Earthborn Awakening

by Matthew DeVore

  Aleena was pacing the floor when Ethan returned. It felt good to move her legs again. The stasis was designed to maintain muscle mass, but it certainly wasn’t able to stave off stiffness.

  She looked at the clothes he handed her. They would work, but the workmanship left something to be desired. The Elves were expert craftsmen, among other things. I guess there’s going to be a lot of things to get used to now. She put on the clothes and frowned seeing them on herself. They weren’t all that flattering.

  “It’s all I could get. I’m sorry if you don’t like them,” Ethan said, seeming a little embarrassed.

  “They’ll do fine,” Aleena told him. “What do you think?” She did a little spin.

  “It’s perfect,” Ethan said. Until today, he thought only Allison could manage to make these clothes look good, but Aleena was managing it just fine. Ethan hoped Allison wasn’t the jealous type. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

  The two of them walked to the barrier. Ethan passed straight through, but Aleena stopped and stared at the white energy moving through the entry. “Ten thousand years,” she whispered. “Nothing’s going to be the same.”

  Ethan’s head pushed back through the barrier. “Are you coming or what?”

  Aleena shook off her anxious thoughts and walked through the energy into the hallway beyond. The door at the hidden entrance vanished as they approached and reappeared behind them as they entered the alcove Ethan had been calling home.

  “Is someone living here?” Aleena asked when she saw Ethan’s blankets and clothes on the floor.

  “I am. That’s how I found you. I leaned against this wall and noticed it wasn’t cold like the rest of the rock. I put my hands on it, tried to feel where the heat was coming from, and it started to glow. Then it opened.”

  That seemed to surprise Aleena. “Give me your hands,” she commanded.

  Ethan did as he was told and held out both his hands to her. She turned them flat and pushed her palms onto his. Aleena closed her eyes, and little wrinkles appeared on her forehead as she concentrated.

  Ethan smiled as he watched. Her hands were warm and soft. She’s cute. No, she’s gorgeous. A surge of warmth ran through his hand, breaking his train of thought. The heat continued to move through the rest of his body. Looking down at his hands, he made a conscious decision not to pull away from Aleena. Both their hands were glowing. After a moment, the light subsided.

  Aleena opened her eyes. She looked at Ethan with a mix of curiosity and surprise. “You have magic,” she said. She assumed the chamber’s entry mechanisms were damaged, allowing him into the chamber, but now she wasn’t so sure.

  Ethan was trying to think of something to say when Allison crawled into the alcove. Her eyes settled immediately on Ethan and Aleena’s hands, then roamed up and down Aleena, taking her in.

  “Sorry, I didn’t realize you had company,” Allison said curtly. She was clearly furious. She climbed back into the tunnel leaving as fast as possible.

  Ethan looked at his hands in Aleena’s, realization dawning on him. “Allison, it’s not like that,” he called out, rushing toward the tunnel to go after her.

  “Ethan, please,” Aleena said, stopping him. “I need food. Stasis is not kind on the body.”

  He turned from the tunnel to face Aleena. “Okay, we’ll get you food, but then you have to help me explain all this to Allison.”

  Chapter 15

  Wren looked out over the city from the penthouse office of the tower in the northwest corner, the team’s current headquarters. He stood before the large glass windows that served as both exterior walls, stretching from floor to ceiling. Behind him, sitting on an enormous white desk, lay his small holographic emitter. From it, a map of the city and surrounding mountains was displayed across the desk. A three-pitch tone rang out from his multiband. He’d been waiting almost an hour for this call.

  “Commander Wren,” he said, answering the incoming transmission.

  “Good morning, Commander,” a woman replied. Her voice was smooth yet icy cold. “I trust you had a productive night.”

  “Always. What can I do for you, Councilwoman?” Wren was immensely grateful that she’d chosen a simple voice call. He wouldn’t have to conceal his reactions to her orders if any bothered him. On occasion, being the commander required him to do things that truly upset him. I hope this isn’t one of those days.

  “Commander, you’re one of the most loyal officers I have in command.”

  “Thank you, Councilwoman,” Wren said gratefully. Apparently, this conversation was going to be all right. Denetaa was usually easy to read, and starting their conversation with a rare compliment directed at someone other than the High Councilman was a good sign.

  “The turmoil in the Washington sector caused by those insidious radicals has seemed to stop. I assume that was your doing.”

  Wren stared out across the city through the office windows, his hands clasped behind his back. “Yes, ma’am, though much of the responsibility lies with my team, Traven and Kalma in particular.”

  “Very good. So the insurgents have been eliminated, then?” she clarified.

  “Many have, ma’am. I have Zavier and Alex out on recon as we speak. They’ll determine what threat remains. Yesterday, we identified a small Chinese restaurant, the Emperor’s Dragon, as the access point to the resistance operations center. Zavier and Alex persuaded the owners to divulge the location of their base, the West River Academy. They’re on their way to that location now. If indeed it is their hideout, then we’ll move on them tonight. Although, I suspect they’ve moved out of the city into the forest. Our success in eliminating their hospital a couple months ago must’ve sent them on the run. That’s the only explanation consistent with the decreased conflict seen by the patrols. We’ve dealt with several minor incidents lately, but each seem unrelated to the organized resistance.”

  “I see,” Denetaa responded. There was a hint of disappointment in her voice. “And the Alliance depot?”

  Wren sat down in the white chair behind the desk. “Colonel Yaneen set up a defensive position around the depot. A science team is trying to gain entrance to the room. So far they’ve been unsuccessful, but they have confirmed it wasn’t created by the Humans.”

  “Are you suggesting this is remains from the ancient Elves?”

  “Certainly not, Councilwoman. History tells us that we completely wiped out the Elven existence on this planet, including their cities and technology. We’ve always been very thorough about those types of operations. Still, what we found is certainly not of Human origin.”

  There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

  “I hope you’re right, Commander. Now, the purpose for my call is not simple updates on your progress. I have a matter of grave importance that will require your upmost secrecy, even from your own men.”

  “Of course, ma’am. I am at your service as always,” Wren replied.

  “Ever the honorable soldier. The Council is pleased with the progress of this war and will be convening a Council meeting here in Madison City.”

  Wren was even more grateful this was a voice-only communication, as he couldn’t hide the surprise that ran through him. “A Council meeting here—on Earth? The High Councilman is coming to Madison City?”

  “No, of course not,” Denetaa snapped. Her voice regained its composure a moment later. “The Council has seen it fit to convene a meeting here, in Madison City, but unfortunately Malikyne will not be able to join us.”

  “Oh, of course, ma’am. I understand.” Wren didn’t understand. Traditionally, the High Councilman was solely responsible for initiating and presiding over Council meetings.

  “Again, I would remind you that this information is to remain between you and me.”

  “Yes, you have my full loyalty.” Wren chose his words carefully, suspecting that danger lay in an incorrect response.

  “Wonderful,” the councilwoman said. “Now, about those radicals again. As you c
an imagine, the arrival of the Council must not be mired by unsightly disturbances from the populace. The city must be in complete submission to our government. I trust you will take care of this quickly.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I understand. We’ll put an end to the resistance quickly.”

  “Thank you, Commander. I would expect nothing less.”

  The channel cut off, leaving Wren to his own thoughts again. He stared at the map lying across the desk in front of him. A meeting of the entire Council of Five was a rare event these days. High Councilman Malikyne didn’t seem concerned with obtaining the Council’s opinions on anything, so meetings were largely unnecessary.

  Ultimately, it didn’t much matter why the Council was convening. What was important to Wren was where they were meeting. If the other Council members arrived and the city still had a problem with the resistance, then it would be his neck on the line.

  He zoomed into the western area of the city on the map in front of him, then centered it on the West River Academy. The school sat in a large open field and ran up against the forest on the western side. A little beyond that, the foothills leading into the mountains began.

  “Commander Wren,” Zavier’s voice cut into his thoughts from his multiband.

  “Go ahead, Zavier. What have you found?” Wren replied.

  “We’ve searched the entire academy. They were definitely here, but it looks like they left in a hurry. They left behind a lot of supplies, so they were either expecting to travel on foot or they had more supplies waiting at their destination.”

  “Do you have any indication of where they were heading?”

  “Not from inside the school, sir. They didn’t leave anything that gave us much help. I can tell you that there are a lot of them. We counted nearly seventy rooms in the school that had been converted into living quarters. They couldn’t have moved all at once without being noticed if they were heading into the city,” Zavier said.

  Wren stared at the miniaturized school grounds on the map. “To the forest, then.”

  “That’s what Alex and I think.”

  Alex’s voice chimed in on the conversation. “I’m finishing an initial sweep of the forest line at the edge of the school right now. I’ve found a couple of shoe prints that suggest they passed through here. The underbrush is pretty thick, so it’ll be hard to track them directly, but I think I have a general feel for the direction they started in, at least.”

  “Good,” Wren replied. “Our timeline has been pushed forward. We need to find them as fast as we can. Stay where you are. The rest of us will meet you shortly.”

  The channel shut down, and Wren took the elevator down to the floor the team was using as their quarters. Kalma and Malik were sitting in a lobby area just inside one of the office suites chatting. Wren opened the door and walked straight inside.

  “Commander,” the two said simultaneously, jumping to attention.

  “At ease, gentlemen,” Wren responded habitually. “Go gear up. We’re going hunting in the forest for the enemy. I want to pull out immediately. Meet me on the roof in ten minutes.”

  “The roof, sir?” Kalma asked. “We’re not taking a skimmer?”

  “We’re going by air this time. Our timeline has been pushed forward. I want to search as much of the forest as possible before nightfall. After that, we’ll switch to night scopes and continue until morning.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Do either of you know where Traven is?” Wren asked.

  Malik and Kalma got up from their seats and started toward their rooms.

  “I’m pretty sure he’s in his quarters,” Malik replied.

  “He’s been in there a lot lately,” Kalma added.

  “We all need a break from each other every now and then,” Malik said, giving Kalma a light shove.

  Wren headed toward Traven’s room and knocked on the door. “Traven, you in there?” He waited a minute, then knocked again and repeated the question.

  A moment later, rustling came from within the room and the door slid open. Traven looked half-asleep. His eyes were heavy, and he was in a daze. More than that, Wren thought he almost looked frightened.

  “You all right?” Wren asked.

  Traven stared at him blankly for a moment, then seemed to snap out it. “I’m fine. Just a bad dream,” he said. It wasn’t just any bad dream. It was the same bad dream. He felt as though he’d just been brought back from a losing battle against only two opponents, two Elven opponents. Who are they? How’d they get here? He’d been dwelling on those questions for a while. They can’t have come from off world or they’d have been detected by our fleet. The thoughts kept running through his mind, but he was left with no answers.

  “Traven,” Wren said emphatically.

  “Oh, right. Sorry, sir. I’m just a little distracted.”

  “Well pull it together. We have a job to do. Be on the roof in seven minutes geared up for a forest hike.”

  “Yes, sir.” Traven moved quickly toward his gear bag on the desk behind him.

  After he’d secured his armor and weapons, he met the others on the roof. He was the last to arrive.

  “Our ride is inbound,” Wren told them. “As soon as it touches down, we’ll load up and head to the West River Academy. Zavier and Alex are waiting for us there. Starting there, we’ll begin sweeping the forest to find the resistance. The tree coverage is too thick in most areas for aerial support to be of much help, so we’ll have to do this the old fashion way.”

  Traven’s heart sank a little. The forest. He was pretty certain now that his dream was no dream at all. The main problem was that he didn’t know what it meant. Obviously it’s a battle, but where and when? He continued to think about it until a small sleek ship came quickly out of the eastern horizon, slowing to a halt above their location. It was strange taking an airborne transport in daylight. Wren usually preferred skimmers and the cover of night for most operations. Something must have him rattled. Traven didn’t dare ask what.

  The ship was quiet, uttering only the sounds of rushing wind and a low hum. It landed on retractable gear on the nearby landing platform. It had small stubby wings that angled greatly toward the rear of the craft but gently toward the ground. The rear engines glowed a brilliant blue. Just forward of the wings, a loading ramp descended, leading up to a side entry that slid open.

  Kalma gave Traven a slap on the shoulder as he walked up next to him. “I love this part,” he said, then proceeded up the ramp and into the transport.

  Traven followed the others on board and took his seat. As the ship lifted, it jolted slightly when the antigravity drive transitioned to the main aft engines. He gripped the armrest, pushing his anxiety down into the recesses of his mind. Still don’t like flying.

  The cityscape was beautiful, with towering sleek buildings that passed quickly by the window. Down below, specks of people moved about their daily activities while cars and skimmers ran through a gauntlet of roads and overpasses.

  It only took five minutes for the transport to make it to West River Academy. As they approached, they could see Alex and Zavier waiting in the soccer field below. The ship sat down as close to them as was safe. The side door slid open and the Guard descended onto the field.

  “Welcome,” Alex greeted them. “I can show you where I think they entered the forest.”

  “Great,” Wren replied. “We’ll all start there and then split up the deeper into the forest we get. This mission is primarily recon. If you find the resistance, do not engage.” He glanced over at Kalma and Traven. “We don’t want to drive them any deeper into the mountains than they already are. Once we get their location, we’ll regroup to form a battle strategy.”

  “Yes, sir,” everyone responded.

  “One more thing,” Wren continued. “This might take a few weeks. If we don’t find them this trip, we’ll try again. This is our main priority until we find them or get orders otherwise. Every few days, we’ll take a break and head back to the tower. Make sur
e to mark your search locations in your multiband.”

  Chapter 16

  Aleena and Ethan walked through the tunnels in silence. Aleena felt as though she’d just walked these corridors yesterday. Everything was pretty much the same, except many of the stalagmites and stalactites had grown noticeably larger. A few of them had even merged to form a single column of shimmering calcium carbonate. She’d always thought this cave was pretty, but she was relieved it wouldn’t be her grave.

  They passed a few people on their way to the dining cavern. Each time, Ethan would introduce her as a new refugee hiding from the Urlowen patrols. Aleena was grateful that he kept the details to a minimum; it would be far easier for them to maintain the ruse that way.

  After they had turned a corner around a particularly large rock formation, they came to a room full of chattering people. Aleena noticed that Allison wasn’t to be found. She also noticed that Ethan looked disappointed at the same discovery.

  “Did you think she’d be here?” Aleena asked quietly.

  “I’d hoped she would.”

  Aleena was amused. Some things are the same no matter what race you are.

  They walked across the room, weaving around overturned crates and blankets that served as tables and chairs. At the far wall, stacks of canned goods sat next to a small fire pit that had been lined with a circle of rocks.

  “We cook whatever we catch in the forest,” Ethan pointed out. “The cans are mostly left over from our previous base in the city. I’ve added a little to it here and there, but John gets upset when I make a supply run to the city.”

  He handed Aleena a plastic plate and grabbed a can of green beans from the pile. Pausing momentarily, he leaned over and whispered in Aleena’s ear, “I, um… I actually don’t know what Elves eat. After all, you’re the first one I’ve met.”

  Aleena grinned and whispered back, “I suspect we eat the same sort of things you do: plants, beans, and meat.”