Wrath of the Carnelians (Europa)

by Jason Gehlert

  Commander Thaddeus Kaspar sucked in a coarse plume of smoke and coughed himself into a dizzy spell of impatience, waiting for the right time to rescue Gillian and Shaw.

  PART III

  Army of Darkness

  Inside the downtrodden cell, an unrecognizable language was scribbled across the cave’s walls. The rather large cell, had seen better days. Once used as shelter for the previous race’s scientists and educators, these dank rooms were now reserved for the prisoners. The awkward plan of Perrine Malnoir and her unsteady boyfriend, Brigadier Kenneth Black served the Carnelian’s ambitious purpose: total domination of the galaxy, and beyond.

  Black’s fingers released the tight grip on Shaw and sent the Lieutenant sprawling onto the cold, dirt floor of the cell. Perrine ushered in Gillian to the next cell over, adjacent to Shaw’s, the whole time chanting some sort of prayer to their leader’s impending arrival.

  His eyes flickered back and forth, attempting to shake off the brutal concussion he had received earlier at the hands of Black.

  A soft whispering could be heard, and Shaw redirected all of his energy, picking up what they were saying. His ears managed to pick up most of their discussion:

  “I’m telling you, the girl’s carrying His baby,” Perinne’s voice sternly indicated.

  “What’s the plan then?” Black asked.

  “The same as before. We will use the guy as our source, and keep the girl under tight security until the Feast of the Eclipse has arrived.”

  “Our leader will be ready to summon his new army once he arrives,” Black said, “he’s very anxious to see his work.”

  “Soon enough,” Perrine added, “the clone army is nearing completion. Our hybrid soldiers will punish the survivors of this planet, and for that matter, the entire galaxy.”

  “Quick, ready the lab for our new guest,” Perrine urged Black’s immediate action.

  Stirring about, Shaw faintly heard the receding footsteps and braced his back up against the cell door. The makeshift bamboo cage could easily be broken, but at what cost? Shaw had made the assumption that these caves were crawling with not only the Carnelian’s, but Black and his men. And, then there were those charming pets of Black’s resting comfortably at the other end of the cave’s entrance, just waiting for an afternoon snack.

  Shaw, almost back to full strength, as any well-trained Lieutenant would do, sized up the situation and began planning his escape. Turning his head, he noticed Gillian’s motionless body, drenched in blood. “Shit,” he whispered, “Kaspar’s gonna kill me. Jill!” Shaw’s whisper raised to a muted scream. The innocent sound had brought the Doberman’s lurking, entering the large room. “Oh, shit.” Shaw clamped down, and remained silent until the beasts roamed their way back out of the room. “This isn’t good. I need to get to Gillian.” Shaw grew impatient. He glanced around the room. The room was rather large, perhaps half the size of a football field. Shaw could visibly count sixteen cells in the room, four of which had occupants. His cell, Gillian’s cell, a cell on Shaw’s right that had several people in it, and then the other one on the other side of Gillian’s and the furthest from Shaw. Inside that cell, an elderly man roamed about, looking around and smelling the stench in the musty air. The other twelve cells were either open, or closed shut, but had no prisoners. Each cell had a hook hanging from the cave’s ceiling, and each floor the remaining cell’s were covered in streaky trails of human blood.

  “This place,” the old man’s gruff words pierced Shaw’s ears. “It will consume you.”

  “Don’t listen to his crazy ranting,” the woman said. Her faded blond hair, stood perfectly in place. Her age was deterred by her healthy outlook, tanned skin and fierce bite.

  “I’m sorry,” Shaw started, “I’m a bad day.”

  “You?” The other woman chimed in, she was at least thirty years younger than the other woman. The younger of the two women had broader shoulders, green eyes, and long brown hair.

  With a quick mental snap, Shaw easily made the unique distinction between Bud and the younger woman. Shaw’s mind went to overdrive, taking notice of the two women, the three-year-old boy, and the man. “I think I know who you people are,” he said.

  “You know who we are?” The older woman inquired.

  “I ran into someone from Apollo’s crash, a certain Marine.”

  Their faces grew with splendid grins. “He’s alive!” The younger woman exhaled the words.

  “Bud Stephens, that’s his name.” Shaw finally came up with the name. “And, let me tell you, he’s a very stubborn man, strong-willed and determined on finding his family.”

  “Where is he now?” The older woman, who Shaw had now decided was the wife, asked for her husband’s whereabouts.

  “Last time I saw him, we were ambushed by that prick with the Doberman’s,” Shaw said, “Oh, I’m sorry about the language.” He caught himself and motioned over towards the young toddler.

  “What’s your name?” She asked. “I’m Susan.”

  “Lieutenant Shaw and that mighty fine lady over there, is Gillian Shea. We have one more survivor from the Abagail, a Commander Thaddeus Kaspar. Which last time I saw him, he and your husband were together, and alive.”

  “I’m Trisha, and this is my son Tyler, and my husband Joe. Our other son, Logan was placed on Athena, and hopefully will arrive shortly. He’s the medical officer on board.”

  “Wow, you do like to space out the family,” Shaw said with a short grin.

  “Got a problem with that pal?” Joe’s voice raised and brought in the eagle-eared Doberman’s.

  “Nah, whatever makes you happy. I’m a Lieutenant and I tend to analyze everyone and every situation. A force of habit.”

  “So what’s our plan?” Susan asked in a soft voice attempting to withdraw attention away from the lurking dogs.

  “This entire planet’s going to be overrun by those creatures, and I don’t intend to be the one holding the shitty end of the stick when that happens.” Shaw again caught himself. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. He’s sleeping right now,” Trisha gently combed her son’s hair with the tips of her fingers.

  “Do you know the layout of this place? I heard something about a laboratory when they brought me in here,” Shaw quizzed the group, hoping for an answer. “And, these empty cells, freaky stuff for sure.”

  “They never made it,” the old man’s voice again stirred the pot.

  “Did I ask you?” Shaw titled his head and sternly voiced his opinion.

  “I’m your only chance at survival,” the man’s voice again ruffled Shaw’s feathers.

  “How so?”

  “I’ve been inside the research laboratory. They’ve done experiments on me, hoping I hung myself like the others did to end their deep-rooted misery and pain.” He twisted his head sideways, towards the naked, bloody hooks swinging from the cell’s. The man opened his mouth and snarled back at the Doberman’s who were passing by his cell. The man’s incisor teeth were elongated and sharpened at the tips. The dog’s quietly whimpered away from the cell and never dared to return.

  “What was that all about?” Shaw asked.

  “I’ve been changed inside, no about that,” the older man continued, “I am part of their race, and I’m tempted to press one those hooks against the side of my temple and ending my personalized torment.”

  “Why don’t you then?” Susan interceded. “I can’t take his rambling any more.”

  “I can get you out, I know these caves inside and out,” he said.

  “How so?” Shaw asked. “Were you part of the Apollo?”

  “No, I am not.”

  “Well, you certainly didn’t fly on the Abagail with us,” Shaw surmised. “And the Amity crashed back on Europa. So, explain yourself.”

  The elder reached out his scraped hands and clasped the bamboo gate in front of him. His long white beard swirled down his chin and dangled above his chest. His dark eyes were sullen deep pockets of blackness recessed into
his withered skin. The man’s clothing ripped, torn, and stretched out across his jaundiced, medium-sized frame. Shaw professionally collected all this information processing the man’s arduous torture and realizing this man’s friendship in their fight could be a possible.

  “I am the last remaining archetype of a civilization that has long been eliminated by the Carnelians thousands of years ago,” his words shattered Shaw’s concept of reality.

  Simon’s word lingered throughout the crowd, as the finality of the Carnelian’s sacrificial contribution had settled in. Stepping aside from the wooden podium, Simon ushered his way to Captain Page.

  “That was a bit over the top, was it not?” Kaspar issued his stern opinion of Simon’s over hyped theatrics.

  “I admit,” Simon paused as Page handed over a cigar, “I might’ve went for the jugular a bit too soon.” Simon sliced off the cigar’s end and whetted the other end with his mouth.

  “What’s your plan? Bore them to death with your lazy rhetoric?” Kaspar bristled. “We need to find my friends, and fast.”

  “God will lead us to them,” Simon sucked in the cigar’s deadly venom.

  “Before or after we find their dead bodies?” Kaspar lurched at Simon.

  “They feed during the darkest hours,” Simon said, blowing a ring of smoke.

  Kaspar impatiently swiped the cigar out of Simon’s mouth, and flicked it at the roaring bonfire to his right. “Now that I have your undivided attention,” Kaspar said.

  Undeterred, Simon looked up at the night sky. “And, the heavens will rip apart sending its unbecoming raining down on us. And, caught in that torrential rainstorm of dejected souls, a new Archangel will be unleashed,” Simon recited his favorite preaching from his Carolina parish.

  “What are you chatting about now?” Kaspar growled. He picked up on Simon’s line of vision.

  Bud and Page deterred from their own lazy course of action and peered up at the turbulent night sky.

  “It’s time.” Simon’s eyes grew wider, his pupils dilated to the point of bursting. His lips kept reciting the same exact phrase over and over again.

  “This man’s lost his marbles,” Kaspar said, “I don’t see anything up there.”

  “There!” Bud shouted. “There it is!”

  “Holy Mother of God,” Page’s cigar slipped from his lower lip as the Captain stared in bewilderment at the skies.

  The four men watched in horror as the clouds parted way, falling victim to the screaming, hurtling object. Each one turned their heads eastward, following the weird object’s trajectory across the horizon.

  “That’s,” Bud began.

  “A mighty big,” Page continued.

  “Spacecraft,” Simon seemingly finished the terrifying word sentence.

  Kaspar had already reached in his pocket, withdrawing a pocket sized pair of binoculars. “Guys,” he firmly said. “That’s not just a spacecraft,” he continued. Kaspar watched as the white letters slowly came in clearer focus: ATHENA. “I can’t believe it. It’s Athena.”

  “I’m sorry,” Shaw said, “I’m a bit old school, so forgive if I don’t understand the words that are coming out of your mouth.”

  “He said he’s a survivor,” Susan added.

  “I got that,” Shaw’s voice became snippy. “How? What’s your name? And, why should any of us trust you?”

  “My name’s Anstice Van Argus,” the old man said, “and, why should any of us trust you?” He re-directed the question back at the Lieutenant.

  “Ah, because I was captured,” Shaw attempted logic.

  “He does offer a good point,” Susan once again added her two-cents worth.

  “He could have allowed himself to be captured,” Anstice said.

  “Anyway,” Shaw interrupted the dizzying merry-go-round of conversation. “The fact of the matter is, we are all stuck in a freakish bizarre land, and we need a plan if we are going to survive.”

  “I agree,” Anstice applauded Shaw’s speech, “I’ve beaten these aliens before, and I can certainly kick their scrawny blue assess one more time.”

  Axis Of Evil

  “How did you survive?” Shaw quizzed Anstice’s interesting story.

  “When this planet was populated thousands of years ago, we lived in harmony, peace.”

  “With the aliens?”

  “No, no, no.” Anstice waved his hand. “We were a simple farming community. Strict laws, curfews, and devotion to family. Our race was called the Genesian’s.”

  “From the word genesis, meaning creation.” Shaw then turned his attention back to Anstice. “So, what happened?” Shaw asked him.

  “These freakish outlanders crashed on our planet,” he continued. “They looked just like us. Normal. You know, two eyes, a nose, mouth, really pointy ears, a heart, twelve fingers, and fourteen toes.”

  “Well, almost similar,” Shaw cracked wise. He finally noticed Anstice’s twelve fingers.

  “My herd, or tribe, welcomed these new strangers, offering them food, shelter and a place to rest until we could figure out their situation.”

  “And then?” Susan interceded.

  “Then? Then, it all went freakishly horrible.”

  “I can only guess.”

  “When we found the original race, there were only four, maybe five of them,” he said, while he wrapped his fingers around the bamboo cage. After the sun went down, other’s came from the sky. And, these people that we had taken in, opened their mouths and out poured thousands of these little critters. Within days, our entire planet was engulfed with this new race. They wiped out everyone.”

  “Why?” Shaw asked.

  “Why?” He mocked. “They were fucking hungry I guess.”

  “Language?” Shaw asked politely nodding his head toward the three-year-old. “Watch the tart tongue.”

  “How did you survive?” Susan asked.

  “We were forced to the caves, where the final battle took place. It happened on the Feast of the Eclipse,” he recalled the bloody battle. “The sky rained fire, killing most of our people and the aliens. Some of the Carnelian’s retreated from the planet in several small ships, built by our own bloody hands, I might add. My people eventually decayed and eroded from dehydration, hunger, and diseases.”

  “They overwhelmed your race?” Shaw prioritized the storyline.

  “Once inside the caves, we fought bitterly, bravely, and heroically,” he reminisced. “Three of us were forced into the lab, and it was only because my friend sacrificed his life, that I was able to energize the cryo-chamber.

  “Like Walt Disney,” Trisha added.

  “Or, Han Solo,” Shaw said, shaking his finger. “I bet he was frozen just like Solo.”

  “Who are these people you speak of?” Anstice asked.

  “Uh,” Shaw fumbled for words. “Heroes, heroes from our planet.”

  “Can they help us?”

  “Uh,” Shaw again foraged for the right words. “They lived a long time ago.”

  “I see. Are they considered revered legends?”

  “You could say that.” Shaw peeked over at Gillian. She was still motionless, however, her wounds had almost completely healed.

  “This Feast of the Eclipse was their shining moment.” He stared at the swinging hooks. “I’m telling you, they will not stop until they rule everything and wipe the rest of your people.”

  “How did you survive for so long?”

  “The cryo-chamber maintained my vitals, and when they returned, they accidentally thawed my chamber. Once that happened, Perrine and her monsters performed experiments on me, over and over again.”

  “Are you sure you can get us out of here?” Shaw studied the grisly contents. “I can honestly say that I’ve never been in a worse situation than this.”

  “Your friend also has one of those things inside her.”

  “Gillian?” Shaw said.

  “Her wounds have all healed, and the only way that is possible, is if she has a Carnelian inside of her
.”

  “But how? She’s been under my watch the entire trip.”

  “This race has a simplistic caste system. King and Queen at the top,” Anstice couldn’t finish his sentence.

  “A king you say?” Shaw asked again.

  “Yeah, and a queen is usually handpicked,” he said.

  “How do you know of all this?”

  “When they were reading my brain, and torturing me, I also returned the favor. Mind reading can be a two-way street. They spent so much time in studying me, that they never once thought that I could also be doing the same thing to them.”

  “So, what have you learned?” Shaw asked Anstice.

  “Once the king selects his queen, then they form their super armies, made out of human hosts,” his voice shrilled at the sound of it.

  “Adrian did have a chance when all heck broke loose aboard the craft.”

  “Adrian?” Anstice said, twisting his head. “He’s the chosen one isn’t he?”

  “Chosen one?”

  “They talk of his arrival.”

  “I killed him,” Shaw said, “I personally killed him.”

  “He survived.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “These aliens are part of a collective pool of conscious thoughts and insights. Anyone exposed to them can tap into their library of knowledge.”

  “And Adrian’s an alien.”

  “Worse, he’s the leader. And, by the guess of it, your friend here has been chosen as his queen.”

  “Which means what? A shotgun wedding?” Shaw’s demeanor became irritable.

  “No.”

  “Oh, thank God.”

  “It means, she’s carrying his child. And, according to what I can gather,” he continued, “if she survives, and gives birth, this child will be the ultimate warrior, leader, and hybrid.”

  “Anyway to stop her from giving birth?”

  “Not really,” Anstice said, “but, if you can kill this Adrian, and keep her safe, there’s a chance the child can be taught the powers of good, rather than evil. When this child reaches maturity, he/she will become their next leader, and then the entire galaxy will be defenseless.”

  “This all sounds like a corny Will Smith flick,” Shaw griped. “And, I have to kill Adrian, again?”