“Through there!” Gustoff said, pointing at a bunch of loose rocks. Loose rocks that were allowing rays of light through the cracks. Randy began to tear at the rocks. Chucking them to the floor, letting more light flood in.
As he removed the rocks, a passageway was revealed. But they couldn’t quite see through it. There was too much light. Randy could feel the heat hitting his skin. It was a pleasant sensation. The cave had become so cold that Randy noticed his skin was slightly blue. He turned to Timson, his lips were also blue. He smiled at the Earth man and gestured at him.
“You’re the one with the gun, might as well be the first one through. I’ll be right behind you,” Gustoff said, still gesturing.
Timson nodded his head. He then reached for his gun, and aimed it directly in front of him. With two deep breaths, he walked through the passageway. His body disappeared into the ray of light. And Randy closely followed. Both of them were now officially off the beaten track.
Randy couldn’t see much, not even Timson in front of him. His eyes were stinging because of the brightness of the light. But after a few seconds, his eyes finally adjusted. Timson came into frame. His back to Randy. But he wasn’t moving. Not an inch. Both his hands were at his sides. The gun he was holding was now on the floor. Gustoff heard it clanging off some rocks. He was just about to ask Timson if he was okay when he saw it. It was right in front of him. Metres away. Gleaming. The sun above was hammering against it. Rays of light bouncing off it. Randy could see the sky. Birds circled it as if it was a dead carcass in the desert. But this thing wasn’t living nor was it breathing. But it could mean the difference between the people of the colony living or breathing ever again.
“How the hell did this get here?” Randy said. Timson turned toward him, his face pale white. He was in shock. But a smile still managed to creep across his wide jaw.
“What’s the matter Randy? Never seen a spaceship before?”
L.D.P. Samways
Second Earth:
Part Five
Season Finale
Chapter One
Commander Williams stared at the men and women around him. The small storage room they’d been marooned in was beginning to appear smaller. The walls were starting to creep their way toward the mass of people in the middle of the room. At least that’s what it felt like to the Commander. He wasn’t usually claustrophobic, but it seemed as if stepping foot on the Orion Traveler had given him a new flaw to deal with. While most men grew through desperate times and equally desperate measures, it seemed that this particular situation was stunting him. It was allowing an illness to sweep into the core of his soul and spoil it black. This illness wasn’t only affecting him though, it was also present in the men and women that surrounded the Commander, and Williams could see it as clear as day.
This illness was different than the so-called blackness that roamed the ship. It had no kinship to the darkness that surrounded him and the people in the room. The sickness in their eyes was brought on by despair. It was suffocating the lot of them, and if the Commander didn’t do anything about it soon, then the reality of getting off the Orion Traveler would prove to only be a pipedream.
They couldn’t allow fear to let its poisonous talon-like fingers grip them. They couldn’t allow it to strangle their faith. If they were to survive this, then the goodness inside them would have to prevail. A goodness that allows a man or woman to hope. A goodness that drives men to do extraordinary things. Things that leave others breathless in their wake. It was paramount that Williams instilled that sort of faith in them. With that faith, they’d be able to face the unknowns that lay in wait for them on the other side of the heavy steel door, the same door that was keeping the terrible darkness at bay, a darkness that had destroyed the entirety of his team.
“This is it, people. We have come to a crossroads in our little adventure here. A crossroads that will define us. It is through the special moments in our lives that end up dictating where we end up in the end, and it is moments like this that will lead us to our destiny. I know that a lot of you are scared right now, and make no mistake about it, so am I. I’m no different than any of you in this room. I bleed and I fear for my life, just like you. But the difference between me and you is simple; I came on this ship to get you people to safety, while you came on this ship to do a job. Unfortunately, your job has reached its end, even if it remains unfinished, yet my job has just begun, and will only end once every single one of you are off this vessel and on my own ship.
“I will fly you back to Earth where you will no doubt be asked a plethora of questions. Questions that a lot of you won’t be able to answer. But don’t worry about any of that. Only worry about stepping out of this room, and running for your damn lives. There’s an undeniable danger on this ship, a danger we cannot allow to spread. If it comes down to us getting off here safely, or stopping the spread of the blackness outside, then I’m afraid our lives will be sacrificed to ensure that we do not bring the blackness back to Earth,” Commander Williams said.
The Captain of the Orion Traveler frowned.
“So what you’re saying is that if the blackness gets to your ship in the dockyard, then we’re dying on this ship no matter what?” he asked.
Williams took a deep breath in and then exhaled.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. We cannot allow the contamination of this vessel to reach my ship. If it does, then we’re not getting off, it’s as simple as that,” he said.
The Captain shook his head and looked at the survivors standing next to him.
“These people need to get to safety. You said that you were going to help us off this ship. You told me that you had a plan. It doesn’t sound like you know what the heck you’re talking about, Commander!” The Captain said.
The others around him remained silent. They were in too much shock to interject themselves into the conversation. Plus, a lot of them were fixated on the large metal door that shut them off from the darkness outside. Each one of them were holding a torch in their hands. Torches that Williams had fashioned from supplies he’d found in the room.
“I do have a plan, Captain. But I’m also a realist. The reason that your ship is stranded is because the resource you’ve been carrying has turned volatile. And the reason my men are dead is because that resource is wreaking havoc onboard this very ship. Now forgive me for being blunt, but if you think that I’m even going to entertain the idea of leaving this ship whilst contaminating my own ship with the very resource that’s caused your people's plight, then you must be a first class idiot, sir,” Williams said.
The Captain’s face grew red with anger. But he refrained himself from verbally retaliating.
“So what do you suggest we do, then? Hope for the best? I also hate to be blunt, Commander, but if we have no means of fighting off this beastly blackness that’s roaming the corridors, then how in the hell are we supposed to get onboard your ship uncontaminated?”
Williams smiled, which annoyed the Captain greatly.
“Oh Captain, you obviously underestimate me. I have a plan, and if it goes like I think it will, then we have nothing to worry about. The only thing is, I expect your complete cooperation. If you can promise me that, then I can promise you and your people that we will get out of this alive. You have my word,” Williams said, tightening his grip on his torch.
There was a moment of unnerving silence followed by a hollow howl from behind the door. It sounded like wind hitting against rocks as the tide of the sea came in. But there weren’t any seas onboard the Orion Traveler, nor were there any rocks. The howls were emanating from the blackness. And it was creeping closer by the seconds. Williams knew that it was now or never. So he turned to the Captain, raised his torch in the air, igniting it and signaled the survivors to do the same.
“Let’s do this,” he snarled, turning toward the door, sucking another deep breath in and hitting the switch.
The door swooshed open, and the dingy corridor stared back at him as the
flickering torch in his hands casted ominous shadows up the metal walls.
“On my mark…” he said, his heart thumping in his chest.
“You sure about this?” The Captain said from behind him, his voice sounding shaky. But Williams ignored him. He was sure. He’d never been surer of anything else in his life. He knew that this would be his defining moment. A moment that the people on Earth would talk about for decades. But the questioned remained whether they’d reflect on it positively, as the day that Earth and its people were victorious in fighting off an anomaly that could bring its civilization down to its knees, or if this would be the day that everything changed… for the worst.
“Get set,” Williams said, keeping an eye out for the sound of the approaching darkness, but everything remained quiet and still as the Commander gathered his thoughts, bracing himself and took one step forward.
“Go!” He screamed.
***
Hutchison felt an immense sense of pride as he stepped on deck onboard his new ship. Staring at him were his crewmembers which consisted mostly of soldiers, armed to the hilt and foaming at the mouth for some action. He’d met men like this in the past. They enjoyed combat and loved to get their hands dirty. These were the sort of men that Hutchison would need if he was going to succeed in his mission. A mission that would most likely end in his death for treason. Not that the soldiers knew anything of the sorts. They were hired to do a job and keep their mouths firmly shut in the process. But Hutchison couldn’t help but feel a tad guilty in involving such men. He was the sort of person that liked to be as open as possible when it came to working with people.
It was a trait that he’d gained as a result of years of being kept in the dark by The Company. It was that proverbial darkness that caused him to seek the light. A light that he planned on casting down on the folk that paid for his silence. A silence that he hoped would cost them dearly, for there would be no more silence when his mission was over and done with. There would only be words passing through his lips, words that would hopefully crumble the foundations of corruption that held the planet up and kept it from progressing into something of worth to The Universe and its many inhabitants.
Hutchison had visions of grandeur on his mind. But not of wealth or political domination – no – Hutchison had visions of grandeur for humanity. A vision where Earth and the people on it could become a force of good. A force that didn’t hold monetary value to things, but traded in compassion and understanding. He saw a bright future in front of him, a future where the Human Race could learn from the mistakes of the past and become a truly enigmatic State, where relationships with their celestial neighbors were good, where planets were colonized with inter-specie ecosystems in mind. A vision where peace was very much a reality and not just a pipe-dream.
But for that vision to come to fruition, he had to bring down The Company and expose them to the people of planet Earth. And the only way that he was going to manage such a thing was by bringing to light the devastation that they had caused. He planned on exposing Second Earth, the attempted destruction of the people on it and the cover-up of the resource that Earth had used to build their empire – for their wealth and riches were built on the foundations of darkness, and only light could put a spotlight on them and show the world who they truly were.
“Hello. My name is Captain Hutchison. I am in charge of this ship and of you. I hold nothing over you, nor do I expect you to jump on grenades for me. All I expect of you is to do your job, and you will get paid for it. I take it that the majority of you are fully aware that this is a BLACK OPS mission. We are running off the grid here, people. This hasn’t been sanctioned by any Earth Government bodies. It is in fact a mission that is both highly dangerous and most likely treasonous. But I believe it is a mission that is a hundred percent justified. And I don’t talk about justice lightly. For it is justice that we are seeking,” Hutchison said, standing on the bridge, pacing from left to right. The men staring at him remained stoic. No one uttered a single word. They listened intently as they were briefed. These were hard men, men that didn’t show their emotions. It seemed as if Hutchison’s contact had come through for him and chosen a specialized group of men that were willing to walk on the edge of legality and jump off if need be. But Hutchison wasn’t stupid. He knew that men like this didn’t fight for a cause, they fought for money. Thankfully, he had access to funds, and in return, he expected nothing but loyalty, even if it was for silver and gold, and not hearts and minds.
“You are being paid to take a risk, gentleman. If you do not fancy such a risk, I suggest you leave the deck now, grab your things and be on your merry way. But if you choose to stay, then you choose to keep your mouth shut, follow my Commands, and keep an open mind. What we’re about to embark on is both highly dangerous and mind-opening. You will learn things about your keepers, the Government, that will make your stomachs crawl. For some of you, it will fill you with rage. A rage that will manifest itself into revenge, and for that I say good. But for the rest of you, it will most likely leave you indifferent to the cause, money still being your sole reason for fighting, and to that I say fine. But do know this; once we take off and leave this planet, none of those things will matter. The only thing that will is resilience, because believe me when I say this; resilience is the only way that we’re going to succeed at this,” Hutchison said.
The men remained quiet. The majority of them nodded their heads, while some of them smiled. But none of them left.
“So, gentleman, if it agrees with you, then we shall make our way toward the Andromeda Galaxy where the truth’s waiting for us,” Hutchison said to a round of grunts from his new men. The suit wearing skipper nodded in return, turned toward the controls and initiated take off.
The men behind him watched as the doors air-locked shut, the floor beneath them shook and then the ship left the ground, first at only a few meters, and then rising high in the air until they smashed through Earth’s atmosphere and shot off toward the Jump Gate.
“Viva la revolution,” Hutchison muttered under his breath as the onboard computer pointed him and his ship toward the Jump Gate – toward their final destination.
***
Gustoff couldn’t quite believe his eyes as he stared at the spaceship in front of him. Timson was standing next to him, and it’s obvious to Randy that his companion was finding it just as hard to believe what he was seeing. The two of them hadn’t said much. Randy had been far too engrossed in the hulk of metal in front of him, a hulk of metal that he’d never seen prior to this moment. This was the first time that he’d seen a real life spaceship. Besides from the one that had landed on Second Earth that is.
But even that ship dwarfed the one he was looking at. The pod ship that crash-landed on his home planet was much smaller than the one in front him. It was big enough to fit a good hundred or so people onboard, maybe more. After all, Randy didn’t have much knowledge when it came to the capacity of certain models of ships, so he wasn’t stupid enough to guess. But part of him knew that all of their problems would be solved if the ship was operational. If it worked, then everybody from the colony could hitch a ride to safety. The only problem was that Randy nor Timson had the foggiest idea as to how the ship had come to be stranded on this planet, in a crevice just below the surface.
“What the hell is going on?” Randy finally said, turning around toward Timson who was now scanning the ship with a gizmo he’d pulled off his holster. Timson snapped his eyes up from the LCD screen and flashed them at Randy. He broke into a coy smile.
“Heck knows, but the good news is that this baby has some signs of life in her!” Timson said, still smiling. By now, Randy had walked up to him and was peering at the screen that Timson held in his palm. Randy wasn’t astute in technology, but it didn’t mean that he wasn’t curious.
“What’s that thing saying?” he asked, staring as Timson mashed his fingers on it.
“Well, from what I can tell from the readouts on this device, the shi
p hasn’t been here long. And if it has, then somebody has been keeping it ticking,” Timson said, still sporting a smile, which Randy couldn’t really understand.
In Randy’s mind, this was definitely not the time or place to be smiling. Nothing was funny about this. Randy actually felt frightened. He didn’t know why, but the pit of his stomach seemed to be rising slowly up his chest until he could taste the acidic tones of fear on the tip of his tongue.
“What do you mean? Who would keep this thing ticking? You insinuating that somebody from the colony has been working on this?” Randy asked.
Timson nodded.
“Looks to be that way, pal. The ship seems to be forged out of differing materials, meaning that whoever built this thing, built it from scratch.”
Randy blinked. His eyelids felt heavy under the news he was receiving.
“Built it from scratch? With what?”
Timson shrugged his shoulders.
“Who knows? But I’m willing to bet that somebody is hiding a big dirty secret, and there’s more to this ship than it just being a little DIY project.”
“DIY project? You honestly think somebody has been building a ship without the colony knowing? How on Earth could they manage that? I’m the only scientist on this damn planet, unless…”
Randy was interrupted by a cold chill dripping down his spine. He quickly turned around to see two elderman standing at the fresh hold of the entrance to the secret part of the cave. These elderman had their hoods up, their facial features drowned out in the tar black shadows encasing the edges of rock that surrounded them. The sky above blazed down on the ship like a spotlight, causing the perimeter of the cave enclosure to be covered in ominous shadows – shadows the two elderman were using as cover.
Second Earth: The Complete First Novel (Second Earth Chronicles Book 1) Page 16
