contemplated the alien notion.

  'I am going to have a lot more questions, this is a lot to think about. How do you know if something is breath-taking?' The idea of breath-taking was so self-explanatory to Polly that she initially thought Dantil was joking, she laughed quietly before realising her error and speaking with an apologetic tone.

  'If something or someone is breath-taking, the sight of it or them makes your breath catch. Your breathing pauses when you see them and for a moment the world slows around you.' A look of glee sprung across Dantil's face.

  'I had that once.' He was so proud of himself for having experienced a human sensation, Dantil was learning more about an alien race than he ever thought imaginable.

  'A beautiful place on Drium?'

  'In a way, it was at the space dock in Kanarik. The first time I used echo location to see you.' He paused as he thought about it. 'That was breath-taking.' Polly blushed red and couldn't make eye contact with Dantil, she looked everywhere else in the room and took a long drink of water. Dantil had no intention of being flirtatious, charming or even likable, to Dantil it was merely a statement of truth. After a silence that seemed like an hour to Polly, Dantil smiled, shrugged and began moving towards the door leading to the Renyan city.

  'I'm going to find The Asteria now.' As Dantil slipped merrily through the doorway and began strolling down the corridor Polly distractedly watched him go before turning to the healthier looking Stark.

  'He's a strange one that one.'

  ☆★☆

  Dantil confidently leapt up through the trapdoor to another world, silently closing it behind him. He cautiously began creating tones in order to locate himself on the surface on Renya. The echoes bouncing around the walls let him see the inside of the storage room once more before he opened the door and stepped hopefully through. A cacophony of echoes were produced as his vocal tones began hitting the daunting structures of the Renyan city. The buildings seemed speared into the ground like shards of broken glass each with a dark metallic black sheen to them. Reyna’s dying sun added to the gloomy and threatening appearance as Dantil tentatively paced through the alleys.

  As he walked aimlessly through the seemingly deserted streets the golden blueprint in his mind drew itself, letting him know the sizes of the buildings he was passing. He optimistically searched for a building large enough to contain The Asteria until he reached the city centre. A huge building loomed over him as he stood before it. The building seemed to dominate the city and as he vigilantly stepped closer he felt it pulsing with life. He instinctively knew the building would be teeming with Renyans and that if he got any closer he would be caught. The building monopolized his mental image of the city and he found it hard to decide which way to turn when suddenly the door opened.

  Dantil impulsively ran east from the haunting structure but not before he was spotted, leading a sole Renyan to begin clomping after him. The imposing Renyan galloping after Dantil's high pitched tones would on any other inhabited planet have been something not only to notice but also to laugh about but on Renya only silence followed in their wake. Dantil had the power in his legs to build up speed but the Renyan had the extensive stride to keep up with his pace. At speed Dantil was finding it hard to navigate with the echoes trailing behind him making the image in his mind blur and often miss information. When he turned corners he would frequently catch himself on the jutting edges of the buildings.

  He realised he couldn't outrun the Renyan especially as he was losing his lead piece by piece so he decided his only option was to stop. He planned to find a cramped alleyway thinking that he would have the advantage if he were more able to move around than his much larger opponent. However, before he could find such a place he had shot through the bulk of the city’s alleyways in his path and found himself in an expanse of open space neatly surrounded by the craggy Renyan architecture. He had no choice but to turn and face his enemy in open space so with fear smeared across his face Dantil twisted towards his opponent whilst kneeling and offering the palms of his hands to the looming opponent.

  The Renyan ground to a skidding halt before Dantil, arched his back and sank lower before cocking his head from side to side in juttering movements and examining Dantil closely. Now that Dantil had stopped moving he could clearly see his adversary. The grey skinned giant wore thick form fitting clothing which Dantil assumed was some kind of uniform due to the lack of individuality. The dark clothing was embellished with a logo unfamiliar to him in the same colour as the planets dying sun and it even seemed to glow as the sun did. The Renyans long claw like fingers grasped at Dantil's crimson quiff forcing his bowed head backwards. His face was expressionless and intimidating as he scrutinized Dantil's appearance before spreading his extensive fingers around Dantil's scalp and pushing him over. He grabbed for the weapon at his side but Dantil had discreetly taken it while he was being closely studied.


  The Renyan was only briefly confused before he turned to Dantil in disgust and used the power behind his hoof like foot to disarm Dantil who was struggling to fire the foreign weapon. The gun soared past many of the city’s structures before sliding across the paved ground and wedging in a crack leaving them to settle their differences in hand to hand combat. Dantil shook off the pain in his hand and leapt to his feet while avoiding another swipe from the devilish grey hoof. The two joints in the Renyans legs made each leg a double threat, something Dantil soon realised when he narrowly avoided a blow from the lower joint and whipped around the Renyan for the flanking advantage but instead received a potent jab from the higher joint. The jolt knocked Dantil's side and pushed him away from the Renyan giving him chance to turn around and face Dantil once more.

  Dantil shrugged off the discomfort, closed his eyes and began to focus on the image in his mind. The outlying buildings melted away leaving only the movements of the Renyan clearly in his mind. The golden outlines in Dantil's mind filled with colour once more as he opened his eyes knowing he would always see movement faster than he would hear it. But when he opened his eyes gone was the friendly, inquisitive face Polly had come to admire. Instead it had been replaced with the intense, sinister and severe face of their first encounter. His shining yellow eyes seemed set alight and the structured training of his adolescent years spread forth.

  The Renyan descended as his legs smoothly lowered him to a more comfortable height with which to swing his arms at Dantil but each shot was swiftly blocked by Dantil's herculean arms. The Renyan didn't have the speed to land any hits on Dantil and he wouldn't have had the speed to defend any blows either if Dantil had tried to land any. However, Dantil's training had taught him to learn everything he could about his opponents fighting technique before using it against them. The Renyan relentlessly swung at Dantil whilst Dantil consistently blocked and side stepped any injuries.

  Dantil's opponent was getting frustrated, he was putting more energy into his attacks and gaining nothing from it, he was tiring and he knew it. In a fit of sheer rage the Renyan let out a blood curdling shriek whilst rising to his full height and spreading his vast arm span over Dantil. The uniformed alien began pounding his feet at Dantil who once more adeptly dodged any impending danger causing the Renyan to lash out and swipe his lower knee upwards and toward Dantil. Dantil however had other ideas, he blocked the joint with the palms of both hands interlocked. The motion put enough power behind Dantil's well timed jump for him to easily launch himself up and over the Renyans head. He spun in the air which enabled him to clamp his arms around his opponent’s neck before pulling the towering alien to the ground in a crumpled pile of folded limbs.

  With his height advantage lost completely Dantil was quickly able to subdue the Renyan in a choke hold. As Dantil knelt awkwardly on the floor loosening his grip on his defeated opponent he could sense another time ripple heading his way. Time washed over him and he found himself in a far less intimidating environment. The grass was a vibrant green once more, the buildings were grey but they had a far more inviting character than those on Renya and before him stood Polly. She was gently placing a dark pair of glasses over his eyes when the time began to move. She lightly kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair whilst turning and grabbing his hand to lead him along the street.

  'If you wear these no one can see your eyes, also remember you can't use your echo location here it will attract attention. Just follow my lead and people will just think you are blind.' Dantil's hand felt comfortable in Polly's loose grip and he smiled with warmth as he struggled along behind her.

  'Why don't you want people to see my eyes?' He queried after a moment’s thought. Polly turned to face him briefly while continuing to lead him along the pavement that led between some impressively constructed buildings and an uninviting river.

  'You have yellow eyes that occasionally glow Dan, the people here are not ready for what that means.'

  'Do my eyes frighten you?' Polly smiled her contagiously joyful smile as she spoke.

  'Not even a little bit, I think they are delightfully fascinating.' After a little more walking and some jostling past unobservant pedestrians they arrived at their destination.

  'There! That is where you would live if you were a human.' Polly pointed towards a spectacular example of architectural design and familiar tradition whilst she waited for Dantil to focus on the echoes created by the everyday noises surrounding them. Car horns sounded, the pulsing pitch of a pedestrian crossing and the roar of motor vehicles. An impressed grin grew across his face as the image formed in his mind.

  'So, bloodline members live there?'

  'We have lots of bloodlines on Earth, Swedish, Dutch, Danish and Belgian to name but a few. But I am a proud Briton Dan so my monarch is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Second, head of the British royal family. They live there and other palaces around the United Kingdom.' Dantil was awestruck at the notion one family should have so much in common with him and have such a different culture surrounding them. His mind boggled at the idea of many royal families controlling sections of the planet, he pondered the concept of Drium's bloodlines ruling Drium and quickly discarded the idea in disgust.

  'You call them royals; the head of the family leads the country and it follows a line of direct succession?'

  'Almost, our royals don't lead the country anymore. Most people just see them as a tourist attraction now but their lineage is certainly interesting for an historian like myself.' The concentration required to focus on the echoes not created by him was draining and he soon found himself being forced to stop by his own body’s limits. He gently leant on Polly for support and as he did so he returned to leaning on the unconscious Renyan he had defeated on Renya.

  Meanwhile Polly was thrown forwards in her seat and joined herself running at great speed from what or toward what she knew not. She dashed through a crumbling city in the midst of natural reclamation, her legs just kept moving out of her control leaving her no time to stop and get to grips with the world in which she was adventuring. She was still wearing the boots she had been given by Hajeel and they really were very comfortable for running in despite their appearance. As she approached a collapsed column her strides lengthened until she smoothly slid over the column and kept on running. She heard a voice call out to her from behind.

  'At least we found it!' The voice was muffled by the deep breaths needed to keep running at speed and she wasn't able to identify the voice but there was something familiar about it. However Polly couldn't tell if it was present day Polly that recognised the voice or future Polly.

  'I'm beginning to wish we didn't!' Polly involuntarily shouted out to her impromptu exercise partner.

  'Turn right at that tree ahead and I'll turn left. I'll figure the next bit out when we know which one of us needs to keep running.' As Polly neared the tree to follow the command and turn right she held out her arm and swung around it to catapult herself onwards but instead swung herself back into her seat on Renya.

  At the same time Stark was thrown into his past, standing before Anna with an intoxicated and bitter man restrained in his arms. Anna stared in shock at Stark as he knocked the unpleasant man to his knees and began to speak.

  'You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you may later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.'

  'Thank you.' Stark gave her a half smile in acceptance of her thanks as he cuffed the assailant.

  'Would you like to press charges against this man?'

  'I don't know, should I?' Anna's deep green eyes were so filled with worry that Stark couldn't find the words to speak so they stood gazing at each other for some time before he realised he needed to call his station to report the crime. He instinctively dialled the number on his phone and requested a car to pick up the criminal.

  'I'm going to charge him with being drunk and disorderly, he'll be spending the night in
the drunk tank but it might help sober him up in general if he is charged with assault as well.' The inebriated man passed out on the floor leaving Stark and Anna to talk and distract her mind from the recent events while they waited for on duty policemen to arrive. Stark felt comfortable and at peace whilst he spoke with her until suddenly he wasn't anymore and he returned to his unconscious state on Renya.

  Back on the cracked surface of Renya Dantil calmly rose to his feet whilst taking deep breaths. The fire in his eyes settled to embers as he confidently strode towards the weapon wedged in the floor. He bent to pick up the weapon, turned it over in his hands and examined it in detail with his hearing. The weapon had a very similar structure to that of a gun, it was sleek and black, had a barrel, a grip and a trigger. But it had been designed for a Renyan hand, the trigger was set too far from the grip for Dantil to comfortably use it.

  With his eyes still smouldering their golden yellow colour he coolly paced back to his opponent. He stared down at the unconscious Renyan and pointed the barrel of the gun at his head without emotion. After grappling with the guns long proportions two things filled Dantil's mind in quick succession. He heard an ear-piercing crack as the metal fragment hit speeds faster than sound and at the same time he watched the grotesque image of the Renyans head disappearing in a spray of blood and flesh. Dantil's head sunk back on his shoulders, the glow in his eyes completely died and he held the gun out in his hands whilst considering its power.