“You mean like Mons? As in Olympus Mons?”
Everyone knew Olympus Mons, the Martian volcano famous for being the tallest in the solar system. But there were several other distinguished peaks on Mars. Zeke, with his passion for astronomy and the cosmos, knew Ascraeus Mons was the second highest, and not too far from Mariners Valley.
“But how could it know Latin?” Fitch asked, completely baffled.
Zeke drew a deep breath. “Because it’s human.”
Cratan grunted.
“Yes, Cratan once flesh-body, same as you. But the orb changed Cratan. Made me a child of this world. Not in a day, not in a month, but over time. Over a very long time...”
The pieces of the mystery was falling into place in Zeke’s mind, like a jigsaw.
“You are one of the original crew? The astronauts who built the Beagle Station?”
The brute nodded vigorously.
“So which one were you? Tom Ganister? Wiley? Clyde Wheeler?”
“Names. So many other world names. How can I remember? I told you before, my flesh name is gone.”
A tear trickled down Zeke’s grubby face. If ever a fate deserved to be judged as worse than death, this had to be it. Cratan wiped away the tear, its jagged finger scratching Zeke’s cheek.
Zeke knew his next question wouldn’t be easy to ask.
“What did you do with the others? Did you…kill them?”
The creature shrieked violently.
“Always asking Earth boy! Always prying! What do you have for me? Can you tell me my flesh name? Give me my flesh name and I’ll give you the vanished.”
With that Cratan let out an agonising screech and scrambled back down the tunnel. Zeke and Fitch were alone again.
~~~
Zeke no longer struggled against the bile cords binding his body. Instead he lay there, deep in the alien ground, and allowed the ideas to flow through him.
He pictured those valiant astronauts at the end of the twenty-first century, launching themselves across the deadly gulf of space, travelling in those flimsy metal capsules, and finally hurtling towards the hostile surface of Mars.
A Mars even bleaker than the planet that Zeke knew. A dead planet trapped in the two-billion-year winter following the end of the Hesperians. Geologists called this the Amazonian Era, and it began as the very earliest elements of life stirred on Earth.
Those poor, foolhardy spacemen, confident that life had never evolved on Mars. How were they to know better? And one of them, a member of the Beagle crew, had stumbled across an orb. The first ever human to find an alien artefact.
No…wait. Zeke was missing something. Of course!
The scientist who found that yellow orb must have been unknowingly psychic. Oh! Perhaps the orb had called out to that talent? The same way Magma’s Orb had called to Zeke, back on the Televator.
That person had no way of understanding the peril he or she was about to unleash. But who was that person? Who had mutated into the hideous Cratan? Why was its name so important? And what about the missing explorers?
Before Zeke could fathom out anything more, a face caked in dirt loomed over him. Startled, Zeke cried out. But it wasn’t Cratan.
“Come on, it’s time we got out of here!” Fitch shouted gleefully, and began clawing at Zeke’s bonds.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Cratan’s Lair
The boys crawled through the narrow confines of the tunnel, and towards the weak light. Their heads scraped against the roof. With each bump a shower of grainy dirt rained upon their faces. The air was freezing. Zeke realised that his cocoon of soil must have been acting like a blanket. Fitch, who was in front, let out a squeal of disgust.
“What?” Zeke asked in a hushed voice.
Fitch shuffled around and then grabbed Zeke’s hand. He placed it on something hard and cold between them. A girl’s shoe.
Zeke gasped. Trixie Cutter’s feet were sticking out from a mound of fresh soil. He began frantically pulling at the heels.
“Help me,” he grunted.
“Whatever for?” Fitch asked calmly.
“What?”
“Don’t waste time when that monster could be back at any moment. Trixie’s dead.”
“I’m not leaving without her,” Zeke said in a grim voice.
“Well…” Fitch hesitated for a moment, thinking something through. “Okay.”
He gripped Trixie’s ankles and together they heaved. Her body emerged in a small avalanche of filth. Her bedraggled clothing was encrusted with grime and mud smeared her face. She looked like a rag doll that had been tossed onto the rubbish heap, broken and dirty.
“Told you so. Dead. Come on, let’s go.”
Her chest fluttered.
“Just dehydrated, that’s all,” Zeke protested.
“Whatever, she’s no good to us now. Just leave her.”
Zeke collapsed back onto the seat of his trousers.
“What now?” Fitch asked. He sounded highly irritated.
“Déjà vu,” Zeke muttered, more to himself.
“Huh?”
An unpleasant memory had surfaced in Zeke’s brain.
“The last time I was here. Lieutenant Doughty wanted me to leave Scuff behind.”
A crafty look flashed across the moon boy’s face.
“You’re right Zeke. What was I thinking? Come on, help me drag her to the light.”
That’s it, Zeke thought. Change the subject. All you’ve done since we met is change the subject. He looked into Fitch’s eyes, gleaming in the dark. And for the first time he saw Fitch for what he was. Evil. Zeke felt sick to the core.
But this was no time to pick a fight. Zeke bit his lips. Together they hauled Trixie through the rubble of Cratan’s burrow. A shaft of light fell from above.
“Phew,” Zeke said with a deep sigh. Fitch clambered up through the hole. Between them they lifted Trixie out, then Zeke followed. They were back in the Beagle Research Station. The broken frame of a bed and some smashed-up furniture indicated they were in the living quarters. Zeke’s skull began tingling. Now they were above ground, out of the iron deposits, his mental strength was flowing back. I mustn’t let him pull the wool over my eyes again, he thought. Fitch slapped Trixie on the cheek.
“Always wanted to do that,” he said to Zeke with a wink.
The lanky girl stirred and groaned. Two bright blue irises peered out from a mask of mud.
“Don’t try to speak. We’re getting you out of here,” Zeke said as reassuringly as he could. Trixie nodded and attempted to stand. Zeke placed her arm over his shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
The three teens made their way through the maze of clutter. Nobody dared to speak, all three terrified of attracting Cratan’s attention. Each corridor seemed identical to the last. The way seemed to go on forever and twice they had to double back. Zeke feared they would never find their way out of this hellish ruin.
Thankfully, there was no sign of Cratan. After an agonising few minutes they found themselves in the main passageway, leading back to the disused airlock and escape. Daylight burned through the half-open airlock like a solar flare.
“Almost there,” Zeke whispered in Trixie’s ear. Her head was resting on his shoulder and her feet dragged, slowing Zeke down, but at least she was conscious.
Fitch trailed behind.
“So, I guess you two can stop there,” he said.
Somehow, Zeke wasn’t surprised.
“No, you wouldn’t be surprised,” Fitch said, in a strangely jolly tone. “And that’s not because you’ve got the better of me, Zekey boy. Not at all. I’m simply not bothering to cloud your mind any longer. I’m done manipulating you.”
“Oh, thanks a lot,” Zeke said. Anger welled up inside him.
Trixie lifted her head and spoke in a hoarse voice.
“Zeke…get me out of here. Please.”
The two of them stumbled on towards the exit.
Fitch clicked his fingers, “Hey p
resto.”
The great, circular door of the airlock, a half-ton of steel that hadn’t moved in nearly two hundred years, rolled shut. The clang echoed throughout the deserted building.
Zeke turned to face his enemy, struggling with Trixie’s body.
“Go on then. Say it. Spill the beans,” he snarled.
Fitch stroked the index finger of his left hand.
“I don’t need you any more. Sorry old chum, you’re redundant.”
Zeke attempted to stand to his full height, but Trixie’s weight held him back.
Nonetheless, he was determined to sound defiant. “The whole point of the trip to Yuri-Gagarin was to see if you could learn Hesperian from my orb,” he said as calmly as he could manage.
“Oh, your orb is it now? And, yes. Luckily for you, I didn’t. I continued stringing you along till you told me what I needed to know. Where to find Gravity’s Eye.”
“But why? What’s this really all about?”
Fitch puffed out his chest.
“Three months ago, it seems a lifetime, I was wandering the dark side of the Moon. I was furious that I’d missed that first flight to Mars. Thanks to my stupid parents bungling the forms. There I was, all alone among the dark craters, the sky buzzing with stars. And then it happened.”
“What?”
“Can’t you guess, Mr Clever? What were you doing three months ago?”
Zeke’s veins iced up and his skin crawled.
“I was in the Infinity Trap. We came face to face with the Spiral. But we stopped him.”
Fitch spat on the floor.
“You delayed him. In the brief moment the Infinity Trap was open the Spiral reached out across the solar system. In an instant his tentacles of telepathic thought found me. I looked up at the night sky and darkness soared through me. A taste of the power and happiness the Spiral could bring me.”
“You mean…you communicated?”
“Indeed. A boy appeared before me. A simple boy, not in a spacesuit, but the uniform of a student Mariner.”
“How could anyone survive on the Moon without a space-suit?”
“This boy was already one with the Spiral. He no longer needed air, nor any of the things necessary for life. His name was—”
“Jasper Snod,” Zeke said. A wave of guilt overwhelmed him.
“Correct, and in a nanosecond Jasper, now the Spiral’s avatar, gave me a vision.”
Zeke said nothing.
“A glimpse of the Spiral Apocalypse. And me in charge of millions. Living forever as emperor of all things.”
“You’re mad.”
Fitch cackled. “Nope, not at all, just wicked.”
“So how does Gravity’s Eye fit in?”
Fitch wiped his index finger gently against his cheek.
“The Spiral showed me the heart of Gravity’s Eye. A kind of gravity-free zone inside an enormous, hollowed out mountain.”
“Ascraeus Mons.”
“Apparently, thanks for finding that out. There’s an orb the size of a house floating inside. An orb with many uses, it can even boost brain power. I’ll be able to use it to transubstantiate.
“All that guff about turning elements into Helium Three was—”
“Just guff. Naturally. The reason I need to control atomic structure is to change its frequency.”
Zeke looked at him blankly.
“Yes, I know, quantum physics isn’t your strong point. The atoms in this pathetic universe are part of bigger strings of energy vibrating through the Multiverse.”
“I know that,” Zeke snapped. “Our universe is one of countless dimensions, making up the Multiverse.”
“A-plus, that student,” Fitch smirked, licking his lips. “Changing atomic frequency will weaken the walls between our dimension and the Spiral’s. I’ll punch a hole clear through, opening up a door to the Spiral Apocalypse.”
“But why? Why? Everyone will die. Everyone!”
“In time, yes. But why would I care? Did anyone care for me back on Luna Beta?”
“So you got bullied, is that any excuse for what you’re going to do?”
Zeke couldn’t hide the desperation in his voice.
Fitch pouted.
“I carefully selected which memories to show you when we went on our little mind trip. But one slipped through anyway. Remember the two bullies, who went for a spot of moon buffing?”
“That was you, wasn’t it? Creeping up on the airlock.”
“Guilty as charged. I used my psychokinesis to jam the airlock. They were expecting ten, twenty seconds of vacuum, enough to make them feel all macho, but a few gasps short of unconsciousness. I gave them so much more.”
“You…you killed them?”
“Sadly no. The emergency system was too strong for my mind power. And when the alarm went off I lost my nerve and bolted. But at least I put those goons in sickbay for a month.”
“And did that make you feel any better?” Zeke asked through clenched teeth.
Fitch smiled.
“Sure did. I felt a million moon bucks. Watching them squirm and turn purple. It was the best. When the Spiral and I take over, I think I might turn it into a hobby, asphyxiating people. It’s fun.”
An expression spread across Fitch’s face, a look Zeke had never seen before, and hoped he’d never see again.
“But I have something better lined up for you.”
Zeke, straining to keep Trixie upright, took a deep swallow.
Fitch stretched out his forefinger. There was something on it!
“Let me introduce you to my secret weapon. The Spikeworm.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
So Near and Yet So Far
“What the hell is that?” Zeke cried, shifting under Trixie’s weight.
The creature on Fitch’s knuckle writhed, rippling the quills along its back.
“Real cute, isn’t he?” Fitch said with a smile.
Zeke stared at the Spikeworm’s blue and purple body.
“It looks like some kind of caterpillar. Is it…stuck to you?”
“Bonded, a hundred percent, a gift from the Spiral.”
“Huh?”
“In that brief, beautiful moment in the Spiral’s dark radiance, he gave me the Spikeworm. A token of appreciation, a companion, a weapon.”
Zeke blinked.
“A weapon?”
“These quills are oozing venom. Es muy peligroso!”
Fitch spoke the last three words in a high-pitched and corny Mexican accent. Zeke’s mouth dropped.
“Alonzo Caracol? That’s what he said…And the others? You—you poisoned them?”
Fitch threw his head back and laughed aloud.
“Sure did! The venom is an incurable toxin. It takes a few days, you know, fever, hallucinations, coma. But death is the finish, in every case.” With a sudden, swift movement Fitch lifted his hand to Zeke’s face. The ugly, maggoty creature was only a few inches from his nose.
A tortuously long time passed.
“So, what are you waiting for?” Zeke demanded at last.
“Zeke, it doesn’t have to be like this.”
“Like what? The part where you kill me?”
Fitch lowered his arm and cupped the Spikeworm in the palm of his right hand.
“Yep.”
Zeke went to speak, realised he couldn’t think of anything to say, and clammed up.
Fitch looked him in the eye.
“You could join us. There’ll be no other way of saving your life once the Spiral’s here.”
“Never!”
“Listen! The Spiral likes you. He’s willing not to eat you.”
“Oh? I suppose he told you all this in that so-called beautiful moment?”
“He did. In that instant my brain absorbed an ocean of knowledge. Only a psychic brain could have coped. A normal would have died. But I was able to take it all in. Maybe that’s why the Spiral picked me. Anyway he told me there was a boy living on Mars who could speak Hesperian. That I co
uld use him to find Gravity’s Eye. And that if possible I should bring him into the black light. You have something.”
“Something?”
“I don’t know what, but you have some quality that interests the Spiral. Serve him and live.”
A voice spoke to Zeke deep inside his head. Maybe, just maybe, you should consider this.
“Trying to hypnotise me again? What’s the term? Psychotronics? Psycho-hypnosis.”
“Zeke! I’m not doing anything this time. Those are your real thoughts now. Not mine.”
Zeke forced a laugh. “Like I’d believe you!”
Anger flashed across Fitch’s face. “Have it your way. Back to plan A then.”
Fitch thrust his fist forwards.
“Ouch!” Zeke cried.
Fitch had stabbed Zeke’s upper arm with the Spikeworm. Zeke’s grip on Trixie loosened and she slumped to the floor. He stared at the rip in his student’s tunic, too stunned to react. Then, he pushed his fingers through the gap and blood coated his fingertips.
“Don’t say I never gave you a chance, Zekey boy.”
“That won’t work on me.”
Both boys looked down at Trixie. She reached out a hand and Zeke hauled her back to her feet. She steadied herself and gritted her teeth in defiance.
“No,” replied Fitch with a nasty smile. “But this will.”
His eyes crackled.
A plastic storage box launched itself off the floor, scattering sand in all directions. It whammed into the back of Trixie’s head and she tumbled once again.
“What did you do that for?” Zeke shouted.
“You still don’t really get it, do you? Because I’m evil. E-V-I-L.”
Zeke’s head was beginning to swim. His skin was boiling.
Fitch drew a deep breath and pushed him. Zeke crumpled like paper, landing beside Trixie.
“Wonder what will get you first? The venom or the Gshnodaa.”
Whistling a jaunty tune Fitch stepped over the two prostrate bodies and strolled up to the airlock.
“Open sesame!”
The massive, rusted slab of steel rumbled open. A beam of light lit up the scene of debris.
“Oh, by the way,” Fitch added in the doorway. “Jasper had a question for you, Zeke. ‘Why didn’t you save me, Zekey Boy, why didn’t you save me?’”
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