The Particle Beast

by Ian C Douglas

  Pin-mei was standing as straight as a ruler. Her arms were folded, her brow creased and her lips pursed. She looked furious.

  Ricasso broke into a throaty chuckle. “Ooh, I’m so scared,” he said, and gestured at the magnetized chain around her ankle.

  In a flash Pin-mei was running. Straight towards Ricasso. Even as surprise dawned on his thick features, Pin-mei dropped. She skidded the last metre and swung her left leg around. It knocked into the back of Ricasso’s legs and he fell heavily. The rifle clattered across the floor.

  Scuff hurled it to the back of the cave.

  Ricasso slowly climbed to his feet. “You’re dead, little lady.”

  Pin-mei gave a contemptuous sniff. Her figure snapped into the opening marjitzu position. Legs apart, fists held high, face defiant. She beckoned Ricasso with a forefinger. “I’m waiting.”

  Ricasso erupted in a roar of fury. He launched at Pin-mei, hands outstretched, ready to throttle the life from her tiny frame. She side-stepped and tripped him. For the second time he crashed to the ground. When he staggered back up his forehead was bleeding.

  “I’m going to break every bone in your body,” he said in a murderous tone, flushing the colour of cherries.

  Pin-mei gave a mock yawn. Ricasso scooped up a stone and threw it. Pin-mei ducked. He swung an almighty punch. She dodged. Then, she shoved backwards while slipping her ankle behind his calf. He tumbled.

  Pin-mei began kicking him in the stomach.

  “You go, girl!” Scuff hollered.

  But Ricasso seized her leg. It looked so thin, gripped in his spade-sized hands.

  Muscles as hard as marble synchronised in one burst of energy. He pushed back. Pin-mei fell, her spine slamming against the floor.

  Zeke winced. Bartie covered his eyes.

  Ricasso leaped up, about to dive bomb her, wrestler-style.

  “Hey, moron!!” Zeke shouted, as he took a running jump. He coasted through the air, riding the weak Martian gravity. But Ricasso was no pushover. He dug his claw-like fingers into Zeke’s trousers, and twirled him around, letting go. Zeke spun through the air colliding into Scuff. They landed in a dazed heap.

  Ricasso returned his attention to his opponent. “No way!”

  Thanks to Zeke’s distraction, Pin-mei had scrambled back up. Once more she stood in classic marjitzu pose.

  “Let’s finish this,” she said in a steely voice, blood trickling from her bottom lip.

  For the briefest of seconds Ricasso hesitated. “You’re not playing with dollies now, little girl.”

  Ricasso attacked. Zeke feared for the worst. After all, despite Pin’s training, she was no match for the thug. Ricasso had the size and strength of a rhino. He grappled her around the middle in a rugby tackle. Because she was short, Ricasso was forced to lean forward. Pin-mei’s fists were a blur against his solar plexus. Then a swift knee whammed into the groin.

  “Argh!” he cried, letting go.

  “Little girls play dirty,” Pin-mei said, inspecting her nails. But Zeke knew the Chinese girl better than anyone on Mars. He sensed the fear behind her bravado.

  Ricasso cried out, a wounded bull, and charged with fists flying. Pin-mei grabbed the folds of fat around his belly. She dropped, rolling backwards. Ricasso’s momentum sent him soaring over her. She let go and now it was Ricasso’s turn to land on his back. His skull hit a stone with a nasty crack. He stumbled to his feet.

  “No…girlie… beats… me.” His words were slurred. He aimed a right hook and missed by a mile.

  It was Pin-mei’s turn to take advantage of the Martian gravity, leaping higher than his head. On the way down, her feet pummelled into him. He swayed in a punch drunk haze. Pin-mei pirouetted on one leg and kicked with the other, one swift chop to the stomach. Ricasso tottered on the back of his heels.

  He’s going over! Zeke thought triumphantly.

  Somehow, Ricasso kept his balance. He struck out, once, twice, three times. Pin-mei skipped around his blows with the grace of a hummingbird. She rained karate chops down on his torso. Still he didn’t collapse. Finally, seizing his arm, she yanked him to her left. At the same time she stuck out her leg. He toppled over like a great oak.

  “S’not…fair,” Ricasso spluttered through bruised lips. As he attempted to push himself up, Pin-mei chopped the back of his neck.

  Ricasso was out cold.

  “I need a pic,” Scuff said, pulling out his magnopad. “Pose with your leg on his chest and a thumbs-up.”

  “The key!” Zeke bellowed. This was no time for larking around!

  Pin-mei fished in Ricasso’s trouser pocket. Out came the silver stick. Pin-mei rubbed it down her anklet. A seal appeared, pinged open and the anklet dropped off. She threw the key to Scuff who did the same.

  “With my powers cancelled out, it’s up to you two to get us home,” Zeke said in an urgent tone.

  “Hey, I’ve never translocated,” Scuff replied.

  Zeke shook his head. “It’s not translocation. We’re walking over a bridge between one reality and another. Psychic energy and the password will do the trick. The same way we got here.”

  “I have already done it,” Pin-mei piped up. “Enki recited the words. I simply walked. The next thing I knew we were here.”

  “Great, lets go,” Zeke said.

  “We can’t go out there!” wailed a voice.

  It was Bartie, still on his knees. His face and hair were smothered in dirt, his cheeks tearstained.

  “We’ve got to get out of here,” Zeke exclaimed.

  “That monster’s going to kill us,” Bartie said. “Better stay here till the grown-ups rescue us.”

  Zeke, Scuff and Pin-mei exchanged looks.

  Pin-mei knelt down and took Bartie’s hand. “This world is crumbling. If we do not go now, we all die.”

  “We’ll get lost out there. And that thing—”

  Pin-mei put her arm around his shoulder. “Yes, it is dangerous. But I will be there to protect you.”

  Bartie gazed into Pin-mei’s eyes.

  He really does have a crush on her, Zeke thought. For some reason he no longer felt jealous.

  Bartie took a deep breath. “As long as you’re with me.” He took her hand and together they stood up.

  “Look out!” Scuff cried.

  Ricasso had crawled over to the ferromagnetic rifle. He was aiming straight for Pin-mei. He hissed a nasty name. Pin-mei instinctively covered her face. His finger clicked the trigger. Invisible ions streamed through the air.

  “No!” Scuff said, aiming the palm of his hand at Ricasso.

  The rifle jerked from the brute’s grasp and whacked his head. The blow smashed the ion cylinder, rendering the gun useless. It also knocked Ricasso out. Once again he slumped in a heap.

  “Not bad psychokinesis for a telepath,” Scuff remarked, polishing his knuckles.

  Pin-mei lowered her hands. “My powers. I’m blank,” she said in a whisper.

  Zeke turned to Scuff. “It’s all up to you now.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The Crater

  “How sad,” Pin-mei said.

  They were outside, looking down on the citadel. Only now it looked like a city of broken eggs.

  “Two billion years of history destroyed overnight,” Scuff remarked.

  “No time for that now,” Zeke replied, hurrying down the slope.

  The others followed. Every minute or so another tremor struck. Cascades of sand trickled down into the city. A sweet smell wafted up from the ruins.

  “Smells like pear drops,” Bartie said.

  “Isoamyl acetate,” Scuff said. “Same compound in pear drops and nail varnish. The buildings must contain a lot of it.”

  “Forget the chemistry lesson. Focus!” Zeke snapped.

  They were nearly at the outski
rts when a bang rang out. A dollop of sand exploded in front of them. A bullet! It was Ricasso, back at the cave and waving an iPistol. A knot formed in the pit of Zeke’s stomach. Not because of the henchman. It was the horror behind him.

  A tide of oblivion was creeping towards them. A line running right around the crater. Above the line all was dark. Worse than dark, non-existent. The crater’s peak had already vanished. Now the line was eating into the slope. Centimetre by centimetre the crater was disappearing.

  “Run!” Zeke shouted.

  His friends picked up the cry. “Run!”

  Ricasso ignored them. “Back here. Now!” he called out, aiming the gun in their direction.

  “Behind you,” Scuff cried.

  Ricasso spat. “You think ‘cause I’m big, I ain’t got no brains?”

  “Just turn around!” Bartie shouted.

  “While you lot scram? No way.”

  “Look back,” Zeke cried at the top of his voice.

  The cave disappeared into the nothingness. The edge was almost upon Ricasso. One, maybe two, metres behind him. Was it the dread in their voices or did he sense something? He glanced over his shoulder.

  “What the—”

  He twisted quickly on his heels, so his back was facing them. A good thing they couldn’t see his face, Zeke thought. Ricasso threw up his arms. Before he had a chance to scream, he evaporated.

  Pin-mei looked away.

  “The universe…collapsing in on itself,” Scuff cried, his words half-garbled. “A sphere shrinking.”

  “No time for explanations!” Zeke shouted. He tugged at Pin-mei’s hand.

  They all started running.

  The route was strewn with rubble. Most of the buildings had shattered into large fragments. The dull thunder of the tremors was almost constant now. Zeke’s calf muscles begged for rest, but there wasn’t a nanosecond to lose.

  Scuff grabbed Zeke by the arm. “Where are we going?”

  “Back to the start. Where we arrived.”

  “But which way is that?”

  Zeke scanned the shattered cityscape. It was hard to get bearings. “This way, I think.”

  They picked up speed, dodging chunks of masonry and leaping cracks in the ground.

  “Ow!” It was Bartie. He’d grazed his leg against one of the fragments. The trousers were torn and his thigh scratched. “I’m not going any further,” he cried, and stamped his foot.

  “Are you nuts?” Scuff cried back.

  Bartie pouted and glared.

  Zeke stared at the boy. The brightness of his blue eyes was almost lost in the grey circles. His face was a mess of dirt and fear.

  Pin-mei should never have brought you, Zeke thought. You’re not one of us. Not a Mariner. He squeezed Bartie’s arm. “Your dad’s waiting. He’s really worried about you.”

  Bartie lowered his head. “He must be real mad with me.”

  Zeke shook his head. “He loves you. So much. And I promised him I’d get you back, safe and sound.”

  “You’ll look after me?”

  Zeke smiled. “Of course, but we must go now.”

  Bartie drew a big breath. “You and Pin will save me.”

  “We’ll never leave you,” Pin-mei replied, forcing a smile onto her lips.

  They broke into a run. Moments passed.

  “Stop,” Zeke shouted. He scrutinised the wide street surrounding them. It resembled a battlefield, with debris everywhere. “This is the crossover point.”

  “Sheesh, about time,” Scuff remarked, wiping sweat from his hair.

  Zeke seized Scuff by the shoulders. “Just walk slowly. Read the words in my head and say them out loud.”

  “Sure, I get it. Same as when we came here.”

  “And you two,” Zeke said to the others. “Stick close.”

  The four of them slowly walked along the street, Scuff in the lead, chanting “Zznss nglyrok: zahda, zahda, nx, fmii, dthoth, kshnii.” All around them buildings toppled and foundations shuddered. The Particle Beast roared above the din of the tremors. It sounded close.

  Scuff punched the air. “Damn!”

  “Why isn’t it working?” Bartie cried.

  “I don’t know.” Zeke spat the words out. He was so full of anger and fear it was hard to speak.

  “I do!” Pin-mei said, clicking her fingers. “Bartie, remember what Enki said when we came over?”

  Bartie shrugged.

  “The mass that can cross over is proportional to the strength of psychic energy,” Pin-Mei explained.

  “I don’t get it,” Zeke piped up.

  “Don’t you see,” Pin-mei went on, her almond eyes gleaming. “Scuff’s brain can’t generate enough power for four.”

  “I don’t like where you’re going with this,” Scuff interrupted. “I’m a certified child genius.”

  “Who is exhausted. Your brainwaves are on a low.”

  Scuff thought for a moment. “I’ve had better days.”

  “Try again, but with just one of us,” Zeke suggested.

  Pin-mei nodded. “Yes, take Bartie and we’ll wait.”

  “But can you recall the words to get back?” Zeke asked.

  Scuff rolled his eyes and said, “Zznss nglyrok: zahda, zahda, nx, fmii, dthoth, kshnii.”

  Zeke managed a smirk. “Not bad for a human.”

  “Come on,” Scuff said to Bartie.

  The boy hesitated. “Take Pin-mei, she’s youngest.”

  Pin-mei’s eyebrows shot up. “So?”

  Zeke glanced at Bartie. His arms were folded and his chin jutted out. He’s trying to be brave, Zeke thought. We shouldn’t take that away from him. Not after all the fear he’s been showing.

  “Pin, just go,” Zeke said aloud.

  She stared at Zeke, fury etched on her pretty features. After a long pause she said, “Okay,” and took Scuff’s hand. They walked back down the street, Scuff reciting the alien mantra. They were translucent. Next, almost invisible. A few seconds later they were no longer there.

  “Hang on, your turn soon,” Zeke said in a tone of relief. “We’re practically home and dry.”

  Bartie smiled. “I can’t wait to see my folks again.”

  Zeke smiled back, wondering why he’d been so horrible to Bartie in the past.

  “Oh,” Bartie said suddenly. One word, soft, almost inaudible. Their eyes met. The expression on Bartie’s face was of surprise, rather than pain. Sparks swarmed across his torso.

  He’d been hit in the back.

  In two seconds, the electric charges covered Bartie head to toe. His wide-eyed look of surprise transformed into terror. His body crackled and dissipated.

  “No!” Zeke screamed, reaching out to him.

  The head was the last to go. Bartie stared at Zeke with a look of sadness. Then he was gone.

  The Particle Beast stood beyond, amid the ruins. It howled in triumph.

  Zeke bellowed a dirty word.

  A ball of plasma formed in its mouth. It reared up on its back legs and fired. The ball hurtled towards Zeke.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  The Ruined City

  A jagged segment of wall poked from the ground. Zeke dived behind its cover. The plasma ball screeched overhead and missed. The Beast growled.

  You can’t die like this, Zeke’s inner voice cried. Think!

  The air whistled. Something smacked against the other side of the wall. Electric charges streamed over the edges, dancing, buzzing, flickering. Zeke desperately shuffled away. The fragment faded.

  The Beast now had a clear view of him. The red eyes burned with malevolence, while the mandibles gathered sputum. Zeke leapt over the remains of another wall. Frantically, he glanced around the crumbling city. A tower caught his eye, about four hundred metres feet away. One of the few s
tructures still standing amid the devastation. It blacked out. He’d quite forgotten the universe was coming to an end.

  “Grshda!” It was the worst swear word he knew in Hesperian.

  He was trapped between atom-splitting plasma and approaching non-existence. There was no way out.

  Sparks zigzagged across the wall, erasing it. Again Zeke came face to face with the Beast. Their eyes locked.

  “Mnthanx! Zra-zra Mchx-dthfkii,” he shouted. Stop, I know Mchx-dthfkii. A lie, but anything to survive. Zeke’s knowledge of the Martian language had saved his life before. But perhaps the Beast didn’t understand words. Perhaps it didn’t care.

  Another plasma ball erupted from its throat.

  Zeke threw himself to the left. It missed. How many more times could he duck this flying death? He needed a plan, however dangerous. He stood up, seizing a chunk of masonry. He lobbed it directly at the monster. The chunk passed through the Beast’s intangible body and landed harmlessly a few metres behind. The Beast snarled.

  At least he’d angered it.

  “You are useless and ugly,” Zeke shouted in Hesperian. The Beast’s snarl grew to a roar. Maybe it did understand, after all!

  Zeke began running. It wasn’t easy. He had to dodge rubble, while glancing back for the next attack. The Beast galloped after him. Unlike Zeke, the Beast was made of pure energy. It cantered through solid material like an electric ghost. Simultaneously, plasma balls gathered in its mouth. Yet this action, working up the plasma balls, slowed it down. One slender advantage to Zeke.

  The first missed by a mile. The second flew over his head, a crackling firework of death. He saw the next and vaulted over a broken shard. In mid-leap he placed his hand on top of the shard for balance.

  Sparks flooded its surface. “No!” he cried, letting go before they could touch him.

  Zeke’s lungs felt fit to burst, yet the slightest pause would be fatal. Although slower, the Beast stormed ever onwards. Zeke wheezed in a deep breath and flung himself into action.

  Running. Running. Ever closer to the brink. He was only too aware that the boundary of the universe lay ahead. His plan counted on it.

  It was getting hotter. Steam poured from gaps in the devastated buildings. The shrinking universe was squeezing the land, causing it to heat up. And everywhere that stink of pear drops.