The Veil Rising

by Brandon Ellis

  Crystal pounded the HDC. “Those bastards! Those giant, stick shooting pieces of trash scum!” She shook her head, wanting to scream. She clenched her teeth, pressing her Mech forward and moving around the dead, enraged.

  “What are you doing?” cried Daf.

  “There might be survivors in the warehouse.”

  Daf shook her head. “Don't be stupid.”

  Crystal shot Daf a look, ignoring the comment, and moved the Mech to the body closest to them. She brought the Mech to one knee. “Slit-light on.” A thin light beamed from the side of the Mech's dome, highlighting the face of the dead body. A woman, pale skinned, eyes open. Dried blood crusted her lips. She'd been hit in the torso by laser impulse fire that probably killed her quickly.

  Crystal studied the woman's eyes. Her corneas were clouded, telling Crystal that it had been over two hours since this woman had been killed. In a day or so, she knew the woman's eyes would be opaque.

  “Slit-light off.”

  Crystal stood the Mech up and continued toward the warehouse.

  “Wait, what are you doing? We can't go in there,” blurted Daf.

  “The woman has been dead a couple of hours. I don't think there’s any danger here.” She pointed at the warehouse, the Mech mimicking her movement.

  Daf wiped her eyes. All she wanted was to go back to sleep so this horrible nightmare would be gone when she woke up.

  But, as they got closer, Crystal didn't notice any movement through the warehouse windows and didn't see anything suspicious outside. They walked up a long slope to step onto the ebb flooring in front of a closed Mech Bay door. An HDC was fastened to the wall next to the door. She looked at her own HDC. Daf was clinging onto its column and staring out the window. She didn’t look too good.

  Crystal punched a holographic button on the HDC. “Connect to Warehouse 12's Mech Bay door Holographic Display Console.”

  Her Mech's HDC complied. Good, it’s still functional. “Punch in code 1881.” The code punched in and the Mech Bay door opened to a dimly lit room. Crystal stepped her Mech inside. “Punch in code 1881 to close Mech Bay door.” The door closed behind them, dimming the large open warehouse. Up ahead was the second door to the Mech Bay where the gravity would be equalized. Stepping on the ramp leading to the door, the door opened vertically, revealing rows of Mechs stored in the bay, some with their dome hatches open, but most closed.

  Taking a step, both Daf and Crystal surveyed the bay, the door closing behind them. Steam engulfed the bay, surrounding their Mech until it subsided several seconds later. The Mech's HDC bleeped and read, “Gravity equalized.”

  Everything was placid and utterly silent. A lone man lay on the ground in a puddle of blood. He was a Techie, shot from behind, heavy and fat and wearing overalls. Crystal could see that the blood was coagulated, so he had died more than fifteen minutes ago, and because the outer perimeter of the pool of blood was already dried, she knew it had been more than an hour.

  “I don't like the looks of this, Chief,” complained Daf, concern and stress written all over her face.

  “He's been dead for a while, Daf.”

  “How do you know?”

  “The blood and the eyes—we had to learn about this at Star Guild Academy. I was really good at it. You know, with my sick and twisted mind.”

  Daf was glad she hadn't gone to the academy, especially if they had to learn about blood, corpses, and all of the other disgusting things in the universe.

  Crystal pressed the unlock hatch button with her index finger. A swoosh of air sounded, decompressing the hold from the hatch lock, making Daf jump. “What are you doing?”

  Crystal looked down at her, her hand pressing firmly against the hatch. “You stay here. I'm going to get us some water and food.”

  Daf shook her head. “No, I'm going with you.”

  Oh, brother! “Trust me, Daf. You should stay.” The last thing Crystal wanted was to be slowed down.

  Daf stood up, ignoring the order. “I'll keep out of your way. Plus, more hands to carry means more food and water.”

  True, thought Crystal. She gave Daf a nod and pushed the hatch open, feeling fresh air combing her hair and touching her face. It felt good to be out of the stuffy Mech. She forgot how fresh the air was here, even fresher than on Starbase Matrona.

  Crystal moved up and out of the Mech, crawling down the side of it, finding the floor with her feet. She stretched, getting some kinks out. Daf came down, stretching like Crystal.

  Crystal waved for Daf to follow. She wanted to inspect the dead man again, but then decided against it, walking past him to the warehouse office door. She punched in the code and they went inside.

  Crystal moved down an aisle of desks and stopped. She raised a finger to her mouth and tapped her teeth. “I think... yeah.” She pointed to another door. “There's the cafeteria.”

  Daf nodded and walked hastily to the door, opened it and saw dozens of empty tables and chairs. Everything was clean and proper. It hadn't been used. And, how could it? The people here were probably dead before noon.

  Crystal walked past Daf thinking they'd just get the food, hook their Mech up to water, fill the tank to the brim, and get out of here. They had to find a warehouse that hadn't been hit by the attackers. Maybe they'd find some survivors.

  They walked to the kitchen door and pushed it open. There was food everywhere and there were food bags hanging on the walls and pillars. There were plenty of cooling boxes for storage stacked against the rectangular room’s walls. Food was plentiful.

  Crystal shoved a bag in Daf's face. “Here. Grab food as quickly as you can.”

  Daf nodded, her face expressionless. She went to the first hanging food bag, opened it, and threw whatever she could into the bag.

  Grabbing a bag herself, Crystal moved to a cooling box and opened it. She found apples, pears, oranges, and persimmons. She shoved armfuls into her bag, then snatched carrots and celery from a counter. Not her favorites, but when you're hungry, taste doesn't matter.

  She went to a storage drawer nestled next to the cooling box and found onions. She shrugged. Oh, well. Above her, hanging from a hook, was a large mesh bag of nuts and grabbed them. They were heavy.

  A loud clang echoed throughout the kitchen. Crystal froze in place. “Huh?”

  “Sorry,” Daf held up a metal spoon. “I dropped this. I thought we'd need some spoons with all of the avocados I've got.”

  Crystal looked at Daf's bag. “That's all you got? Avocados?”

  Daf gave a weak smile. “The cabinet was full of them.”

  Crystal went to wave her hand around at all of the cabinets in the kitchen, showing her that there were other options, but refrained. They were in a hurry and she didn't have time to argue. Crystal just assumed that most people would grab a little of this and that, but apparently Daf didn't possess that type of mind.

  “Let's go.” Crystal moved through the door, not looking back to see if Daf was following, although she figured she would. She entered the office, quickening her pace. She turned, moving around a desk, then halted. A strange blue haze was coming into the office from outside.

  Daf saw it too. “What's that?”

  Crystal narrowed her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to be found and she suspected that they had been. “It may be another patrol coming our way.”

  Walking over to the window, opposite the door leading to Mech Bay, they looked outside.

  Crystal widened her eyes. “What the...?”

  Daf shook her head. “I've never seen that before.”

  It was a perfect view of Mount Gabrielle, displayed like none other. Rays of blue light were shining through the caves and holes in the mountain, dotting the sky and land all around it.

  Crystal looked at Daf. “Has anyone ever reported blue lights coming from Mount Gabrielle?”

  “No, but everyone's on Matrona by this time of night.”

  Crystal did a big exhale. “It's probably the enemy. Let's get out of here. Next s
top—Warehouse 13.”

  Crystal turned and hurried out of the office, entering Mech Bay. “Let's each grab a Mech with a full water tank. We'll split up the food. Two Mechs are always better than one.”

  Daf liked that idea. No more hanging on the HDC column wanting to drive. She nodded as they separated, bags in hand, each looking for a Mech.

  Crystal climbed up one with the hatch already open, hopped down into the cockpit and turned it on. She dropped the bag of food, pushing it over to the side with her foot. She stared at the HDC. “Water systems check.” The HDC blinked on, showing a holographic display. To her surprise it was full. This is my lucky day. She nearly laughed at the irony. Shrugging, she climbed up and looked out of the hatch to see Daf running toward her, waiving her hands wildly.

  “There's a man in a Mech over there. He's hurt!”

  Crystal jumped down from her Mech as fast as she could. “Where? Is he conscious?”

  Daf grabbed Crystal by the elbow, hurriedly escorting her to a Mech across the warehouse.

  Crystal flared her nostrils, annoyed at Daf's inability to answer questions in a pressing situation. “Daf, is he conscious?”

  Daf nodded her head up and down. “Yes, yes.”

  Crystal's gut suddenly felt empty, wondering if the man was even well enough to live. Not only would he hold them up, but now she'd have to help him. Not because she'd want to, but because she'd feel guilty if she didn't.

  Reaching the Mech, Daf pointed at its open hatch. “In there.”

  Crystal climbed the steps and peered over the open hatch to see a man sitting on the cockpit floor with one shoe on and the other off, holding his ankle. He was looking up at her. “Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes.”

  She hopped down into the cockpit, making the man flinch, surprised by her athleticism.

  Crystal bent down, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Mister, can you walk?”

  He shook his head no, his face pale. “I've broken my ankle. It’s painful, but it's nothing compared to the carnage outside.” Crystal noticed he was shaking a little. He must be in shock and Crystal saw that his ankle was swollen about the size of a grapefruit. “How long have you been here?”

  He massaged his ankle just above the swollen area. “About two hours, I think.”

  She placed her hand on his low back, rubbing it. “We need to set your ankle.”

  He shook his head. “The soft tissue damage is more what I'm worried about. It's a closed break and I don't need it set, but a splint would be nice.”

  Crystal saw no discoloration and that was a good sign—no major blood vessel was severed, no internal bleeding to worry about. “We should—”

  “Do you need any help?” Daf asked from above.

  Crystal looked up. “Yeah, get me some things to make a splint.”

  Daf gave a confused look. “Get what?”

  Crystal sighed. “Get me some thick tape from the Tech shop and see if they have any pieces of wood about the length of your forearm. We’re going to make a splint.”

  Daf nodded and climbed down the Mech in a hurry, heading toward the Tech shop.

  Crystal looked at the man. “How did this happen?”

  He stopped rubbing his lower leg and leaned back. “They shot at us and I stumbled over something. I don't know what it was that I trampled over, but I heard a snap the moment I tripped. I crawled up here, thinking I'd be followed but I was the lucky one, I guess.” He frowned and shook his head, pointing at the dome of the Mech. “I tried to close that thing, but it wouldn't budge.”

  Crystal smiled. “You have to press the hatch button over there.”

  He dropped his arm with a chuckle. “It's that easy...of course.”

  Crystal stood up, placing her hands on her hips. “What's your name?”

  “Doctor Jerrod Simmons.”

  “You're a doctor?” She was a little shocked that a doctor would be on the planet. They usually had therapists during work hours and they knew the basics about injuries. “We need to get you to a Suficell Pod to heal your wound.” But, in exasperation, she threw her arms into the air. “But how?! We'll need a ride to Star Guild or Matrona somehow, if the shuttles haven't been blasted out of the stars already.”

  The doctor cocked his head to the right. “We can get to a Suficell Pod here on Lumus.”

  A Suficell Pod was used to extend life by a hundred and forty years or so. It had the ability to heal all wounds and disease by emitting high frequency sounds that matched the frequency and vibration of the disease, thus shattering the diseased cells that were flushed from the body by simply drinking lots of water. It also worked wonders on broken bones, typically healing them within a day.

  Crystal peered at him. “A Pod on Lumus? Where?”

  “On Starship Sirona.”

  My mom's ship? “How...!” She shook her head. “That starship isn't here, sir.”

  “It's here, right now on Lumus. She came down here to save us.”

  The shock was getting to the doctor, thought Crystal. There was no way Admiral Diana McCoy, her mom, would be down here. That didn't make sense. Her mom was the hero type, but Crystal knew she’d have to go against direct orders from Admiral Byrd in order to get here, unless…she had somehow convinced the good admiral to let her go on a rescue mission. But, even so, she didn't think her mom's starship could have survived the trip, based on what she’d already seen.

  The doctor continued. “Sirona tried to send help to this warehouse, but I don't know if their transports or starfighters ever made it.”

  My mom is here? Crystal slowly stood up. “Do you know Sirona's coordinates?”

  Jerrod nodded.

  “Then let's get you some help,” she said, hoping he wasn't just hallucinating scenarios more acceptable to his mind. She pulled herself up and over the hatch, glancing down at Daf who was on her way up the steps, carrying a bucket in her hand. “Daf!”

  Daf stopped, looking up at her chief. “I got your stuff...I think.”

  “Give me the bucket. And I need you to drive the Mech I was going to use. My food bags are in it and the Mech's water tank is full. We're heading to Starship Sirona.”

  Daf jerked her head back. “We're headed where?!”

  ∞

  The sweet smell of flowers permeated Eden’s nostrils and she heard the sound of rushing water nearby. Where was she? She was lying on something soft and delicate. It felt like sheets, but they were the softest, smoothest material she'd ever touched. They were cozy and comfortable and made her feel like she could lie here forever.

  Her mouth curled into a smile and she took a deep breath, stretching her arms and yawning. Her mouth became lax, then turned into a frown. But, she asked, where am I?

  She opened her eyes. She was in a room lit by the glowing light of a small flame shaped like a tear. It danced happily on a holder of some type that looked like it was melting, its shape and contents dripping down its own sides. She had never seen a candle before.

  She gazed around the room, noticing the enormity of it. Ship quarters were a fraction of its size, so she knew she couldn’t be on Brigantia. Plus, this place was elegant. There were ornate tapestries draped all around the room, some ivory white in color, but most were mixed violets. They hung from the ceiling, the walls, and on the posts at each corner of her bed.

  A Bed?

  She was lying in a bed that was definitely not her bunk. She touched the sheets again, pinching and rubbing her fingers over them—so soft, so smooth.

  She lifted herself up and sat cross legged, her eyes full of oversleep. She yawned and stretched, then placed her hands over her heart, releasing a breath of air.

  Across from the foot of the bed were two large glass doors, framed with lavender colored curtains. Flowers grew out of large terra cotta pots next to the doorway, leaving ample enough room to come and go through the door without tripping over them.

  She placed her feet on the ground and stood up, rubbing her low back, feeling soft fabric, smooth
and light, against her hands and skin. She looked at her covered body. She was wearing a white robe. How did she get into this? She took a few steps forward and looked at the floor. It consisted of a living ground cover, something she'd never seen done before, but had wondered about. She leaned over and caressed a single blade of grass between her fingers, noticing tiny little meadow flowers mixed with moss and grass. The only thing she had to compare it with was the biosphere on Matrona, the place for forests, lakes and vegetable gardens, where she always took off her shoes to feel the life beneath her feet. This floor was just like that, but this, however, was the richest fauna and soil she'd ever experienced.

  Then she stood and shrugged, feeling drawn to go outside. She gave yet another yawn as she reached a closed glass door. The scene was spectacular and explained the ever present mist in the air. Gazing through it, she saw a very large deck consisting of a huge stone being used as a deck and it had symbols etched into it. But then she jerked back, gasping, when she saw the stone deck merging into the side of a massive canyon, one much wider and longer than any man made canyon in the biosphere. Trees of various size and shape were growing at the top of the canyon and the sky above that was mixed with pinks, purples, and gold. She saw two moons, one large yellow one with silvery rings while the other one was small and red just above the horizon. She could tell that wherever she was, it looked as if night was on its way.

  Suddenly, the glass doors before her slid open. A gust of wind and cool mist hit her and then died as quickly as it came. Between the mist and the roar of rushing water, she knew that a river, or more likely a waterfall, had to be very near.

  Looking left and right while she wondered who had opened the doors, she cautiously placed a foot on the stone decking and felt the coolness of it vibrate up her leg and throughout her spine. She shook at the intensity of it and smiled. That felt good.

  She paused, crinkling her brow. The stone had done something to her. Her body now felt alive and awake and her grogginess had disappeared. She walked to the middle of the huge stone, enjoying the freshness of nature all around her.