by Adair Hart
“Take me to the nearest one.”
Kal turned and glided across the platform floor.
She followed while scanning the environment. There were other transportation units docked. She figured they were the ones that came when the evacuation order was given. After crossing the platform, they walked up a giant ramp exit. She noticed that like the facilities, the metallic flooring and walls gave an advanced technological look. Screens were embedded in the wall, and the ceiling was a black glass-like material. The strong smell of something rotting assaulted her nose.
Upon exiting the ramp, Kal went down a large hallway and then walked through a small metallic canopy into a large octagonal room. Other hallways branched off to the left and right and opposite them. The slanted sides of the room had long desks in front of them. In the center of the room were various booths with machines.
She wrinkled her eyebrows. “What is this place?”
“Transportation control center.”
She looked up and saw that the room was large enough to have a second layer with windows. They continued to the right hallway. As they walked, she peered into the rooms. The medical room was easy to place, but some of the others she had no idea about. At the end of the hallway was a T-split that ended in ramps going in either direction.
Kal gestured to both sides. “The living quarters are the next level up. They are both equally distant. Which one did you want to go to?”
“Whatever one doesn’t have those creatures.”
Kal took the right ramp, and after going around a bend and up another ramp, they entered the central living quarter area.
She went to the first door, like she had in the other facilities, and checked it out. It was larger than what she was used to, and there were several more rooms. She put her things in the bedroom and faced Kal. “Kal. Deactivate.”
Kal shimmered out of view.
She locked the door and made sure there was nothing around. After verifying it was safe, she took a hot shower, which took her mind off the situation for a while. She was not tired, but the massaging water was lulling her to sleep. The bedroom was more and more inviting the longer she was in the shower.
After drying off, she decided to take a nap, and then she would tackle this new environment. She double-checked that the living quarter door was locked and had Kal stand guard to alert her if any of the creatures came near the room.
Her eyes popped open when Kal emitted a high shrieking noise four hours later. She jumped out of bed, put on her suit, and pulled out her PSD. Tingling sensations swept across her. “Kal, what is it?”
“There are three creatures outside your door.”
She swallowed hard. “Can they get in?”
“No.”
She sighed. “What do you know of these creatures?”
“Everything.”
She circled a hand. “How do they attack?”
“They bite and possess a hallucinogenic compound in their venom. When the prey dies, they release a chemical that attracts others.”
“Oh, that’s just wonderful.”
Kal stared at her.
“Would this suit prevent their bites from going through?”
“Only the hardened parts.”
“Is there a better suit?”
“Yes.”
She shook her head. Talking to Kal was a painful experience. “Where is the clothing adjuster station?”
Kal led her to a separate room.
She jerked her head back as she scanned her surroundings. The room had several cabinets instead of one. On the back of the room was a console embedded in the wall. After fiddling with it, she saw that she could browse the different items that could be made. There was a lot of general clothing, but not much in the way of defensive suits. She faced Kal. “Are there more defensive suits available than what is here?”
“Yes.”
“Where can I get them?”
Kal began to walk toward the door.
“Wait! What are you doing?”
“Taking you to the armory.”
She sighed. “I need to deal with these creatures first.” With her back against the wall facing the door, she aimed her PSD forward. “Kal, open the door.”
Kal waved his hand, and the door opened. One of the creatures slithered up to the door. It was green and had what looked like muscles under tight skin instead of scales. The mouth was more like a rat’s than a snake’s. She hit it with a stun beam, causing it to stop moving. Another creature slithered up. It fell victim to a stun blast. The third creature took off.
She ran to the door, looked out, and could not see where the third one went. “Kal! Show me a layout and red dot that creature!”
Kal complied.
She studied the projection. The creature was moving fast. Looking down at the felled creatures, she could see they were dead. The stun beam was lethal to smaller animals. She grabbed both of them by the tail and tossed them through the waste disposal panel outside the room.
The new goal was to clear this place of these creatures. She knew she would not be able to fully rest with threats around like that. Central Command would need to be secured. She leaned against the wall and smirked at the thought that she was now an unofficial Coraanan guard.
Roughly six months passed with killing the creatures as part of her daily routine. In the mornings, she would clean up, have breakfast, then go up to a balcony she had found on the higher levels. After soaking up the view and relaxing for a bit, she would begin prepping for a cleansing run. Her goal was to secure, section by section, the entirety of Central Command. Areas that were safe got locked up. She had made significant progress, and according to Kal, there were only sixty left.
After her cleansing run, she would rest up. If she had been bitten, then she would have hallucinations for ten to twenty minutes. The hallucinations were potent. It made the creatures seem like people she knew, and they talked. She did not know if it was the creatures talking through the hallucinations, her mind creating them, or a combination of both. Several times they had taken on the form of Dr. Snowden and Evaran, and even her father. Sometimes she even thought the Torvatta was real. The hallucinations did not save the creatures from her killing them. It had been hard for her to do it, but the nanobots kept her coherent to a degree. She could see how others would have fallen for their strategy.
Her afternoons were spent either in the research labs on the upper levels or exploring the rest of the base. She had found that the Coraanan had a vast history. Other aspects such as technology, politics, religion, and the sciences were available to her. It kept her mind busy and was part of the more relaxing part of her day. The rift door system intrigued her, and she studied it in great detail. Central Command used to have one, but the rift controller was destroyed.
After dinner, she would spend her time on the balcony. It was her favorite spot in the base. Central Command had been carved out of a mountain, and the balcony was near the top of it. Looking out, she could see for miles. It made her feel less alone. She still thought about being rescued, but it was more of a fleeting thought. This was her new home.
Her PSD had lost power her second month in. She had extended the morphable matter into a blade and left it out. The PSD had been her constant companion except for a few weeks when she was with Kazaal. Between the suit and PSD blade, she had no issues dealing with the creatures other than finding them. She had food, water, shelter, and access to vast amounts of information. Although the facilities had similar functionality, they always felt cramped to her.
She had plans after securing Central Command to head south. All the stepped pyramids that acted as landing pads were there. She knew she would have to be careful in whom she decided to save, but if people like Ezekial were coming through, she would be able to help them. They could live with her, and she would gain the benefit of having company. The thought of heading south seemed counterintuitive to her, since her goal since she had arrived on this hellhole had been to get to Central Command
.
Being alone was not as bad as she had feared. By defining activities and goals, she was able to enjoy her alone time. She still missed being around people, and sometimes, it crushed her. There were times when she thought of Dr. Snowden and Evaran and it devastated her, but the routine was what kept her focused.
At the tail end of the six months, she began her daily routine. She had gotten creative with breakfast and was trying, in sequence, all the varieties of food the replicator could make. After a solid meal, she went to the balcony for her post-breakfast view. She pondered the upcoming cleansing run for the day. She had one section in the lower levels to clear, and that would be another full level secured. Kal had estimated there were ten creatures there. It would be a workout, but nothing she could not handle.
When she got to the section after her break, she had Kal follow her and made him outline the creatures. They would usually try to strike at him, giving her the impression they were more visually oriented than smell or hearing. It was a good combination, and after she had taken down five, she felt the familiar bite of one of the creatures. They typically bit her on the lower leg on the side. She rushed around and killed the others, then leaned against the wall. She knew that the hallucinations were about to begin, and after sealing the door, she braced herself.
“Three living beings detected,” said Kal.
Her eyes widened. She had been able to configure Kal to notify her of any living creature that came within twenty feet of her, similar to what she did when she had first arrived.
Kal extended a hand, which had a projection of the layout. It showed three red dots heading down the hallway to the door she had just locked.
She sighed. They would die, just as the others, but first, she needed to ride out the hallucinations. She parked herself in the corner and, with blade in hand, waited.
V interacted with the front console, and the planet shimmered into darkness, then eased back in. “Analysis. The time jump was unsuccessful.”
“Elaborate,” said Evaran.
“The quantum beacon is present and is still recording the approximate time from when we arrived.”
“How’s that possible?” asked Lord Vygon.
Evaran rubbed his temples with his left hand and sighed. “I … did not expect this. This means only the present exists in this pocket universe. We cannot go to the past or the future.”
Dr. Snowden gulped. “How do we fix it?”
“There is nothing the Torvatta can do at this point time-wise,” said Evaran. “However, we will proceed with finding where Emily is. V, contact her PSD.”
“Acknowledged,” said V. After a moment, he faced Evaran. “No contact.”
“Hmm,” said Evaran. “It is possible the PSD ran out of power. There would be no way for her to charge it.”
“Or … maybe it was destroyed,” said Dr. Snowden.
Nanobot Emily swatted Dr. Snowden’s arm. “Uncle Albert! Think positive.”
Dr. Snowden looked down, then glanced at Nanobot Emily. He grabbed her hand.
“Approaching the quantum beacon’s location,” said V.
Dr. Snowden watched the left screen as the Torvatta descended to the planet. It broke cloud cover and then approached a stepped pyramid in a jungle clearing. The right screen showed the quantum beacon just outside the pyramid. A line appeared from the top of the stepped pyramid to its current location.
After another few minutes, the Torvatta had landed near the pyramid on top of a white strip separating the pyramid from the jungle. Everyone exited the Torvatta, with V in orb mode.
“V, scout mode,” said Evaran.
“Acknowledged. Scout mode engaged,” said V as he took off flying. After a moment, he shined a beam down near the white strip.
Evaran waved the others forward as he approached it.
Dr. Snowden’s mouth was dry. The sky was bright blue, and the temperature was fairly warm. Insects would love it here, something he was sure would drive Organic Emily crazy. He noticed the quantum beacon was still in good shape, almost as if it had been pushed off the pyramid. The white strip made him swallow hard. Upon closer examination, he noted it was bones. He looked around. This place seemed unforgiving.
Evaran picked up the quantum beacon and scanned it with his ring. “The teeth marks would indicate that whatever took the quantum beacon did not find it appetizing.”
Lord Vygon smirked. “Yeah, quantum beacons usually—”
Evaran raised a hand as he tilted his head. “V has detected a large number of creatures headed this way. However, there is a podium console nearby I want to look at. Everyone head to the Torvatta.”
Lord Vygon looked around. “Ahh … I sense them now. Small creatures.” He headed back to the Torvatta with Dr. Snowden and Nanobot Emily in tow.
After entering the command area, Dr. Snowden watched Evaran through the left screen, standing in front of a podium console. It seemed different than the ones he had seen with the Purifiers. This one appeared to have a physical touch-screen surface.
Evaran placed his UIC on it and, after a moment, pulled it off and headed back to the ship. When he had returned to the command area, he sat and swiped at his chair console. The front right screen showed an overland map, with a series of dots.
“What the heck is that … ,” said Dr. Snowden.
Evaran pointed at the blinking yellow dot among hundreds of others in the southern area of the landmass on the map. “That would be our current position. There is a size discrepancy between the dots. I believe that indicates functional level.”
“You gathered all that from that thing down there?”
Evaran shook his head. “No. However, the podium showed it was accessed several times nine months ago.”
Dr. Snowden sighed. “Okay … then which dot do we go to first?”
Nanobot Emily pointed to the first green dot to the north. “She woulda went there.”
Dr. Snowden eyed Nanobot Emily.
“It’s what I would’ve done.”
“Very well,” said Evaran. “V, take us to the first green dot.”
“Acknowledged.”
The Torvatta lifted off and, after a short flight, landed at the area indicated by the green dot. Dr. Snowden noted that there was a miniature version of the stepped pyramids surrounded by four pillars. He scrutinized the right screen as the Torvatta scanned the pyramid. It showed a facility underground, with a tunnel leading north. He wondered if Organic Emily had gotten this far and maybe even gone through the tunnel. He swallowed hard as the Torvatta landed.
As they exited the Torvatta and walked through its shielding, a beam shot out from the pillar and scanned them. Dr. Snowden jumped as the mini pyramid slid back, revealing a ramp.
“I believe we have found the entrance. Come,” said Evaran, motioning forward.
Dr. Snowden’s heartbeat incrementally sped up as they descended down the ramp. Nanobot Emily had grabbed his right arm, just like Organic Emily always did. He ran his hand across the smooth metallic walls. This technology seemed very out of place in this environment.
When they reached the base of the ramp, a hologram of a thin beige humanoid with a dinner-plate-shaped head appeared in front of them. Wide black eyes rested on the underside of the head with a small mouth underneath them. It wore a blue jumpsuit with silver lines and black boots. The top of the head looked armored with bumps, and the skin on the rest of the body was smooth. A second beam shot down and encompassed them.
“Translation matrix has been initiated. Welcome to Coraanan research facility number thirty-four. I am the virtual interface, Kal.”
Evaran scanned the hologram and looked up at the ceiling.
Dr. Snowden followed his gaze and noticed the black glass-like surface. It reminded him of the strips he had seen on an alien ship long ago when he first met Evaran. His eyes darted around the room, where he noticed two doors on each side.
Evaran stepped forward and pointed at Nanobot Emily. “Have you seen her before?”
<
br /> Kal tilted his head as he looked at Nanobot Emily. “Not with that clothing.”
“I see,” said Evaran. “Is there a place to access the systems?”
Kal waved them to follow him into the second door on the left. He stood next to a set of workstations and pointed at one.
“Thank you.”
Kal stared at Evaran.
Nanobot Emily smirked. “Yeah … that would drive me nuts.”
Evaran nodded, then placed his UIC on the workstation console. He tossed out an orb, then swiped his hands around his ARI.
Dr. Snowden swallowed hard as images appeared in the projection from the orb. It showed Organic Emily walking around, studying, watching videos on her PSD, eating, and, in general, living there. He averted his eyes at some of the images showing her naked.
Nanobot Emily’s face turned red.
Evaran turned off the projection. “It appears she came here in her second month on the planet. According to these logs, she left after staying for one month. Judging by her attire on her arrival, it appears she underwent something traumatic.”
Dr. Snowden circled his hand. “Well … show us.”
Evaran extended his hand and a projection shot up from his ring. It showed Organic Emily in a rough set of clothing with bone pads.
Dr. Snowden’s heart sank when he saw the expression on her face. It looked like she had been through hell. The look in her eyes was not something he had ever seen before.
Nanobot Emily played with a strand of her hair. “She did something that she’d … normally never do. I think … that creature I saw … might be involved.”
“Do you remember much about what the creature looked like?”
“No … ,” said Nanobot Emily. “Just vague characteristics. It was large, strong, and disgusting. I do remember it had brown skin and horns.”
Dr. Snowden ran his hand over his mouth as he glanced at Evaran. “Can you show the last picture of her when she was here?”
Evaran tapped at his ARI, and the projection showed Organic Emily in a new suit, with a sad face.
“Well … at least she looks a little better,” said Dr. Snowden. “Where to next?”
