by Ian Woodhead
Villas grinned at Barnaby. “Did you hear that? A Danu thinks you're upset. You Argo freaks are the real enemy here.”
Barnaby lifted his pistol, only for Todd to slam his hand on the man's wrist, forcing the gun to fall to the deck. Villas crouched, he scooped up the weapon and gave it back to Barnaby.
“I find it funny that you all tried to convert me to the cause of Ryan when this freak here was the one you should have focussed on.”
“This is just a sideshow,” muttered Barnaby. “The real war is coming. The saurons will unite and wipe us out, both the Danu and the humans, it's inevitable.”
Villas so wished he hadn't given the gun back to this man now. “Save all your cultist nonsense for the brain-washed idiots who actually follow all that rubbish.” Barnaby pointed his weapon at the pilot then took a step back. “I would say it's been a pleasure but it hasn't. Watching you all being so agreeable to that filthy Velicion has made me sick. Don't try to follow me or I will kill you all.” He spun around and ran towards the young soldiers.
“That's the last we'll see of him.”
He shook his head. “Doubtful, the Sons of Argo have members everywhere, especially with the young.” He turned to the pilot. “Shall we see if our Velicion friend has found us that way out of here?”
Villas helped the pilot move forward while Todd covered their rear. The three continued along this empty stretch of corridor for several seconds until Todd stopped. He placed his hand on Villas's shoulder and pulled him around.
“I'm confused. Leaving your post. That I can understand. I have not known you long but in that time, you've never struck me as a trusted and brave individual.” He held up his hand when Villas opened his mouth. “No, let me finish. The confusing bit is I expected you to run off, not Barnaby.”
He recalled Ryan casually mentioning to them earlier, that his friend used to be some kind of warrior priest who also had a great talent for being able to understand people. What annoyed him Villas more than the naked accusation is that the bluelander's talent hadn't deserted him. Villas really should have been the one to run off.
“My friend, perhaps you should not judge in only two shades? It is quite possible that our companion of rather questionable morality is being influenced by the spirit of Taylish.”
“You know, there are occasions when I'm not sure whether you're joking.” replied Todd.
Villas felt a cold shiver go down his spine. The very thought of some long dead Danu warrior deciding to set up a room inside his head was, quite frankly, utterly insane, but perhaps there was something, an outside presence trying to control his actions? He'd heard tales from all three species about individuals with talents that went beyond the normal sphere of recognised senses.
He took a single step away from these two freaks. Took a good long hard look at himself then mentally scolded himself for actually starting to believe such rubbish. “We need to find out where that idiotic Velicion went before the two factions converge on our position again.” He hadn't heard any weapons fire for a few moments now and wanted to take the lack of noise that perhaps those freaks have decided to fight each other far away from them.
“I still don't understand why you left your post, Villas.”
He opened his mouth, all set to agree with Todd about him being a bit a self-serving coward. In fact, he was sure the words were already out until he heard himself say. “They were just kids. To kill them would be like murdering humanity's future. Believe me, our trivial differences will be set aside when our real enemy gets here. We are going go need every soldier available for when the time comes.”
Todd grabbed him. “What are you on about, Villas?”
He shrugged the man's fists off his clothes. “What is wrong with you? I don’t…” he stopped in mid-sentence. “Sorry. No idea were that came from.”
The Danu pilot's face broke into a very rare smile. “You truly have been touched, Villas. This really is the time to rejoice.”
“What enemy?” asked Todd. “You mean the marauders?”
The Danu stayed silent. Villas didn't believe his statement did mean those green-skinned bastards just as he believed that pilot knew exactly who this 'real enemy' are. Another aggressive alien invader perhaps? He shuddered at the idea of something else out there possibly worse than the Marauders.
Who knew what could be out there? The humans didn't that's for sure. As far as he was aware, no human had ever gone beyond their own star system. No human made ship had the capability to travel between the stars. Only the Danu and the Velicions had that technology and they weren't in any rush to share. Not that it would make any difference. Thanks to the Marauders, nobody was going anywhere. The two older terrestrial races were stuck here.
Villas had spent a large percentage of his relatively short life locked up. The Triumvirate believed in rehabilitation. After all, a man in prison was a man not helping the war effort by becoming one more casualty against the enemy. He had access to the entire Triumvirate library, so Villas read. He had no intention of allowing anyone to rehabilitate him but he knew he needed to at least show willing. That way, they'd leave him alone. Besides, it gave him something to do.
Villas never had much of an education, so it came as a surprise to learn that, until a few hundred years ago, apart from the blue world, the solar system was devoid of life. He had known that all beltborn originally came from the blue world but he never knew the two other races had left, nor had he known that his ancestors were responsible for bringing them back. He learned a lot from the prison's electronic library.
Both species arrived back in their home system, a few months after the joint human marines were finally able to take control of the ancient Martian base after weeks of vicious fighting between them and the Mech defenders, Casualties were heavy but, once the generals entered the base and discovered its treasures, they thought the deaths were so worth it. The texts told of factions inside the fragile human taskforce getting ready to take the advanced technology for their own nation states, they were prepared to fight with nukes to fulfil their goals. How they were able to stay together for those few months defies all logic.
By the time of their arrival, the humans had integrated their own technology with the base systems and had control of about half the base, including the hanger bays where they found a dozen ships all hundreds of years more advanced than anything they possessed.
The numerous hidden agendas all came to an abrupt end when long range sensors detected a huge energy outburst close to Saturn. The telescopes showed a small fleet of city-sized ships, leaving a previously undetected artificial structure, orbiting the planet. It didn't take them long to work out that they were heading straight for Mars. The energy signatures were similar to the Mech defenders, making the human scientists believe that the original base builders were back to reclaim what was rightfully theirs.
The humans sent every ship they had to try to stop the new arrivals from reaching Mars. They all temporarily lost main power moments before contact and resumed once the alien craft had passed them. The same loss of power happened to the hastily assembled weapons platforms when the fleet took up stationary orbit above the planet.
Villas imagined those primitive humans must have thought their lives had come to an end. From what he'd read, the humans from that time period were aggressive, paranoid and quick to jump to the wrong conclusion. Not exactly ideal attributes to possess when meeting a technological superior new species. These 'flawed' attributes appeared in all their glory upon the first physical contact
The Danu made the first steps. Their gentle looking faces, appealing for calm, stating they only want peace with the next terrestrial species to leave the blue planet and we're eager to meet in person.
One of their beautiful ships gently landed in the crowded hanger bay. Representatives from the three human nation states were there to greet them, along with their honour guards. The doors opened and three Danu, dressed in their standard one-piece white uniform walked down the ramp.
Several huge, heavily armoured Velcions, carrying terrifying looking weapons followed them.
Nobody knew which human fired the first shot, not that it mattered much in the end. The resulting firefight and subsequent slaughter triggered the start of a much larger conflict. The fighting spread like wildlife. Instead of the new arrivals uniting the humans, in had the opposite effect. The simmering tensions amongst rival nation states finally exploded. The Danu and Velicion could only watch in shock and disbelief as the human savages turned their ancestral home into a nuclear wasteland.
The human still continued to fight each other as well as the two older races. Villas pondered what might have happened if the jump gates hadn’t activated once more? The humans obviously thought the older races had called for reinforcements but something much worse had entered the system. The Marauders had arrived.
The sight of the returning Velicion running towards them broke Villas out of his muse. It felt odd to feel a sense of gratitude at seeing the huge sauron heading back. It's fair to say that he'd never trusted their species. Most humans probably felt the same. It made him wonder how the three species would live together if the Marauders were to suddenly vanish. War was the most likely outcome. Which probably meant the end of all terrestrial sentient life. He shuddered to think how the humans would fare against the other two races this time around.
"Ryan is nowhere to be found," said the Velicion. "The cells are empty and so are the holding areas. I fear the Triumvirate might have killed him."
"I suggest we make our way to the hanger." Villas saw Todd 's face darken and prepared himself for the inevitable tirade of insults.
"Still thinking of running out on us?"
Villas shook his head. "The base sensors are offline. Would the same apply to the ships still remaining in the hanger?"
"The human is right," replied the Velicion. "That might work. I believe we have a plan of action."
Villas so wanted that Todd to get on his knees and give him a grovelling apology. Like that was ever going to happen. The bastard didn’t even look at him. Todd was too busy staring at the Danu, like he had anything useful to say. He was too busy being in pain to even notice the current situation... Villas's rabid out of control thoughts came to a sudden stop when he finally saw why not just Todd, but the Velicion was staring at the pilot as well.
The Danu's face was almost bestial. Villas found himself backing away. He'd never seen anything like it before. The Danu looked even scarier than the Velicion. What was wrong with him? The pilot growled and snapped at the Velicion. It was only the sauron's quick instincts which save him from being bit. Like Villas, the Velicion backed away. The pilot then pushed past Todd and raced down the corridor.
"We need to catch him."
"Are you crazy, Villas?"
He shook his head. "You stay here if you want, Todd."
The sauron rested his great paw on Villas's shoulder. "I'll accompany you," he growled. "In case the Danu becomes too violent. I suspect you would not survive the onslaught." He glanced back at Todd. Shelve your shock, my friend. The Danu is in distress and he will need our assistance."
Villas ran after the pilot. The other human wasn't the only one in shock. He had never seen any of their race act so... it took him a moment to realise the word he was struggling to find was human. It wasn't long before he found the pilot. The Danu hadn't relinquished the apparent madness that had taken control of his body.
He crouched against a closed door, whining like a lost carnivore while scratching at the metal. "What's he doing that for?" Villas took a single step towards the Danu only for the Velicion to pull him back.
"Do not approach him. He might look like he has lost that initial aggression but, trust me, that Danu is probably the most dangerous creature in the base right now." He leaned over the Danu's shaking form. "Prepare yourself."
The Velicion punched in an override code into the keypad. The door silently slid open. The Danu screamed out in rage and threw himself inside. Villas ran after him and stopped dead at the sight of two Triumvirate soldiers holding down a Danu female. Their intention was clear. Thankfully, they had interrupted their foul deed before they had chance.
The Velicion gently pulled the female out of the room. While Villas turned away as the pilot tore into the two humans. They stood no chance, the Danu was like a wild bear. He quickly left the room as the stench of hot blood made him feel sick. He had no sympathy for the humans, not at all. In his book, the bastards got what they deserved. His companion, Todd, from the look on his face, Villas believed he wasn't so sure. He grabbed Todd's arm and pulled him away, just in case the Bluelander decided to do something stupid.
“I am sorry, sir, but I do not know where he is.”
“Are you okay?” Villas had already guessed what the Velicion had just asked her, obviously not giving priority over her welfare. The female simply blinked twice.
“Thank you for your concern, human but it is not required. I am undamaged and,” she turned her attention to the doorway and the appearance of the pilot. He stood on the threshold, wiping blood out of his eyes. “The ones who attempted to assault me are neutralised. We should all focus our attention on locating the other Bluelander before it is too late.”
[The other woman is quite right you know, Villas.]
He spun around and saw nobody else. Had he just imagined that?
[No, you didn't imagine me. I am quite real. Well, I was real anyway. Perhaps you need a visual reference?]
Are you inside me?
[Your head really is a mess. Well, it was, I moved a few things about. Oh, don't fret, it's nothing too major. Right, are you ready?]
A faint light-blue image of a human female materialised a few feet from the main group. “Can you see that?”
“See what?” Todd looked at Villas, then at the space he was pointing.”
“I don't know, it's like a hologram or something.
[Describe me to Todd.]
“Describe it,” said the pilot.
“A young human female. Same height as me, medium build, short cropped dark hair,”
Todd looked at the pilot. “He's describing Bernadette.”
[Tell them I know where Ryan is.]
Chapter Sixteen
He hadn't been down this route for a long time. Ryan used to live at the bottom of his steep incline back he moved out to join the priesthood. He lost track of the the times he cursed his parents for sending him to a school right at the top of here. He stopped and turned around. He frowned. Why was he even here?
“This is one of your happy places, Ryan,” said a very familiar voice behind him.
He slowly turned around and saw her sitting on a bench a bit further down the stone cobbled street. She had a crust of bread in her hand. Several small song birds had already sensed the prospect of a free meal and were jostling for space of the floor in front of her feet. “Bernadette? I thought…”
“You thought that I was dead? I am dead, my sweet man. This body is just a digital representation of the me you thought you knew.” She shrugged. “Or at least, I was.” The woman tore pieces from the slice and threw them in front of the birds. “I'm not too sure what I am now. Sure sort of amalgam, I suppose.” She threw the remaining pieces on the floor then slowly stood up. “This is all new territory. Not just for me either. Events are in flux.” Bernadette smiled. “Don't look so nonplussed, my sweet.” Bernadette crossed the distance between then and took his hand. “I want you to be strong for me.”
“What am I doing here? I mean, I get this must be some kind of dream I just don't know why. What happened to me?”
She squeezed his hand a little tighter. “You have to hang on a little longer, my sweet. Help is on the way.” Her soft smile vanished, replaced with a look of utter terror. Bernadette threw her arms around Ryan and squeezed him tight. “Just hold me, my sweet. Think of the great times we had together, and don't look at the shadows.” her voice rose. “Promise not to look at the shadows!”
; “I promise,” he replied, having no idea what she was talking about. Ryan was about to ask her about the relevance of the birds when the agony hit him. He buried his face into her soft hair, trying so hard to follow Bernadette's instructions. The memories rolled through his head, the time she threw ice cream on his bare chest when he refused to rise from the bed after making love, the happy look on her mum's face when he cleaned the table on his first visit to her parent's apartment. Ryan saw them all and yet nothing helped to smother over that agonising sensation of feeling someone of something trying to drill holes into his flesh.
He had to fight back at this invisible enemy. Rolling onto his belly like some subservient dog was not who he was. Despite her express wishes not to look up, Ryan did the opposite, needing to find a target to lash out.
The shadows sensed his gaze and spread out from dark corners, from under shop doorways and out from under benches and cars. They were without form or substance but still full of malice. Not just for him but for anything not fast enough to move out of their way. Four tiny songbirds, oblivious to the threat, only concerned about squabbling over the piece of bread, died, their last song one of total fear, as the shadows flowed over their now still corpses.
“You damn fool!” growled Bernadette. “They are your future, our future. You're not supposed to give them acknowledgement!”
She dragged him away from the fast approaching menace while telling him that Ryan was supposed to suffer through the last of the torture. Her words flew right over his head. He had no idea what any of that meant. Right now, all that mattered was to get the hell away from those things!
He cried out in shock when one of the shadows reached Bernadette. She shrieked once then vanished, leaving him alone. Ryan paused just for a second. That's all it took for every shadow to find purchase. They slivered over his flesh, rushing up towards Ryan's face, the forms converging and melding together. The blackness slipped over his head, crushing and suffocating him. He tried to scream out when it felt like the stuff had pushed a million burning needles through every part of his body. His screams turned into muffled shrieks when the shadows forced its way down Ryan's throat.
