The Last City (The Ahlemon Saga Book 1)

by Casey McGinty

  Seconds after the captain signed off, a girl at the back of the plane let out a bloodcurdling scream. Kane and Charly twisted around and found her, wide-eyed and speechless, frantically pointing out her window. Charly gasped. Kane followed their gaze, and goose bumps rose on his arms. Like a skyscraper rising out of the sea, a gargantuan serpent towered a thousand feet, swaying in the sky. Kane immediately realized his mistake; what he thought was a herd of whales traveling in a line turned out to be this single serpentine creature undulating through the water. Great splashes erupted a mile behind its head as the monster flicked its tail. Reminiscent of a Chinese parade dragon, huge scales in varying shades of emerald green covered its thick, snakelike body, an occasional wispy fin fluttering on its sides. It roared as the alien escort ships hovered around its head. Even from this distance Kane could make out multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth framing a mouth that could easily hold an entire football field. Massive beyond anything he had ever imagined for a living creature, it was both terrifying and elegant.

  The serpent faced off with the escort ships, which now fired bluish beams of light, striking just below its head. Laser weapons, Kane thought. But they were not inflicting any real harm. Irritated, the monster flung itself toward the ships, and they whipped themselves back, narrowly avoiding a collision. As they continued to fire, the serpent shook its head and then launched forward into the water and disappeared.

  Kane heard the whir of the plane’s landing gear deploying and felt it jolt into place. Low to the water, they were about to land.

  “Sit back in your seat,” he instructed Charly.

  Her entire body tensed and started to tremble. She turned her head and reached out a hand toward Kane. “Please,” she entreated. He wrapped his hand around hers.

  Just outside his window, Kane saw giant inflated bags bulging out from under the sides of the runway. The wheels of the plane hit the metal planking, and the runway sank ten feet. With the sudden drop, the passengers were lifted off their seats, their bodies straining against their seat belts. Then they were thrown down into their seats as the plane bounced back up. On the second touchdown, the runway sank again, but this time the plane tilted to the left. Passengers screamed. The captain masterfully righted the plane by the next touchdown, where the balloon supports disappeared and the runway firmed up. Kane and Charly lurched forward and grunted as the engines reversed thrust and wing flaps moved into position. Even with the aggressive braking, the wall of the building was approaching fast; they would need more runway.

  “KAAANE!” Charly yelled, her frantic voice rising in pitch as she dragged out his name. Following her gaze, he saw the serpent’s head gliding over the water, coming in at an angle from their side of the plane; it would reach the runway behind them in a matter of seconds.

  The alien ships had moved low and were firing a barrage of laser blasts directly at the serpent’s head. The creature slowed and looked as if it were going to dive back under the water, but in a surprisingly quick movement, it jerked its head upward and struck a ship that had come too close. The ship crumpled and slid down the serpent’s scaly hide and into the water. Shaking its head in triumph, the monster opened its cavernous mouth and emitted a roar that drowned out the jet engines and the passengers’ screams. Then the serpent pushed ahead, a great wave of water welling up in its forward path. The plane shook as the wave struck the runway behind them.

  Suddenly, the sunlight disappeared—they had entered the hangar. The wheel brakes locked and the plane lurched hard. Skidding and with tires screeching, the plane rotated slightly and finally came to a stop several hundred feet inside the hangar. Looking back through the open hangar door, Kane and Charly watched the wave roll toward them, twisting and snapping the runway in a series of breaks.

  Then, to Kane’s astonishment, the wave abruptly stopped surging a dozen yards out from the building, and the short length of runway that remained settled back down to level and then collapsed into the ocean, leaving only a very small swell of water to slosh into the hangar. The wave now rose in a sheer vertical wall of water, pressed against an invisible barrier that extended as far as he could see in either direction. A transparent film vibrated against the wave, extending into the air above it . . . A force field, Kane thought.

  Unaware of the barrier, the serpent crashed headfirst into the force field at full momentum, generating a concussive wave that shook the building and their plane. With the impact, the force field turned an opaque white, and long fingers of spark-like static jumped into the air. Kane couldn’t imagine anything withstanding such a massive blow, but the field held. The serpent roared in frustration and threw itself against the force field, only to meet with the same result. Kane lost sight of the monster, the hangar door blocking his view as it slowly closed from above and finally struck the floor with a clanging thud.

  Engulfed in darkness, the passengers sat speechless amid the whir of the idling plane engines and the muted bellows of the sea serpent outside. Then, in a surreal moment, the cabin lights came on, the familiar chime sounded, and the unfasten-seat-belts sign illuminated.

  3

  Day 1

  1400 hours

  A hangar in Alto Raun

  The cockpit door opened, and the captain entered the main cabin. He addressed the passengers. “Sorry for that landing, folks. But considering the circumstances, I’m happy we made it in one piece.”

  “Bravo, Captain,” an older man called out, and the passengers joined him in applauding.

  The captain nodded and waved for them to quiet down.

  “Thank you,” he said in a deep Southern accent. “And, thanks to my copilot, Sam Williams. He’s shutting down the engines to conserve our fuel in case we need it later. From the light of our forward headlamps, we can see that we’re in a very large hangar. There’s no sign of the robots.” He loosened his tie, then added, “It’s gonna get a bit stuffy in here, but I’d rather not open the doors just yet.”

  “Captain,” a man sitting next to him interjected, “I have an international business to run, and I need to return immediately. I could be losing millions.” With sculptured dark hair, a tailored business suit, and a diamond-studded Rolex, the man appeared sincere.

  Several passengers snickered. The captain leaned toward the businessman for a more personal communication. Kane strained to overhear the interaction.

  “What’s your name, sir?” the captain asked.

  “Marshall Drummond,” the man responded.

  “Well, Mr. Drummond, I hate to say it, but I’m thinking we’re a long ways away from your business. Are you a leader in your company, Mr. Drummond?”

  “Yes, of course, I’m the founder and CEO.”

  “Well, I could sure use some leadership help right now. Can you help me keep these people calm and collected while we figure out how to get home?”

  “Yes, I can do that.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Drummond.” The captain turned and faced the larger group. He paused. Kane could see he was trying to gather his thoughts.

  “I don’t know who, or what, has brought us here,” he began, “but they’ve gone to a lot of trouble to make sure we made it into this hangar safely. That’s a good sign. Now, I need you to do two things. First, I want each of you to choose a buddy. You will be responsible to keep track of your buddy. Second, I want all of us to stay together as a group. Got that? Buddy up and stay together. Now, choose your buddy.”

  Charly tugged on Kane’s shirtsleeve. “Will you be my buddy?” she asked.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Evaluating the captain, Kane watched him ask the flight attendant a question. She pointed to Kane. When the captain made eye contact with him, the captain nodded his thanks. Kane nodded back.

  Slightly taller than Kane, the captain was slim and fit, with close-cropped brown hair, and looked to be in his late thirties. Based on his cowboy boots and particular Southern drawl, Kane pegged him as a Texan. Even in emergency command mode, he was relatively relaxed; Kane
felt certain that he had active military experience.

  Suddenly, ceiling lights came to life in the hangar and the passengers pressed to the windows. Flickering irregularly like old fluorescent tube bulbs, the overhead lighting was limited to a corridor the width of a two-lane highway, which ran in a straight line to the back of the hangar. On either side of the corridor, the light faded into darkness, the side walls of the massive empty hangar beyond visibility. The floor appeared to be covered in a thick layer of dust, recently trampled by the construction robots in a swath that followed the lighted corridor. Next to the hangar door and aligned side by side against the outer wall, the construction robots stood like statues, watching the plane.

  “That’s creepy,” Charly said.

  “He’s coming!” a woman yelled from the back.

  The golden robot approached them. Stopping beside the plane, just ahead of its wingtip, he stood, looking deeper into the hangar.

  Following his gaze, Kane saw a small, flatbed vehicle moving toward them, a red light rotating around its outer edge. As it drew closer, he realized it was floating several feet off the ground, with no visible means of support or propulsion. A hover platform. It stopped between the plane and the golden robot. White light erupted upward from the platform, forming a column around seven feet tall. The column then swirled rapidly, distorted, and finally evolved into a recognizable image.

  Standing on the platform now was a holographic image of a man dressed in loose-fitting white pants, white slippers, and a white, long-sleeved mock turtleneck. He had sparse white hair, wrinkled skin, and a gaunt frame. Facing the plane, he started to speak, but no one could hear him. Captain Tygert opened the front hatch of the plane and Kane caught the tail end of a statement from the holographic man . . . in an unfamiliar language. The man spoke again and Kane recognized the final words; he had repeated his prior statement. There was a pause, and then the man continued, this time in what was clearly a different language from the first. He then repeated that sentence and paused, waiting for a response.

  Looking around the cabin, the captain asked, “Does anyone understand what he’s saying?”

  Dr. Manassa spoke up, “I think he’s trying to find a language we understand. The last one sounded Asian, possibly a Chinese dialect. And curiously, the first one was very similar to ancient Hebrew.”

  “Are you a linguist?” the captain asked.

  “I’m a doctor. But I’ve done some language study; I do a lot of international work. And I was raised Jewish, so—”

  “What did he say?” several of the passengers asked in unison.

  “I think he—”

  “Please speak to me in your native language,” the holographic man interjected suddenly—in English.

  “Yes, that’s what I thought he said,” the doctor announced.

  The captain shouted from the open door, “We speak English.”

  The hologram flickered and continued in English. “Do you understand me?”

  “Yes!” the passengers shouted.

  The holographic man smiled. “Welcome,” he said. “Welcome to Ahlemon, our planet. I am Science Master Geno Ra, also known as the Professor. Do not be afraid; we mean you no harm. You are here as our honored guests.”

  “Wow! We won a free vacation to Fantasy Island and didn’t even know it!” someone blurted out.

  The passengers laughed, even Kane. With the tension broken, people started talking excitedly with one another.

  The holographic professor spoke good English but with an accent that had a European flavor. Kane wondered at the odds of any dialect of English being an indigenous language on another planet. He overheard Dr. Manassa speculating on that very topic with another passenger, suggesting that they must have paid prior visits to Earth to gather information.

  The Professor continued: “You are in the city we call Alto Raun. Translated into your language, it would be known as the City of Hope. It was the last city—”

  He was interrupted by the muted roar of the sea serpent outside the hangar door, followed by a deep thudding sound. The overhead lights went out and the image of the Professor froze as if on pause. After a couple of seconds, the lights returned. Then the image flickered and the Professor reshaped with a serious look on his face.

  “You are in grave danger,” he announced. “You must move deeper into the hangar, away from the exterior door. You must move immediately. Follow the Mekens.”

  A second muted thud echoed outside. The lights went out again and the hologram completely disappeared. This time neither the lights nor the Professor returned. A floodlight illuminated the area in front of the golden robot, radiating from his chest.

  “You must move your aircraft or exit it immediately,” the golden robot said. “You are in grave danger. The Leviathan has broken through our shield and is continuing its attack. Everyone needs to move much deeper into the hangar.”

  A bone-crushing thud sounded at the hangar door and shook the plane. The serpent’s roar followed, thunderous, just outside. All the robots came to life, illuminating the entire area around the plane with floodlights.

  “Exit the plane!” Captain Tygert ordered. “Open the emergency exits and launch the slides.”

  In the center of the plane, Kane opened the emergency door nearest him. As the inflatable slides activated, he yelled, “Everyone out!”

  A monstrous bellow was followed by another blow to the hangar door. The door was heavily reinforced, clearly designed for extreme external conditions, but Kane knew it would be no match for the massive serpent. In a frantic rush to the exits, people started piling on top of each other.

  “Single file!” the captain shouted.

  Kane saw a giant of a man at the back of the plane start picking passengers up and setting them aside to undo the logjam. Kane had to wrestle a few people apart to avoid his own pileup. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Charly arguing with an elderly man; she was trying to get him to go out the emergency exit first. The old man prevailed, moving Charly ahead of him. Kane called to her, but she was already speeding down the slide.

  “Anyone else?” the captain called out when the plane looked empty. Kane and the remaining flight crew did a quick check of their areas, and each shouted, “Clear.” Another blow from the serpent rattled the plane, and the hangar door gave a metallic creaking sound, forewarning that it was about to give way.

  “Go!” the captain ordered, and they all jumped onto the slides.

  Kane hit the floor running. A cloud of dust floated in the air, kicked up by the stampede of humans. Best he could see, the passengers were scattered but appeared to be moving in the right direction. He didn’t see Charly, but she had left the plane well ahead of him. The next blow from the serpent brought the screech of tearing metal as one end of the hangar door crumpled inward. Sea air and sunlight rushed into the hangar along with a foul stench. Kane stopped to look. There was no way the serpent could get its head into the hangar, but it could still do some damage; a gushing wave of water would tumble anyone in its path.

  A number of passengers lagged behind. Kane was about to go back to assist them when a robot buzzed by his shoulder. Twice as tall as Kane and rolling on a chassis with six wheels, it had the upper torso of an oversized human and four long mechanical arms and hands. Several more of the same robot passed him, all heading toward the passengers. When a robot reached a straggler, it would lift the unsuspecting person carefully and set him or her on the edge of its chassis, then move to pick up another passenger.

  The serpent gave a deafening roar followed by its final blow. The hangar door tore away from the wall and tumbled to the floor with a concussive crash that knocked Kane off his feet and toppled several of the passenger-toting robots. Looking through the open doorway, Kane saw the inside of the serpent’s cavernous mouth. It was lined with rows of closely set sharp teeth, each taller than a grown man. As he was getting to his feet, the serpent’s tongue lashed out of its mouth and into the hangar until it touched t
he plane’s landing gear. Feeling its prey, the tongue wrapped itself around the tail of the plane and then dragged the entire 737 out the hangar door. Giant jaws closed, crushing the plane midsection like tinfoil. The serpent shook its head and the forward half of the plane flew out and into the ocean.

  Like an anteater attacking an anthill, the creature just needed an opening to reach its prey. The serpent’s tongue lashed out again, extending deeper into the hangar and missing Kane by only a dozen feet. The vibration of it caused him to stumble and fall. At least fifty feet wide and half as thick, the tongue narrowed to a snakelike, two-pronged whip at the tip. Kane gagged from the acrid smell of sulphur and rotted meat. The tongue stopped and then pulled back in a sweeping arc away from Kane, catching any stragglers in its path. The terrorized screams of several passengers reverberated in the hangar until they disappeared into the serpent’s mouth.

  Pushing himself to his feet, Kane looked ahead, frantically searching the passengers until he spotted Charly. He broke into a run. She saw him and yelled something he couldn’t hear. He waved for her to move deeper into the hangar. As her eyes widened in horror, he didn’t even have time to look around before the serpent’s tongue struck him in the back and swept him off his feet. He tried to pull away, but found his entire back side glued to the massive tongue by some sticky substance. Near the tongue’s leading edge, he watched helplessly as it carried him directly toward Charly. She stood frozen with terror until a silver robot scooped her up in its arms and carried her out of harm’s way. The tongue finally reached its limit and started to curl back. Kane’s last sight of any human was the agonized look on Charly’s face as she watched the serpent pull him away.