by G J Ogden
Ahead he could see the second door, still ajar, and he pushed on harder, gasping stale air into his lungs. The distance was narrowing, but then his foot landed on a shard of glass and slid out from under him. He fell, hard, and tumbled across the floor – the scattered mix of broken wood, metal and glass bruising and cutting at his skin – and came to a painful stop against the door, his momentum pushing it shut with a heavy thud. He heard the familiar sound of the bolts inside locking, and knew he was trapped. There was no option now but to fight it. Without a weapon, he knew his chances were slim, even with his abilities. The maddened were strong, resilient, belligerent and – ironically for something already so close to being dead – very hard to kill.
He pushed himself to his feet. His head was bleeding and dripping blood onto his cheek, and he could feel glass and shards of metal sticking into his legs and arms and back. He was panting heavily, exhausted from the anaerobic sprint, and he felt dizzy, but there was no time to recoup his strength. Ahead of him, the creature had slowed and was advancing towards him patiently, like a wild animal that knew it had a sure kill. Ethan raised his fists. In his head were thoughts of Elijah, Katie, Summer and the great tree under which he had found such solace, but that had also fueled his curiosity and led him to this end in such a dark and unfamiliar place, led him to abandon his family, led him to be deceived and used as a weapon, led him to an early death, alone and far from home. Maybe it was what he deserved, he thought.
The creature was now just a few meters away, black eyes fixed on him. Ethan knew that it would charge at any moment. But he would not go down without a fight, not to this thing. If he was to die, he’d die a ranger, doing what he was trained to do, what he was meant to do. Perhaps there was a sliver of honor to be regained in that. It was all he had now. With all the strength he had left, he thrust himself towards the creature, screaming as loudly as he could, arms outstretched and aimed towards its throat. He surged forward, but was then slammed backwards. He landed hard again against the door, and looked up, expecting to see black eyes staring down at him, but it was not there. Instead, there was a series of bright flashes and deep, unnatural, pulsing sounds. Hovering about two meters off the floor in front of him was a dark metallic object, about twice the size of a human head. Pulses of light emanated from it, striking the creature in the chest, and pushing it back and away from Ethan. It wailed horribly as the flashes of light struck, but as much in frustration or anger as in pain. Three more beams hit it in rapid succession and this was enough to turn it away. It fled down the corridor and back into the silvery shadows where it had been lurking.
The object spun around slowly and emitted another beam of light, this time towards Ethan. He raised a hand to shield his face, expecting to be pushed backwards, as the creature had been. Instead, a thin strip of light panned up and down Ethan’s body, accompanied by more of the unnatural squawks and beeps that characterized the technological devices used by both the UEC and GPS. The beam shut off abruptly and the round object shot rapidly upwards and out of sight. Then there was silence again.
When it was clear that both the maddened creature and the object had gone for good, Ethan got up and carefully dusted himself off, cautiously removing some of the larger pieces of glass and metal that had stuck into him during his fall. He ached all over, and his chest burned from exhaustion. Reaching into his pocket, he searched for the small, square card, and to his despair found it missing. The last thing he wanted to do was go back and search for it, but he had no choice. It seemed likely that there would be more of these things lurking in the shadows, but he tried not to think of how many there could be. Perhaps his spherical metal friend would come to his aid again, he wondered, but it was not much comfort. He sighed heavily and, gingerly, started to walk back out into the narrow corridor ahead.
He hadn’t gone far before a sound from behind startled him and caused him to swing around. It was the unmistakable sound of the bolts in the door, sliding open. The grime-covered panel beside the door lit up green and the door swung open slowly; its old, worn hinges groaning as it widened. Two figures in black outfits and black face masks rushed though, holding weapons. Ethan instinctively held up his hands in submission, but the figures moved swiftly past him, and Ethan watched in confusion as they took up kneeling positions, covering the corridor with their weapons.
“You do enjoy an adventure, don’t you Ethan?” He swung around again this time to see Diana, standing in the middle of the room beyond the door. “If you’d please come this way,” she said in her usual, affable way, red lips pressed into a gentle smile. “I can’t go any further into the quarantined area, you see. I’m afraid I don’t possess your natural resilience.”
Ethan said nothing, and simply did as requested, stopping in front of Diana feeling hazy and dazed. The two black figures returned swiftly behind him, and one pulled the door shut. The three bolts fell into place. Thud... Thud... Thud.
“Thank you, you may leave,” Diana said to the black figures, who nodded and left promptly, without a word. Ethan was still very out of breath, and he was suddenly aware of feeling extremely weary; the effects of the vast surges of adrenalin were wearing off. “Shall we?” said Diana, motioning towards the door leading back to the main concourse. Ethan looked at the door and walked through it, without looking at Diana or acknowledging her. He went to the balcony, and leaned heavily on it with both forearms, his hands clasped together in front of him. He felt strangely calm and at ease. He wasn’t thinking about what had just happened, and the fact he had been moments away from a gruesome death. He was thinking about the settlement. He was thinking about home.
He heard the thud of the bolt securing the door behind him, and the delicate tap, tap, tap of Diana’s footsteps approaching from behind. A few moments later, she appeared at his side. She faced in the opposite direction, resting with her back on the railings, and then casually crossed one ankle over the other and waited, head angled towards Ethan, green eyes fixed quizzically on him.
“You knew I’d go in there, didn’t you?” said Ethan, calmly.
“I suspected you probably would, yes,” Diana replied.
“Why didn’t you tell me what was in there?”
“Because I knew you had to see for yourself,” said Diana without hesitation, obviously expecting this question. “You’ve been lied to continuously for days, Ethan. I didn’t expect you to just take my word for it. It was a gamble.”
“A gamble with my life,” said Ethan, candidly.
“You were never in any serious danger,” said Diana. “Our sentry drone – the metal ball you encountered – was always watching you.”
“It would have been nice to have encountered it sooner,” said Ethan with a hint of annoyance.
Diana laughed. “Yes, well I did say it was a gamble,” she said. “And I understand that you’re angry, but hopefully you can appreciate why it was necessary.”
“I’m not angry,” said Ethan. “I’m tired, tired of tricks and lies. No more games.”
Diana nodded. “Agreed. Here, swallow this.” She handed him two small capsules. “They will help with the pain.”
Ethan was only vaguely aware of the soreness in his body now, but he took the capsules and placed them in his mouth. They liquefied on contact with his tongue and, as with the medication that Angela Salus had given him on the base, he began to immediately feel more invigorated. He wondered what role Angela had played in the UEC deception. Was she even Maria’s sister? he asked himself.
Ethan turned around and faced the door to the quarantined zone. “What happened in there?”
Diana stood away from the railings, and her expression changed again, showing the sadness that Ethan had seen before when she talked about difficult events. “There was an attack,” she said. “One of a kind that has, thankfully, never been repeated.” She walked back towards the door to the quarantined zone and stopped about half way. Ethan followed and stood next to her, looking at her in anticipation. “We have always been c
losely matched in terms of combative and defensive capabilities,” Diana continued, “which is why this war has gone on for so long. But then they tried something new. They loaded a small fighter craft with semi-refined orrum, reclaimed at great risk from a section of the destroyed refinery, orbiting behind the planet, so we couldn’t see what they were doing. And then they flew it into the station.”
Ethan was astonished. He tried to think of something to say, but could find no words.
“It wasn’t spotted until it was too late,” Diana continued. “The ship was too small to cause any significant structural damage, but the orrum was atomized inside, and, well, you saw the result.”
“How long ago did this happen?” said Ethan.
“Oh, it was a long time ago,” murmured Diana, lost in her own thoughts.
“The thing in there, the creatures we call the maddened… it was once one of your people?” said Ethan, now beginning to understand. “How many more are in there?”
“We don’t know exactly,” said Diana. “Probably fewer than a hundred now.”
Ethan knew that even half that number would be a threat to everyone on the station. “Why have you not…”
“Killed them?” interrupted Diana, turning to look at him with her sharp green eyes.
Ethan was taken aback. “Well, yes! Surely they are a constant danger?”
Diana sighed heavily. “After the attack, we knew that the people in this section would be exposed beyond our skill to heal,” she said, looking back towards the doorway. “The area was sealed quickly, and contained. But there were hundreds trapped inside. And they were still people then, Ethan.”
Ethan could see melancholy starting to sweep over Diana. It had started to color her speech, and even affect the way she stood. It was also written on her face, in the lines around her eyes that only appeared when her guard started to fall. He could see now that Diana had been just as distrustful of him as he had been of her. But now she was letting him in.
“They were given a choice,” Diana continued, folding her arms tightly around her chest. “They would be helped to die, peacefully, before the change took hold and stole what remained of their minds and bodies, or they could live here, in the quarantined zone. And be allowed to become…” she paused, “...well, you know the rest.”
“Maddened,” said Ethan, shaking his head.
“Our term for it is genetic degradation,” said Diana. “But ‘maddened’ works just as well.”
Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “This is unbelievable.”
Then he had a thought. “But why did they not try it again? You said this was the only time they attacked in this way?”
“They did try,” said Diana. “But there was an accident while they were loading the ship, or at least that’s what we believe happened, and a significant section of their own base was heavily damaged and contaminated. We estimate that hundreds of lives were lost, if not many more. After that, it seems likely that they considered it too dangerous to attempt again; too much of a risk to themselves.”
Ethan remembered the talk about off-limits areas on the UEC base and another piece of the puzzle clicked into place.
“That’s why you made a point of telling me there was nowhere off-limits, isn’t it?” said Ethan. Diana smiled and nodded. “They told me that you had attacked them in a similar way, using this highly toxic radiation as a weapon,” said Ethan, remembering, “It’s why they said they needed the ship’s medical equipment to create a new serum.”
“Yes,” said Diana. “Ironic, isn’t it?”
Ethan walked back to the balcony and looked down at the plaza, and the people going about their everyday lives. Just as the people of his settlement were probably doing, he imagined. He wished he could stand on a balcony and watch them instead, to see if they were talking about him. Did they miss him, he wondered? Were they safe? He felt a longing that he had not experienced before, a longing to be among the people who cared about him. Or, at least, used to. “I think I want to go home now,” he said, mournfully.
Diana appeared beside him. Her mouth was more relaxed, not pressed into the thin, red smile he was used to, and her eyes appeared fuller, rounder. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Come with me.”
Chapter 26
Diana led Ethan to an elevator on the other side of the balcony to where they had been standing. They passed several other elevators along the way, but the one they finally stopped at had dark blue doors, which uniquely set it apart from all the others on the floor.
“Where are we going?” asked Ethan, genuinely curious.
“To see your ride home,” Diana replied, with a gentle smile. She touched her ident to the silver panel at the side of the elevator, causing the doors to hiss open. Diana invited Ethan to enter and then followed him in, before pressing a red button – one of only two on an otherwise spare silver panel – which caused the doors to hiss shut again. Shortly afterwards they began to descend rapidly. The sensation was similar to the elevator at the Teardrop, except this time Ethan was prepared for the sudden burst of acceleration.
He watched Diana with interest as the floors flashed past the narrow window in the elevator doors. She was standing calmly with her hands together in front of her, and despite having only met her an hour ago, he felt like he’d know her for years.
“What makes you different?” said Ethan, almost thinking out loud. Diana cocked her head towards him and shot him a quizzical look. “Both sides have been fighting for so long that you’ve grown up knowing nothing else,” he added, “so why are you different? What makes you want something other than war?”
Diana considered this for a moment. “It’s a good question, Ethan. The answer is that I have to believe there’s a better way; that we don’t just have to accept the status quo. I want something more. Does that make sense to you?”
Ethan nodded. “More than you know,” he said, softly. “But maybe sometimes, it’s better to hold on to what you have.”
“Perhaps,” said Diana, thoughtfully. “But, it depends if what you have is worth holding on to. Worth fighting for.” There was a short pause, during which Diana studied Ethan’s face; a kind face, weighed down by worry. “We’re alike, you and I,” she added, after several more seconds of silence.
“Oh?” said Ethan. He was now the one to tilt his head quizzically. “How so?”
“We both dare to dream,” said Diana. “And we’re both willing to chase our dreams, even when it leads us to places that others fear to go.”
Ethan stared back ahead at the blur of motion behind the glass. “Yes,” he said, “sometimes foolishly.”
“What you consider foolish, others would consider brave, even noble.”
“I don’t think Talia would see it that way.”
“Well, perhaps I can help her to see things differently when you introduce us,” Diana replied, smiling.
Ethan did not respond. He admired Diana’s conviction, and she was right that they were alike in many ways. But he still did not believe that Diana and her people returning to the planet was a good idea, at least not yet. He would need to find the right moment to tell her, to explain his reasons. But he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to be the one to crush her dreams, as his had been crushed.
The elevator came to a halt and the doors hissed open.
“After you,” said Diana.
Ethan stepped out into a large circular room that seemed to be the same diameter as the plaza. It rose five storeys, with the upper storeys containing rooms with dark, opaque glass walls that prevented Ethan from seeing inside. The lower deck occupied around two-thirds of the total area and was divided into quadrants, each with an array of consoles and machinery that Ethan was now used to seeing, but still had no clue as to their function. At the outer edge of each quadrant was an enormous viewing window, staring out into open space. Three of the windows gave an unobstructed view into the darkness beyond, but the fourth was almost entirely obscured by a massive object,
attached to the station via a long umbilical. Ethan recognized it instantly as the arrowhead ship he had been sent to recover for the UEC.
“There’s your ride home,” said Diana, who was standing slightly behind Ethan.
Ethan looked at the hulking ship through the window and shuddered as he remembered what had occurred inside. He approached the window to get a closer look and then noticed the unmistakable blue glow of the planet hanging in space, so clear and vibrant that he felt he could reach out and touch it. The first time he had seen the planet from space he was almost too awestruck to appreciate it, but now, looking out at the shining blue orb, which was considerably larger than it had appeared from the moon base, he realized how truly beautiful it was. And how, despite the dangers it still contained, and the hardships it required its inhabitants to endure, its preservation was vital. Whether it was the UEC or GPS, or what they had evolved to become in the generations after the start of the war, it didn’t matter. The planetsiders’ new civilization had to be protected. Over several generations, the survivors of the Fall had, by necessity and choice, struggled and worked together to build a new society that was entirely separated from the civilization that preceded it. A unified society. A better society. In contrast to this the survivors in space had continued to feud with each other, passing on their hatred to the next generation.
Ethan knew the price that Diana would ask in order for him to return home. She would want to return with him with a delegation of her people, and with Ethan as her envoy. But Ethan understood now that it was too high a price to pay. He would not risk everything that the planetsiders had achieved in order to fulfil his own selfish desires. It was his selfishness that had led him to this point. And it was Ethan alone that must suffer the consequences, even if that meant staying on the base for the rest of his life. Even if it meant dying here, a casualty of their perpetual war.
