by Justin Sloan
“And those who live here are doing a fine job,” Samantha noted.
Hadrian agreed, and soon they were entering the village below. A young woman with skin like moving water showed them to their rooms, and said that the Elders would call them for a feast soon, during which they could discuss business.
“First, rest,” the woman said. “I know it’s been a long journey.”
She excused herself, and Hadrian turned to address his team. “She’s right. After this, we will be moving quickly. You won’t have time to rest, for all we know. A true warrior learns to get it when she can.”
Samantha didn’t have to be told twice, although she did long to wander the hillsides of this foreign planet. That could come later, she told herself as she stepped into her room, then stopped in awe.
The room was like a futuristic palace. High, arched ceilings with chandeliers, walls that looked like marble but were warm to the touch, and furniture laced in a white and gold that resembled silk.
She stumbled in, realizing how exhausted she was, and threw herself on the bed, not even bothering to change. Her bio-armor suit now almost felt like pajamas, likely due to the biotech aspect Hadrian had mentioned.
She turned over onto her back, and stared. A round window on the ceiling showed the bottom of a pond. Strange fish of turquoise and bright pink swam by, some pausing to look down at her, then moving along, all in a rippling water that reminded her of a kaleidoscope from her youth.
Finally, she grew restless. As tired as she was, being on this new planet made her mind race with questions. She sat up and paced the room, then pressed the button at the back of the suit’s neck. Her helmet came out, and she checked to be sure she had used all of her skill points.
She had. She looked at the skill tree anyway, and was intrigued by the different possibilities. While she had chosen the path with electricity and lightning, there were elemental paths, and others she hadn’t noticed before. Some focused on being a powerful warrior, others on being more sneaky and even… more of an assassin? Flicking through that path, she started rethinking her original decision. Maybe she could do both, if she spent enough time grinding? Hell, maybe she could do it all.
Now that she had performed the blast again with Hadrian, she wondered what else she was capable of. In the past, she had been able to hover, almost like flying. While her mind had told her that couldn’t have happened, that it was all a dream, she now understood that not to be the case.
With time to kill, and since her eyes insisted on staying open instead of letting her drift off to the sleep she certainly needed, she stood on the bed and decided to test it. Trying to focus on the universe and its energy as she had before, she took a step from the bed… and fell.
The impact of her fall didn’t hurt, but it annoyed her. If she could do the other thing, why not this? Calling on the energy again, she held her hands out and imagined the air lifting her up, carrying her across the room.
If anyone could’ve seen her, they would have thought she was an idiot. Standing there like that, she had to admit she felt the part.
When she opened her eyes, she saw she was right where she had started. Screw all that, she thought. At least she had upgraded her grip a few times. She dashed at the wall and leaped up onto it. She ran along it for a few steps, then decided to try something new. Instead of simply jumping off, she stopped.
For a moment, she lingered… and then fell.
It hadn’t worked. But, for that split-second she had felt the possibility of it, a sensation of pure ecstasy took over. It could be real, she knew, if she put her mind to it.
Pulling up her skill matrix, she saw that grip could go up at least ten more levels. Maybe if she maxed it out, she would be able to cling to the wall like a spider? That thought thrilled her. If she changed trajectory to the assassin skill branch, it would likely be an invaluable part of her abilities.
Her mind was reeling with questions and possibilities, when she heard voices whispering loudly in the hallway.
She put her ear to the door, eyes glancing around for exit routes in case it got dangerous.
“You go,” one of them was saying in heavily accented English. “Come on, she’s not going to chop your head off just for knocking on the door.”
That was enough to assure her it wasn’t a threat, though she wondered about them speaking her language while speaking with each other.
She opened her door to find a group of four younger locals, their skin with the same watery effect as the woman who had welcomed them. They seemed to be nudging each other forward, as if wanting to ask something. They were intimidated, Samantha realized, so she pressed the button to remove her helmet.
“Yes?”
One got shoved forward from the rest, and said something in a completely unintelligible language that sounded more like grumbling from the back of his throat.
She frowned, confused.
The young man made another sound, then reached forward, toward her ear. She pulled back, but he held up his hands, repeating the phrase, and then moved in slowly. The way his skin moved was even more noticeable this close, and she could see it was an illusion—like a thin layer of mist, though solid. Maybe a shield of some sort?
“Is that better?” the man asked, pulling his hand back just as a small pinching sensation hit Samantha’s ears.
She pulled back, hand to her mouth. “I understood you!”
He nodded, trying not to laugh, and pointed to her ear. “That button there, at the side of your suit. Same effect as when you have the helmet on, but this way we can see your face.”
She felt her ears and, sure enough, there were small metallic items cupped there with a ribbed side like a seashell.
They introduced themselves to Sam, and then one of the young women said, “Will you come with us? Napalm said to show you the place, said we have a bit of time before dinner.”
As tired as she was, and as much as she wanted to explore her suit’s skills, she was also interested in checking out this new planet. So, she agreed.
Soon she was walking along a cliff with the small group. The distant sun—she knew it was technically a star, but it was just easier to think of it as a sun—was high at an angle in the sky. It cast deep shadows across the hills and made the many waterfalls glisten, reflecting the pink of the surrounding flowers and glimmering like rose gold. Three moons were partially visible at different points in the sky.
“Is your world like this?” the tallest of the group asked, the one who had introduced himself as Ferder. He wore a dark blue jacket with a high collar that reminded Samantha of a military dress uniform.
She shrugged. “Earth has its differences. One moon, for instance.”
He beamed. “We have thirteen.”
She licked her lips, trying to imagine that. “I’m sorry, but who are you all? I mean, what role do you play here?”
“Oh, they haven’t told you?” Ferder said, smiling broadly. “We’ll be your escort, your guards. They’re going to discuss the details of the mission at dinner, but there’s no doubt there will be a mission.”
“A mission worthy of guards?” Samantha actually found herself relieved by that. She would have hated to have been taken from the fight back home to be doing menial work out here.
The thought of her friends caused her to walk in silence for a moment, watching the water plummet into the river far below. Dan would likely be wondering where she had gone. Maybe he thought she was dead, or taken by the drones. Or maybe they figured she’d been crushed under one of the collapsing buildings.
Would he stay and try to dig her out? She certainly hoped not, but knowing him, she wouldn’t be surprised.
With a sigh, her mind wandered to him and Ashley. Those two deserved each other. They should be happy. Though images of a dead Ashley flashed into the part of her brain she couldn’t control at the thought of them together, she knew that wasn’t what she wanted for them. She was off fighting in space now. The least she could hope for them was that they had ea
ch other, to watch each other’s backs, to be there when the other was lonely.
“Thoughts of back home?”
Samantha nodded. “Caught me.”
“I’ve always dreamed of visiting Earth someday.” Ferder glanced away, frowning. “But… I hear your people aren’t very open to outsiders.”
With a laugh, Samantha shook her head. “Considering we’ve been in a fight with alien invaders for three or four years now, I’d have to say that’s accurate. Before that, it was more that nobody would have believed you existed. Well, maybe the crazies.”
“Crazies?” He looked at his companions and they all burst into laughter.
“Did you all always believe in life on other planets?” Samantha asked, offended.
The woman, Olivay, gave her a friendly smile, but it had a hint of pity. “Of course. But then again, we’ve always had multiple planetary species living on this planet. So much so, as a matter of fact, that I don’t know if I could really tell you who the aliens are and who the original inhabitants are.”
“I haven’t seen anyone that looks very different from you guys,” Samantha noted.
Ferder shrugged. “Not yet. Just wait for dinner.”
“We’re here!” Olivay shouted with a yelp of glee as she ran ahead. Samantha was about to ask where, but a moment later the woman had gone over the cliff, laughing with excitement the whole way down.
“Holy shit!” Samantha exclaimed as she ran to the edge of the cliff. She looked down and saw Olivay land in the water far below. “Is—is she okay?”
“Only one way to find out,” one of the others said as he and the other woman jumped too.
Only Ferder remained now. He smiled, shrugged, and ran.
“You all are nuts!” Samantha called after him. “Freaking crazy-ass loonies!”
All she heard in response was a long, “WOO-HOOO!” and a final splash as he hit the water below.
Again she looked over, her view blocked by a flock of winged creatures, somewhere between a swan and a bat, with webbed, red wings.
“Well, dammit,” she said to herself, glancing around to see she was alone. Being the last to do anything wasn’t her style, and she certainly wasn’t going to just stand there while the others had jumped.
With a deep exhale, she ran and jumped. The power and speed of the armor gave her an extra boost, so while the others had fallen almost straight down, she went flailing out past them, arms windmilling as she screamed. The air rushed past and mist splattered her face, and she saw the water coming up fast.
At the last opportunity, she reached back and hit the button for her helmet to come up. Just as it surrounded her head, she hit the water, sinking until her feet nearly touched the bottom of the lake.
All around her, creatures scattered. Fluorescent fish, some with legs and wings like sea-dragons, others with long snouts that reminded her of anteaters. Her HUD flashed a warning sign, and then she was on the bottom of the lake. She could breathe, but she supposed that made sense, considering that the suit allowed her to breathe in space.
In no hurry, she watched the creatures move around her, slowly coming out of hiding to see what had disturbed them. One with at least a hundred long arms, somewhere between a jellyfish and an octopus, started for her, and at that she decided she’d had enough.
She bent her knees and pushed off, flailing her arms until she reached the top. It was a good thing her apartment growing up had a pool, because other than that she hadn’t had much opportunity to swim. It wasn’t like such luxuries were commonplace during the war against the Syndicate army back on Earth.
As her head surfaced, a pang of guilt hit her at the thought of being here having fun when they should be out there finding the bad guy. Hadrian knew what he was doing though, she supposed. If they had to have this dinner with the Elders before setting out, so be it. But that didn’t mean she liked the wait.
“You made it!” Ferder said, swimming over. The rest had already climbed out of the water and had apparently been running along the water’s edge looking for any sign of her.
Samantha sent the helmet back but kept her translators in place, and smiled. “And the suit works in water, too. Good way to find out!”
“Get over here you crazy girl!” Olivay shouted. “We thought you were dead.”
“I might be. Maybe I’ve been dead for years and you all are part of my afterlife experience.”
“Sounds like you got screwed in that deal,” Ferder said, beaming and treading water next to her. “If we’re angels, we’re poor excuses for angels. Demons? Even worse.” He motioned and then started swimming. “Stay close.”
When they made it to land, Samantha’s suit engaged in an auto dry function, causing the rest to step back and eye her with surprise until it was done.
“I don’t appreciate games,” Samantha said, when the suit completed the drying process. “I’m not here for that.”
“Then you’ll be glad to hear this isn’t a game,” Ferder said, pointing up at the nearby cliffs.
“Excuse me?”
“Now we climb. Truth is, since we’re going to be your guards up there, Napalm thought it best to get in some joint training. Get to know each other’s abilities and all that.”
“Did he?” Samantha laughed. “And I bet he’s up there right now, relaxing in a bath and laughing his ass off.”
The others frowned, confused.
“Sorry, laughing one’s ass off doesn’t translate in our language,” Olivay said, turning to glance at Samantha’s ass. “They don’t… actually come off, do they?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Samantha replied. “Figure of speech. Shall we?”
“Well then,” Ferder slapped his own butt and nodded to the cliffs. “Let’s climb until our asses fall off.”
Samantha considered correcting him, but instead rushed ahead and shouted out, “Last one up is a rotten egg,” before leaping for the cliff and starting to run along it with her enhanced grip. She was glad the suit had mostly dried, because her first step slipped slightly. But then she was running, finding a ledge, using her enhanced jump, and repeating.
Halfway up, the other four came whooping behind her. They moved along the cliff like monkeys in the trees, throwing themselves from handhold to handhold with the massive drop beneath.
Samantha’s armor had given her the ability to make it as she had, and she was damn impressed with what this group was able to do without help.
“Try to keep up, Earther,” Ferder said, and started to pass her.
Oh, hell no.
Samantha threw herself at the ledge, leaping and putting her feet out to catch it in a run. Then she attempted something new—running straight up.
To her surprise, it worked. Well, it worked until it didn’t, about fifteen paces from her starting point, when the grip wore off. With a shout of surprise, she reached out and grabbed a purple tree that was sticking out from the edge, but it gave with her weight and she felt herself starting to fall. She desperately looked for another, then reached and grabbed hold of a rock, but it crumbled away.
Here come the curse words, she thought as gravity took hold, and tensed for impact.
“Whoa there,” Olivay said, suddenly at her side. With one hand plunged into the rock near her, she reached out to grab Samantha’s wrist. Samantha found herself dangling, only this woman between her and falling. They were over the rocks instead of water now, and she wasn’t exactly sure of the limits of her suit.
“Guess this is a test of trust, huh?” Olivay said with a playful smile. “If an Earther had me like this, think she would pull me up?”
Samantha pursed her lips, refusing to play that game.
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” Olivay said, swinging Samantha so that she landed on a nearby ledge. “See, I learned some of your phrases.”
“I happen to not like that one very much,” Samantha said. “And any Earther who would play games like that would be slapped. Hard.”
“I save
d you, didn’t I?” Olivay noted with a shrug, and then took off again, her hands plowing into the rock for new handholds along the way.
So that’s how they did it, Samantha noted. She glanced down at her gloves, then at the cliff, and wondered. Fingers spread, she jabbed her hand forward to see if she could break the rocks, and then stubbed all of her fingers in a painful moment of regret. Maybe after a few strength upgrades?
She took a deep breath to push away the fear of almost falling, then stepped back and started running again, this time returning to her upward, semi-horizontal strategy.
She reached the top, though after the rest. While the suit had helped her, it still had taken a lot of energy, and she knelt, catching her breath.
“Not bad,” Ferder said, walking over to help her up. “You keep up with us out there like this, you’ll do just fine.”
“Wait for the combat to start,” she replied, hands over her head to catch her breath. “We’ll see who’s keeping up with who.” She turned to Olivay, frowning. “Speaking of which, maybe we test that out next?”
“That was all in good fun,” Olivay countered, but her hands were clenched into fists.
“It is almost time for the feast,” Ferder noted, glancing between the two. “And… did I miss something?”
Olivay just stared, waiting to see how Samantha replied.
Finally, Samantha smiled. “You’re right, I’m famished. Let’s head back.”
The others shared a look of confusion. Ferder dropped behind to have a word with Olivay as they made their way to the palace. But as far as Samantha was concerned, she would let it go, for now. She didn’t appreciate people, or aliens, messing with her, but wasn’t going to be petty about it. Not right now, anyway.
She had made the combat suggestion as a bit of a challenge, but to her surprise, halfway back to the palace she found Napalm doing just that. A circle of men and women formed around him as he moved in a circle, shirtless. Some looked like her new companions, with others ranging from short and furry to lanky, scaly reptiles.
Craning her neck to see who he was up against, she nearly missed the lady who darted in, clocked Napalm, and then body slammed him into the ground.
