Forbidden World

by Jeremy Michelson

  I’m sure, behind her armored mask, Liz was rolling her eyes.

  “That thing–”

  “The murderworm,” I said.

  “Or dragon,” Liz said, “Must make its home base down here. If T&T is still alive, then he’s going to be down here. In some pocket of atmosphere.”

  “Why are we still assuming he’s alive?” I said, “It’s been three days already. He’s pretty skinny. He might have starved to death.”

  “People don’t starve to death in three days, dear.”

  “Well, how about water? If that thing hasn’t been giving him water–”

  She put the plasma cannon down. It clinked against the curving floor.

  “Okay, I’m taking the suit off,” she said.

  “Damnit! Stop!”

  She stepped up to me. We were face to face. Well, face to armor.

  “Chris, what’s going on?” She said, “This isn’t like you. You’re no coward.”

  “I’m no hero, either.”

  She grabbed my shirt and pulled me close. The armor in front of her face parted, revealing her beautiful features. Which were currently arranged in a mighty frown. I extended my shield around her head so she could continue breathing.

  “You are a hero,” she said, “You have the heart of a hero. You’ve never given up. You’ve never stopped caring. Even when it’s someone who isn’t your favorite person in the world.”

  I shuddered and closed my eyes.

  She pulled me even closer. Put her cheek against mine. Her breath was warm against my skin. I breathed in the scent of her…musky hints of sandalwood and sweat and cocoa butter. I ached to enfold her in my arms. To pull her and myself away from this mess.

  “I’m afraid,” I said.

  “Of what?” She said, “Of death? You’ve been there. A lot.”

  “Not my death,” I said, “If anything happens to you…If I lose you, then nothing else matters. I’ll be done. The universe can go to hell for all I care. I don’t want to be in a universe that doesn’t have you in it.”

  She gently rubbed her cheek against mine. It sent an electric thrill through my body. I couldn’t stop trembling.

  “I’m not planning on going anywhere without you,” she said.

  “That thing hurt you,” I said, “If I hadn’t gotten you out of there…”

  “Then I’d be dead,” she said, “And you’d have to deal with it. No one is guaranteed tomorrow, sweetie. Or even the next minute. And if you’re living in dread of what might happen, then you’re not living at all.”

  I put my arms around her.

  She drew more of the armor back, until her mostly naked body was pressed up against mine. I extended my shield all the way around her. She brought her mouth up to mine. Fireworks exploded in my mind. Fear and lust and…hope.

  After an eternity, she drew back. Her dazzling blue eyes locked onto mine.

  “You’re going to have to work a lot harder to get rid of me, buster,” she said, “I plan on sticking around for the whole show. This is the most exciting life ever. So buck up, buttercup and stop being such a worry-wart sissy-pants.”

  She drew back, the golden armor sliding back over her body. It closed up over her face, and I saw my distorted image reflected in the shiny golden surface. I looked worried and small.

  She crouched and swooped up the plasma cannon like it was a bag of feathers. The gun settled in her hands like it had been made to sit there.

  “You going back to the ship, or are we going dragon hunting?” She said.

  I forced a smile. Gave her a thumbs up.

  “Sure. Raring to go,” I said.

  She spun on her heel and stalked away. Not waiting for me. For a few moments, I stood, rooted in place as she took the light with her. The farther she went, the more darkness crowded around me.

  When had I become so…afraid?

  I thought love was supposed to make a person strong.

  Not…weak.

  I hurried after her, my heart pounding a wild beat.

  Thirty-Four

  Chris

  We thought we’d found him.

  We were wrong.

  We'd been stalking the tunnels for hours. Well, Liz had been stalking the tunnels. Covered in her golden armor, a huge plasma cannon in her hands and a second plasma cannon slung over her back. Twin globes of light extended from her shoulders, illuminating the section of smooth, featureless tunnel we were in.

  I was hanging behind. Still lost in my worry. The longer we stayed in these tunnels, the more anxious I got. I got the feeling something was stalking us. But every time I looked behind us, there was nothing but solid darkness.

  My stomach rumbled. I pulled my backpack around and got out another high-density nutrient bar. I'd stuffed the bag full of them before we left the ship. I was trying to make them last, but the energy shield I was projecting was also draining my own energy store.

  I tore off a bite of the bar. According to the package, it should have tasted like blueberries and toasted rice and honey.

  It tasted more like a ground-up shoe someone had used for years while they mowed their lawn. It definitely has a distinct grassy note to it, with a hint of latex and moldy nylon.

  If I hadn’t been so hungry…

  A hollow, moaning sound echoed through the chilly tunnel. Followed by a gust of wind. With the open stations above us, the wind was playing the tunnel system like the universes’ most creepy pipe organ.

  It was the soundtrack to the horror movie that kept playing in my head.

  The one where the monsters jumped out, grabbed Liz, and left me alone down here.

  “There’s something here,” Liz said.

  I twitched, jumping out of my inner whiner dialogue.

  She strode down the perfectly circular, perfectly smooth tunnel. I hurried to catch up with her. Her armor-enhanced vision must have picked up something. Because all I saw was more featureless tunnel. And darkness.

  I should have been able to enhance my vision, too. But every time I tried to call up extra powers, I got nothing.

  My Dendon buddy wasn’t giving me much help these days. The freeloader. Just coming along for the ride, eh?

  It didn’t answer.

  I was starting to wonder if the thing had abandoned me.

  Or if something had gone seriously wrong with it.

  “Look at this,” Liz said.

  She was pointing to a spot about halfway up the tunnel wall. I squinted at the thing. It was a gold circle. About the size of an outstretched hand.

  Besides the occasional station, it was the only thing we’d seen in the tunnels.

  “It’s about the right height for someone standing on a station platform,” I said.

  “But no platform,” she replied.

  “If there was a tube car here with an open door…”

  “Then they could just reach out and touch the circle.”

  We looked at each other. Well, I think she looked at me. Her golden armor covered head was turned my way. I tried not to think about the small, worried man reflected on the shiny metal.

  She shrugged.

  “Worth a try?”

  “Why not?” I said. Trying to pretend I was as brave as her. And failing.

  She switched the plasma cannon to her other hand. For a moment nothing happened. Then bulges appeared on her armored legs and back. Seconds later she rose into the air.

  Somehow the Dendon geniuses had not only figured out some sort of gravity canceling device, they had also shrunk it to fit in a tiny gold disk. When I thought about everything the armor could do, it made my head want to explode. The Dendons had been so far advanced that none of the other races of SixUnion had even come close to catching up to them.

  And might never.

  Yet the Dendons weren’t able to defend themselves against a Don maker bomb.

  It seemed unlikely. If not impossible.

  Liz silently glided up to the gold circle on the tunnel wall.

  Another gust
of wind moaned through the tunnel. I shivered at the sound of it.

  Damnit, I was letting fear control me. I needed to keep my head in the game. T&T’s life–and our lives–depended on us staying focused.

  Liz reached out. Put her palm against the circle.

  At first, I thought nothing was going to happen.

  Then, weak blue light pulsed around the gold circle. After a few seconds, the light brightened and became steady. Then a red line shot out horizontally from the circle. A hum filled the air. Along with a feeling of electricity.

  The red line parted. Sections of the wall slid upward and downward. Within moments, the opening became a station platform. Weak lights flickered on inside the newly revealed room.

  Liz pulled away from the disk. She swooped down and gathered me up. (Damnit, I should have been able to jump or fly up there. What are you doing to me, Dendon buddy o’mine?)

  She deposited me on the platform and settled beside me. The bulges on her back and legs disappeared. She repositioned the plasma cannon in her hands. I could imagine the grim smile behind her armored mask.

  Me, my heart was beating a mile and minute. My palms were sweaty.

  Come on, Chris, pull yourself together.

  Right, no reason to be afraid. It’s just a secret place on an alien planet. No reason to think we might be attacked by metal murder worms or anything. Just a relaxing day at the beach, so to speak.

  Courage is a Kingly quality.

  Oh, apparently my Dendon buddy was still in the game. How about a little help here, buddy? Where are we? What is this place?

  Silence.

  Fine. We’ll do this the hard way.

  The light globes on Liz’s shoulders filled the smallish platform with light. The platform was the same arching design as other stations, but smaller. And done in a muted gold color. At the far side of the room was a large, arching doorway. Currently closed. But there was a darker gold circle at the center of the doors. Just like the one that opened up the station for us.

  “Looks like this one’s for you, too,” I said.

  Liz shrugged. We moved toward the door. About halfway across the platform, Liz held her arm out and stopped me.

  “Energy shield,” she said.

  “What kind?”

  She moved her head up and down. Damnit, I really missed my scanning abilities, Dendon buddy. Is there some reason why you’re letting me run around half blind?

  Those seeking to become King must do so with their own abilities.

  I’m still not seeking to become King. I just want to find that idiot T&T, then find some way to get home.

  You are home.

  No, you’re home. My home has people and roadside burger shacks and movie theaters. Your home has creepy metal murder worms and a never-ending dust storm.

  “You still with me, dear?” Liz asked.

  I shook my head. “Yes. My passenger was piping up for once.”

  “Anything useful?”

  “Nope.”

  “Great,” Liz said. She waved her free hand at the air in front of us. “Looks like some sort of containment field. We should be able to pass through it without a problem.”

  “Unless the air on the other side is filled with some kind of freaky acid that can eat through golden armor.”

  That time I could almost hear her rolling her eyes.

  “Give it a break, Chris,” she said, “Or do you want to run back to the ship and get your balls? You seem to have left them in your other pants.”

  Ouch. That woman didn’t mince words.

  Sigh. I preferred honesty to having smoke blown up my ass. It’s what made us so compatible.

  “Fine. Let’s go,” I said.

  Of course, she was already walking across to platform. I caught a sparkle of blue as she passed through the invisible barrier. I hurried to catch up to her. I passed through the field.

  It tingled, but otherwise, I passed through unharmed.

  “There’s atmosphere here,” Liz said, “Breathable.”

  The armor in front of her face parted.

  “Wait!” I shouted.

  But, of course, someone wasn’t listening to me.

  She took a deep breath. Exhaled.

  “Smells kinda spicy,” she said, “Like someone dropped a spice rack down a flight of stairs.”

  I made my energy shield go away. I took my own breath of unfiltered Dendon air. The spiciness I had detected from day one was there, but stronger. There were notes of nutmeg and oregano and ginger. Like someone had indeed busted open a spice rack.

  At least we didn’t instantly die.

  Liz hefted the plasma cannon in one hand. The armor closed up around her face as she turned to the large double doors.

  “I think we’re starting to finally get somewhere,” she said.

  “Well, yes. We are somewhere,” I said.

  Just nowhere I wanted to be at the moment. I was beginning to regret agreeing to this mission with every passing second. Whatever we found here couldn’t possibly be worth our lives.

  Nothing would be worth Liz’s life.

  She put her hand to the golden circle at the center of the doors.

  Like the other circle, a faint blue light appeared at the edges of the circle. After a few seconds, the light brightened.

  The doors slide aside.

  Thirty-Five

  Chris

  Oh god.

  I keep playing it over in my mind.

  I keep seeing it.

  Huddled in an icy corner of…somewhere…I didn’t know where exactly I was. A station platform. Somewhere dark. Somewhere cold.

  I pressed my palms against my eyes. But the images kept flying past. No matter how much I beat my head against the perfectly smooth wall. The wall was icy. It chilled me through my jacket and blue jeans.

  It didn’t help my clothes were damp with sweat.

  How long had I been running?

  Not from.

  I hadn’t been running from the monster that attacked us from the golden room.

  No, I was running to catch it.

  It had Liz…my Liz…clutched in its clawed arms.

  I begged the Dendon for super speed. I raged at it. I cursed it as I ran after the strange, winged creature that took Liz.

  Shouted every filthy word I could think of as the creature disappeared down the tunnel. The light from Liz’s armor fading into the distance.

  And I had come to a shuddering stop. Fell to my knees, my lungs heaving, gasping for air.

  As her light disappeared, I realized I didn’t have any light of my own. Normally I would have been able to call up light from my body. But the Dendon wouldn’t give me even that.

  All it gave me was the bare bones shield that allowed me to keep breathing.

  I got up. Staggered down the perfectly smooth tunnel. Holding my hands out in front of me like an idiot. There wasn’t anything in these tunnels except me.

  And the thing that took Liz.

  After a while, a low moan sounded ahead of me, followed by a gust of wind. I followed the rush of air until I felt the air sucking crosswise at me. I felt my way up the curving side of the tunnel.

  My groping fingers found the edge of a platform. I hauled myself up. Skittered away from the edge until I found another wall. Then collapsed in a ball of misery in a corner.

  I should have expected something would happen.

  Liz had walked right up to that door, with its golden circle. She’d pressed her hand against it. The doors slid open.

  I’d caught a glimpse of a room. Golden on every surface. With pillars lining one wall. The room glowed with light.

  But the creature was already slamming through the door. It silver claws outstretched toward Liz.

  Liz was fast. Bringing the plasma cannon up and unleashing a white-hot stream of death.

  But the thing pivoted. Huge, bronze wings unfolded from its back. Twin circles of red glowed on its stubby body. The thing seemed to be all wings and claws.

/>   I cried out for Liz.

  The thing wrapped its clawed tentacles around her. It ripped the plasma cannon from her hands. Smashed it against the wall.

  Liz tried to get her hands around the thing.

  Then it suddenly took flight.

  The huge bronze wings rippled and thrust down. A blast of wind knocked me off my feet. It roared over me, Liz’s golden form struggling in its claws.

  It turned and banked into the tunnel.

  I jumped to my feet. I threw myself into the tunnel and ran after them.

  And ran and ran.

  And ran.

  Until they disappeared.

  And now I huddled in a corner. Shaking and shivering in the chill air. Wondering what the hell I was going to do now.

  My worst fears come true.

  Liz gone.

  Me, alone and unarmed on a hostile alien world.

  Even the Dendon had abandoned me. It wouldn’t answer any of my calls. It just let that thing steal Liz from me.

  I thought we were friends?

  You going to answer me, you bastard?

  Nothing.

  What was the lesson supposed to be here? How was I supposed to take on your stupid three challenges? I didn’t know a damned thing about this world. And my best source of information wouldn’t say word to me.

  I banged my head against the wall some more. Which only got me a sore head.

  The wind moaned through the tunnel again. The air sucked up past me. Whistled through something a few feet away from me.

  A stairway to the surface?

  A way out of the tunnels. I could stumble back to the ship. Try to regroup. Again. I was running out of energy. I still had my backpack. I fumbled inside it. Grasped another foil wrapped nutrient bar.

  I didn’t have any appetite. But I forced it down anyway.

  It disappeared into the furnace of my stomach without a trace.

  I needed to get moving. Get back to the ship. Figure out how to save Liz.

  But I was so exhausted.

  I lay my head against the cold wall. I’d just rest my eyes for a minute.

  No!

  I needed to get moving.

  But my eyelids wouldn’t stay open. With dawning horror, I realized I was being dragged down into sleep.