“Taiyah, what happened?! Do you need my help?”
As he started to get out of the bed, a silhouetted figure came into view right in front of the door. It had a tall human-like frame, but Allen couldn’t make out its feature. Like a statue, it didn’t move as if it were cemented to the floor. Every attempt to flee had been struck down. His eyes twitched as the tall form began to approach him
A small red light appeared in front of him as the man lifted his arm; the glow resting on his wrist.
“Allen, you wouldn’t believe the power that this thing possesses. This raw energy is overwhelming with potential; I can’t wait to try it out,” said the intruder.
Allen took a moment to concentrate on the sound of the familiar voice. The man was tall and muscular, but he couldn’t see anything else with the darkness shrouding his view.
“Everything you’ve been told about the humans here is a lie. I know their true purpose for being on this planet. Teracia is in grave danger, and I need your help to stop them, Allen, before it’s too late.”
The computer turned on with a click with the screen lighting up the room. In front of him was a hooded figure covered in patches of blood and bruises. No amount of time could prepare Allen for what he saw. A small shimmer of blue appeared in its eyes as the light got brighter. Like a raging hurricane, the color in his pupils phased in and out.
“William is that you? How did you survive that fall?” he said with hesitation.
With breakneck speed, Allen felt the supposed dead man’s hand grip his neck tightly. He brought his arm up to meet his friend’s and heard a faint snap, watching as a small trickle of blood ran out from under the metal arm. The grip was just soft enough to allow him air.
“What the hell are you doing?! Let-let go of me,” he said looking into what he thought were his friend’s eyes.
“Allen, I don’t have much of a chance controlling this thing, but you have to listen to me. This creature will stop at nothing to kill all of the...”
Gasping for breath, Allen watched as William stopped speaking. Silence enveloped the room for only a few seconds before the gauntlet grasping his slender neck began to release heat and glow a menacing crimson. I’m going to die here. Killed by my best friend.
“I’m in control here, you persistent trash. You’ll resist no longer, or everyone you love will perish by your own hand.”
Allen watched as William talked to himself like there was a separate being within him. The dripping blood began to collect on his shirt. His arm started to twitch, and his fingers went stiff, forcing his grip to falter. A twisted smile met his glance. William began to laugh like a madman as his hold became tighter, causing Allen to gasp and cough.
“Ohhhhh! You have no idea how good it is to have a body again and a human one at that! I’ve wanted this ever since that bastard took mine away from me,” he said as he cracked his neck. “That dark temple is no place for someone like me. So much wasted potential being left inside for all of these years.”
William repeated the menacing laugh and let go of Allen. He dropped to the floor and clenched his neck, feeling the air ricochet down to his lungs like a torch.
“This isn’t you. Something happened. What’ve you done with William’s body?”
“Oh, I haven’t done anything with his body. He accepted this!”
“What are you talking about?”
William continued his walk around the room until he reached the window. Allen saw him begin to play with the curtain. With one swift motion, he ripped them off, and a sparkling pool of light enveloped the room.
“Does it look like he had a choice in the matter? Would you look at all of this blood and tell me you wouldn’t do the same to survive. We are a species of survivors, aren’t we, Allen?”
Blood, bruises, and scattered chunks of glass and metal peppered his arms and legs, as well as parts of his chest; his shirt hanging in strips of matted cloth. Allen looked away to curb the vomit coming up his throat. He swallowed deeply and started to feel waves of lightheadedness.
“This isn’t happening…. please tell me this is a dream cooked up from the medicine?”
“This is no dream, Allen. This is all real, and you’re just another piece of the puzzle. Where will you connect, I wonder. That girl down there is awfully special. I don’t usually kill Teracians, but there’s something different about her. She isn’t like the others.”
“What’s that on your hand?”
William raised the armored glove into the air, “You haven’t seen this before have you, boy? This is known as a gauntlet in human speech and contains immense power. It was mine before I was betrayed, but that’s another story.”
With fear in his heart, Allen started to back away from the window towards Taiyah. The black gauntlet began to produce a bright light in the center, and a red blade appeared in his hand. The sword started to vibrate and spark as if it were only a hologram.
“William. William, snap out of it. Please come back!”
“Oh, you are gonna make this so sweet for me, aren’t you? When I’m done with you and her, I will kill every last human on this planet for what they did to me.”
Allen looked at every corner of the room for something to defend himself but saw nothing that would help. He turned to look behind him and saw the young Teracian woman knocked out. The edge of the door met with his foot, causing him to fall to the floor. Before he could get up, William’s strong and cumbersome body was on top of him. The red blade pulsed with energy as it came into contact with his neck. He stared at the twisted face of the killer and saw no signs of his best friend. All hope left him just as something crashed through the window.
William diverted his insane look away from Allen. “Who would dare interrupt this glorious occasion?”
Allen instantly recognized the dark-armored body of the assailant they had first encountered in the stone temple. The cloak on his body shifted back and force as the wind grazed it. All the dents and scratches suffered during the fight were gone, and Allen could now see him more clearly. The man’s entire body was encased in a smooth, skin-tight armor similar to an exoskeleton. A green visor on the silver helmet covered every identifying feature. The gun on his holster started to glow.
“Dazshra, let him go, now!” the assailant said in a robotic voice.
William stood away from Allen and planted a swift and powerful kick to his stomach, causing him to smack through the door and hit the wall in the hallway. He grunted as he clenched onto his chest.
“You will come with me and give no resistance. You might even get to see Isabella again, and I know you wouldn’t want to see her hurt, would you?”
The confident expression on William’s face suddenly changed. “You’re bluffing. Yo-you wouldn’t hurt your own wife.”
“If it meant taking control of you, I wouldn’t hesitate.”
Allen attempted to stand, but felt a pressure near his ribs and fell back to the ground. He caught himself and landed near the opening of the door. William’s head moved towards the window and then back at Allen. Something changed in his look as a flash of blue collected in his pupils. He looked back at the armored man in front of him and clenched his fist as he took a step forward.
“This isn’t over, Etzel. Neither you nor Actavian will touch a hair on her, or I’ll show you agony only reserved for hell. Your cybernetic body can’t save you from me. Remember this, Inquisitor.”
“Dazshra!” the man said as William disappeared, leaving a flash of light in his wake. A deep scream left the man’s lips as he punched a hole through the wall. He turned towards Allen.
“You’re lucky that you’re important to us. Otherwise, I would kill you here and now. You’ll speak no further of this event, or your life will be a living nightmare.”
The cyborg walked towards the window and vanished, leaving a gust of wind and electricity. All the lights in the room suddenly burst to life. The dead silence returned to the hospital, and in minutes, he heard voices coming from o
utside. He took a deep breath and held onto his chest, feeling a deeper pain in his heart that could not be easily repaired.
Seven
A World Unknown
The deep orange sun stood above Anya, Trevor, and Brenda as the hoverships approached the large mountain range, ascending closer to the Septune Station orbiting in the distance. Anya pushed her matted hair back as the wind ripped through the sky. She sighed as she realized she probably looked like a mess. Moving her cramped leg, she stared aimlessly out the open cargo door, wishing she would wake up from this nightmare.
Countless rows of trees blurred in and out of sight as the ship raced by. A brilliant landscape of blues, violets, and dark reds molded into a deep hue reminiscent of a warm sunset just before it leaves the horizon. Turbulence shook the transport as it accelerated. The calm and peaceful voice of the pilot resonated along the weathered frame as the light above them turned a solid red and the doors on the side closed and locked.
“Hope you guys are comfortable. My name is Bernard Strotsky, and we are approaching Brahm Lighthouse and will be exiting momentarily. Please move to the front of the transport and secure yourselves in,” he said with a distinct Russian accent.
Anya continued to stare outside as if her body was petrified in stone. Creatures of every shape and size dotted the expansive plains below, eating the teal grass and basking in the sun’s rays. They looked similar to what she saw at the Indianapolis Zoo last summer, but she couldn’t concentrate on those memories. All she could think about was William. Her interest, however, piqued as she saw a large city come into view below her. Tall, shiny buildings and flying objects the size of ants. Luscious green trees dotted the walkways and several multicolored structures with beautiful architecture. In the center, a large rectangular building with arches on each corner.
“We’re now passing over Treynador Stronghold, a co-inhabited city with a strong military presence; for defense of course. Both groups are at peace,” said the pilot.
She felt the warm embrace of a familiar hand on her shoulder. She hugged her tightly and rubbed her sore back. With a zip and tug, she removed her jacket and placed it on Anya’s shoulders.
“I can’t begin to know what you’re going through right now, but I’m here for you,” Brenda said as she patted the coat to remove the dust. “I’m sure he’s alright. They’re probably sending a search party to look for him. Hey, what’s wrong with your neck. Your hands are red too.”
Anya touched her neck and felt nothing. She glanced at her hands, and they hadn’t changed, “it-it must be a rash. I first saw it out in the woods.”
“You’ve got swelling in your legs and arms too. We need to speak to a doctor when we get there. Do you feel alright?”
“Not really. I don’t feel like myself right now.”
Brenda kept silent and only listened, but Anya could hear the urgency in her voice.
As she glanced up, her eyes twitched and started to sting. “I don’t know what to think or do right now. What do we do now Brenda? Please tell me what I should do.”
Her voice was barely audible, and every word that left her lips brought her face closer to the purple fabric until her mouth was submerged in the hoodie’s fabric.
“The only thing we can do. Survive and get back home,” Brenda said as she patted Anya’s shoulder and walked back to her seat.
Minutes passed on like hours as the puffy clouds sulked above them. The doors had long since been closed, but Anya could still feel the chill from the wind crawling up and down her body like a slithering eel. As she sunk further into her head, an audible grunt and squeak came from the other side of the ship. Trevor raised his head up and coughed.
“The hell is going on?”
Brenda walked over to him and messed up his dirty blonde hair. “You passed out climbing out of that collapsing temple.”
“Would you knock it off,” he said as he fixed his hair and playfully smacked her hand away.
“How do you feel?”
“Pretty good actually. I’m glad I made it up to the surface again.”
“Glad you’re back with us,” she said with a smile.
“Why wouldn’t I be? No gun-wielding robot is gonna do me in.”
The ship was silent for a few seconds before Anya spoke, “please don’t hold anything back. I wanna know everything that happened to William.”
Trevor glanced at the ground and looked up at Anya with tired eyes, “That man, or thing, we saw earlier that went into the temple, came back, and William tried to fight it. In the end, we ended up taking it down, but one of the aliens missed and an energy blast busted through the floor. Come to think of it, the other guy could have been an alien too, but he actually spoke, unlike the rest of them.”
“You mean you don’t hear them in your head? The aliens?” said Anya.
“No, they didn’t say anything,” said Trevor as he got out of the bed, attempting to stretch.
“What exactly happened after I took Allen outside?” said Brenda.
“That thing survived the fall, and the two battled it out. In the end, the robot or cyborg, whatever he is, dropped the alien through the hole in the floor. When he was finished, he just vanished. I did everything I could to stay alive.”
“He just vanished? I noticed the two aliens could do that. If the other one is a human, then how can he do the same?”
Trevor shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know, Sis. At this point, anything could happen. Did you and Allen make it up alright?”
“Yea, he’s fine. Major Sorehn told me he’s being treated for his arm in a medical facility near a village.”
“So, were not the only humans living here? Was he from the space station?
“There was a whole platoon of them in these hoverships that touched down. We’re definitely not alone on this planet, that’s for sure.”
Anya raised her head. “The major was really nice. It’s good to know we have some people on our side.”
“We still need to keep our guard up; at least for now. When can we see him? Allen, I mean.”
“They said it may take a day or so, but soon,” said Brenda.
The red light started blinking, and the pilot’s voice came back to the speaker. “Alright you guys, we’re right above the lighthouse and will be descending shortly. Please lock yourselves in your seats and await further instructions.”
Within seconds the red light above them turned green. Near the seats, panels on the floor opened, revealing three spheres. They began to rotate and expanded outward to form an egg made entirely of what appeared to be clear glass. They all jumped back as the egg opened up to reveal a cushioned seat.
Anya glanced back and forth at both of them as her chest heaved. “They want us to get in these?”
“It would appear so. Everything will be alright. If they wanted us out of the way, they could have let the aliens do it,” said Trevor as he motioned for them to step inside.
The ship landed softly down on the platform, crunching into the rocky surface of the mountain face. As the engine turned off, Anya heard a loud mechanical sound. To their amazement, everything around them began to fold and bend as if the aircraft was breaking apart. Piece by piece, the hovership started deconstructing itself until nothing but the egg-shaped seats remained. Anya shielded her eyes from the bright sun and turned to face the pilot as he started examining the pods. She could see that the ship had folded into a crevice in the ground out of sight. Several feet away was a well-built and beautiful lighthouse with a large circular satellite dish on the top. Below it was the words “Spectrum Wave Amplifier” engraved in large letters.
“What’s going on here? Why haven’t you told us anything?” said Trevor.
The pilot took off his helmet, causing Anya to cover her mouth. Half of the man’s head was plated with a black material similar to a stiff plastic. Four embedded wires trailed down his face in a neat and parallel fashion similar to the connectors in a motherboard. They ended just above his gray and
white mustache. In his left eye, a bright blue iris stood out amongst the robotic features.
“Friend, friend, what’s with all the yelling and spitting? Relax. I couldn’t begin to tell you how much change since 2025. I am one of oldest living people on the station. Hell, I wasn’t born until 2463. That makes me 624, but you didn’t hear that from me. I trust you to keep that secret.”
Anya saw Trevor throw his hands in the air, “Excuse me, are you joking? What year is it here? Holy shit; why is that worthy of a secret?”
“If you get to know me better, maybe I tell you one day.”
With a wave of his hand, a small platform rose from an opening on the rock, revealing a holographic module. Strotsky spun his hands in the air. Blue and green-colored overlays appeared in front of him with sets of data and topographical maps.
“This here is Brahm Lighthouse. We are currently situated on Purtarian Mountains. Whatever the hell you did in that temple has caused Septune Station to be put on lockdown. This is one of the only ways to reach it from planet’s surface. In about a minute, gravitation field will carry you the rest of way there, and all of your questions will be answered.” He pointed his finger at the spherical space station on the horizon. It seemed to be a little larger than the moon but was closer to the planet.
“Is this safe?” said Anya.
“Technology was perfected 150 years ago. This is safest way to travel to the station at the moment. It’ll take you about two and half hours to reach station from here. I suggest you rest. I need another beer.” said the pilot as he pulled down a holographic lever.
Brenda, curious as always, hit the button above her head and spoke to the Russian pilot, “If I may ask, your accent is Russian correct? How diverse is the culture on the station?”
“It is not as diverse as I would like. We Russians have almost lost identity. I listen to broadcasts and read books from long ago to try and learn all I can about my people; what they were like during your time and what they are now. Humanity lost a great deal during the wars of the past.”
The Gauntlet of Possession (The Teracian Chronicles Book 1) Page 7
