Planet Urth Boxed Set

by Jennifer Martucci

  Eugene reached into the pants pockets of his plain, tan chinos and retrieved a folded piece of paper. He smoothed out the creases against the side of his oaken chair. On it was written an address. The information was the location he was to deliver a nuclear warhead to the faction of the Russian Mafia headed by Dmitri Ivanov. The corners of his mouth pulled up, curled into a sinister smile as he considered how no such transaction would ever occur. The site listed on the crumpled piece of paper would be the slaughtering ground for Ivanov and his men, the last place they would ever see.

  Chapter 5

  Gabriel James moved through a corridor filled with teenagers who ranged in age from fourteen to eighteen. Though he had been thoroughly prepared academically for school via computer programs and distance learning facilities, and his brain absorbed and processed acquired information almost instantly, he experienced a sense of unpreparedness as he walked down the hallway of Harbingers High School. His pulse rate elevated slightly as he observed how each student indulged their curiosity and stared at him as he passed.

  He did not stare back. To do so would have been improper, confrontational even. His maker had been clear about that. The last thing he wanted to do was seem threatening; that was not Terzini’s objective. He needed to blend in, integrate with his peers.

  Though he knew he was created without conventional human emotions, Gabriel endured the intense awareness of concerted inspection from his fellow classmates and perceived an uncharted sensation: uneasiness. He knew what the sensation was, of course. He had read about it, seen it portrayed in various cinematic scenarios and practiced the subtle facial changes involved when one is experiencing discomfort, but had no firsthand knowledge of it.

  To compound the strangeness and intensity of their interest in him, he noted that many students divided their interest, looking to him while thumbing feverishly upon handheld devices simultaneously. Dr. Terzini explained this trend as “text messaging,” an occurrence when a person uses his or her cellular phone to both send and receive messages instantly. His maker, intent on having him mix seamlessly into the student populace, impressed upon him the importance of “texting,” as his cohorts called it, fluidly and often. Gabriel was armed for his first day of school with a cell phone, equipped with a slide-out keyboard, and hours of practice so that he could fire off messages quickly, effortlessly.

  With his new-fangled skill and gear, he strode down the student-lined passageway toward the main office. He was to report to a guidance counselor and obtain his course schedule.

  As he made his way to the office, more and more students arrived. The hallway became crowded. Throngs of students gathered, congregating in front of their lockers, chatting, texting and staring. Gabriel’s pulse rate continued to climb steadily. He dismissed it as a normal physiologic response to a new environment.

  Further down the hall, he glimpsed three girls huddled together talking. He noticed that they were all attractive but one stood out among them. His maker did not deny him the ability to appreciate beauty; he merely disconnected the pathways in Gabriel’s brain that would erroneously cause him to act impulsively, irrationally. Yet, he did find her to be remarkably attractive, so much so that his heart rate elevated considerably. Such a reaction was unprecedented. He knew he ought to discuss such matters with Dr. Terzini; that his maker would find the root cause of such reactions, but promptly rejected the notion of doing so. He knew that any divergence from his expected performance could warrant destruction. Self-preservation, a basic, innate desire to stay alive, had evolved within him. And while he did not possess a passion for life, he did not want to die either.

  ***

  Alexandra and Daniella accompanied Melissa into Harbingers High School as they did nearly every morning. Once inside, they did not disperse immediately. Rather, they stood, huddled together watching everyone else arrive and chatting until their attention was diverted. A boy they had never seen walked through the main entrance of the building and began walking down the hallway.

  “Who is that?” Daniella asked.

  “I don’t know, but he is hot!” Alexandra added. “Wow! That boy is fine!”

  Melissa tried not to stare as Alexandra and Daniella, along with every other student and faculty member roaming the hall did, but it was difficult not to. The new boy was unlike anyone she had ever seen. He was attractive, more attractive than any actor or model she had seen starring on television, in movies or gracing the cover of a magazine. Yet, he did not stride with the self-assurance of boys far less attractive than he; he did not seem to embrace his spectacular looks.

  She struggled to place the exact attitude he assumed, could not find words to properly describe the way he carried himself. He seemed confident enough, but lacked the swagger she expected of a boy as handsome as he. Instead, he seemed oddly nervous, uncomfortable. She guessed it would be impossible for him to not feel nervous and uncomfortable while everyone around him stared and seemed mesmerized by his presence. She didn’t think anyone would be capable of adjusting to scrutiny so focused, so concentrated. She cringed at the thought of it happening to her. She felt bad for him.

  He continued moving and was about to pass them, all the while his eyes remained ahead of him, staring toward a distant destination. As he came closer, his eyes briefly glanced in her direction. She could not be certain, but she believed they made eye contact.

  Melissa quickly rejected that belief, however, and dismissed it as nothing more than wishful thinking. She blushed, embarrassed, and lowered her eyes to her feet and silently scolded herself for thinking a boy as good looking as he would look at her. It was more likely that he was looking at something behind her, or just next to her, a point that gave the illusion of his eyes meeting hers. She turned to her friends and was about to speak but stopped when she saw that both of them were nearly drooling over him. Alexandra and Daniella allowed their gaze to follow him as he passed. They, like the others, were blatant and unapologetic for their intense inspection and deep appreciation of his generous physical attributes. When he had finally passed and the spell that had been cast was finally broken, Alexandra spoke first.

  “Damn girl! Did you see how he stared at you?” Alexandra asked Melissa.

  “Yeah right,” she replied sheepishly.

  “What are you blind? He looked right at you. And no one else”

  “Come on, Alex! That’s ridiculous!”

  “Believe what you want, but I know what I saw.”

  “I have to agree with Alex on this one,” Daniella chimed in. “He looked directly at you.”

  “You guys are nuts!” Melissa countered. “I can’t even listen to this nonsense.”

  “Suit yourself, Melissa. You’re so clueless!” Daniella began playfully. “I have to run. See you later!”

  Daniella walked quickly toward the staircase leading to the next floor where her locker resided.

  “See ya, Daniella,” Melissa said.

  “Later,” Alexandra chimed in.

  Alexandra turned to Melissa and spoke. “I gotta go, too. I’ll see you later. I need to go to the nurse before the bell rings. I need an antacid or something. That breakfast burrito I had isn’t sitting well,” she said patting her chest to encourage a burp.

  “Good luck with that,” Melissa said as Alexandra turned and walked in the opposite direction.

  Melissa was alone. She began walking to her first period class

  Kevin was not in her first two sessions. She was not sure whether that was a blessing or a curse. On one hand, it bought her time to prepare for their awkward confrontation. On the other hand, it allowed for time, a lot of time; time that would be spent worrying over how the situation would play out. The interim between their date the previous night and third period English was nightmarish, agonizing. She simply did not know what to expect.

  After several seconds of brooding, she resolved to push Kevin to the back of her mind and submerge herself in her courses. Determined, she walked confidently to her locker and grabbed
her books for her morning classes.

  First and second period passed quickly. There had been no social repercussion whatsoever. As far as she could tell, no one knew of their middle-of-the-night date, how it had ended poorly.

  As she sat in her third period English class and waited for the room to fill, Melissa expected the quintessential ax to fall. She waited for Kevin.

  When Kevin finally did arrive, he breezed in past her and did not offer so much as a fleeting glance in her direction. She felt relieved. She had not entertained the possibility that nothing would happen, that their first interface would be free of drama. Her penchant for negativity had grossly exaggerated Kevin’s meanness. He was lecherous, but perhaps not all bad. She allowed herself to relax before the bell rang and felt certain the day would not be as awful as she predicted.

  Chapter 6

  Thick fog shrouded the Kamchatka Peninsula. An unusually mild air mass had settled over the area and drew murk from the deep snowpacks in the Northern section of land. Eugene was unbothered by the fog, however. He traveled, oblivious of it, with a single purpose: kill Dmitri Ivanov and his gang. His focus did not deviate from his objective.

  Behind the wheel of a behemoth Hummer H1 Alpha that pawed and climbed over rough terrain, he was focused, intent upon murder. Every cell in his body seemed to vibrate and resonate with anticipation.

  He could hardly contain his excitement as he drove along icy, unpaved roads toward Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the main city on the peninsula which was situated on high, snow covered hills surrounded by volcanoes. His destination, the one that promised multiple opportunities to kill, was an abandoned building selected as the alleged drop sight for a nuclear warhead Dr. Terzini was contracted to create. Of course, there was no nuclear weapon to deliver. He would provide them with something far different.

  Imagining the murders of not one, but five useless humans elicited a response so intense, Eugene struggled to repress it. He knew they were alone. He had surveyed the site earlier. They were like lambs awaiting slaughter and he was the predatory wolf. A reflexive shudder threatened to rack his body. He nearly doubled over but managed to control his enthusiasm and drive on until the drop site came into view.

  It was a squat, sad-looking building with peeling paint, a location befitting the grisly deaths Ivanov and his thugs would receive. Eugene had researched the area before he arrived and discovered not only that the men were alone, but also that the building they were to meet in once functioned as an automobile repair shop. Formerly, it had a white concrete exterior and black, framed windows. Now, it bowed in dilapidation. Moss and graffiti littered the walls. Paint peeled along the casement frames. Of the five windows on the garage door, three were broken, replaced with flimsy plywood. A worn wooden door with a broken fixture beside it held a bare bulb and was the only entry and exit point. Pathetic humans had constructed it, and equally pathetic humans had ruined it. And soon, pathetic humans would die in it.

  Eugene parked the Hummer in the wooded hills beyond the building as per Ivanov’s instructions. Ivanov had informed Dr. Terzini that no one was permitted to park their vehicle in the vicinity of the drop site. To do so would risk drawing attention. The last thing Eugene wanted was to draw attention to himself and risk sullying what was about to transpire.

  He scanned the surrounding area just to be sure then grabbed a large metal briefcase from the passenger seat and dark glasses to mask his feline eyes before climbing out of the Hummer and moving on foot toward the decaying building.

  He trekked across frozen, packed snow cluttered by dense foliage. The trees and undergrowth were a chaotic spectacle, a loathsome riot of twisted and tangled limbs. Eugene’s senses were briefly overwhelmed by unruly branches and intertwined vines. He quickly regained his composure, though, and forced himself to focus on the task at hand. After all, it was imperative for him to push the disorder of nature from his mind and keep moving; the excitement of his assignment needed to remain untarnished.

  Ignoring the pandemonium of the landscape, Eugene moved toward the impending conflict unarmed. He believed that weaponry was reserved for the weak and cowardly. Eugene thought that in order to appreciate and fully enjoy a kill, it must be performed with his hands.

  As he approached, he spotted two members of Ivanov’s gang posted at the door. Though they were hidden by dense fog, he could see they were large and armed. Both burly and brunette, the two were obviously related, likely brothers who were nearly identical outwardly save for a slight height difference.

  Eugene advanced toward the pair. His heavy tread on the ice-crusted snow alerted them. Both men looked into the white abyss.

  Stepping out of the concealment of the woodland, Eugene moved through veils of fog that licked with serpentine tongues at his body, their silky, sinuous shapes passing over and under him. He moved as easily and effortlessly as the opaque vapors, quickly closing the distance between him and the sentinels who stood watch at the building.

  He drew nearer, shedding his cloak of foliage and fog, and delighted in the response of the guards. Both moved their meaty arms to their guns. Each fortified his stance. Eugene felt a sinister smile wrench the corner of his thin lips. He scoffed at how such feeble-minded humans clung to their shiny weapons to give themselves a false sense of security. He could not wait to strip them of their metal trinkets and punish them for their arrogant display.

  Eugene moved to the door, looming before the two men. He saw how their haughty expressions changed as they stood before him, permitted to fully appreciate his impressive form. The twins glanced nervously at each other.

  Eugene chose not to speak right away. He threatened wordlessly, allowing for his enormous physique to intimidate them. The guards stood dwarfed by him. He imagined they no longer felt empowered by their pathetic guns.

  After a moment passed and the guards were amply warned, Eugene decided to speak, his voice a rumbling bass he enjoyed hearing.

  “I’m here to see Dmitri Ivanov,” he said levelly as he laid the briefcase at his feet. “Lower your weapons. I am unarmed.”

  “Are you here to deliver the package?” one of the men asked.

  The guard’s voice trembled. Eugene reveled in his desperate attempt to steady his voice and assume confidence. He chose to be silent again. With one of his powerful hands, he pointed to the large, metal briefcase in the snow at his feet.

  The man standing to the left turned and strode away, beyond earshot. His twin was left clutching his gun and shifting nervously from one foot to the other. Eugene did not look at the anxious man. Instead, he trained his gaze on the guard who distanced himself and spoke into a small, handheld transponder and alerted Ivanov to his arrival. The man with the transponder listened intently while the voice on the other end instructed him. Eugene heard he was to be fully searched before being allowed to enter the building.

  The guard with the radio transceiver returned and his partner stopped fidgeting. Aware of what their orders were, Eugene stepped forward with his arms outstretched in expectation of their check.

  Ivanov’s guards, surprised by Eugene’s actions and compliance, allowed their harnessed automatic weapons to hang slack against their chests as they stepped forward to search him.

  Their hands traveled over his body in search of firearms. Their facial expressions divulged their awareness of Eugene’s strength, that each limb was more solid than the next.

  As they continued, Eugene fought to overcome the intensifying sensations that surged inside of him. Excitement mounted, rolled and boiled, threatened to spew at any given moment. He could not wait to kill.

  Eugene tensed, slightly, fighting to control his urge to act. Ivanov’s guards felt him stiffen. They exchanged a cursory glance and suddenly realized their enormous oversight. Neither man had kept their gun fixed on him. Both men frantically reached for their weapons.

  But it was too late. Eugene struck.

  In an instantaneous motion he lashed out both of his massive arms ensnaring the two men by
their throats and lifting them off the ground. He squeezed with measured, vice-like pressure. His hands crushed each of their windpipes and snapped their spines rendering them dead simultaneously. The speed of his kill was necessary to not alarm the three remaining men inside.

  Dropping their bodies to the ground, Eugene smirked at the irony of synchronized deaths issued to the nearly identical humans.

  He kicked Dmitri Ivanov’s pair of recently deceased guards aside and proceeded.

  Stepping across the threshold he entered the decrepit building. He walked down a long, darkened hallway toward a vaguely illuminated room.

  The space was dimly lit and sparsely furnished. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered at irregular intervals and lent an air of eeriness to the shabby space. Three large wooden tables and one small table along with a dozen wooden chairs in various states of dereliction cluttered the area. A filmy clock that no longer kept time hung on the far wall alongside an old calendar featuring scantily clad women posed on motorcycles.

  Eugene stepped into the room. Thanks to his creator’s description, Eugene immediately spotted Ivanov seated behind a worn desk in the rear of the shadowy room under the stopped clock. With translucent blond hair and a complexion colored a vivid shade of red, Ivanov leaned back in his chair confidently with his two arms folded across his broad chest. Flanking him were two men armed with automatic weapons.

  Dmitri Ivanov tensed visibly and straightened his posture at the sight of Eugene. His protuberant gray eyes widened and seemed to bulge farther.

  “Put the case on my desk! Do it slowly!” Ivanov barked commandingly.

  Though Ivanov addressed him firmly, spoke to convey his absolute authority, Eugene heard a faint tremor in his voice that betrayed his outward confidence. He was certain Ivanov was afraid.

  Eugene obeyed and slowly approached. He placed the briefcase on the desk in front of Ivanov.