by Kyle Perkins
“Do you believe in fate, Orrin?” I will help him understand as he stares at me with raised eyebrows. I place the tips of my fingers against the wall, brightening the already blue light. “Look around. There is a reason for everything. We believe in the nature that surrounds us.” He touches the stones next to mine with no reaction from the cave. “We are thankful for the gifts we are given to survive and we want for nothing.”
He looks down to me as if he has something he wants to say. His eyes soften, neglecting to leave mine as I control my racing heart and hope to weaken his defense.
“Say it, Orrin,” I whisper.
Awaiting his response leaves me breathless as the moments pass before he speaks, “You are nothing like your people. Their first instinct is to fight and defend.” He bends at the knees, lowering his height to mine. “Your first instinct was…”
“My first instinct was to find you and decide for myself,” I look into his eyes as I speak, “I don’t know much about you, Orrin. What I do know is that you were not a threat to me. For that reason, you deserved to be treated the way you were.”
He turns to the middle of the room, sitting on the floor beside me and begins talking, “I have seen some unexplainable things – things that we never anticipated finding when we got here. We have come such a long way in hopes of finding a fresh start. To be honest, we never expected to find an intelligent lifeform when we arrived.” He looks to me from the corner of his eyes before lowering his head. “We were told to do one thing, but I was willing to negotiate a compromise. Coexisting was an option, but now that has been taken away from me.”
I rest my cheek against the stones to look at him. “You may not trust the others, but I believe that you are not what they say you are.”
His story intrigues me, but his voice is soothing. He continues to speak with the help of his helmet as I close my eyes. The day has worn on me as I have fought every minute since my awakening. As he continues, I am drifting in and out of consciousness, feeling safe enough to relax.
“… then I saw you,” is the last thing I hear him say as I surrender to my dreams.
***
“Hey, you need to wake up. Things are getting a little too weird around here to be facing this shit on my own,” he says as he rubs my back gently.
The rough material against my cheek is foreign and not the same temperature of the rock I am resting on. His voice is coming from above me, as I stretch my arms above my head, nearly missing his face. He grabs my wrist quickly as if instinct told him to.
“Oh my, why… how…” Looking up from my back, I see his features more clearly than before. My head rests in his lap, unsure of how it happened.
“Relax,” he directs, “you fell asleep. That’s all.”
I feel my eyes widen as I scramble from my spot. “I didn’t fall asleep on you, though.”
He starts laughing at my remark. “After you fell asleep, the exit to the room closed. I couldn’t find another way out and the bioluminescent…”
I must look quite confused by his words, because he changes his statement, “the blue stuff behind you was interfering with the detection device in my helmet. I had no choice but to move you away from the wall.” He begins to stand. “I couldn’t let you lie on the dirt floor, now could I? I might be a stranger and disliked by…” he pauses to look at me, “almost everyone here, but I’m not a prick.”
Again, his choice of words cause my embarrassment to melt away and a lip to turn up. “Thank you.”
He nods in my direction, and continues talking to me, “Being this is your expertise, would you care to share the secret to this trap and getting out of here?”
He bangs his fists against the door that we entered from. I watch as the unmovable object stands strong to his fist. I have never been this far back in the cave, making it impossible for me to be of any help.
Using the wall as leverage to move towards him, I try to ease his anger, “You don’t want to fight the cave, Orrin. There are obstacles that we may not understand, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a way to overcome them.”
He pounds both fists one more time before backing to the other side of the room, “You don’t understand. I have to keep going. There has to be another way out.”
“What do you mean, keep going?” I can’t be hearing him correctly.
“I can’t explain it, but we need to delve to the deepest depth of this cave. Don’t ask why, I am really not in the mood to try explaining.
“No-one has ever done this. I may not know what is past this point, but I am sure there is a way to get there.” I want to help him. I need him to know that I am doing this with him.
“Fine, then you figure it out. I gave up looking when I let you sleep comfortably.” His groan echoes through the room. I watch as he tries to hide his irritation with the situation that we are in.
Staying as calm as I can, I start to walk the circumference of the room. Every step I take leads me closer to Orrin. I consider turning back to avoid him, but the strands of blue are continuing past him, guiding me along the wall. I take a step back to see what the cave is showing me, only frustrating Orrin even more.
“Look, I am not mad at you. I am pissed off at my circumstance. If you haven’t figured it out, for some reason I am supposed to be here,” he says with a new level of confidence.
He turns his back to me, slamming his hands against the wall that I had abandoned, leaving traces of blue. With his head bowed down staring at the floor, the red strands forming below his touch are becoming stronger and brighter. He pulls away from the wall without looking up to see what I saw. I know what I need to know. He doesn’t know it yet, but the cave has signaled that he is ready.
Slowly making my way to him, I wait until only a breath separates us before whispering to him, “Put your hand on the wall and watch.”
He stills his form and his breathing, neglecting to do what I have asked.
“Please, touch the wall, Orrin.” With no reaction to my request, I reach down, intertwining my fingers with his. “I need you to trust me, Orrin. Can you do that?”
He watches as I raise our hands together. The closer I get to the wall the glow brightens as usual. I still my approach, waiting.
As I watch the wall, he is watching me. “Okay.”
His response to me triggers the changing of the colors. When I am certain that he isn’t lying to me, I slam our hands against the stone. With a blinding flash, the entire room glows indigo. Before I am given a chance to explain, a new door slides open, revealing another dark hallway and a much warmer temperature.
“How did you know this was going to happen?” He looks at our hands, not letting go.
“I didn’t know, I was willing to try,” I try to pull away from him, but his grip is tight. “We should go.” I lead him down the extended part of the cave, declining deeper below the surface.
I can feel my skin flush as he follows. There are few words exchanged as we move through the tunnels, but I can’t help but think of why he came back. He has made it clear that there is a reason, and that reason isn’t me. I know there is more to him than the tough exterior that he puts on. He may not have been at his worst, but I’ve seen him defenseless and left for dead. My people were going to burn him alive and he survived. I never asked how he escaped that fate, but he was dealt a new chance at life and he is here with me.
Every few steps, he scans the area for threats and warns me of hazards along our path. Unlike Garret, Orrin is smart. His strength is not only in his suit, but within him. When I trip, he catches me. As I tire, he allows me rest. Everything that I want from a betrothed but have no chance of receiving. I would be a fool to think that Orrin will stick around long enough to save me from the man I am forced to be with, but for now, I will take advantage of my time with him.
The warmer the air becomes, the more difficult it is for me to breathe. I reach out for his hand, wrapping my fingers tightly around his. He hesitates for a moment and doesn’t let go.
Struggling to fill my lungs with the air that I need, I have to tell him that I must turn around.
“I don’t think I can keep going,” I choke out the words, causing him to turn to me with a look of concern.
His eyes scan the area as he responds, “The temperature is rising and will continue to get worse as we move towards the core of the planet. My suit is built for the extreme heat. Unfortunately, you are not.”
He looks torn between finding the answers that he is in search of, and me. I don’t have the heart to make him choose, so I give him no option.
“You must go on without me. Like you said, I am not built for this.”
He nods in agreement, lifting me into his arms with ease. He begins walking in the direction we came. He finds a nook in the tunnel, gently resting me on the make-shift seat.
“I will come back for you. Believe it or not, I’ve been told that you need me.” A smirk plays across his face as I stare with wide eyes.
“Who said that?”
He doesn’t miss a beat in responding, “You did. Has anyone ever told you that you talk in your sleep?”
With that, I am left alone, deeper in the cave than comfort will allow as I wait for Orrin to return. I am thankful for the darkness as my cheeks blush and I smile in response to his unanswered question. There is no telling how long he will be gone, but I will wait.
Chapter 11
Orrin
I feel terrible about leaving her behind, but if I want answers, I need to press on. I can’t help but wonder what this cave is. It’s obvious that you hallucinate within the confines of it, but I have never encountered targeted hallucinogens before. It’s like the cave wants me to hallucinate what it wants me to see. I can’t even be sure that I’ve ever left the cave at all, and with my suit malfunctioning, I can’t tell how long I’ve been down here.
I’m not truly convinced that Aya even exists, or if it’s my subconscious shame surfacing. What if she is an illusion, and none of these people can be reasoned with? How can I live with the genocide of an entire people?
Sometimes I envy my team, and the people back at camp. They are so single-minded. They never second-guess themselves and it keeps them safe. It makes me wonder why the people of Earth gave me so much free will. It’s like that part of my team is shut off, and it’s becoming my own personal burden. Part of me thinks that I should remove myself from the equation and wash my hands of responsibility and guilt, but the other part of me… Well, that part needs to learn more.
As I continue down the sloped walkway, the plants lining the walls become sparser, revealing etchings in the stone. They look ancient, like pictures of the pyramids from Earth – back when they were still around. If people have never been this far in, who left these here, and are they a warning?
Finally, I reach a large golden set of double doors marked with the same etchings as the walls. They both slowly open, as if someone was expecting me. Stepping inside, I am immediately taken aback by the scenery. The room is massive, and has golden gears lining the walls as far as the eye can see – constantly turning and clicking together in place, like an old clock. In the middle of the room, there is a man standing behind a control panel. At least, he looks like a man.
Projections dance in front of him, flashing on and off, as he swipes them left and right out of his face almost as quickly as they appear.
Moving closer, I notice that the projections that appear briefly are different parts of this world. Not only is this guy watching the Redisian people, but the spriggans as well.
My targeting system comes back online and I check my vitals. My body shows no signs of toxicity, meaning none of this is an illusion, and I’m not drugged. At least, as far as my suit can tell.
“Come in,” the mysterious man says.
“What is this place?” I ask, walking forward.
“This is the heart of it all,” he says, not taking his eyes off of the projections.
“Was it you who summoned me?”
“It was, and we have much to discuss, Orrin.”
“How do you know my name?” I ask, standing in front of the obscenely naked man.
“I know everything, at all times.” He smiles.
His stature is shorter than mine, like some of the humans from Earth, but there is something off about him. His hair is dark, and his eyes are an unnatural red hue. He is as pale as I am, and just as conventionally handsome. However, his demeanor is… unsettling.
“I feel stupid for asking this… But are you a god?”
“Well, you should feel stupid for that one, Orrin. I am not a god. If I was a god, I would pick a much more handsome body. Instead, I am left with this old thing.” He laughs.
“Okay, well you’re clearly not Redisian, or human. What are you?”
“Let’s worry less about what and who I am, and focus on what and who you are. Most importantly, why you are here,” he says, stepping away from the control panel.
“I thought you knew everything. Why are you even asking?”
“Sometimes, it helps to hear yourself say something stupid out loud a few times before you realize your error.”
“I… We, are here to colonize this planet. I come from a planet called—”
“Earth. Yes, I know. I almost went there once. Heard wonderful things about it. Which leads me to wonder why you have come here,” he cuts me off, stepping uncomfortably close.
“I just told you, to colonize this planet. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“I feel there is a little more that you’re leaving out. Like your secondary objective,” he says.
“To wipe out all hostile life forms, if they are present,” I say, embarrassingly.
“You are failing your second objective so far.”
“Yes, well, I want to try and work with the people of this world. Coexist, if possible. I assume that’s why you brought me here. To show me how.”
“On the contrary. I do not want you to coexist with them in any capacity.”
“What then?” I tilt my head.
He sighs loudly. “Follow me.”
I follow the short man over to the control panel where he pulls up three screens. One showing the settlement of Redisians that kept me captive, one back at the place where the spriggans brought me, and a stretch of land that looks like it has been rained on by gunfire, with large holes covering the terrain.
“What am I looking for?”
“You have met the people of this world. They are very primitive, but otherwise peaceful. The spriggan population has worked very hard to keep it this way. Impeding every technological advancement that they make,” he says.
“Why would the spriggans do that, and how?”
“Take a look in the mirror, Orrin. Any time humans are given, or create, technology that can harm themselves, they inevitably do. All humans eventually hit a brick wall, so to speak. That’s why none of you have ever encountered each other up until this point,” he sighs.
“I won’t argue that, but it’s always in the name of expansion. To continue our legacy. All species have that same interest.”
“Correct, but humans are incapable of reaching the next level. They always wipe themselves out long before they are capable of long-distance space travel. It’s a glitch that the spriggans have spent eons trying to edit out of your DNA, but it persists.”
“What are you talking about? I am the first person to ever encounter one of these beings. Unless they are back at our camp now.”
“Watch the screen,” he says.
I look up at the screen showing the pockmarked landscape, and watch as tiny thorn-like structures fire out of the holes in the ground towards the sky. They share the characteristics of obsidian; impossibly black and shiny, elegant and sleek.
“What manner of propulsion are those ships using, and who is piloting them?” I ask.
“They are not ships, more along the line of vessels. They get the package from point A to point B. They fire at regular intervals, in unison, every few Earth
minutes.”
“A package… of what?” I wonder out loud.
“The building blocks to life,” he responds.
“For what purpose? Who is sending them?”
“The spriggans have long watched your Earth, and its closest colony, Mars. You are one of many fail-safes. Should this planet ever come under cosmic threat, the spriggans need a quick alternative. Your Earth is one of many, though it is not perfect for the spriggans – their interest lies in that fact that you’re still around, at all. You defy the natural order of things.”
“By simply not destroying ourselves with our own tech?” I ask, before taking a few steps back. “So, just how many worlds are there that are suitable for life?”
“Millions,” he says, flatly.
“…And out of those millions, we are the only intelligent life forms that broke past this wall…” I ponder out loud.
“No, you are the only humans to have done so.”
“We are the only humans, period. Humans come from Earth.”
“The word human, perhaps. Though, your biological makeup is not unique, and can be found on millions of planets, as we just discussed. Though, you all look a little different, depending on the environment,” he says.
“That’s impossible. Why would the spriggans keep making humans? Especially if all we do is destroy ourselves. It sounds to me that they need us just as much as we need them. Why else would they put the effort into it?”
“It’s not that they keep making humans, as much as humans are an eventuality in the evolution of mammal DNA. Mammal DNA is an eventuality of reptile DNA, and so on. Could the spriggans live without you? Sure. They could build a biosphere specifically suited for them and live indefinitely. The ones here are older than I am,” he says.
“Then why do they do it? Quit dancing around my questions,” I demand, growing impatient.
“Oh, calm down. You’re about as threatening as a mouse, to me. I have fought alongside real heroes. People that made it possible for you to whine, here. They would be rolling in their graves watching you attack the innocent and underpowered.
