Star of Fantasy

by Jacky Qian

  "I can't let myself be eaten by dark haunters!" thought Silverstar. So, as the two creatures gnawed away at him, Silverstar still struggled back onto his feet. It didn't last long, and he was pulled down. Suddenly, with a loud noise and a blue light, Silverstar – in a semi-conscious state – saw several human figures approach. The dark haunters, knowing they were outnumbered, fled.

  "Too slow to get… get here," stammered Silverstar. The loss of blood was significant, and he passed out.

  Phase II: Time Traveler

  "Eh!" Silverstar twitched as he peered out toward complete darkness. As the drumming in his ears faded, he gradually regained consciousness. The pain from the wound had awakened him completely. He opened his eyes and saw, overhead, a wooden ceiling. His belly was itchy and painful. Luckily, he could still move his fingers, so at least he knew he still had them.

  The boy sat up and found that he was on a hard, wooden platform, which obviously served as a bed. The air had the scent of wood, and when he looked around he saw that the room consisted almost entirely of it. There was a circular hole in the door, and some plant fiber hung there as a curtain. Looking at himself, he found he was wearing summer clothes instead of his torn, mud-slathered things.

  Silverstar also found that his wound, which had been covered with some transparent liquid, was almost fully healed. The pouch for his dragon-fang dagger was right beside him, too. He attached the pouch to his clothes and left the room. The dazzlingly bright sunlight left an unpleasant yellow spot before his eyes, but slowly his normal vision returned. He was awestruck by what he saw. He was high up in a monstrous tree, possibly several thousand years old. The tree towered over the others nearby, although they were several hundred meters tall. The branches in the top had been cut away, and he realized that he was standing in one of its rooms. He wondered who could have built such a vast castle in a tree.

  It occurred to Silverstar that his friends were nowhere to be seen. He wondered where they were and what kind of place it was.

  "Hello!" he heard a hoarse voice, "Come here, kid!"

  Tracing the sound to its source, he found a well-muscled young man. He shuddered a bit when he thought of what it must feel like to be hit by him.

  "Uh, excuse me..." Before Silverstar could finish, the man interrupted: "Come here for a second, and I'll tell you something! My boss is waiting for you!"

  His voice wasn't loud, but its authoritative tone indicated that he should do as he was told.

  The young man led him down a spiraling corridor. Along the way, they saw rooms evenly spaced. After less than a dozen meters, Silverstar was already exhausted, panting heavily. The man in front of him turned around and said, "Why do you get tired so easily? Are you a man or not!? Hurry up!"

  "Okay!" Silverstar stopped for gaining a breath and then moved on. Finally, he got to the exit. He looked ahead and gasped. It was a flight of descending stairs carved out of a tree that had grown out of a cliff face over a deep abyss. The stairway had no rail.

  "My God," Silverstar said, shivering. The man went ahead without him. Silverstar took another breath and stepped gently onto the creaking stairs. He broke out in a cold sweat, and his breathing quivered. Step by step, he followed the stairs down, and on the way he lost track of time. Despite the dizziness, his survival instinct helped keep him safely on the treads of the stairway. Finally, he got to the bottom. Silverstar sank to his knees, absolutely out of breath.

  "Get up!" the man said as he walked over and picked him up. Silverstar was then greeted by an older man, whose voice reverberated from a big room in front of him. "Hello, Silverstar."

  Silverstar raised his head and asked, "You know my name?"

  "Welcome to the base of time travelers," the man continued. "My name is Darwin Speicher."

  It was night in the forest of huge trees two days before Silverstar woke up.

  Sapling trees bent and cracked under huge wheels. As the dark clouds dissipated, bright moonlight shed over the gleaming, dark-red Nazi emblem. It was a huge, armored vehicle. It was made of the skeleton of a poisonous wasp. Each of its six leg bones was supported by a wheel. Electrically powered, the vehicle ran at top speed and its eyes emitted a weak light. The driver sat poker-faced, resting both of his legs on the steering wheel.

  The headlight illuminated the ground over a path of ten meters. No living thing could be seen. Suddenly, the figure of a man appeared in front of the vehicle as it blasted along at top speed. It was Sellars. He too was expressionless but was supported by a brace made of tree leaves. He showed no sign of fear at the rapidly approaching vehicle. The driver was shocked and pulled hard at the steering wheel, shouting in German. The six legs of the wasp clutched the wheels, producing sparks and a great deal of noise. Sellars remained there, still as a stone. The vehicle spun round, and its venomous acupuncture nearly touched his face. It screeched to a stop, puffing a huge mass of white smoke. The gunner stationed in the tail was also caught by surprise by his sudden appearance. The top of the vehicle creaked open. Liquor jumped out of it and asked Sellars, "Are you one of those guys?"

  "Nope," answered Sellars with a click of his neck as he turned to face him. "I'm an old friend of your boss, Ossien."

  Morning. Two days later.

  Silverstar, now in the company of the old man, breathed deeply and regained his composure. Taking a closer look at his host, the boy found that he showed very little sign of age other than a few wrinkles. His torso, neck, arms and legs bulged with perfectly toned muscles, and it seemed he'd be stronger than other men.

  "Your name is Darwin?" asked Silverstar in surprise.

  "His name is Darwin Speicher!" one of the other guys said, rising to his feet. "Show some respect, boy! Do you know who we are?"

  "Knock it off, Darren!" ordered Darwin as he stopped him together with the rest of the group. "You'll only hurt him!"

  "You have a wooden head!" cursed the man who led Silverstar here.

  "Shut up, Hilton!" roared Darren. "If you don't keep it shut, I'll pop your eyes out! And…"

  "Enough!" said Darwin, "Ronnie, you sit down! Darren, you stand and face the wall in penitence for your mischief! Hilton, don't make trouble." He turned to the terrified Silverstar and said, "Don't mind them. They often do that kind of thing."

  "Well, that's fine."

  "We call ourselves time travelers," continued Darwin. "I'm the first one to be here in this era. So, I'm the toughest one on the team!"

  Darwin grinned and continued, "That was ninety-five years ago when I came here in 1967 as a young man of thirty." Seeing the surprise so evident on Silverstar's face, he confirmed, "That's right, I'm already 124 years old. By human standards, I've lived a very long time. Thanks to the fresh air, pure water and some truly miraculous medicine, I've survived and prospered. Over the past ninety-five years, these guys have arrived with their families and friends. I saved each of them, especially since Nina came." The man – Darwin – pointed to the corner, where there was a red-haired woman with very dark eyes. Apparently, she was the only woman here, because the men would often look or stare at her. Darwin continued, "She brought a few modern tools, and she claims to be from 2112."

  "Wow!" exclaimed Silverstar, "Well, I have lots of questions for her!"

  "It's a pity, kid," said Rhode. "Nina isn't talkative. She won't respond to any of your questions. By the way, we call her Autumn."

  "Rhode," Nina spoke up, "What's wrong with you? You don't want your hands?"

  "Um…sorry about that!" replied Ronnie, "Don't get me wrong!"

  "Cough!" Darwin looked at him and then continued, "After nearly a century of construction, we've built this great castle. It took us 95 years, to be exact!" said he excitedly, "Well, I was the top expert in space-time theory before I became a time traveler. Eventually, during my search for a hyperspace wave in the North Pole, I was sucked into this era. Until today, I've been looking for an opportunity to get back to the human era."

  "I really don't want to wait another century!" sa
id Silverstar. At this time, he thought of his own group and asked, "Where are my friends?"

  "They're…" Darwin paused before continuing. "They're in the room below. When we first met you, we didn't know whether you were an enemy. Once we got the whole story from Simons, we figured it out."

  "The captain?" asked Silverstar excitedly, "Is he okay?"

  "He's with your friends." answered Darwin, "He's fine. Well, my observations and research indicate that the time hole will open in a couple of weeks – less than a month, in fact – and allow you to go back to your own era."

  "Really!?" asked Silverstar.

  "Definitely," said Darwin with assurance. "Soon you'll be back home, where you belong."

  "Can I go see my friends now?"

  "Sure!"

  "Great!"

  "Relax, kid," Darwin said.

  He led Silverstar toward the terrifying stairs. "Is this the quickest shortcut?" asked Silverstar in a shivering voice. "As a matter of fact, we could take a straight path, but it's pretty bumpy." Darwin responded, "Don't be afraid!" At last they reached the bottom, whereupon Silverstar, having caught his breath again, turned round to find only Nina behind them.

  "Where are the others?"

  "They're busy with their own business," replied Darwin, "messing around and fighting. Jack broke Darren's rib a couple of years ago, arguing over who was capable of attacking Nazis."

  "Who are those people?" asked Silverstar while walking.

  "There were some rumors during World War II" said Darwin seriously, "that Hitler had planned to build a Nazi base at the South Pole. Because he was ultimately defeated, the plan was abandoned. It turns out to be true. Just as they were flying over the Atlantic carrying the construction equipment, they disappeared without a trace. Now we know that they had arrived at this era. They're probably the first human beings to be here in this time. Over the years, we have fought them. Their first leader, or the Fuhrer as they put it, was Hitler. But their current Fuhrer in the Prehistoric Reich is an unknown Nazi officer. He has many hi-tech tools that we find difficult to deal with. I haven't seen him myself, but it's rumored that he does not look old at all although he must be very old."

  Silverstar went silent. Darwin continued, "Relax. They're just a gang of paper tigers. Well, here we are. Autumn, please do a favor for me."

  "Yes, boss." She stepped forward and put her hand on the door, which opened with a tick.

  "You have a lot of sophisticated stuff here!" said Silverstar as he entered the room.

  He cried, "You're all here!"

  "I'm glad you're alive! I would've visited you earlier, but those stairs are terrifying," Catherine said. "That day, you lost too much blood and passed out. It's Darwin who drove away the dark haunters and saved us all. He brought us here."

  "I can't believe you're alive! You were horribly wounded, with all those bites." said Hicks patting him on the shoulder, "We've been eating while we waited for you."

  "Are you okay?" Mandis asked as he pushed Hicks away. "It's great that you're still alive! The captain survived, too!"

  "Where is he?" asked Silverstar. The boy looked around but didn't see Simons.

  "He was in an even worse situation that you were," Mandis said. "There was internal hemorrhaging. He's resting now, though."

  Silverstar turned to Darwin, "I have so many questions for you. What's the liquid you used to treat Hicks' wound?

  Nicholas answered: "That's a wound-healing medicine that Autumn brought from the future. It's designed to treat serious wounds suffered in explorations. It's a biological science invented in 2092. The liquid serves to protect and produce cells. To put it simply, it can replace dead cells. If an old man were to use the medicine, it would reverse the aging of his skin. As a result, he'd look much younger than he really is. Anyway, the medicine won't make you live longer. It can only improve the skin, so it isn't helpful for your internal organs. It's a man-made medicine, so prolonged use will damage the body tissues. It's only suitable for emergencies."

  "That's incredible!" said Darwin in amazement. "How did you learn so much about it?"

  "I asked Autumn. She told me a lot," answered Nicholas, "She's very smart."

  Ossien

  The ground in the depths of the vast forest shook with the approach of a thunderous noise. It was the pummeling from another armored vehicle made of a gigantic skeleton, but this one was different from the one they had seen two days earlier. With a fluorescent Nazi sign on it, the vehicle laid waste to trees and vegetation.

  The occupants spoke in German:

  "Soon we will arrive at the base. They are all talking about what happened recently. Have you heard about it?"

  "Well, I think you mean the guest that Colonel Liquor brought back. The colonel is afraid of nothing, but even he was frightened after hearing what the guest said."

  "You're right! It seems that Colonel Liquor too is afraid of something!"

  "Wait, be quiet! I will call the guard to open the door for us. If Colonel Liquor were to hear what you've just said, you would die for it! Okay … Base!"

  "Password verification," instructed the husky voice of a security guard over an old walkie-talkie. The armored vehicle stopped before a fathomless swamp that steamed with acidic, nausea-inducing gas. A mountain rose from the middle of the swamp, and it comprised the Nazi base. Upon the arrival of the vehicle at the base of the mountain, a massive alloy plate clattered to the ground. Then, a large number of metal balls appeared, as if by magic. They grew at dazzling speed, and soon they met the opposite bank to form a bridge. The armored vehicle thundered forward as the gate slowly opened. It proceeded up a long, lamp-lit road. Eventually, the vehicle slowed down as it drew near a bright light. The vehicle stopped momentarily and then pulled into an immense garage that appeared large enough to house a zeppelin. From a loudspeaker came a German voice: "Armored vehicle number three has moved into zone one." Within the brightly lit space, many people were busy with their tasks.

  All this was displayed to Sellars on a big screen. Beside him, a holographic display showed, "Central Zone A3: living quarters for Ossien."

  "It's about time, Gioni," said Sellars to a man who wore a black uniform emblazoned in gold with a Nazi emblem.

  "You've come just in time," said Gioni. "The boss asked us to wake him up today. Otherwise, the Toxinova will come."

  White smoke gushed out of the hibernation pod. The loudspeaker announced in a female voice, speaking German: "Ossien has awakened in good shape. Food has…"

  "Enough," interrupted Gioni. "You are done now."

  The man inside the hibernation pod opened his eyes and winced as he moved his stiff body. He saw Sellars and Gioni.

  "Have you completed your research?" he asked Gioni. He paid no attention to his business partner.

  "Yes, sir. And your partner…"

  "Sellars, nein," said Ossien. I didn't realize that hyperspace in the twenty-first century was still unstable. I'm sorry for what you have suffered."

  His white clothes were strangely futuristic. He had very smooth facial skin and wicked eyes. He walked to the dining table and took a sip from a goblet of wine.

  "Do you have the time machine ready?" asked Sellars. "I'm fed with up this era."

  "Certainly!" smiled Ossien. "There will not be a problem."

  "Excellent," Sellars replied. A moment later, Ossien turned around and laughed loudly, pointing at a strange organism in a culture dish. It was labeled "Supreme Being."

  A Visit to the Travelers' Base

  "That's Rhode, and that's Jack," said Darwin to Silverstar as they proceeded down the internal stairs of the vast tree. "They're both eighteen, the same as Autumn."

  "Hey, there. I'm Silverstar. It's nice to meet you."

  "Guys," said Rhode, "we have a lot of interesting stuff here because the boss has always been a hoarder. I went to extraterrestrial space together with Al almost every week."

  "Come on, take it easy. The kid hasn't been here very long. When he rush
es through the atmospheric layer, the pressure of it will cause his stomach to explode," warned Ark, who, as always, picked at one of his ears as he spoke.

  "What do you mean by extraterrestrial space?" asked Nicholas, "and who's Al?"

  "All that will be answered pretty soon," said Darwin with a curious smile.

  "This is an elevator." Darwin's voice echoed up and down an unimaginably tall vertical passage. "It's made for the lift." It was obviously created by some powerful explosive, be traces of the impact could be observed here and there.

  "This is…a miracle!" said the astounded Runt. "It'd the ninth wonder of the world, if the other eight were to yet exist!"

  "How did you do it?" Hicks asked. "What type of explosive did you use?" "Explosive?" Silverstar looked at Hicks dubiously. "Um… I didn't recognize it."

  The others stared at him with bewilderment. Hicks cleared his throat and said, "Hah! Well, how could ordinary people like you understand such complicated stuff? You see…"

  He showed them the evidence he had found whereupon he gave a prideful laugh. "I'm one of the most respected scientists in the study of time-space theory! I could probably become one of the greats, like the founder of this very scientific discipline!"

  "Wait… Are you a space-time theorist too!?" said Darwin. The old man seized him by the shoulder in surprise, doing so with a grasp that was almost preternaturally powerful.

  "Oww!" cried Hicks, wrestling away from Darwin's hand. "Yes, I am. What's wrong with that?"

  "Haven't you heard of Darwin Speicher, the youngest and the most talented scientist in the field?"