Glitch Mitchell and the Unseen Planet

by Philip Harris

  The cage rolled sideways, dropped a couple of feet, then hit another branch. Glitch twisted away as a ragged spike of wood the size of his arm burst through the bars near his head. The cage held steady for a moment, resting on top of a thick branch, then tipped slowly off the side and fell the last twenty feet to the ground.

  The cage’s shell took most of the impact, shattering into a cloud of wood and dirt and leaves. Glitch landed on his shoulder, the impact sending pain ripping through his body.

  The others landed around him and lay there, groaning. Glitch stared up through the remains of the cage. He could see clusters of flames dotted throughout the trees and a clear path where they’d crashed through the canopy.

  Glitch was the first to move. He rolled onto his side then brought himself up into a crouch. Tentatively, he checked himself for injuries. He’d gathered a few more bruises during the descent, but otherwise he was okay. The forest seemed empty, but sounds of movement came from off to the right. It wouldn’t be long before the hunters came to find out what had happened to their prey. Glitch didn’t want to be there when they arrived.

  Doctor Zheng was lying facedown nearby, but Glitch saw her moving. He hurried over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “Are you okay?” he whispered.

  “In a manner of speaking,” said the doctor. She rolled over. There was a cut on her forehead and she looked a little pale, but otherwise she seemed okay.

  “Anything broken?” said Glitch.

  “I don’t think so, just a few bruises. Check the others.”

  Glitch walked over to Anderson, and she gave him a halfhearted smile.

  “That was a hell of a ride,” said Anderson. “I’d rather not go on it again if it’s okay, though.”

  “You’ve got a deal,” said Glitch.

  Glitch held out a hand and helped Anderson to her feet. A sharp pain drilled into Glitch’s stomach, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. He stepped forward, realized he was about to grab Anderson, tried not to, and staggered sideways, almost falling over.

  Anderson steadied him. “Are you okay?”

  Glitch clutched at his stomach. The pain was already fading, taking the dizziness with it. He nodded.

  Nen was lying on the ground a few feet away, his left arm twisted awkwardly beneath him. He wasn’t moving, and his eyes were closed.

  Anderson glanced around the forest then crouched next to him. “Nen?”

  Nen groaned and opened his eyes. “My arm…” His shoulder blade was jutting out at an awkward angle. At the very least it was dislocated, probably broken.

  “Can you move?” asked Anderson.

  Nen nodded, wincing, then rolled to his side. He let out a cry and grabbed his wrist. His face distorted in pain, he carefully pulled his arm against his chest.

  “Shhh,” hissed Anderson, looking around. “Try not to make too much noise.”

  Nen nodded.

  “Doctor?” said Anderson. “Can you take a look at this?”

  Doctor Zheng was sitting up now and had her hand pressed against the cut on her forehead. She nodded and carefully got to her feet. Anderson and Glitch stood watch, scanning the forest for signs of life while the doctor checked Nen’s shoulder. Faint shouts drifted through the trees, but that was all. If any of the other prisoners had escaped, there was no sign of them.

  “I don’t think it’s broken,” said the doctor, “but it is dislocated.”

  “Can you fix it?” said Nen.

  “Yes, but it won’t be pleasant.”

  “Please, do what you need to.”

  Doctor Zheng retrieved a piece of wood from the ground and gave it to Nen. “Bite down on this.”

  Glitch turned away, not wanting to watch. He should have covered his ears as well, because the soft cracking sound he heard a few moments later made his stomach lurch. Nen let out a cry, muffled by the wood in his mouth.

  Zheng tore some vines from a nearby tree and jury-rigged a sling. Nen still looked in pain, but he was already sitting up when they heard a chorus of rough shouts, the words unintelligible.

  “We have to go,” said Glitch.

  “But go where?” said Doctor Zheng.

  Nen struggled to his feet. “There are tunnels nearby. We should be safe there.”

  Glitch helped the So-lang up.

  Nen looked around, getting his bearings, then pointed off to the right. “They should be that way.”

  He picked his way across the wreckage of the cage, but he stumbled. Glitch ran forward, slipping his arm under the So-lang’s shoulders to support him.

  There was a high-pitched whine as something passed overhead. Glitch tried to find the source of the noise through the trees, but the foliage was too thick. Behind them, the voices grew louder. They hadn’t been spotted, but it was just a matter of time.

  They moved through the forest as quickly as they could, but there was no trail and it was slow going. Nen had to stop twice to ease his injured arm and find his bearings. Glitch had no idea how they’d find the tunnels. As far as he could tell, there were no landmarks, and every tree looked almost identical.

  Nen grimaced as they forced their way through a waist-high line of thorny bushes into a clearing. “They should be…”

  Wood cracked behind them. Glitch turned and peered between the trees. Three shadowy figures were moving rapidly toward them.

  “Now would be a really good time to find those tunnels,” said Glitch.

  Nen pointed across the clearing toward a pair of thin trees surrounded by more of the thick bushes. “There.”

  They hurried across the clearing and circled the trees. There was a low cave, almost completely obscured by vegetation. Glitch ducked out of sight as two Relorians moved into the clearing.

  “Go on,” he whispered, “help Nen.”

  Anderson pushed her way through the bushes, holding back the thick branches so that Nen could get through. He had to crawl on his hands and knees to get into the cave. The pain from his arm was clear on his face as he crawled out of sight.

  Glitch crouched behind the bushes, keeping watch as Anderson and Doctor Zheng followed Nen. He could make out the dark shapes moving steadily across the clearing. Both of them were identical, at least seven feet tall, and much thinner than a human. Their bodies shifted and swirled as though they were made from smoke instead of flesh, and their eyes were blue sparks suspended in the cloud of gray.

  As Zheng disappeared into the cave and Glitch prepared to follow her, one of the creatures turned toward Glitch. Glitch froze, too terrified to move in case he gave himself away. The blue eyes stared right at him, boring through the undergrowth and into his flesh. He felt them penetrating his soul, pinning it down and laying it bare. It was all he could do not to turn and run into the forest. Sweat trickled down Glitch’s back. His throat turned dry, and he felt a cough building inside him. Then the hunter turned away, and Glitch could breathe again.

  Glitch pushed through the bushes. He tried to be as quiet as possible, but still the branches seemed so loud, he thought the entire forest must be able to hear him. He dropped to his knees and crawled into the cave. A few feet inside, the tunnel opened up. Glitch crawled straight into Doctor Zheng as she stood waiting for him.

  “Sorry, Doctor. Where are they?”

  The doctor didn’t reply, but a phosphorescent light appeared a few feet down the tunnel. Anderson and Nen were holding one of the glowing sticks Glitch had seen in the So-lang village.

  “We must go,” said Nen.

  Glitch heard the pain in Nen’s voice. He hurried down the tunnel toward the So-lang. The doctor followed close behind.

  Anderson gave them both a glow stick, and they walked. Almost immediately the tunnel split into three. They took the leftmost branch, ducking past a tangle of roots hanging from the ceiling. A few feet farther, the tunnel split into two. They took the right path this time and began to descend a gradual slope.

  Again and again the tunnels split, but Nen appeared to know exactl
y where he was going. At first, Glitch strained for sounds of pursuit, but he quickly realized that Nen had chosen their escape route well. No one would be able to find them in the maze of tunnels. They must run for miles beneath the forest. The walls were a rich, dark brown, damp to the touch, but after half an hour or so, they took on a reddish tinge and became dry and dusty.

  When they finally stopped to let Nen rest, Glitch pointed at the walls. “Are we under the desert now?”

  “The plains. Yes.” Nen was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, beads of sweat scattered across his bald head.

  “Nen,” said Glitch, “we need to get to the silver city.”

  “Why?” asked Nen.

  “We need to find the way home.”

  “Home?”

  “It’s a place called Earth.”

  Nen frowned and pointed toward the ground. “Earth?”

  “Well… yes.”

  “Our planet may be in danger,” said Anderson. “We need to warn our government, our leaders. But we can’t do that unless we get to the city. Can you help?”

  Nen nodded. Wiping his brow, he crouched down. He leaned on his uninjured arm, digging his hand into the earth. The ground was packed hard, but Nen’s hand slipped into it as if it was sand. The earth around his wrist moved, shifting and undulating. It looked as if dozens of worms were trying to break through to the surface.

  Gradually the moving earth aligned into a series of thin ridges, stretching away from Nen’s hand. The ridges shifted and twisted then broke away and moved off down the corridor, leaving a thin trail of displaced earth in their wake. Nen pulled his hand from the ground and gingerly wiped the dirt off it. Fresh beads of sweat had formed on his brow.

  He leaned back against the dusty wall. “My brothers will be here soon. They will take you to the city. I wish I could help you myself, but my arm…”

  “What about the hunters, the Relorians?” said Glitch.

  “I do not think they will have tried to follow us this far.”

  “But wouldn’t humans be a great prize for a hunter?” said Glitch. “Like in Predator?”

  “I… I do not understand,” said Nen.

  “It’s a story,” said Anderson.

  “A legend?”

  Glitch laughed. “Sort of, yes.”

  Anderson stifled a smile. Doctor Zheng tutted.

  “The Relorians weren’t looking for us. They came for the Barash. They are more of a challenge. There would be no prestige in acquiring you and me. After all, we’ve already been captured—how intelligent can we be?”

  Glitch felt more than a little insulted and was about to object when the doctor cut him off. “Will you be okay? Your arm, I mean. Will it heal?”

  Nen nodded. “The healers will repair the damage. We are quite resilient.”

  Doctor Zheng didn’t seem convinced, but she didn’t say anything more. Nen closed his eyes and tipped his head back against the wall. Glitch wished they’d thought to pick up a couple of pouches of water. He was parched.

  It took almost an hour for the So-lang to appear. There were four of them—two males and two females. Glitch didn’t recognize any of them from the village.

  They eyed the humans warily then hurried past them to Nen. The So-lang barely made a sound as they moved. Glitch couldn’t help but think that if they’d had malicious intentions, the So-lang could have killed him, Anderson, and Zheng before they realized they were in any danger. The two males knelt beside Nen while the females stood between him and the humans, watching them suspiciously.

  Each of the So-lang carried a square leather bag. The one nearest Nen reached inside his, removed a carved wooden gourd, and handed it to Nen, who opened it and took a long, eager drink. Nen returned the gourd to the So-lang, and he pulled a glass jar filled with thick white jelly from the bag. He removed the wooden stopper from the jar and dipped his hands inside. He scooped out two handfuls of the white substance then carefully held Nen’s arm. Nen barely flinched as the man rubbed his hands over Nen’s shoulder. Glitch was surprised Nen wasn’t screaming in agony. If anything, he seemed relaxed, comfortable.

  Once most of the jelly had soaked into Nen’s skin, the So-lang rubbed the remainder into his own legs and stood. Another So-lang helped Nen to his feet. Nen still held his arm awkwardly, trying not to move it, but it didn’t seem to bother him as much as it had been.

  The two female So-lang turned toward Nen. He gestured toward Glitch and the others with his good hand and made a few hissing, clicking noises. The female So-lang replied, and the conversation went back and forth a few times. Eventually, there was a pause. One of the female So-lang turned toward Glitch, regarding him with clear suspicion. Glitch tried smiling, but the effort went unrewarded.

  The other female So-lang seemed less bothered by the presence of the humans, and after a brief exchange with Nen, she turned to them. “My name is Kel. This is Aro. Nen has asked us to lead you to the outskirts of the Unnamed city so that you may find a way home. It is not far, but we should leave now.”

  “Thank you,” said Doctor Zheng. “We are very grateful.”

  Glitch coughed lightly and made a dry rasping sound in the back of his throat.

  “Very subtle,” whispered Anderson. Louder, she said, “I don’t want to stretch your hospitality too far, but do you have any water you can spare?”

  Kel looked genuinely horrified. “Oh please, forgive me. Of course. We were so concerned with Nen, we forgot our manners.”

  She waved toward Aro, who let out a clearly audible tut and reached into her bag. She brought out another wooden gourd and, reluctantly, handed it to Anderson.

  “Thank you.” Anderson pulled the stopper from the gourd and took a quick drink. She swilled the water around her mouth before swallowing. As she handed the container to Doctor Zheng, she gave a slight nod.

  Glitch wondered whether he should have been the one to try the water first; after all, he’d already been poisoned. The thought brought an uncomfortable sensation to his stomach that he hoped was just his imagination.

  The doctor took a couple of sips then handed the gourd to Glitch. The water inside was cool and fresh with no sign of the mustiness of the water the Barash had given them. Glitch eagerly took a drink then offered it to Aro. She shook her head and refused to take it. Glitch’s stomach gurgled, and she grimaced, looking at Kel with a disgusted look. Glitch blushed.

  Ignoring Anderson’s smile, Glitch walked over to Nen. “Thank you. You saved my life. I’m sorry you got hurt.”

  Nen frowned and shook his head. “No, I must thank you. I would have died at the hands of the Barash or the hunters if it were not for you.”

  “I guess that makes us even.”

  Nen smiled and reached down to his belt. He pulled off a small leather pouch and handed it to Glitch. “If you feel the pain returning, eat a pinch of this moss. It will give you some more time. Perhaps you can find a cure on your own planet.”

  “I’m sure I will. Thank you.”

  Glitch offered his hand then waved it in a halfhearted high-five motion before returning it to his side. Nen frowned. Glitch settled for another thank-you and moved away.

  Anderson shook her head, a slight smile playing across her lips. She walked over to Nen and gave him a gentle hug. He seemed surprised and unsure what to do, but she held on long enough for him to wrap his good arm around her in return.

  “Take care of yourself,” she said once she’d released him. “Don’t get caught again.”

  Nen shook his head, his face serious. “I won’t.”

  “And take care of that arm,” said Doctor Zheng. “I don’t want to have to come back here to sort it out again.”

  Nen’s eyes grew wide, and he shook his head sharply.

  “We’re ready whenever you are,” said Anderson, stifling a laugh.

  Kel smiled and walked toward a narrow tunnel leading off to the right. She pulled a short stick from her bag and scraped it down the wall. The stick began to glow, the soft wh
ite light illuminating the caves around them. Kel said something to Aro, and she reluctantly pulled out her own glow stick and lit it.

  “This way,” said Kel.

  Glitch, Anderson, and Zheng followed Kel. Glitch nodded toward the two male So-lang as he left. They tipped their heads in acknowledgment but said nothing.

  They walked in silence through the tunnels. There were fewer branches now, but they still reached a junction every few minutes. Like Nen, Kel seemed to know instinctively which direction they should go. The only real choice they had was to trust her—there didn’t seem to be any way to get to the surface. Glitch had hoped Aro might stay with Nen, but she didn’t. Instead she followed them, a quietly bubbling mass of resentment. Glitch was right in front of her, and he could feel her watching him.

  As Kel led them through the tunnels, the walls around them changed from red earth to a denser clay-like material and finally to red rock. Much to Aro’s disgust, they stopped three times for the humans to rest and take a few sips of water. The fourth time they stopped, it was next to a narrow crack in the wall.

  “This is as far as we can take you,” said Kel. “The entrance to the caves beneath the city is through there. We… cannot enter them.”

  Doctor Zheng clasped Kel’s hands. “You have already done so much for us, thank you.”

  “Yes, thank you,” said Anderson.

  Kel smiled and shook her head. “Cana-Nen would not be alive today if it were not for you.”

  “He saved my life, too,” said Glitch, patting the pouch of moss.

  Kel gave a slight bow. There was a distant rumbling, and the ground shook slightly beneath their feet. Aro looked at the ceiling and hissed twice.

  Kel handed Anderson one of the glowing sticks. “We must go. Good luck on your journey.”

  Without waiting for a reply, the So-lang hurried back down the tunnel, disappearing into the darkness. There was another rumble, louder this time, nearer. The ground shook again.