Spectrum: Breaking Light

by Darren Sloan

  "Impressive, isn't it?" Panther asked as she came up behind me.

  "I've never seen anything like it. It's all so amazing."

  "I'm pleased you are so impressed, but you must stay focused. The territories outside of the wall are extremely dangerous and wild. Don't allow yourself to be distracted. From the looks of it, I'd say we're about three or four days from Xenos."

  "Days?"

  "There are three likely outcomes to this test for you. You will survive and pass, die and fail, or simply go mad. This test will take you to the brink both mentally and physically."

  "And if I may ask, which outcome are you rooting for?"

  "For the sake of self-preservation, I'm hoping you will pass, but not just for that reason."

  "Oh?"

  "You've proven your honor to me. I think you found the God's Blood for a reason. I don't think it would have chosen you if it did not find you worthy itself."

  "You think it can think and make choices?"

  "Don't you?" She asked. I thought for a moment.

  "Let's get going. We have a long way to go yet."

  "Of course. I think we may be better able to discern our path after we get off the mountain, so let's focus on that. It looks like this may be a rather easy climb, so just stay close to me."

  We continued on down the mountain. At first, I wasn't sure if we were going to survive that. The rocks were covered in ice and snow and the air was biting cold. Panther shambled down the rocks with little effort, but I hadn't ever done any serious rock climbing before; I could barely make it to the top of the rock wall at the gym, but I managed. There were a few close calls and I was certain that I had gained more than a few white hairs along the way. I started to get the hang of it and then it became rather easy. At least, I didn't find it to be impossible anymore.

  The weather got better as we descended and before long, the snow was all melted away. I looked over my shoulder and I could see the ground at last. It was so close, I felt like I could just jump down, but I didn't trust my own perception. I figured I might have been a little disoriented after the long climb down. I reached down to a jutting stone but my hand was shaking and my knuckles were sore. I thought I could grip the rock, but as soon as I began to lower myself, I felt my fingers lose hold and I fell back. I saw as the stone wall of the mountain passed by my eyes and I had a moment of disbelief as I began to fall.

  "Spectrum!" Panther called out. I closed my eyes and the suit bled from my skin and ensconced me. I halted my fall and flew down the rest of the way. As I landed on the ground, I looked around and once more, I found myself in total awe. Miles stretched out before me in all directions, it seemed. "Change back!" Panther yelled. I looked up at her and she was scrambling down fast. I then realized I had the suit out. The collar made a noise and a sharp pain shot through my body and I fell to my knees. The suit then retreated back inside of me.

  "Damn." I said under my breath. Panther came running over to me.

  "Are you all right?"

  "Yeah, I'm fine. I just forgot about the collar for a second."

  "You won't be able to use the God's Blood again for another eight hours."

  "That's fine. It looks like we'll just be walking for a while. I don't need the suit for that."

  Interlude One

  Conspiracy

  Xenos, the city, holds a reputation among known planets as a place of peace and innovation. Her people are logical, almost to a fault, and hold no prejudice or hatred. They see life as a series of facts and realities. This liberating way of thinking has allowed them to excel far beyond other civilizations in technology. The city center is a gleaming beacon for all who appreciate progress and Xenos as a whole is a place that any who welcome change and embrace the future will find to their liking.

  However, even the most evolved Xenosian would contend that not all are immune to old thinking. All sentient life harbors a side for good and a darker side, vulnerable to jealousy and hatred. In this way, Xenos is much like most civilizations throughout the universe, and as would be expected, they are accepting of this fact.

  In response, The Hunter Academy was formed centuries earlier. It was envisioned as a training center where willing Xenosians could study and become proficient in the use of firearms and hand to hand combat. The Xenosian empire had declined to officially form a military body, so the Hunters became the first, and last, line of defense for the city. Millions would join and over time a mighty military force was created. Xenosians generally have decried violence in its many forms, but they couldn't deny that there was war in their blood and it was a necessary evil that could not be ignored.

  As the day progressed in Xenos and people hurried to and from their duties, whatever they might have been, a covert group was meeting in secret in the Hunter Academy. While most of the members of the academy were in the field on a training operation, Gunther had assembled a few whom he had convinced to hear him out. They were seated in an old debriefing room that wasn't used very often.

  "What is the meaning of this, Gunther?" Isla asked as she brushed away her silvery hair. "Brock told me you had something important to ask us." Gunther smiled to himself. He stood before them, clad in his custom made armor. It shined bright and the green hue glowed and nearly lit up the whole room.

  "I do, Isla. I wanted to ask you all if you are ready for a change. I wanted to ask you if you are willing to do whatever it may take to be the best!"

  "What are you talking about?"

  "What are your feelings about Hunter Panther?" The other hunters looked at each other with troubled looks.

  "I think she's a fierce warrior and," Keena began.

  "No! Don't just throw back what the overseers say. Tell me what you really think about her."

  "I like her." Brock said. Gunther narrowed his eyes and approached him.

  "Do you?"

  "Yeah. We sparred once and she gave as good as she got."

  "She won, didn't she?"

  "Well, yeah." Brock said, with a trace of shame. Brock had a large build and was widely regarded as an immovable force, but not against Panther. She was the only Hunter in the entire academy who was able to drop him in only three rounds in training.

  "And you, Keena! You graduated your first year along with Panther, but who was first put on the roll sheets?"

  "Panther."

  "Despite you both being trained similarly and passing your tests?"

  "They told me she had a more tactical mind in the field and that was something I needed to work on."

  "And you like her? You like how she constantly undercuts your efforts? You like how she uses her connections to push through the program, leaving you all behind?"

  "Look," Brock began. "The system has been in place for a long time. It's not like she's breaking any rules."

  "I'm glad you brought that up, Brock. It turns out that Panther is not invincible. I have it on good authority that when she returned from Earth and reported the God's Blood destroyed, she was lying." Gunther said. The other Hunters were shaken by the news. The Council had not made a formal announcement concerning Panther's situation and simply explained she was being disciplined due to other lesser violations.

  "But why?"

  "To save some vile thief from Earth! He stole the God's Blood and instead of retrieving it as she was ordered, she decided to turn a blind eye and left it there with him! She has brought shame to our profession in the most insidious way! She tried to deceive The Council about the God's Blood because somehow she thinks she's above our laws. Above us!"

  "But she's being punished, right?" Isla asked.

  "My contacts tell me they're actually sentencing her along with the human filth that stole the God's Blood."

  "How?"

  "He asked to take the test."

  "How did he even know about the test?"

  "How do you think? Panther told him of course! She's an Earth sympathizer and she's getting let off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist."

  "If they're
enduring the test, she may not make it."

  "Of course she will! You know that as well as I do. Whenever the system plays fair, she finds a way to game it and come out the winner, and this time her winning could mean some alien could commit one of the greatest travesties in Xenosian history. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to stand by and let this happen."

  "What are you going to do about it?" Brock asked.

  "I have access to the Comm-sphere that warped them. I know exactly where they are. I was just wondering if you all would care to join me in a little hunting expedition." The air was still in the room as the others thought on Gunther's words.

  "You mean for us to actually go out there and kill them?" Isla asked.

  "It's the only real justice. Prime Nero is conducting this sick judicial experiment, but we all know the only fitting sentence for both of these criminals can be nothing less than death! And wouldn't it be nice to be rid of Panther? Finally no one there who constantly dwarves our efforts and achievements? We will at last be seen as the expertly trained warriors we truly are and be honored as such."

  "I don't know. I doubt The Council will look so kindly on this rogue action."

  "They won't know anything about it. Trust me. I can control the information they receive. If we get out there and terminate them, it will just be believed they failed the test, and the best part of that will be that Panther will die with that shame tarnishing her record forever."

  "Look, Gun," Keena said. "Everyone knows you hold a major grudge when it comes to Panther."

  "Why shouldn't I? If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have lost my arm!"

  "And if it wasn't for you, her eyes wouldn't have been polarized."

  "She can still see. In fact, she sees even better at night. If anything it was an improvement!"

  "I'm just saying your vendetta against her is pretty well known. Are you sure you're pushing for this because of justice and fairness, or just to settle an old score?" Gunther spun away from the others and his fist tightened. She was right, of course. He had hoped that he was hiding it better, but clearly he failed. He turned his head back and grinned.

  "So what if I am? You'll still all get what you want!"

  "But I don't want," Brock began.

  "Don't want what, Brock? Recognition? Respect? With Panther eclipsing us all, we're nothing more than gun fodder in the eyes of this academy. I had hoped you all had higher expectations for yourselves," Brock looked over to Isla and Keena and they looked worried, but much of what Gunther said was true. Panther was a great hunter, but she was so good no one else ever got noticed. The best assignments were hers for the asking and she was constantly tapped by the overseers to advise on armed operations. It seemed as long as Panther was there, anyone else's dreams were capped. "Think about it long and hard, people. This is our one and best chance to make this happen. The stars have lined up and it's up to us to take the shot. What say you?" Gunther held his hand out in hopes the others would join. For a moment he was growing nervous that he chose the wrong people to appeal to. He was also fearful that they would report his plans to The Council, which would lead to his dismissal, if he was lucky. Brock stood up and trudged over to Gunther. Their eyes met. Brock slid his large hand over Gunther's.

  "I'm in." He said. Isla stood and put her hand over Brock's.

  "Sure. Me too." Gunther looked up and saw Keena approaching as well.

  "What the Hell? I'm kind of sick of her being the favorite around here."

  "Excellent!" Gunther said. "Go get your things and meet me back here in an hour. If The Council won't do what is needed, we will."

  Chapter 15

  Come Back Alive,

  Or Don't Come Back At All

  Panther was leading me along a path that seemed to be endless. I wasn't sure where we were and it looked like we were stuck in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing but endless plains in any direction. Although, I did notice how similar Xenos seemed to be to Earth. There was green grass and thick forests of trees. Mountains dusted with snow. Even the birds in the sky were familiar. At least, from the ground. I turned back and saw the mountain we had climbed down and while it wasn't exceptionally big, it was the biggest mountain I had ever climbed. The sight of its peak made my arms twinge with pain. I turned back to Panther. She seemed like she knew where she was going, but I wasn't sure how she could. There was nothing around us and for all I knew, we could be wandering for years.

  "Are you sure this is the right way?" I asked.

  "I'm fairly confident, yes."

  "How confident is that? I mean, what percent of you is that confident?"

  "I realize you may be very anxious, but you have to trust me. We're both in this together. I want to get back as much as you do."

  "I know. I just wish I could get up into the sky. At least see if we're even close to the right path."

  "We just need to get beyond those trees." Panther said as she pointed to a large forest up ahead of us. From where we were, it looked like we were miles from just getting there, and she just said we had to go through it on top of that. I didn't know why I was growing so restless, but I couldn't control it. All I could think about was finishing the test. I was still hopeful that if I passed the test, I might still have some chance of getting back to Earth.

  We were hiking across a large open field that led right to the woods we had to reach. The bag on my shoulder was getting heavy and the whole uncertainty of the situation made it all less tolerable.

  "Do you know how long these tests usually go on for?"

  "I haven't been witness to many. Historically there is no set time. The tests take as long as needed. I read once there was a test that took over six years to be completed, and another that lasted for a day. The circumstances always change, depending on the inner strength of the one being tested."

  "I can't say that any of that makes me feel any better."

  We reached the woods and Panther went on in, but I noticed a path that led around and it seemed longer, but I felt more at ease knowing where we were going.

  "Are you sure we should go in there? We could get lost in all of that." I said.

  "There is that risk, but this will be more direct." She said. I looked back and forth from the forest and the clear path. It felt like an analogy come to life.

  "Fine." I said and rejoined Panther into the woods.

  It was dark and even more like Earth. I was really becoming homesick.

  We traveled for what seemed like hours until we finally came to a clearing and Panther stopped. She checked the area and then turned toward me.

  "We better set up camp here for now. We can make it the rest of the way in the morning." She said.

  "Camp? Already?"

  "Already? According to my readings, it's nearly midnight."

  "How can that be? We just got here."

  "Spectrum,"

  "Please. Just call me Jason. Please."

  "Very well. Jason. We have been walking for hours. I don't know what else to tell you. I suppose you've been so focused you haven't noticed."

  "I guess not. Fine. Let's stop."

  "You set up the camp and start a fire here. I'll forge for what food I can." She said as she disappeared into the darkness. I set the bag down and pulled out the sleeping bag. I set it out and realized Panther had instructed me to make a fire. I looked in the bag hoping to find a lighter or something, but there was nothing. I had never camped in my life and I had no idea what to do. I thought back to some movies and television shows I had seen where the characters were camping and I seemed to recall there was usually a ring of stones surrounding the fire, so I started out searching for some rocks and sticks. When I found what I was looking for, I arranged the rocks in a circle and piled the sticks in the middle. I then realized I had to light the fire. I had seen people use sticks to start fires, or stones. I understood the concept behind it. I picked up two large stones and, with all the faith I could muster, I struck them against each other, but with no effect. I tried ag
ain, but still nothing. I tried once more and my heart leapt as I saw a couple of sparks fly up into the air. I brought the stones closer to the sticks and struck them again and even more sparks rose up. I tried again and again, speeding up each time and more sparks kept coming up and then I saw smoke rising up from the sticks. A small flame grew from within and before I knew it, I had made a fire. It burned slowly at first, but as I sprinkled more twigs and bits of wood on it, it grew stronger.

  "Good," Panther said as she returned. She held a scrap of cloth in her hand it looked like it was holding something. She sat down next to the fire and laid out the cloth revealing an assortment of berries. "There's not much hunting in these woods. These berries are the best I could find."

  "Nothing poisonous, I hope."

  "No. Nothing too nutritious either, but it's something to eat. There's a creek a few clicks ahead which should be good for fishing in the morning. For now we'll just have to make due." Panther said. I grabbed some berries and examined them. They were rather plain looking, other than their colors. Some were red while others were blue and there were even a few green ones in the mix. I popped a few in my mouth and I was pleasantly surprised. They were juicy and sweet. In fact, they were juicier than any berry I had ever eaten in my life. It was like a glass of fruit juice in each one. Panther was eating up hers as though she hadn't eaten in days.

  "You know, if I didn't think our lives were in constant danger out here and if I weren't trapped on a strange alien world, I'd almost say I'm having fun." I said as I stretched out on top of my sleeping bag.

  "It's good you realize the danger. That will keep you alive. We should sleep in shifts. I'll stand guard first, then you."

  "Is that necessary?"

  "You don't know what lurks in these woods. I do. So, yes, it is necessary. Get some rest while you can."