Misplaced Trilogy

by Brian Bennett

  Jode leapt into action, rushing to Raynor’s side and placing a hand onto his commander’s shoulder.

  Raynor remained rigid momentarily, then snapped from his trance, lifting his hand from the transmitter. He turned to assess the room. “Back so soon?”

  “Yes,” the officer said. “I have important news.”

  “Let’s hear it, then!”

  “They’re fake!” A human skull materialized in his outstretched hand. He squeezed the skull with both hands until it burst into a powdery residue. “They’re made of some sort of chalky plaster.”

  Raynor tightened his fist in clear satisfaction. “All of them? The entire City of Bones?”

  “I only scratched the surface, but it appears so.”

  Raynor eyed Trey with a hint of a smile. “I guess the kid was right. Continue the search. Report back if you find otherwise.”

  “Yes, sir! My pleasure, sir.”

  Raynor turned to Trey and nodded formally. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to spread the word to our other posts. I won’t be long. Thank you, Trey!” He turned and latched onto the transmitter.

  Jode caught Trey by surprise, pulling him into a firm embrace. “Bethe is alive, I know she is.”

  Trey patted the quivering man on the back. “Yeah, I’m sure of it.”

  Stargazer

  TREY SAT ON a damp concrete floor, leaning against the hard walls of the dimly lit rebel facility. Beside him, his friends sat waiting alike as black robed officers encircled the chamber, frozen in place, commanding afar through wall-mounted stone transmitters, steel staffs propped at their sides.

  Even Jode had given up guard to latch onto a transponder, leaving the teens unattended. Hollow moans billowed from the ladder shaft overhead, calling to mind the image of fanged gore moles lumbering through the corridors on stubby legs.

  Trey studied the man known as Vorne. The officer hadn’t budged since commissioned by Raynor to recruit a stargazer. Trey knew firsthand the animosity the loyalist men felt toward the rebellion and anticipated a struggle. If Vorne did manage to succeed, the burden would then rest squarely on Trey’s shoulders to follow through on his promise to point the way to a planet circling one of a billion stars in the vast universe.

  He tipped his head against the wall, letting his focus dissolve. The vision of stars in motion played before his eyes. He could only imagine the monotony felt by Livy’s mother, forced to repeat the star map, not to mention poor Sarah, obliged to watch the endless projection.

  He blinked away the message and turned to Livy. “Hey, can I practice on you?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “The star message. I don’t know if I can pull off becoming a guide to the galaxy the way Onna does.”

  She smiled. “Give me your best shot.”

  Meagan leaned forward, curiously.

  “I don’t know,” said Trey, stage fright creeping in. “Can we move over there?”

  Dylan kicked back and crossed his feet, lacing his fingers together behind his head. “Come on, bro. We’re friends here. Show us your stuff.”

  “Yeah,” said Meagan. “It’s not something we see every day.”

  Trey stiffened, ready to refuse, but failure at the face of his friends paled in comparison to the disaster in store if he disappointed Raynor’s reluctant stargazer.

  “Okay,” Trey said. “But don’t laugh if it turns out more like spaghetti and popcorn.”

  “Just go for it,” said Livy.

  Trey spun from the wall and sat cross-legged like a yoga master. Without hesitation, he let his projection vibrate into the star map engraved in his memory.

  Livy, Dylan, and Meagan stared eagerly. Their eyes slowly turned skeptical, then faded to disappointed.

  Dylan turned away. “Dud.”

  Meagan raised a thin brow, slightly less discouraged. “Keep practicing. You’ll get it.”

  Livy scooted closer. “Hold on. I see something.”

  “Yeah,” said Dylan. “A big zit, but it’s been there since this morning.”

  “No, not that. Don’t listen to him, Trey.”

  Trey let the projection fade, rubbing the welt on his forehead. “For the record, the mark is from scuffling with that alien.”

  “Seriously, Trey, I saw something in your eyes,” said Livy. “Do it again.”

  Reluctantly, he let the projection reshape in his mind.

  Livy scooted closer, then rose onto her knees to meet him eye-to-eye. Her huge baby-blues locked onto him in an unfocused gaze. “Wow!”

  “Is it working?”

  “Shish, stop talking. You’re warping the cosmos.”

  Meagan pushed forward and planted her face next to Livy’s, peering through Trey’s eyes like a glass window. “Whoa, that’s awesome.”

  Dylan bobbed into the mix, struggling to get a view between the girls.

  From the distance, Raynor bellowed, “What kind of party are you kids having over there?”

  Trey cut off the display.

  The girls blinked away their sudden crash to reality.

  Trey sprang to his feet, infused with confidence he could succeed at relaying the message. “We’re waiting for someone to find us a stargazer.”

  Raynor huffed. “I’m sure Vorne is making ground.”

  The others lumbered up from the floor, and Livy took Trey’s hand. “You’ll have to excuse our impatience. We’ve been through a lot to get here.”

  The gruff commander snarled, eyeing their barely tarnished street clothes.

  Livy backpedaled. “I didn’t mean to imply you haven’t been through a lot.”

  Raynor stomped toward Vorne and slapped the officer on the shoulder, dragging Vorne back into their presence. The startled man whirled nervously, then snapped to attention. “Yes, commander!”

  “What’s the hold-up?”

  “Sorry, sir. The gazers are all under control of the brothers.”

  “And it took you this long to report back?”

  “No, sir. There’s a man who briefly studied the stars as a youth, but he’s bedridden and outside of our range. I’ve sent a courier on foot to see if he’s capable.”

  “Where is he?”

  Vorne’s eyes lowered. “Sector C, sir.”

  Raynor pulled off his black robe, leaving him in dingy, long underwear and tall, black boots. He shoved the robe into Vorne’s grip and thumbed over his shoulder. “Take the boy and go. If your courier even makes it to Sector C, he’ll never make it back to tell about it. If you go now, you may beat him there.”

  Vorne stared at the robe in his hand, confused. “I’m not sure I understand.”

  “I’m sorry, mate. We can’t spare a ship. Not now. You’ll have to go on foot.”

  The officer pounded his chest in solute. “Yes, sir.”

  Trey squeezed Livy’s hand, accepting the reality of what was playing out before him.

  Vorne turned stiffly on his heels and marched to Trey. He shoved the robe forward. “Put this on or you’ll stick out when we get top-side.”

  “What about my friends?” said Trey. “Do they get robes?”

  Raynor spoke sharply. “They’re not going anywhere. Two of you scurrying on the surface is risky enough.”

  “So you expect me to just leave them here with you in this dungeon?”

  “Trust me, kid. They’re not the ones who should be worried. This is the safest place for them.”

  “Hum,” Trey grunted. “Isn’t that what you said right before our spaceship burst into a fireball?”

  Raynor turned away and marched to his command post. “How was I supposed to know the ship’s hull had been compromised?” He threw up a hand. “Stay here and wait for the courier if you like, but it doesn’t sound like your gazer is going anywhere, even if he is willing to cooperate.”

  Livy let go of Trey’s hand. “We’re fine, Trey. Don’t worry about us.”

  Trey reluctantly accepted the robe. “What about those gore moles? Can they get down here?”

 
“Those fat slugs?” said Vorne. “Nah!”

  Trey nodded, then turned to Dylan. In another setting he might have been nervous about leaving Livy with lover-boy, but in the bowels of Kryo, everything was different. “Don’t let her out of your sight.”

  Dylan nodded. “Sure thing, bro.”

  Trey dug the stone transmitter from his pocket and offered it to Livy. “Here. If something happens to me, tell everyone back home . . . well . . . you know.”

  She took the stone in her fingertips. “We’ve made it this far. You can tell them yourself when we get home.”

  Drudgery

  TREY TROMPED ALONG the dark, desolate surface of Kryo with shards of sharp, black stone crunching beneath his sneakers. Just ahead, Officer Vorne marched at breakneck pace, his robe flapping over the dust-cloud stirred by his heavy boots.

  Low-hanging smog filled the gray sky, blocking the view of the occasional craft that whirred past invisibly at high altitude. In the distant horizon, a murky silhouette suggested manmade structures. Rather, structures not formed by nature.

  With miles of open terrain on all sides, Trey knew what to do if a craft broke from the clouds. Drop and make like a rock was the only defense.

  Vorne stopped abruptly and threw out his arm, the pale skin of his exposed hand the brightest object Trey had seen since breaking surface. The cautious soldier peered into the gloomy sky.

  Trey’s heart sped to a trot. “What is it?”

  “Nothing!”

  “So why are we stopped?”

  Vorne drew a small set of binoculars from within his robe, and they came to life with an electronic whizz. He lifted them beneath his hood to gaze into the clouds.

  “There you are,” he said, locking onto something hidden in the dark clouds.

  Trey opened his senses, allowing the faint vibrations of an alien projection to clue him in on what had caught Vorne’s attention. “You can see with those things?”

  “Sort of.” Vorne pushed the device toward Trey. “Have a look.”

  Trey saw pure blackness through the spectacles.

  “Higher,” said Vorne.

  When Trey elevated his gaze, a bright-red oblong sphere came into view, wobbling like a blob of Jell-O. “What’s it doing?”

  “You’ve got me. It’s just hovering there. But that’s not what worries me.”

  Trey passed back the binoculars. “And what does?”

  “The skies are quiet. Nobody’s challenging it. I don’t like the feeling of this at all.”

  “So, it’s one of theirs?”

  “Oh yes, definitely. Come on, let’s get moving.”

  Trey didn’t need to be told twice. He set off behind the officer at nearly a run. Before long, the flat shards of rock gave way to larger stones with sharper corners. Bladelike edges cut at Trey’s khaki cuffs. One misstep could easily spell a sliced and bloodied ankle.

  His breaths drew labored. Gasps of the thick air lacked the oxygen his lungs craved.

  The distant structures seemed no closer, taunting Trey like a carrot before the horse. He glanced over his shoulder to see the speck of rubble they had left. They had gone farther than the distant buildings implied.

  His ankle turned on an angled stone, nearly sending him face-first into the rocky blades. He righted himself, determined to pay closer attention to his feet. Vorne raced over the hazardous ground with confident foot-placement, his steel staff clicking against the rocks. The distance between the two steadily increased, but Trey had no intention of asking his leader to slow down.

  Larger wedges of black rock jutted from the surface at sharp angles, now threatening Trey’s knees. A slow rise in elevation brought thicker air and even larger rocks. Soon, Trey jogged between sharp ridges of stone as tall as his forehead, his feet landing precariously on the smooth, sloped surface.

  At the mini summit, Vorne stopped to peer over the deadly landscape. Miles of broken glass lay ahead. He pulled out the binoculars and scanned the horizon.

  “There’s another one,” he said, more perplexed than fearful. “What are they up to?”

  “I’m sure I don’t know,” said Trey, tasting smoky air on his own breath.

  Vorne stuffed away the binoculars and ducked into the shadows of the overhanding rocks. His silhouette vanished into a dark opening that only became evident when Trey stared at the empty crevice.

  Vorne called out from the darkness, surprisingly distant. “Follow me. It’s all underground from here.”

  * * *

  The miles of open terrain had seemed unsurmountable, but the endless corridor of rough-hewn walls wore on Trey’s mind like a fevered nightmare.

  Illuminated only by the pin-sized light embedded in Vorne’s staff, the passageway barreled straight ahead with only two alternatives: trudge forward or turn back.

  “Are there gore moles down here?” Trey asked.

  “No, not yet. Unless the tunnel’s been discovered.”

  Trey peered into the blackness ahead. “Got any of those stink bombs in your pocket?”

  “No! And quit worrying. We have bigger issues.”

  “Great,” Trey grumbled.

  “I’ve been thinking hard for a while now. I’m not sure how we’re going to disguise you once we get inside the sector.”

  “Can’t I just throw on a little projection?”

  “No!” Vorne whirled, shining his tiny light in Trey’s eyes. “Whatever you do, don’t show a projection. Not even a slight one.”

  “Okay!” said Trey, squinting into the light. “I got it.”

  Vorne turned away, plunging Trey’s constricted vision into a dark haze. A bright halo stirred in the grayness, so Trey followed it.

  The soldier’s silhouette slowly took shape, marching steadily onward. “I’ll see if I can bring the man to you. But if he can’t get out of bed, we’ll have to find a way to get you through the city.”

  Vorne stopped without warning and shone his light over a squared off wall. The end of the line.

  Inside a small room, close walls came into view on all four sides. A dark hole was punched through the wall they had just stepped from.

  The thin light beam swung upward, taking Trey’s gaze with it. An elevator shaft ascended higher than the light could penetrate.

  “Good,” said Vorne. “We got lucky.” He directed his light toward the inside of closed elevator doors six feet above floor-level. “Take my staff, and keep the light directed on the doors for me.”

  Trey accepted the heavy steel rod. Vorne pulled off his dark robe and tossed into a heap in the corner. Wasting no time, he stepped to the wall in dingy long johns and scaled the rise effortlessly, pulling himself up onto the narrow foothold like a gymnast. His fingers wedged into the slit between the elevator doors, and he forced them apart. Bright light poured into the shaft.

  “Hey,” said Trey. “What if the elevator comes?”

  Vorne looked back through the opening. “Duck!”

  Sector C

  TREY WAITED ON the floor of an elevator shaft with his back pressed to the wall. He flicked the staff-light on momentarily and shone the dim beam into the black hole facing him. No gore moles drooled back at him in anticipation of a bite-sized snack.

  Overhead, the underside of an elevator carriage hung where it had halted, inches below standing height. He clicked off the light, horrified at the thought of draining the battery to his only source of light.

  An unknown world waited just above. Muffled voices had come and gone with each of the elevator’s rises and descents. It would have been simple enough to focus his thoughts and lift out of the darkness into the activity, but Vorne’s dire warning to avoid projections kept him bound within his physical body.

  He thought back to the red blob he’d seen in the sky through Vorne’s binoculars. Only hours before, his own invisible presence had enveloped an alien craft, allowing him to direct the ship’s motion as easily as an arm or leg.

  If Vorne’s high-tech gadget had somehow seen this, his dream
like voyages might as easily be vulnerable.

  The ceiling whispered upward, drawing a musty draft from the tunnel as the elevator ascended. Soon thereafter, a sliver of light cut through the dark chamber. Hands forced apart the double doors.

  Vorne wedged himself into the opening. “Come on, kid. Get up here quick. Leave the robe and staff.”

  Trey bounded to his feet and thrashed off the heavy, black over-garment. Mimicking his leader, he leapt onto the wall and attempted to scale the slick surface, fingers hooked over the ledge, feet clattering for a foothold. Vorne grabbed his wrist and yanked him up to the next level like a child. The electric whir of the descending elevator kicked Trey into high gear, and he squeezed through the partially open gap with little time to spare.

  Donning a bright and silky new robe, Vorne dragged Trey by the arm through a poorly lit utility room, dodging canvas sacks hung from the low ceiling. Behind them, doors swished open and voices poured out, calm indistinct voices of a foreign language.

  Undeterred, Vorne weaved a path through the maze of sacks, showing no sign of alarm. Moments later, he ducked into an open door, dragging Trey inside what was clearly a lavatory room. Vorne pushed closed the door and stood frozen, listening intently for pursuers on the other side.

  In brighter light, it was evident Vorne had hurriedly washed his pale face. Signs of the dark underworld still hid in the crevices of his ears and deep within wrinkles.

  His huge, blue eyes softened slightly, accepting they hadn’t been followed.

  Trey gazed over the small latrine. A sloppy mess of dirty water covered a sink and the walls surrounding it. A black puddle pooled below it.

  Vorne cracked the door and peered outside. “Change of plans. We’ll have to risk taking you to the gazer.”

  “He wouldn’t come?”

  “I didn’t get that far. We’re in a hell of a mess.” Vorne turned from the door. “Those ships we saw hovering in the sky? Four new fleet vessels showed up from nowhere. We’ve lost our advantage. Raynor’s called for a full retreat from the skies.”