All The Frail Futures: A Science Fiction Box Set

by J Battle

  The first gutted building he entered was a disappointment. Just two broken outer walls leaning against each other, shielding narrow, flimsy inner walls, with no sign of underground access.

  The next was the same; and the next.

  He checked all 12 of the buildings. There were no underground facilities in any of them. It was hard to believe that the former occupants had made no provision for an attack such as the one they had suffered. It was no wonder that they had all perished.

  Then Jullie called out.

  He'd been studying an area of the floor in the corner of the second building that Sublan had already checked.

  When Sublan answered his call, he found a small, circular panel that had been hidden from view by the original floor covering.

  'What sort of creatures would hide an underground entrance? It is hard to imagine the mentality of such a creature, where deception and trickery must be incorporated into their very nature.'

  He looked up at Jullie. 'We are indeed blessed by fortune, to have one such as you, Jullie, in our midst who is capable of brushing such deception aside.'

  Jullie made no comment, accepting the comment at face value.

  Sublan studied the opening. 'I think I can get through, but it is too small for you, Jullie. I will lead a small team through, and you shall stay behind and take charge of a detailed search of the area.'

  'Yes, Sublan, if that is your wish.'

  ‘My wish? The words come from my mouth, but they are the wish of the people. Let the surety of that truth support and guide you.’

  Jullie backed away and left him to his arrangements.

  When he had gathered together a group of three other, similarly diminutive Sherdling, Sublan approached the hole in the ground. Just below the entrance, there was a narrow ledge. Next to that, there was another ledge, a little lower down. Sublan could see a sequence of side by side ledges, each a small step below its neighbor. Using these steps, he could descend to the level below.

  It was a little awkward for him because, as he stepped further down, his heavy tail started getting in the way.

  Before he’d reached halfway, he had to turn around and finish the climb backwards; not a comfortable experience when you are entering the unknown.

  But, for the sake of his people, he was happy to take the risk.

  **********

  Despite the death and destruction, and the possible loss of his somewhat empty headed daughter in law, this was a good day for Andreas. He brain was working fine and he could still remember what he’d had for breakfast.

  This was not always the case. Tomorrow, he might be unable to string three words together. He was not suffering from an ancient age-related mental brain disease such as Alzheimers or Parkinson's; they’d been virtually eradicated in the developed countries of Earth in the previous century. No, his problem was entirely of his own making. He'd bought the implants from an associate of his who’d assured him that they were in perfect working order and, anyway, they were a bargain at twice the price.

  Only after installation was the truth revealed; a particularly vicious piece of malware had infected the new implants, and subsequently his original enhancements. When they were working properly, they performed as advertised, speeding up his synaptic transmissions and making his brain 20-30% more efficient. On the days when their operation was less than optimum, his synapses may as well have been using smoke signals to transmit information across his brain.

  Removal was of course possible, if he could get hold of a decent brain surgeon in this distant outpost of the empire, and pay him enough to ignore the fact that he was handling illegal implants. But how would he survive without his implants; he wouldn’t even be able to fly his prized possession; The Darkside.

  That particular problem no longer applied, of course, as his ship was now a twisted, eviscerated wreck, spinning in a degraded orbit that would end in conflagration.

  He still had Angel’s Kiss, which was a stroke of good luck for him. Otherwise he would have shared The Darkside’s demise.

  He looked around at all the neat new fittings. No expense had been spared and he’d been sure that he’d struck a real bargain when he’d paid off Dan with those diamonds he'd purloined from an enterprising but naive visitor to the TC world.

  Now? Well, it might be the most advanced ship ever produced in the Solar Union; fast, elegant and packed with the most advanced features, but, in truth, it was little more than a rowing boat compared to the alien craft he’d witnessed in action.

  He glanced at his son, strapped into the seat beside him, with his eyes closed and his lips moving as he muttered something to himself. There was a light sheen of sweat across his unlined forehead.

  ‘All right!’ Snapped Andreas, ‘I’ll do it.’

  ‘Thanks, man.’

  ‘Don’t call me…’

  ‘Thanks, Dad.’

  Andreas closed his own eyes and sighed. Then he nodded slowly and began to fiddle with his fastenings. For a second he wondered if his implants were working properly, because he’d finally agreed to land on TCE, just to shut Iron up.

  Chapter 16

  The sound that had put the wind up Dan didn’t get much louder, but it did get closer.

  In the dim light of the cool cavern, he watched the figure move slowly to the water’s edge.

  He guessed that it was no more than a meter in height, with four legs arranged around the lower part of its body, a narrow, vertical midsection topped by what at first glance appeared to be dozens of tentacles, above which he could discern a large, hominid-like head.

  He could see quite clearly despite the low light because the creature glowed; a yellowy green creepy glow that made him feel squeamish.

  As the creature stood there, leaning over the bank of the river, Dan was surprised to see one of its tentacles detach itself and drop into the water, with barely a splash.

  The creature shook and three more detached themselves and fell.

  'What the f...' Helen whispered to herself.

  The creature's shoulder section began to rotate slowly, with the head and neck remaining static, facing the canal. Dan felt drawn to move closer, to see exactly what was happening. He resisted the temptation, squatting closer to the sleigh, with one hand on Helen's arm.

  Soon all of the tentacles had gone and the head began to unravel; thin strands became separate and visible, before they too fell.

  Then the head was gone and all that was left was the central column, and the four short legs. As they watched, the column split at the top and they could see that it consisted of multiple, finger-thick strands, all wrapped around each other, in a mutually supporting spiral. As the strands separated and fell in twos and threes into the water, Dan stood upright and stepped closer.

  The exotic striptease finished when the legs collapsed and the individual string-thick pieces wriggled to the water's edge, and Dan and Helen were left alone.

  'What do you think it was, and what was that crazy unraveling thing it did?' She shook her head in wonder.

  'I guess it was an alien, a native of this planet.'

  'Was it intelligent, or just an animal, do you think?'

  'How could we tell?'

  He leaned over the edge but there was no sign of the unraveled creature. Whatever it had been, it was no more. He wondered at the significance of the scene they had witnessed. Was it the final, lonely moment at the end of a long and eventful life, or was it simply the only way to cross the water?

  He sat at the edge of the watercourse, with his legs hanging down, his feet only a couple of centimeters above the slowly flowing water. He needed to work out what they were going to do next, but he couldn't find the will to formulate a plan.

  He was dog-tired and overwhelmed by the events of the last couple of days.

  Helen joined him, leaning one shoulder against his. For some reason he couldn't explain, he didn't push her away.

  'You know? This is an historic moment. The first meeting between mankind and a
liens,' she whispered; awe in her voice. 'We'll be famous, won't we?'

  'Fame's not all it's cut out to be. It's just amazing that man has been here all this time; decades it must be now, and no-one else has come across them.'

  'I guess, here, underground, miles from any settlement, it's not that surprising. I don't suppose more than ten per cent of the planet has been properly surveyed.'

  ‘Mankind has been waiting for centuries to meet up with intelligent beings from space and now it looks like we’ve come across two alien races in the space of a couple of days, and we seem to be on the edge of some massive and warlike intergalactic empire.'

  'We really need to get a message to the Solar Union about that, you know? A warning, at least.'

  Dan nodded.

  'So what are we going to do?' Helen asked.

  Dan looked down at the water; it was flowing towards the north, if he had his bearings right. Maybe it could carry them to the North Pole, where they might find survivors, if anyone had survived. Or maybe he was completely wrong and it would take them to the barren, inhospitable central regions of the planet.

  He made a decision, suddenly, and felt better for it. He wasn't going to do anything now, he wasn't going to make any plans; he wasn't going to worry. He was going to get up and walk over to his sleigh and curl up behind it and have a good night's sleep. Or a good day's sleep, perhaps, as he didn't have any idea of the time of day.

  'Right, ' he said, a little louder than he'd expected.

  He was just bracing his hands against the rough stone that edged the watercourse when he heard a light scratching sound. He froze.

  There it was again; louder; closer.

  He didn't want to turn; he didn't want to see what was there. But, in the end, what else could he do?

  So he turned, and there they were. Three of the creatures; each different, but cut from the same body-plan. The nearest had three legs, two central columns, separated and curved, with clumps of tentacles and a flattened head. The others had just the one central column, but had their own take on legs, tentacles and head shape.

  Feeling at something of a disadvantage, Dan clambered to his feet and helped Helen to hers. As one, the aliens stepped back and covered their faces with their tentacles; their action accompanied by a high keening sound.

  Stunned for a moment, Dan also stepped back and came very close to falling in to the water.

  'Now what do we do?' he muttered quietly when he'd regained his equilibrium. He looked down at the creatures. Were they intelligent, or just animals? His first impression was that they were sentient, though he couldn't really say what made him think so. Perhaps it was just that they had neither attacked him on sight, or run away. Surely staying to study him was a sign of intelligence?

  Helen chose not to give her opinion at this moment, but made a point of standing behind him.

  Dan wished that he'd read more science fiction as a lad; that would have given him at least some sort of starting point to begin his interaction with these alien beings. The only idea that came to him was to instruct his implant to record the proceedings.

  One of the creatures suddenly took a couple of steps closer to him. It extended one tentacle, which seemed to lengthen as it stretched towards him. Dan held his ground and was prodded in his chest for his trouble. Then his belly; then his groin; then each thigh. He was able to turn his head just in time to avoid being poked in the eye by the final prod.

  The creature returned to its fellows and seemed to advise them of its findings. After further discussion it left the group and came back closer to Dan.

  In a voice that started at a high C and rose beyond audibility, it began to give Dan the benefit of its considerations.

  After several minutes in which he actually tried to gain some meaning from the high pitched squeaks, Dan felt some response was required.

  'I can't understand you, mate, ' he said, shaking his head.

  As the first ever words spoken to an alien race, it lacked a little in the way of gravitas.

  'He can't understand you either.' Whispered Helen, helpfully.

  'My name is Dan Robinson, ' Dan, continued, patting his chest, 'and this is Helen.'

  The creature fell silent; it seemed to be expecting a little more from him.

  'And we are human beings, from Earth. Well, we used to be from Earth. Now we're from...well, you probably don't need to worry about that. The Solar Union; that's where we're from. It's really...nice to meet you, and your friends.'

  Helen nudged his back. 'Go Dan,' she seemed to say.

  There was silence for a short time. Dan was a little disappointed with his performance so far, but he'd never expected to find himself in this situation. It's not the sort of thing you plan for.

  'We come in peace,' he blurted out, feeling slightly foolish.

  Helen groaned.

  The creature stepped back towards the other aliens and a discussion ensued.

  Dan turned to Helen. ‘What do you think?’ he asked.

  ‘Perhaps interspecies communication isn’t your strong suit.’

  ‘Well, you could have piped up. You’re a woman; you’re supposed to be a natural communicator.’

  ‘Don’t start with the stereotypes. Perhaps if it spoke actual words, we’d have a chance.’

  It occurred to Dan that he was really hungry; all this intergalactic diplomacy was certainly getting his stomach rumbling.

  ‘Let’s get something to eat while they’re having their conflab,‘ he whispered.

  ‘Why are you whispering?’

  ‘Why are you?’

  ‘You started it.’

  Together, they set off back to their sleighs.

  Their sudden movement seemed to agitate the welcome party, who fell silent and watched Dan intently as he rummaged through his packs for something tasty to satisfy their hunger. They had to make do with a couple of oat biscuits and a bottle of water.

  When they turned around, they found that they were alone.

  Chapter 17

  Mandy was standing right behind her father in the tunnel when the thing appeared from the above. It was pointed and green, and it wiggled like a blind snake as it slid down the steps to their level.

  She saw her father lift his gun and take careful aim; she knew he only had one bullet and he couldn't afford to waste it. She also knew that he was a terrible shot.

  She was reaching to stop him when the gun went off, throwing him backwards into her, causing them both to fall to the ground in a tangle. The sound of the shot echoed along the narrow corridor that led from their old home to the natural caverns that honeycombed the land at this latitude.

  Then there was a loud thump as something heavy hit the ground.

  With just a quick look back, they climbed to their feet and ran along the corridor, hoping to hide in the dark and convoluted maze.

  'Did you see it, Dad?' Mandy hissed as she ran.

  But her father had no breath for chatter; he just grabbed her hand and pulled her along faster.

  Behind him, he could hear the sound of hard, heavy feet getting closer all the time. He desperately tried to get more speed from his exo-skeleton.

  They were 30 meters from the entrance to the caverns. If they could just make the turning, they might be safe. Then it was 15 meters, and he could sense the creature right behind him.

  They weren't going to make it; they couldn't outrun it; not with his clumsy support structure slowing them down.

  He pushed Mandy ahead and turned to face the monster that was panting behind him.

  'Go on!' he yelled, as he swung his unloaded rifle round to bear on the small, lizard-like creature that stood less than a meter high, panting dangerously as it held its side with one short limb, and supported itself against the wall with another.

  'Stop.' Gasp. 'Don't.' Gasp. 'Run.' Gasp. 'Any further.' The creature spoke with a distinct east coast American accent.

  Mandy stopped running; surprised at the sound of its voice.

  She cr
ept back to her father, to get a closer look at the strange creature. She rested one hand on her father's exo-skeleton as she leant around him.

  'It's bleeding, look. Where you shot it; its tail's bleeding. You've hurt it, Dad.'

  'Thank you for concern. Remediation will be the consequence of time. Let worry fly from you mind, young female human.'

  'You talk funny; you know that don't you?' Mandy couldn't help smiling.

  'My command of your language will be expanded and enhanced in your presence; of that, surety is absolute and real.'

  'I'm sorry I... sort of...shot you.' Mandy's father looked embarrassed. 'But, you did bomb us.'

  'That destructive act was not caused by the gentle Sherdlings. The responsibility lies with the Hru-argh.'

  'And you just happened to arrive at the same time? To reap the benefits?' He pushed Mandy back a little; still not sure that they were safe.

  'Your words carry a high percentage of truth.'

  'So, yes. You mean yes?'

  'Such an affirmative would require considerable qualification.'

  Facing the alien, he tried again to push his daughter back towards the tunnel’s exit, but she wouldn't budge.

  'You're beginning to sound like a politician. Can't you use straightforward words?'

  'All of your words are available to me. I will endeavor to choose words that resonate with clarity.'

  'Anytime soon would be nice.'

  'Sherdlings were carried here on a Hru-argh ship, which explains our presence, at this time. We wish to settle here, so we do intend to reap the benefits of the Hru-argh attack. Are these words sufficiently clear? Or would you prefer a restriction to monosyllabic words?'

  'Where are the Hru things now? Will they attack again? Will they land?'