by Chucho Jones
“Don’t waste your energy, we need it for the jump,” said Laura, speaking to her kid, lost in the large hallway.
The time was now – his heart pounded as he took a close look at his opponent. The skin looked human, yet his face was fully covered in skin. Only two small orifices stuck out around the nostrils. The openings resembled gills coming down from his cheekbones, and his deep eye pockets showed the image of timeless deaths. Leon could only be reminded of Kha Tse, something about the man’s faceless features reminded him of her. He kept strong, he grabbed his phatasfa and charged a low blow at the elusive man – throwing him on his back. The faceless rose promptly and kicked Leon across the room. Then, the faceless took a leap, holding its reaper above his head preparing for a strike.
“Use your magnetic grapple,” said Greg, as he began to fiddle with the panel. Leon remembered his phatasfa’s upgrades and shot the tip of the barrel end at one of the pillars of the structure. Leon Immediately got pulled by the magnetism and swung away to safety. Frustrated with the robot the man swung his reaper at the robot, the robot took the blow and was knocked down. Leon took a chance and came back to the fight. He activated his phatasfa’s Tesla coil; assorted rays of various sizes formed the shape of an electrifying wing. Leon could manipulate those rays like lassoes. He whipped his phatasfa at the faceless, the man parried, but the shock was such that he got disarmed. Leon took the chance to get close to the man. He knocked him right in between the eyes with a good boxing form. Leon grabbed the man from his neck and swung his knee towards the man’s chest. The faceless parried and flipped Leon on his back. Leon got up promptly and retaliated with a capoeira kick. The faceless fell to the ground. He spun and grabbed Leon with his hoofed like feet. He locked him in a judo crucifix.
“The mandate will not be sabotaged by pesky humans,” said the faceless. Leon was certain that the faceless had to be related to Kha Tse. He feared for the future in which the aliens won. He couldn’t give up; the grip was such he couldn’t get away – the faceless reached for his reaper and took a strike.
At the nick of time, Chance shot the weapon off making a quiet triumphant entrance as he stumbled into the room drenched in his blood. He saw the maiden being trapped at the nexus and tumbled towards her. Leon took advantage of the distraction and freed himself from the faceless’s grasp. Leon remembered the nine most lethal blows of combat. He was well prepared. He swung his arm towards the towering faceless, he wasn’t taking any chances. The battle was fair, Leon had learned great skills during his training.
The mime approached the maiden but got shocked and thrown away, just grazing her with the tip of his fingers. The mime’s wounds began to scar due to the scorching shock of the maiden. Greg was able to function again and resumed his work on the platform, finding a way to extract the phantom core.
* * *
The halls were tall with hints of gold. The starry atmosphere and the hasty pace of the mission made a familiar sensation grow inside the plucky teen. Victoria felt a sensation of comfort running alongside Chuggy, and the full-grown Oliver. She began to realize that his intellect and maturity matched his constitution. He suddenly was becoming a catch, especially in the midst of battle. The thought got quickly interrupted when he pushed her out of the way as the dark glider shot her kunai at them.
“Look out!” yelled the boy. Chuggy quickly handed more shocking grenades at Victoria as she strategically threw them at the wall to mess with the glider’s flight pattern. Her heart was pounding. They came to a halt where an oval-shaped vessel (with its rings resting around the entire structure) was docked in its personal hangar. The scene was familiar. All Victoria could think about was her abduction and the series of events that led to her father’s death. They were running for their lives, and they had just made it to their next dead end. She pulled out her weapons and fired away at the glider. The dark menace’s gliders were destroyed by each shot the girl took. The menacing lady fell to the ground arching her arms up and pushing a leg back. She looked like a monster doing so, Victoria thought. The dark lady rushed towards Victoria while Laura rammed her to the side using her rifle as a club. V. I. Police officers followed them down the funnel, they were pinned.
“You take care of the hieroglyphs, I’ll deal with a monster lady over here. Oliver, you work the IFO, let’s go get your uncle and get the hell out of here,” Laura said to the team, encouraging them to have a successful mission. Victoria cocked her weapons and signaled Chuggy to be prepared. She took cover behind a set of cargo crates at the hangar and began to shoot at the golden dog-men. Oliver opened the IFO and jumped into the cockpit. Laura took her chances with the dark glider in hand-to-hand combat. The lady seemed proficient in martial arts. She flipped and kicked Laura across the room. Laura got up and retaliated, she began to parry all the glider’s short blows. Laura connected a solid punch to the dark lady but quickly got overpowered by the lock on the neck as the glider jumped and rolled her on the ground. Victoria shot at the glider but the glider moved. The shot missed Laura’s head by inches.
“What are you doing?” yelled the stressed mother.
“I’m trying to help you,” the kid answered.
“Shoot at them, not me,” said, Laura, as she found a way to get rid of the evil eve’s grasp. Victoria kept the police at bay by shooting at them. Chuggy helped by throwing grenades at the entrance. They barricaded themselves inside as Manta-drones lurked from the outside. The horde of red flyers began to shoot at the IFO. Oliver took a risk and flew the IFO out of the hangar’s window knocking some of the drones back. The feat got the drones chasing after the IFO. Laura was finally balancing her fight with the glider. Chuggy ran out of grenades and Victoria’s blasters were getting low on charge.
Victoria and Laura saw the IFO rapidly headed back into the hangar. Laura pushed herself away from the glider and quickly got into cover with Victoria. The IFO came crashing in, just enough to create a distraction. Oliver then Knocked the V. I. Police out of commission. Victoria’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Oliver descending from the IFO. She couldn’t believe she was crushing over Oliver at moments like these. She remembered what her father told her about skewed perspective in the heat of battle and took a deep breath.
“Come on, let’s go! we’re the only halfway there,” said the boy. Laura, Victoria, and Chuggy jumped into the IFO. The interior seemed comfortable. The place resembled a lounge where the main control seat would rotate in and out of the roundabout. Oliver drove the IFO through the grand hallway and back to the main control room.
Leon fought for his life in a duel with the faceless. Leon was on the ground, and Victoria’s hear pounded at the site of the faceless giving his final blow.
* * *
Leon saw the IFO and thought about how to make his way out. The faceless got distracted enough for him to act. He pushed away the faceless foot and quickly got to his feet. The man charged at the scoundrel with his reaper. His heart pounded. He saw the maiden getting consumed by the nexus. He parried the elusive man’s blow with his lucky guard and swung an electrifying whip at the man. Even though the faceless took the blow, he was injured. The man saw the boy inside with the glowing wielder, then saw the maiden feeding the nexus. He kicked Leon out of the way and tossed the robot to the side, striking the phantom core.
“We’re all going home,” the man said in an eerie tone, “my home.” Leon’s blood sunk to his feet at the site of the core – destroyed. He thought of Connor and how she lost her memories. It enraged him. He grabbed the elusive man’s reaper and charged at him. The man got stabbed right in the chest. Purple-blue blood dripped down the man’s reaper. This was the first time Leon ever ended anyone’s life. He felt shocked but understood the power of such act. He retreated helped the robot up.
Laura opened the IFO’s bridge and called to Leon.
“We haven’t much time, we need to go. Oliver is ready,” said Laura to Leon. Leon nodded. He ran over to the maiden, he reached for her face with his hand and got thrown
away.
“Greg, can you help her?” the scoundrel yelled desperately.
“No captain, that I cannot, but we can retrieve the remaining data from the core,” the robot said.
“Do it!” the captain commanded. Laura rushed towards him to hasten their journey.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Trust me, we need her,” Leon said, remembering the unique information pattern she created on their conversation at the PCCP’s IFO.
The maiden began to dissipate against the nexus, energy began to grow from the middle of the platform into a white blinding light.
“Come on, we don’t have much time,” said Laura. Leon got up and looked at the destruction all around. He saw the maiden one last time, she seemed so peaceful, so at ease, as if giving herself away for their cause. She looked back at him and smiled the most comforting smile at him.
“What about him?” Leon asked Laura about their trainer and a new friend.
“He doesn’t have a place where we’re going. We gotta go,” said the commanding officer to her captain. They moved over to the IFO, followed by Greg.
“I’m sorry,” said the maiden in her last breath.
Oliver used his wielder to power the IFO. The IFO went straight through the Nexus and disappeared. The mime got up with his last dying breath and crawled over to the maiden. He thought the energy and tried to pry her off the nexus. He disappeared with everything on site.
A white blinding light surrounded the crew. Oliver drove the IFO. Leon was still distraught at the series of events. A closed quarter made of stone surrounded the IFO as it ended its journey. The scoundrel looked around at his family the robot and the Neanderthal. He took a series of rapid breathes.
“Doesn’t anyone pay attention to what’s going on? We have a Neanderthal, and a robot, and we just crossed dimensions in a IFO. Oh, and please let’s not mention the fact that I killed a man for survival,” he said to the crew fed up about their situation.
“I don’t understand why we have to go through this either. I can’t come up with a reasonable connection, but I do know that we’re the only ones that understand at this point what’s going on. I’m not sure what might lie ahead, but whatever it is, we need to move forward. Not only to get home but for the other people that got rear-ended because of our mistakes,” said the boy, his energy drained. Leon understood the boy’s words. He looked at the boy’s arm and realized he was the one with the shortest straw.
“I think you’re a right kid, it’s just not everyone can be as logical as you. I guess that’s why you carry the burden and we tag along for the ride,” said the scoundrel coming to his senses. At least this time he didn’t barf.
The crew grabbed their gear and descended the IFO. Leon felt the soft ground underneath saw the stone walls around them and realized they were marked with symbols. The crew turned their faces on to light their way.
“Wow, these gadgets are coming in handy,” said Victoria.
“Yeah, I just hope we’re still on Earth,” said Laura.
‘Why would you say that?” Oliver asked.
“Because it reminds me too much of the moon,” she said in an eerily tone.
“Do we even know when this is?” Victoria wondered as the team walked through the warm and humid ambient of the stone maze.
“Hopefully we’re just a few days before Laura’s launch so we can take her place and prevent all this from happening,” said Leon, as they came to a wall with markings on the side.
“I don’t think it’ll work that way,” said Oliver. “When we shattered the cosmos, we opened up the possibilities for alternate dimensions, we might not live our reality ever again,” said the boy with no sentiment behind his words, a just cold logical statement. The crew looked at him trying to understand the full significance of what the boy had just said.
“What? It’s just a reality we might need to prepare for,” he continued, ignoring the social queue of the room.
“Fine, but before we move forward, we need to figure to when and where we are. Tinman can you help us out with those details?” asked the general as she looked over her inventory.
“No general, we must be out in the open so that I can shoot my remote satellite – that way our systems can come back online,” responded the robot graciously.
“Perfect, check your gear everyone, make sure we’re packed. We’re walking blind here. Leon stays alert, you’re our tactical operator,” said Laura to the crew.
“Got it sister… you heard her tin can, can you help us with the door?” Leon said as he readied the weapons he was growing increasingly fond of. The door opened, and the hallways eventually lead them to a lit corner, the they cautiously walked in.
Their Light footsteps echoed through the halls. The team, just then, becomes alerted by the sounds, yet they see a way out. They make a run for the exit, ignoring the company.
“We’re not alone,” says the scoundrel, as they see the light of night. It was a full moon night; the night looked like something out of a moonshine run Leon thought. The area was filled with ropes, paddles, and wooden structures. A typical archeological digging site.
“Finally, atmosphere,” said the robot as he shot a drone from his back. The object’s inertia carried it straight out into the sky. Laura grabbed the tin man from his chest and put her face on his glass.
“What are you doing tin man? we don’t want to call out attention you moron,” said Laura, angry at the robot.
“Systems online is priority number one. F.A.M.I.L.Y. protocol,” responded the robot.
“Mom, leave him alone, he’s trying to help,” responded Oliver. A group of horses began neighing, interrupting the crew.
“Horses and stagecoaches? When the heck are we? The wild wild west?” Leon said in shock.
“Quick, let’s take one and hide away.” Said the scoundrel. Leon and Victoria snuck to free the horses of the adjacent carriages. Oliver, Laura, Chuggy, and Greg got into the getaway carriage. Victoria and Leon followed.
“Who’s gonna ride the stagecoach?” Oliver asked as he looked at Leon.
“You talking to me?” the young man replied.
“It was your idea,” said the boy’s mother.
“Fine, I’ll do it,” said Leon in aggravation.
“Hey, you get to be a cowboy for a day,” said Victoria in good spirits, as if the team had nothing to lose. Leon got in front of the stagecoach and hissed and cackled at the horses – to no avail.
“Let’s get out of here before we call too much attention,” said Laura. The free horses began to make noise and create a scandal. The working men began to notice the movement outside the ancient ruins.
“They’re coming! Go, go!” yelled Oliver at his uncle as he sat next to him on the rider’s seat. Leon kicked the first horse and they began to run. The stagecoach took a trail and the team fled. Various men and women jumped on the free-roaming horses through the darkness. A man ran from the inside warning his digging comrades.
“Viajeros, viajeros extra-terrestres” Yelled the man at the crowd as they followed the stagecoach.
Rifles and guns cocked and shot in the dark at the fleeing stagecoach.
“Great! we’re at the time of the wild west, and I’m a terrible shot,” said Leon in frustration. As a boy, he could only dream of becoming a cowboy, but a life of science and technology stripped him away from that dream.
“I’m not,” yelled Victoria from inside the stagecoach. She grabbed her gun and shot at the following crowd.
“Don’t shot at the civilians,” yelled Laura.
“I’m shooting at the ground, to stall them,” said the girl.
“Do we even know where we are already?” She asked the robot again.
“Systems are not online yet. Just a few moments,” said Greg.
Laura cocked her rifle and shot at the crowd’s feet. Some of the men and women jumped to the side of the trail and ran across the trees.
“These things aren’t human, wh
ere are we?” Asked Laura one more time. The robot made a fanfare sound announcing the systems online, a scanning noise and a ding followed.
“We appear to be in Merida by the Yucatan peninsula, the year is uncertain but guessing from the weapons I’d say postcolonial,” said the robot.
The moon shown bright enough to help them along the way. The men and women jumping and racing through the trees hastily gained on the tired horses. The four animals pulling on the stagecoach were boarded by four of these feral men and women as they sunk their teeth into the animal’s throats. One by one the animals plummeted to the ground, stagecoach now losing control.
“Holy shit! we’re fighting vampires,” said Leon in surprise. He used his phatasfa to break away the leather straps that held the horses to the coach. Oliver helped by shooting at the metal hinges.
“We lost our horsepower brace yourselves,” said the scoundrel to the girls inside the coach, as they ran rampant along the trail headed for a cliff. Greg took quick action and jumped on the side of the carriage. The metal bipedal jumped and grabbed the pull of the coach. He used his gliding power to thrust the stagecoach to safety. The coach gained momentum and speed as the robot-man pulled on the coach. Oliver’s arm displayed an orthopedic view of the terrain.
“Sorry to take the reins Captain – I’ve uploaded the wielder with an orthopedic view of the terrain and our current location. The city outskirts are north for this trail. and forty-seven kilometers in distance,” said the robot as they left the menacing creatures behind. The moonlight was strong and in the distance a horde of vampire bats chased after them.
