Altered Reality

by Eliza Green

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Anton said to him, the tears streaming down his face.

  ‘Where have you been?’ Elise asked.

  ‘I don’t have time to explain,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry.’

  Stephen looked at the disc in Anton’s hand. ‘What is it?’

  Anton shook his head. ‘He’s coming back. I’m sorry.’

  ‘Why do you keep apologising?’ Pierre asked.

  ‘Please, I have no control. This is not what—’ Anton’s expression changed, a wide smile appearing on his face.

  ‘What is it, Anton?’ Elise asked, pointing at the disc.

  Suddenly, Stephen plucked it from Anton’s hand. ‘It’s pulsing!’

  ‘Protect the young! Get it out of here as fast as you can. Go!’ shouted Pierre.

  Elise watched in horror as Stephen bolted out of the core, carrying the bomb that they now knew Anton had brought back with him.

  Chapter 28

  ‘What the hell was that?’ Laura said, her head whipping round as she tried to pinpoint where the noise was coming from.

  ‘Sounded like an explosion,’ Bill said. He looked down at the glowing blue communication stone. ‘We seem to be heading in the right direction. Let’s keep moving.’ He shoved the stone into his pocket, out of sight.

  They began to run now, despite the slippery rock floor and bits of rock jutting dangerously out of the walls. The further they went, the narrower the tunnel got, and they were forced to slow down. They moved steadily onwards until they reached a cavernous space where the air was thick with dust and chunks of rock were strewn about the place.

  ‘This must have been where the explosion was,’ Bill said, looking round at the devastation. The rock—omega rock, Bill assumed—had been pulverised. It must have been a huge explosion: according to Stephen, that rock was practically indestructible.

  They clambered over boulders and debris. Jenny gasped when she spotted a body trapped under the rubble. She ran over and kneeled down beside it.

  ‘Shine the flashlight over here,’ she called to Bill. Bill followed Jenny’s voice and trained his torch on the spot where Jenny was pointing.

  Laura gasped. ‘It’s Stephen.’

  ‘Help me get this off him,’ said Bill, tugging at the large rock that pinned Stephen down. Jenny and Laura helped, but it wouldn’t budge. They needed help moving it.

  Bill crouched down. ‘Stephen, can you hear me?’ he said.

  Stephen moved his head but he didn’t make a noise. He didn’t seem to be conscious.

  ‘Hang in there,’ Jenny said, gently putting a hand on his shoulder.

  ‘HELP! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?’ Bill called out. ‘WE NEED HELP.’

  ‘This is Pierre,’ shouted a voice from the far side of the rubble. ‘Who are you?’

  ‘We’re friends of Stephen’s … we’re from Earth. Stephen is trapped under a rock and we can’t move it on our own. Can you help?

  ‘We?’ Pierre said warily. ‘How many of you are there?’

  Bill caught the uneasiness in his voice. ‘Just three. My name is Bill.’

  Pierre paused for a moment, then said, ‘We can’t get to you yet. The blast has blocked us in. But we’re trying to break through. If you work from that side we’ll be able to open a passage more quickly.’

  Bill handed Laura the flashlight, went towards Pierre’s voice and began tossing loose rock and stones away to one side. Meanwhile, Laura and Jenny stayed with Stephen.

  Laura held his hand. ‘Stephen, can you hear me? It’s Laura O’Halloran. Remember me? You came to my apartment on Earth. We’re working on a way to free you.’

  Jenny grabbed the torch from Laura and flicked it across Stephen’s closed eyes. He cringed.

  ‘The Indigenes don’t like light,’ Laura explained to Jenny. Jenny mouthed ‘sorry’ at Stephen and quickly pointed the light at the wall behind them.

  ‘Stephen’s not in good shape, Bill. We have to do something,’ Jenny called out. ‘Ask Pierre if there’s anything we can do while we wait for them to break through.’

  Bill shouted to Pierre: ‘You heard that?’

  ‘Yes. Just keep talking to him,’ Pierre called back. ‘We’re working as fast as we can here.’

  Laura turned towards Stephen again and leaned in close. ‘Hear that, Stephen? Pierre and your friends are coming to help you.’

  Stephen mumbled something.

  ‘He’s trying to speak,’ Laura yelled out.

  Pierre’s voice broke through a gap in the rocks. ‘He mustn’t try to speak. He must remain perfectly still. His body’s trying to heal and it needs complete rest while it does that. Here’— he tossed a laser scalpel through the hole. Bill scrabbled in debris to find it—‘Use that to cut any areas where there is severe oedema. It will help to relieve the pressure. Don’t worry, he will heal quickly.’

  Bill turned the scalpel over in his hand. It was an ordinary one from Earth, but it had been modified with what he could see was an unlimited power source. The ones on Earth had to be manually recharged. He threw it to Laura and went back to shifting away the rubble.

  Stephen’s leg, sticking out from under the huge boulder, had doubled in size. Laura passed the scalpel to Jenny who, without hesitation, made a neat incision in his thigh with the scalpel. Clear fluid began to drain from the wound and she could see the swelling subside. Then right in front of their eyes, the cut began to heal over. They wouldn’t have believed it if they hadn’t seen it for themselves.

  ‘Hurry up,’ Jenny called to the others. ‘He’s not looking good and I don’t like cutting him in this way.’

  ‘We’re nearly through,’ Bill reassured her. ‘You’re doing great.’

  A few minutes later, the combined efforts of Bill and the Indigenes had created a hole large enough to climb through. Equipped with filtration devices, Pierre and Leon went straight to the heavy rock that pinned Stephen down. They grunted and groaned as they lifted the rock off him and tossed it off to the side. The air instantly filled with more dust and Pierre and Leon coughed.

  Jenny wiped the dust off her mask. ‘How did you manage that?’ she asked. ‘The three of us couldn’t shift it.’

  Jenny and Laura watched in astonishment as Stephen’s more severe wounds healed instantly. But it was soon evident he was struggling to breathe. Pierre crouched down beside Stephen with a filtration device in his hand. He managed to insert two parts into his nasal cavities but struggled to get the largest part into his throat. Stephen’s tongue was too swollen. Pierre tried to force the third part into Stephen’s throat, but he began to convulse.

  ‘We’re running out of time,’ Laura said. She ripped off her own mask, detached the narrow oxygen tube and passed it behind Stephen’s tongue. While Stephen coughed and spluttered, she closed her eyes and kept shoving the tube. Bill watched nervously, hoping it would go down the proper opening at the back of his throat. Stephen gagged and retched at first, but as Laura adjusted the airflow his breathing eventually calmed.

  Bill looked at her, horrified. Without thinking, he ripped off his own mask and tried to give it to Laura but she swotted his hand away.

  ‘I … don’t … want … it,’ she gasped, her lungs straining for air in the oxygen-weak tunnels.

  Bill slapped the mask back onto his face. ‘Christ, Laura! What the hell did you do that for?’

  Laura smiled weakly at him, then nodded at Stephen. She slumped to the ground.

  ‘Quick, get her inside,’ Pierre said.

  Leon lifted Stephen in his arms and carried him through the opening in the debris. Bill followed with Laura, her long blonde hair cascading over his arm. He could feel her struggling to breathe.

  ‘Hang in there. I need you to stay with me,’ he said, his voice breaking.

  Laura’s eyes drooped and she passed out.

  ‘Let me—I’ll be quicker,’ Pierre said, turning to Bill and trying to place an arm underneath Laura.

  Bill shook his head and tightened his grip. ‘She’s my responsib
ility.’

  He tried to keep up with Leon but the Indigene was moving too fast. Pierre guided Bill towards a large circular open space that had several doors around it.

  An Indigene held a door open. ‘Quickly,’ he said, ushering them inside.

  ‘I have basic medical training,’ Jenny said to Pierre.

  He pointed to where Leon stood, still holding Stephen in his arms.

  ‘Please assist them.’

  Anton was in the room when they came in, and looked startled to see them rush in.

  ‘Anton, you shouldn’t be here,’ Pierre hissed at him, but Anton stayed where he was. Pierre turned away from him in disgust.

  Bill was struggling to hold onto Laura and was about to lose his grip when Pierre stepped in and took her from him. Bill kept his eyes fixed on Laura; she was close to convulsions as she struggled to draw breath. Pierre carried her towards a small bed that stood inside a flexible membrane.

  ‘What are you doing?’ asked Bill alarmed.

  ‘The bubble contains air from the surface,’ Pierre explained. ‘She’ll be able to breathe normally.’ He pushed through the membrane. It resisted him at first, then gave way to allow him to place Laura gently on the bed.

  Leon set Stephen down on another bed beside Laura. Jenny listened to instructions from Leon, quickly mastered how to use the medical tools available and inserted a drip into Stephen’s arm. Several Indigenes had gathered outside the room. Pierre spoke to them, but so quickly that Bill couldn’t understand. When the Indigenes left, Pierre turned back to Bill.

  ‘I’ve ordered them to contain the structural breach and to seal off our entrance,’ Pierre said. ‘It will help to stabilise the tunnels and we can begin the process of decontaminating our air.’

  ‘And these?’ Bill tapped his breathing mask. He glanced quickly at Laura, relaxing when he saw she was breathing more easily.

  ‘No, you have to keep that on. The air is too thin for you to breathe.’ Pierre looked towards the entrance and noticed Arianna standing by the door. ‘Where’s Elise?’ he asked her.

  She shook her head.

  ‘Leon, go and find Elise,’ Pierre said. ‘Arianna, you can take over from Leon.’

  Leon ran from the room and Arianna took his place at Stephen’s side. Her body was tense as she and Jenny set to work stabilising Stephen.

  Bill looked around, wondering what he could do. With Pierre tending to Laura, and Arianna and Jenny watching over Stephen, he felt like a spare part. He found himself studying the Indigene called Anton who was still standing in the corner of the room. For some reason, Anton seemed familiar, even though they’d never met before. A shiver went down his spine.

  ‘Can I come in and speak to Laura?’ Bill asked. He tried to push through the membrane, but it wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard he tried.

  ‘Nothing is as it seems,’ Pierre said with a bemused smile. ‘What looks weak to you is incredibly strong.’

  By this time, the gel mask was back on Laura’s face and she was sitting up, clearly feeling much better. She gave Bill the thumbs up. ‘I’m okay,’ she said, then nodded at Stephen. ‘Check on him.’

  Bill turned towards the bed Stephen was lying on. He watched Arianna work at lightning speed to steady Stephen’s breathing.

  ‘How’s Stephen?’ he asked.

  Arianna ignored him. Instead she administered something orally and intravenously.

  Pierre shot Arianna a look. ‘He asked you a question,’ he said to her firmly.

  ‘The liquid I’ve just given him will help his throat to heal more quickly,’ she explained to Bill in a clinical tone. ‘The oxygen from Laura’s mask has scarred it. It takes longer for us to heal internally than externally.’ She nodded at the intravenous liquid. ‘That will help to remove any impurities.’

  ‘Impurities? What kind?’

  Arianna stared at him as if the answer was obvious. ‘Human impurities. We aren’t immune from the bacteria you carry. It’s likely your female touched Stephen’s open wound after she cut him. It’s just a precaution.’

  Jenny was standing on the other side of Stephen’s bed. ‘Remember me?’ she said softly to him.

  Stephen grimaced. ‘I don’t think I could forget your face if I tried. I’m ashamed of how I behaved.’

  ‘No.’ Jenny reached out her hand and grabbed hold of his. ‘I’m the one who should be ashamed. You were looking for my help. I could have made things much easier for you back then.’

  ‘You did what you had to do.’

  ‘I could have done more, Stephen,’ she said. She sounded sad. ‘Did my actions cause this?’ She looked around the chaotic room.

  Bill couldn’t help noticing the discomfort on Arianna’s face as she listened.

  Stephen propped himself up on one elbow. ‘You saved my life,’ he said. Then he looked at Bill. ‘And you saved Anton’s.’

  Bill shook his head. ‘No, I didn’t. I’d nothing to do with Anton’s return. I’d no idea until now that he’d been let go.’

  Suddenly Leon arrived at the door clearly agitated. Pierre said something to him and he shook his head.

  ‘Where is my wife?’ Pierre asked no one in particular.

  Everyone heard it—the beginnings of a laugh, a stifled laugh. They turned round to look at Anton who was standing in the corner trying very hard not to smile.

  Bill strode towards him. His behaviour was outrageous. ‘Why are you standing there laughing?’ Bill asked. Before he knew it, Jenny was at his side. She wasn’t looking at him, but at Anton, cautiously, carefully.

  ‘Bill, step aside,’ she ordered, and used her arm to block him.

  ‘Jenny, what are you doing?’

  ‘Remember that conversation we had about what I used to do before courier work? Transporting criminals?’ Bill nodded. ‘Well, there’s a way to deal with them and your way isn’t it.’ Her eyes never left Anton.

  Anton smiled at her and tilted his head to one side. The room fell silent. The tension was palpable.

  Pierre took a step forward but Bill shook his head.

  ‘You want to talk to me—Anton, is it?’ Jenny said.

  Anton just looked at her; the smile disappeared instantly. The hairs on the back of Bill’s neck stood on end.

  ‘Come on now, what are you hiding?’ she asked.

  ‘Wouldn’t you like to know.’

  Bill noticed for the first time that Anton was protecting something.

  Jenny reached out a hand in Anton’s direction. ‘Of course I would. I want you to show me.’

  ‘Fuck off!’Anton said.

  Jenny didn’t flinch. Instead she smiled. ‘Come on now, I know you’re dying for someone to see what’s under there, to see your handiwork.’ She nodded to the bed behind Anton, covered with a loose white sheet.

  ‘Why would I show you, bitch?’ Anton bared his teeth and swotted her hand away.

  Undeterred, Jenny kept her hand in place, still reaching out for Anton. ‘Because I know how your mind works. You enjoy the fame. You want people to know what you’ve done. You get a kick out of it.’

  ‘Maybe I do.’ Anton shrugged.

  ‘So show me. Show all of us. You’ve got our attention.’

  Bill noticed a change register in Anton’s face, just as Jenny stepped forward. She grabbed Anton’s arm and pulled him to the side, out of the way. Pierre stepped in and restrained Anton.

  ‘Bill,’ she said calmly and nodded towards the bed.

  It was a bed similar to the others in the room. Something was lying on it, covered in a loose sheet. Bill walked up to it, watching Anton closely. Pierre continued to hold his arms behind his back. Anton was smiling again.

  Bill swallowed loudly and lifted a corner of the sheet. He peered cautiously underneath and gasped. ‘Pierre!’ he yelled.

  Anton stood in the middle of the room and chuckled while Pierre cradled the body of his wife.

  ‘Get him out of here!’ Pierre said angrily without looking at Anton. ‘Put him in one of th
e holding cells.’

  Two Indigenes restrained Anton and led him away. He was still chuckling.

  Bill watched Pierre with great compassion. What did the World Government have against the Indigene race? They’re just the same as us, he thought.

  ‘We might still be able to save her,’ Jenny said. ‘We need to start compressions.’

  She tried to prise Pierre away from Elise, but the elder wouldn’t let go.

  ‘Please, let her try,’ Bill urged him.

  ‘No, Bill. I can’t feel her anymore. I haven’t been able to since the explosion.’ His voice was calm as he gripped her tighter.

  ‘How did the explosion happen?’ Bill asked looking around the room.

  ‘Anton returned home with a bomb,’ Leon said, shaking his head.

  ‘I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what happens now.’ Pierre rocked his wife in his arms, tears streaming down his face.

  Chapter 29

  That night, Stephen and Arianna walked a respectable distance behind Pierre as he carried Elise’s hessian-covered body through the tunnels and to the core of the district. The core was packed with Indigenes. They were sombre, distraught, confused. He could see their auras—darker, murkier colours—as they struggled to come to terms with what had happened. Leon lingered around the back of the group, his aura confirming to Stephen his reluctance to get any closer.

  A long ceremonial table stood alone in the centre of the room, fashioned out of large shards of gamma rock that had been left over after the tranquillity cave excavations. A few white flowers that had been collected from the residential gardens of New London surrounded the table. On the floor beside the table was a small metal bowl, filled with water. Next to it was a lit candle, and beside it, Elise’s white elder robe.

  Pierre stepped forward, his eyes downcast, as he placed Elise gently on the table. Through the hessian fabric, he touched her broken neck that, posthumously, had only half healed. He produced a knife from underneath his robe and cut slits in the tightly bound fabric. He pulled Elise’s feet and hands free of the fabric and set the knife down. He picked up the bowl of water and began to wash her feet and hands.