Martian Dragons

by Ian Woodhead

  “Give that that, monkey. Do it now or I shall become more that a little irritated.”

  How the hell did this thing work? Ryan found no trigger mechanism or anything which suggested any other type of firing device.

  “Are you listening to me?” It thundered. The Marauder stepped into the room, followed by its two companions. “Kill them all.”

  Its companions targeted Villas and Barnaby and just before they fired, Ryan saw them push a middle claw into the underside of their weapon. Ryan did the same and the tip of his finger found a small, fleshy nodule. He brought the gun around to face the companion targeting Villas and pressed on the nodule. Ryan shouted out in shock when a stream of energy erupted from the gun and literally melted the Marauder's head. He aimed at the other one and fired. The beam missed due to the surviving Marauders had already run off.

  “We do not have much time,” said the Velicion, jumping up. He ran over to the shattered door. They are easily shocked but will soon return in greater numbers. He looked straight at Ryan. “Thank you for proving to me that my Danu brothers do, on occasion get things right.”

  “We need to get out of here before they come back!” said Barnaby, running over to the door. The Velicion grabbed him. “Not that way. The Danu's saviour had taken out their tracker but there are other means to find us.” He joined Todd at the far wall. “Your fingers brushed over this, you know.” He moved Todd out of the way and tapped out a quick pattern on the wall.

  Ryan heard running fight at the same time as another hidden panel slid back.

  “Hurry,” hissed the Velicion. “We need to exit this room before the Marauders see us leaving!” He grabbed Todd and threw him in, Barnaby and Villas followed next. The Velicion pulled Ryan close. “Watch Villas,” he whispered before he pushed Ryan through. He followed next and slammed the panel shut.

  “My name is Vel-Dragil. I apologise for not introducing myself earlier but it is not our custom to share our names with individuals who do not deserve to hear our warrior name.” He thrust out his right claw. “I believe that it is now the custom for you to shake this for some obscure human reason?”

  Ryan wasn't sure exactly how this whole situation could become any weirder. This giant talking, lizard man who, he presumed, evolved from some kind of therapod carnivorous dinosaur millions of years ago wanted to shake his hand. That alone should have melted his brain circuits. Coupled with the fact that they were now inside the inside of some ancient base while even more lizard men were after them who, unlike Mr Vel-Dragil here, were aliens.

  He gingerly took the lizard's dry hand, trying not to think about one slip of one of his razor sharp claws could quite easily open him up. Ryan took the time to study where this evolved dinosaur had brought them now. This inner cavern was twice the size of the Danu designed corridors that they had just left. He saw no sign of any visible technology either, in fact, if Ryan hadn't already known he would had sworn blind that they were now deep inside some ancient human pyramid. Only rich ambers and deep reds dominated the colour of the rock face. He even spotted strange-looking script engraved into some surfaces. The style reminded him more of Celtic runes than Hieroglyphics. It took a little convincing to remind himself that these sentient creatures had constructed this place millions of years before his species was even a glint in their evolutionary ape parent's eye.

  Ryan wondered what the writing said. His gaze moved off the walls and onto the floor. He saw a number of footprints in the dust. Where had the others gone? He thought they would have at least waited for them. Ryan couldn't work out how he meant about that.

  “Erm, nice to meet you, I guess.” He would have liked to know what all the others had done to Vel-Dragil for him not to reveal his name to any of them. “Vel-Dragil. I think, look, should we not be trying to catch up with the others? I'm not sure that it would be wise for any of us to separate.”

  “Do not worry about that, my friend. This sectional core is restricted to five inner chambers, each one intersecting in the middle. To reach any of the outer sections and junction zones which connect to the other sectional cores require access codes as well as door location points. None of which are available to the other two Terrestrial species. They will not be far.”

  He cocked his head to one side. “That is not right,” he muttered. Vel-Dragil ran back over to the panel which had brought them here and pressed the side of his head to the wall. “These Marauders have not left. They are in the process of looking for the entrance. This is not their usual behavour. They should have given up by now and left.” He rejoined Ryan. “This is not good.”

  “They can't get us in here, can they?”

  “We had better find the others, Ryan. I am afraid they can. The material the Danu used to cover the shell is incredibly tough but the Marauders possess quite an arsenal of terrifying and powerful weaponry. Come, we must go.”

  “Wait,” he said. “Where are they so eager to get to you?”

  “It is not me, Ryan. I am sorry, but you are their target. Now, please, we should depart from this location right now.”

  He shook his head. “Are you sure? They didn’t even look twice at me. It seems that all their attention was on you.”

  “Their genetic conditioning cannot be ignored, Ryan. We are like them, their great enemy. Outward behaviour does not guarantee their true purpose. Remember this. Not all sentient behave as humans do.”

  Ryan jumped at the sound of something heavy thudding against the panel before he raced over to Vel-Dragil. “If that’s the case, we didn't they capture me? They have us in their grasp. I’m sorry, but I still got the impression that those guys weren't even aware that we, I mean us humans, were even in the same room as them.”

  His companion didn't answer Ryan's question. He asked again and this time, Vel-Dragil asked him to keep quiet. The large creature suddenly stopped and brushed his claw tips along one of the deep red stones. He raced along the stone-clad corridor before stopping again and repeating the action. “Ryan, please, come here. This is very important!”

  “Vel-Dragil, where are the others? You said they couldn't be all that far away.”

  “That is the problem. They are no longer in here.”

  “You said that was impossible!” He jumped back when Vel-Dragil rushed straight for him. Ryan managed to duck, he reached for the Danu gun, only to find that it was no longer there! He must have dropped it along the corridor. The Huge lizard reached the spot where he had just moved from. Vel-Dragil slammed both of his claws against the wall. Three runes beside Ryan glowed a deep orange. It then dawned on him that the lizard man wasn't trying to murder him after all.

  “We are betrayed,” he growled. Vel-Dragil spun around. One of the other humans or perhaps all of them are holding secrets known only to the great race.” He stormed over to another wall and slid three claws across the surface. Vel-Dragil muttered to himself while his claws danced over the stone. More of the runes began to glow.

  “What is going on. Please just tell me what's happening!”

  “Is that not plainly obvious? Is that not...” The huge lizard broke off in mid-sentence. He sniffed the air then growled again. “One of them are close.”

  The hairs on the back of Ryan's neck stood up at the sound of this creature's deep growl and the primitive, mammal part of his mind, calmly explained to its captive audience that he now stood next to an organism which hunted and ate living animals, probably not too dissimilar to Ryan.

  “The traitorous worm should die.” The Velicion fell on all fours and raced along the corridor. Much to Ryan's utter shock, he found himself running after him, despite knowing that in Vel-Dragil's present state, Ryan's chance of coming out of this alive had dropped to almost non-existent.

  “You need to slow down!” he shouted. Aware that even if this killer didn't spin around and turn him into a shredded carcass, Ryan would likely die down here without his help. Vel-Dragil didn't slow down, but he had managed to catch up. Ryan said a silent prayer before he grabbed
the creature's tail and gave it a savage tug.

  They both landed in a pile of limbs. Ryan found himself face to face with a pair of blazing red eyes and a jaw full of razor sharp teeth which looked poised to rip off his face. “Calm down!” He yelled. Dial back on those emotions. At least until we find the others. You said one of them were still in here? Fine, let's find whoever it is together, and take it from there, okay?”

  Some of the bright light in those lantern eyes dimmed ever so slightly, enough for Ryan to believe that his words had actually sunk through that thick hide. Vel-Dragil climbed off Ryan and stood back to allow him to stand up. “You said this part of the section wasn't too large. So, where is he? Help me understand here.

  The Velicion simply shook his head. He spun around and marched away. “Follow me, human, and I will show you.”

  That had to be a bad sign. Vel-Dragil called him human instead of his proper name. Would the next stage involve Vel-Dragil calling him dinner before pushing a long wooden pole up between his legs and eating him like a kebab?

  “Here you go,” he announced, proudly. “There is our traitor!” Vel-Dragil stood over a pile of filthy clothing, he leaned down and spun the body onto his back.

  Ryan reached the pair of them, crouched in front of the body, wiped off some thick dust away and looked into the unconscious face of Todd. He didn't even look alive, that proved not to be the case when he checked the man's pulse. It was there but not very strong.

  “This is your traitor is it, Vel-Dragil? He's not even conscious.” Ryan ripped off some material from his sleeve, used a splash of water from his flask and wiped away as much of the dust as he could. Ryan heard a distant explosion but pushed that ominous sound away, focusing only to bring Todd around. He poured a tiny amount precious water over Todd's lips, sighing with relief when the tip of the man's tongue pushed through them.

  “Todd, come on, man. You need to snap out of it!” he looked up at the Velicion then back the way they came. It didn't take much to connect that explosion to the Marauders finally breaking in here.

  The man groaned quietly then coughed. Ryan sat him up. “What happened to you?”

  It took him a few seconds to respond.

  “Villas. It was that Villas.” Todd turned and gazed at Ryan's side. “He stole your Gun.”

  “Why? He already told me that I'm the only non Danu who could fire the thing, or was he lying about that?”

  Todd shook his head, then groaned in pain. “I shouldn't have done that. It didn't matter, Villas simply hit me with it instead.”

  “We must leave this place right now,” said Vel-Dragil. What time we gained will be lost if we do not move.”

  Ryan nodded, then struggled to lift Todd up. “Why did he hit you?”

  Todd shrugged. “I don't know. When he realised that the Marauders weren't going to kill him after all, he seemed to revert to his former jolly self again. Once we crossed over the threshold and were a good few metres from the opening, I then saw something, a knowing look, I guess, which passed between him and Barnaby and then.” he sighed. “And then, I guess the bastard whacked me.”

  The sound of those running feet drew nearer and nearer. “Can you get us out of here?”

  The Velicion nodded. “Of course. There is an opening right next to your head, Ryan.”

  He rushed over to them and Ryan silently congratulated himself for not flinching. “Then get it open!”

  “We are not leaving this way.”

  “Have you gone insane?” he snapped. You are the one who said we had little time left. Why can't we go that way?”

  “It is quite simple. This wasn't the route the other two humans used to escape.” He grabbed the almost comatose Todd and casually slung him over his shoulder. “Follow me, Ryan. I think I know which route they took.”

  Vel-Dragil ran forward then took a swift left, into a smaller, narrower corridor, just as Ryan heard the sound of the excited voices of their pursuers. They had spotted them! He forced down a yelp when one of their energy bolts slammed into the wall above him. Ryan threw himself into the corridor, hoping that the big lizard could get them out of here before the aliens ended them all.

  The Velicion came to a sudden stop, dropped Todd on the ground then danced his claws over the stone. “Yes, this it the one they used. I can still sense their taint on the stone. They shall pay for this treachery. Mark my words.”

  “That’s great, it really is Now, will you get that fucking door open, you big ugly lizard!” he snapped. “They're almost on us!”

  Vel-Dragil's claws completed the circuit and a large panel slid back. He grabbed Todd's shoulder and dragged him into the light. Ryan raced though the closing gap. He took a deep breath. “Thank you. I owe you my life, again.” he bent down in front of Todd and gently shook him. “Oh no. This is not good at all. He's not responding, Vel-Dragil. We need a medic.”

  The Velicion picked up Todd again and threw his now limp body over his shoulder. “The only medics currently inside this base right now belong to the species who are looking for you. The humans, Danu and my kind are no longer in the base.”

  “We need to do something for Todd!” He had slept through his field medical training all those years ago but even Ryan, with his limited knowledge knew his friend was suffering from a concussion. The cold clammy skin and shallow breathing told him that much, and he didn't think a basic first aid kit would be of any help in this situation. “Does this place have a hospital or anything similar?”

  Vel-Dragil froze. “I can hear footsteps. Somebody is coming,” he announced. We cannot stay here, Ryan as there are no weapon lockers close by.” He laid Todd on the floor and stepped back a couple of paces. “Don't just stand there Ryan. You must follow me.”

  “"What? No! Are you even listening to what I'm saying? He's going to die if we don't get him medical help.”

  “I heard your words. He is going to die anyway, human and you will join him if you do not come with me.”

  The footsteps grew louder. Ryan hurried over to Todd. He didn't care what the giant lizard said or did. He wasn't going to leave the man to die. “Take it easy, my friend,” he said. Ryan took his hand. Shocked at how cold it was. Vel-Dragil's reasoning couldn't be faulted, however much he hated it. Todd would not survive this and neither would he if Ryan didn't get out of here. Yet, when he glanced up, he saw that Vel-Dragil had not moved.

  “I do not detect the foul taint of a Marauder.”

  Ryan kept hold of Todd's hand. It didn't matter if the Velicion was right or not, he still wasn't going to leave. A long shadow announced the presence of the newcomer. Ryan gasped when the Danu pilot raced around the corner and stopped dead, his face white with shock.

  “By the grace of Lady Light. You are still alive, human. How can this be?” His face changed for the worse at the sight of Todd's body. He rushed over and kneeled by Ryan. “This is a tragedy. What fiendish plot put him into this dire situation?”

  “Some slimy worm, hit him on the back of the head with a gun,” growled Ryan. "I think he's got concussion.” He turned to the pilot. “Tell me you know how to save him!”

  “I do possess the standard Danu med kit but I will not be able to use that.”

  “You are kidding me, right? I thought you and Todd were the best of pals. What is wrong with you?” The Pilot now looked as though Ryan had just told the guy the worst news in the world, but he didn't care. Todd couldn't die.

  “I am so sorry, but you do not understand. I am not sure that our medicine will even work on humans. The nanomodules are only programmed to repair damaged Danu anatomy. There is also the sacred law of allowing lesser lifeforms to interact with our technology.”

  It took a great deal of effort not to punch the patronising hairless elf. “Now you listen here,” he said through gritted teeth. “If you ever call me a lesser lifeform again, you'll be spitting out broken teeth.” He glared at the Danu. “You know something? You guys have a real problem with the sharing of information!” Ryan li
fted Todd's arm and dropped it onto the Danu's knee. “You are responsible for his life. Do you really think you'll be able to cope if he dies while knowing that you could have saved him?”

  “The pain I feel at the thought of my fiend dying is more servere than you could possibley understand. But we are not the same species, meaning that the the nanomodules will not understand! They might allow him to live for a few seconds before he dies anyway, or they might unintentionally create an amalgam. Of course, this is improbable but the risk still exists, hence the reason for sacred law.”

  “Fine, then he dies.” snapped Ryan.

  The Danu stared at Ryan before letting out a very human sigh. “This is so not a good idea,” muttered the pilot.

  He reached into a white leather pouch by his hip and pulled out a matt grey cube. Ryan almost snatched it out of his fingers, believing it to be another explosive device. Vel-Dragil grabbed his arm before he could.

  “It is not what you think it is,” murmured the Velicion.

  “There. It is done,” said the Danu, standing up. “The nanomodules are now in his bloodstream. They will attempt to repair the damage. Ryan. You must pray that our anatomy is a close enough match or.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or you might not like the end result.” he replied sighing. “His life is now in the gentle palm of our Lady Light. It is up to her what will become of him.” His gaze found Ryan's “Listen to me. It is crucial that no more is said about what transpired here. Do you understand?”

  He nodded "Fine, whatever.

  The Velicion leaned over Todd and gently pulled his head up. “I can see the colour returning to his flesh already. That is a good sign. He then pulled him up and slung Todd over his back. “The other mammals must be trying to reach the spaceport while avoiding all the Marauder patrols. Like cowards, all they care is saving their own skins. When I locate them, they will wish the Marauders found them first.” he peeled back his black lips and growled deep. “I am going to eat their eyes. Come, both of you. We need to move.”