by Linda Mooney
Mellori also agreed. “Stay focused, everyone. There’s no telling when they’ll be back. In the meantime, keep your bundles next to you because when our chance comes, we’re going to have to hit ‘em and hit ‘em hard, then run like hell.” Turning to Fullgrath, he added, “Oh, by the way, Sid, you owe me a foot rub.”
The resulting laughter helped to ease the tension somewhat. Kelen felt Kyber reach for her hand and give it a squeeze. That simple gesture was enough to renew her hope they would manage to escape.
Chapter 15
Escape
A tap on his shoulder alerted him. Kyber awoke to find Sandow gesturing for him to follow. Gaveer, Massapa, and Mellori were already gathered by the opposite side of the room. They were crowded around Gaveer, who held the translation box.
He gently extracted himself from Kelen, lowering her to the floor. She’d finally succumbed to sleep, for which he was grateful. Her bleeding was playing havoc with her body, on top of everything else she’d endured. Although she was managing to keep herself together, in spite of the added stress of their current situation, he could sense she was close to breaking. And there was nothing he could say or do for her to make things more bearable, other than to keep reassuring her of his presence and support.
The others in the room were asleep when he soundlessly padded over to where the three men were gathered. When he drew close enough, he caught the sounds coming from the translation box.
“What—”
Mellori quickly shushed him.
Kneeling beside them, Kyber leaned in to listen. It was sometimes difficult to understand what was being said. The box translated in a flat tone, which meant it pronounced certain words with strange inflections. But it soon became clear something was up.
He gave Mellori a quizzical look. The engineer nodded. “They’re getting ready to enter the room,” he whispered.
“They?”
“We cannot tell how many, but it will not be just Hoov,” Gaveer told him.
“Do we know why they are coming back?”
All three men shook their heads.
Kyber glanced at the doorway. “When?”
“Soon.”
“We must be prepared.” Getting to his feet, he went over to wake Kelen as the others roused the rest of the group.
“Kyber.” Kleesod got his attention, then looked around to make sure everyone also paid attention. “If we try to attack them when they enter, they could easily back out before we manage to overcome them.”
“He’s right,” Fullgrath chimed in. “Somehow we need to lure them inside so we can take them all at once.”
“Fake sleep.”
Fullgrath laughed at Dox’s unexpected suggestion, but Kelen added her voice.
“He’s right. If we pretend to be asleep, it may lure them in.”
Sandow broke in. “Remember, they’re wanting us to eat their food and drink their water. After watching Hoov’s reaction when he saw those untouched bowls of food, I no longer doubt that it’s tainted. If we pretend to be asleep, they may think we’ve gone ahead and eaten it, and we’ve slipped into a comatose state as a result.”
“Then that is what we will do.” Kyber got to his feet. “Hurry. Hold onto your bundles and do not move until I give the signal.”
He hurried over to Kelen and settled himself in front of her. Hunching over, he dropped his head and rested his arms across his knees. Closing his eyes, he waited. Behind him, he felt Kelen get into position so she could quickly flee.
The room grew quiet. Kyber concentrated on listening for the creatures to come through the doorway. He tried to release the building tension by clenching and unclenching his hands, but by the sounds of the others’ ragged breathing, he could tell they were as nervous as he was.
There was a movement to his left. Casting an eye in that direction, he noticed Gaveer shifting positions. In any other circumstance, he would take it as someone readjusting themselves in their sleep, but not this time. With their nerves raw and on edge, muscles were on the verge of cramping from the strain.
He was on the brink of thinking the creatures had changed their minds and decided not to invade, when a clicking sound came from the far wall. Kyber froze. When everything in him wanted him to turn his head and look in that direction, he forced himself to remain as still as possible.
Their limbs made tapping sounds on the rocky floor as they entered. The noise grew as more of them came through the doorway.
A creature approached him and Kelen. He couldn’t tell if it was Hoov or another one. It stopped beside him and made clucking noises. Across the room, something clucked back. He sensed another one moving to his left. A shuffling sound came from the dispensing wall. Kyber then realized they were pairing up one of their own for every one of them. They were trying to be as quiet as possible as they moved into position, but they weren’t quiet enough for his Seneecian hearing.
He took a slow, deep breath and tasted the scents filling the room. How the creatures planned to take them down, if that was their intent—and there was no reason to believe otherwise—was no longer relevant.
The time to rebel had come.
Kyber launched himself at the closest alien with a roar of defiance. Almost simultaneously, the others rose to defend themselves. Blasters went off as Kelen and the Terrans fired point blank at the creatures which had clustered around them.
He slashed at the creature, who stood petrified at the unexpected onslaught. His talons ripped through the thin, armor-like plating covering its body, shredding it and eviscerating it with two swipes. Grabbing one of the thing’s limbs in his mouth, he tore it from the creature’s body with a jerk of his head. The alien screamed, a high-pitched squeal that sent shivers down his spine, and pitched backwards, falling against the wall. When it threw up its arms to stop its fall, Kyber noticed the oddly-shaped claw at the end of both its upper appendages. Claws that were straight and tube-shaped. Claws that had not been there before, and he realized what they were for.
“They are venomous! Watch out for their stinger!” he yelled. Grabbing a handful of Kelen’s uniform, he pulled her closer and began making his way toward the doorway. She snatched up her bundle of supplies as she followed him.
The intended ambush was over before the creatures could react. Massapa was first to make it outside of the room. The others quickly joined them, and they peered down the empty corridors.
Fullgrath stopped next to him. “That was a walk in the park. They never thought we’d hit back, or how hard.”
“Did you see Hoov among them?” Mellori questioned. No one admitted they did. The engineer shook his head. “Then it’s possible these things were supposed to take us out and report back to Hoov when it was over.”
“If that is true, we do not have much time,” Kyber announced, turning to Jules. “Lead the way.”
Jules turned and hurried down the tunnel with them close behind.
“How long before they discover we escaped?” Gaveer called out as they made their way through the darkness.
“Not long enough,” Sandow responded.
Jules took the lead, using his tablet to guide them toward the next cavern. The corridors were unusually straight, with hallways intersecting every dozen meters or so. Twice the ex-navigator took one of the interconnecting tunnels, backtracking only once when he overcorrected.
Kyber and Kleesod watched their rear. Everyone knew Hoov and its people would come after them once they discovered their dead in the holding room. It was imperative they got as far away from there as possible.
“Jules, are you sure we’re not going around in circles?” Fullgrath huffed.
“There are no circles down here. Only straight angles,” Tojun stoically noted. He got a snort in reply.
At the next juncture, Jules paused for a moment to check his information. He pointed to their right, indicating another turn. “That way. Not far.”
They took off and within seconds, Kyber thought he detected a brightening ahead of th
em.
“Look! There’s a light!” Kelen voiced.
They automatically picked up speed.
They entered a cavern filled with natural light. The roof arched nearly fifty meters above them. Thin, horizontal slits located right below the ceiling allowed the sunlight to filter in. The rough stone walls, rising at least ten meters, reminded Kyber of the maze in the first temple.
“What color is this place supposed to be?” Tojun inquired.
“Pink.”
“Don’t look pink to me,” Fullgrath muttered.
Jules wove a path through the intricate design. “Almost there! Almost there!” he eagerly announced.
“Oh, shit!” Fullgrath, in the lead, suddenly skidded to a halt with another expletive. The others clustered protectively behind him.
Kyber felt the ruff at the back of his head and running down the length of his spine rise with anger and fear. Lifting their weapons, the others gradually spread out behind him and Fullgrath as they came face-to-face with Hoov and nearly a hundred more of its kind, who were waiting in silent anticipation for their arrival.
Chapter 16
Separated
“What the hell?!” Jules’ outburst echoed what she and perhaps everyone else thought. Kelen aimed her blaster at the creatures facing them, but she knew it was a futile gesture. They were outnumbered at least ten to one, and there could be more coming.
Beside her, Massapa took a stance and snarled. Kyber and the other Seneecians made a show of bearing their fangs and claws. A quick glance behind her confirmed her fellow crew members also had their weapons aimed and ready.
“How did they know we were coming here?” Jules whispered.
“We told them,” Sandow replied.
“When?”
“Back at the room. We told Hoov we were from another part of the planet. That clued him in. It told him we knew about the panel.” The physician glanced over at them. “It only makes sense we would try to find another panel when we escaped.”
“So it knew almost as soon as we’d left the room that we’d escaped,” Mellori pointed out.
“The bug is smarter than it looks,” Fullgrath mumbled.
Kelen swept the room, and her sense of trepidation rose another notch. “I don’t see a panel. What are we going to do?”
“Until someone or something makes the next move, we have a stalemate,” Mellori remarked.
Kelen swallowed hard. “Surely they know they have us seriously outnumbered. What are they waiting for?”
“They do not know our strength,” Kleesod told her.
“They know we took down their people, but they do not know how,” Massapa added.
“Be prepared,” Kyber warned. “They will sacrifice one or more of their own to get an idea of the extent of our power. After that, they will try to divert our attention and attack.”
“How can you be so sure?” Jules asked.
Kyber gave him a scathing look, to which Fullgrath responded, “Takes an alien to know what another alien is doing.”
“It is also a basic military tactic, Fullgrath,” Mellori reminded him.
The weapons master grinned. “Then I say bring it on. I’ll blast their heads off before they’ve taken two steps.”
“No.” Kyber’s order was flat and inarguable. “Do not fire. Let them come to us. We will be the first line of attack. Do not show them our weaponry and full strength until I say.”
“How do we know they’re not listening and understanding what we’re saying right now?” Jules gave them a nervous look.
Kelen pointed at Hoov. “His necklace. It’s not glowing. We may not be close enough for the translator to overhear us.”
She felt a nudge at her hip and glanced down as Dox took her hand. Disengaging herself from his grasp, she gently pushed him behind her. “Stay back there with Sandow, Dox.” The little man bowed his head and obeyed.
Fullgrath set his blaster on kill. “Well, I still say—”
Kyber threw up his hands, talons fully extended, and let out a roar. The other Seneecians joined him, and the sound of their growls reverberated inside the enormous cavern. Their show of force was more than intimidating. For a second, her initial fear of Kyber’s race, her trepidation she thought she’d overcome, returned. Seeing and hearing their challenge sent chills through her body, and she shuddered. Kelen then realized all five Seneecians had formed a human barrier in front of her and her fellow crew members. She noticed Mellori and Jules holding their blasters with both hands, but kept them hidden behind the Seneecians. She glanced behind her where Dox and Sandow were holding back.
There was a movement in the darkness behind them.
“Rear attack!” she screamed and fired over the physician’s head. She heard a shriek that sounded not at all human. Jules whirled around and also fired. At the same time, the Seneecians let out another roar as a phalanx of creatures charged their front line.
“It’s show time!” Fullgrath aimed at the creatures Hoov commanded to attack.
Kelen turned to face the ones coming at them from the cavern, letting Jules pick off the aliens who were forced to approach one by one through the narrow tunnel. The Seneecians met the frontal advance to decimate the creatures, slashing and tearing at the aliens.
It quickly became apparent they were overwhelmed. There were too many creatures, and their weapons, as well as their strength, would soon run out. Fullgrath came to the same conclusion. “Jules! Clear us a path to retreat!”
“And go where?” the navigator yelled.
“Can anyone see a panel?” Kelen shouted. No one answered. Screams and the sound of blaster fire filled the chamber with a cacophony that was almost deafening.
A movement in her peripheral vision made her pivot around in time to see a mortally wounded creature staggering toward her. Its intestines hung from its central cavity, bluish-black fluid oozing onto the ground. The thing had difficulty keeping its footing as it stepped into the blood, but it was determined to reach her. It held out its other four appendages, needle-like pincers erect and ready to inject venom. Kelen raised her blaster and took out its head. Chunks of flesh and gore flew everywhere. Before the body could fall, three more creatures pushed it aside and stepped toward her.
She fought her rising panic, shooting and taking down the three, but an unending mass continued to advance. Breathing heavily, she glanced around to see everyone fighting and firing. Even Sandow was getting off shots, taking down the ones coming through the tunnels and allowing Jules to focus on the front.
She tried to find Kyber, but the creatures coming at her blocked her line of sight. Kyber! Oh God, Kyber!
She began praying. If this was to be their final stand, and she knew it was, she wanted to be by his side. She wanted the last thing she saw to be his face. And, if she was lucky, to hear him say her name one final time.
Kyber, I love you! Please know how much I love you!
The whine of a pulse rifle was ear-splitting, drowning out all other sound. Creatures exploded as the rays bombarded them from the inside out, causing the moisture in their bodies to boil instantaneously at a thousand degrees.
Kelen cried out, throwing up her arm to keep the scalding mess from hitting her in the face. A furred hand grabbed her arm and threw her forward. She stumbled, nearly falling, when Kyber scooped her into his arms and sprinted down one side of the room, hugging the wall. She managed to catch a glimpse of the utter chaos erupting in the cavern, and Cooter perched on a small ledge high above the floor, before Kyber ducked into another tunnel.
Darkness swallowed them. The sounds of the battle faded in the distance. Kyber kept running, his breathing becoming more labored, until he finally slowed. He set her back on her feet when he could go no farther and slid to the ground to catch his breath.
In the blackness she couldn’t see him, but he reeked of something that had to be the remains of the creatures he’d killed. She tried to scoot closer to him, but he gave her knee a little shove.
“No. I am foul.”
“Why did we leave? Kyber, they need us back there!”
“They were disbursing, running to save themselves.”
“They? You mean Fullgrath and the others? Or the creatures?”
“More of those things were coming in from the back of the cavern. Hundreds of them. We had no choice but to split up.”
Her mind whirled. The mental image of hundreds of those insect-looking things pouring into the big room was enough to chill her blood. She felt the hairs on her head rise at the thought.
“We need to reconnect with the others, Kyber. How are we going to do that?”
“I do not know.”
“Did you see Cooter? He was up on a ledge, firing at them.”
“He provided us with cover and enabled us to flee. We are alive only because he intervened. Hoov and its people never intended for us to leave alive.”
Bending over, she reached out until she found his leg. He tried to pull it away from her, but she persisted.
“Kyber, what are we going to do now? Where do we go? Should we try to go back to that cavern?”
“Hoov will have its people waiting for us to make that mistake. No, Kelen, we need to keep pushing onward. There are other chambers, which means there are other panels. We only need to find one.”
“And eventually hope we all reconnect.” When Kyber didn’t answer, she persisted. “Do you think we’ll meet up again somewhere?”
“We can only ho—”
A familiar rumbling sound came from down the throat of the tunnel. Already she could feel the walls and floor vibrating.
“Kyber!”
He grabbed her arm, lifting her onto her feet, and pushed her ahead of him.
“Run, Kelen!”
“Where?”
“Run!”
Chapter 17
Discovery
“I can’t see!”
She floundered in the darkness, unable to see the walls, unable to tell if the tunnel was straight or curving. Kyber grabbed her arm and took the lead. She was hard-pressed to keep up with him, but the trembler making the corridor unstable pumped more adrenalin into her system. Kyber couldn’t see in total darkness, but she knew his senses were more astute than hers and would help her avoid running into the rock.
