by Max Jager
'I'll be in Dead Grave with a nice little vehicle for space transport. sort of like a back up plan. Not till later on though so don't go AWHAL just yet. I have a bit of business to attend to on the other side of the bridge Need to see a guy about an 'oil change'. Take it easy, dude!'
It was the last words he heard from Washington! "Oh my God! Bless that little amphibian piece of crap!"
Aurela looked at him strangely.
Alerius looked down at her and saw her confusion. He looked at her in the eyes and said, "Come on, we need to get to Dead Grave! Now!" He grabbed her hand and started to run and she followed suit when he suddenly stopped. He looked back up at the sky. "We'll never make it!"
Alerius kicked some water on the ground up into the air. He then began just screaming with all of his might right at the ground. He went down to his knees in despair. It was hopeless. No way could he make it a hundred and three miles plus whatever distance to Dead Grave in just little under ten minutes, maybe less! They had had it!
Aurela then began to hammer his back with her fist. Alerius didn't care. There was no hope.
She then began to shout at him, "LOOK, LOOK!"
He turned his head solemnly, a little to the right; the way she was pointing. He then noticed something red in color beyond some of the foliage. He got up off of his knees and stood completely up. He squinted through the vegetation to see what it was.
He walked over to it. It was just about twenty feet beyond the trail that his landing ship left when he first arrived on Scalobore. When he got close enough he ran over to the red object and Aurela followed right behind.
It was a hover bike! Much different from the one he stole from Dead Grave. This one was more sleeker in body type and was silver and red with black flames on it. It also had words written on the exhaust pipes too. They were black-flame font matching the black flames on the body of the bike. The left one read: FLAMING The right one read: THUNDER
It was obvious that this bike was custom made. There were more then two exhaust too. The one with the words were just the ones Alerius first saw, but then he noticed that the bike had six of them altogether! They were in a triangular formation. The two on the bottom were the bigger ones and had the words on them.
Alerius could not believe his luck, it was too good to be true. Maybe it was a dream? He hoped it wasn't! He was about to get on when he saw a small little device on the seat. It was a small voice recorder. Alerius saw the small, light blue screen display turn on as soon as he picked it up. A small menu was on screen and he pushed playback.
The small screen blinked and a picture of Washington came up. Suddenly, his voice started. "What's up agent man! I knew you'd be needing this! Otherwise you probably wouldn't be listening to this jibber-jabber right now! Put it right next to your ship so you would find it!
I know things are down but cheer up dude! Meet me in Dead Grave! I got your ticket off this planet! A nice space cruiser with three people seating. Boss right? Hey Dark, I know your there too bro! Listen, Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. You and the agent and the Leyline get the hell out of here! Don't give me no guff once you get here! You've saved my green ass plenty of times! Least I can do is try to return the favor! Alright, agent man you still with? This bike is super-super fast, alright? It'll get you here in less then ten minutes depending how much guts you got?"
They both heard a small chuckle.
"Alright, I'm at Dead Grave, get here or drink beer! You choose! Hey, that rhymed!"
Alerius then saw the picture of Washington disappear and then the screen went black. Alerius just shook his head and threw the recorder down on the ground in despair.
"Great, all my hopes lie in a mental mechanic! That's just swell."
Alerius got on the bike and motioned Aurela to get on too. She looked around on how to get on. Alerius rolled his eyes and looked at a tree in the distance. Thinking he heard something. Then he looked back at Aurela who was still trying to figure out how to get on the bike. He looked at her confused.
"What are you doing?"
Aurela looked at him with confused eyes of her own but they were more innocent in nature. "How do I…"
Alerius grabbed her by the shoulder and shoved her down on the seat. She then muttered out, "Oh."
Alerius revved the bike and the six exhausts kicked with fire! The bike didn't hover off the ground, it launched about a foot into the air! As he was bucked by the bike, Alerius blurted out, "Damn, he wasn't lying!"
Alerius revved the engine again and the bike blasted through the swamp like a cruise missile! It charged and ripped through the green foliage like a runaway rocket! In little less then five seconds Alerius was already at the bridge! Close to 2 ½ hours walking distance blown away in less then five seconds! He stopped the bike right at the foot of the bridge and looked down the road.
Something told him to stop. He didn't know whether Aurela had some kind of telekinetic powers or if something from above told him. All he knew was that something deep in his instincts told him to stop. So stop he did. When he did, the backend of the bike leaned into the left and Alerius almost went tumbling onto the bridge.
He looked out onto the bridge and when he did, he saw numerous, uncountable little green lights flashing on and off. He knew exactly what they were to.
"Oh no!" He said.
They were proximity mines. Hundreds of them. The whole bridge had been wired with them. If he went over the bridge now the whole thing would go. He definitely couldn't go in the water and then jump back on the bridge like before. That would just be pointless.
Alerius had no choice, he had to cross the bridge one last time! He looked up in the sky and he saw that mouth beginning to open up! Underneath he saw the fire churning and boiling inside of The Meteorite! Alerius revved the bike and turned back towards the swamp. He drove about a half mile inland.
He looked back at Aurela and said in a firm and commanding tone, "Okay, no matter what happens, you hold on and you do not let go! You understand?"
She nodded her head and wrapped her arms around his waist. It felt like she was hugging him. Deep in his mind he wanted to embrace her back and kiss her right on the bike. To hell with the sky! If this was to be their final moments he was going to make them good ones.
No! He kept his head and said, "Tighter!"
She squeezed a little tighter but now it just felt like a warm hug. He looked back at her again, "With all your might Aurela!"
She somewhat smiled and leaned in close to him. She then squeezed him with all of her might and his stomach felt pinched and his breathing was cut into a bit.
"That's more like it."
He felt her warmth through his clothes. It was very enjoyable to him. He so much wanted to take her but he knew he couldn't. He had to keep a clear head. If he didn't they would indeed die on the bridge.
He could feel Aurela smile. He felt her innocence sweep over him like a wave of relaxing warm water. He was torn between two sides of himself now. The side of loneliness that would finally be happy. In a world of so much death and destruction he had nobody. No friends, no relatives , not even a pet. But here was this girl who would be more then willing to share her heart with him. God, he wished to return the love.
Then, of course, was his professional side. The side that had accomplished missions, the side that had won wars, that had kept him alive! The side he was most familiar with. The side that he was desperately trying to listen to. Two types of instincts counteracting each other. Torn apart between two natural feelings. One of honor and one of desire. Which one was right? Alerius would continue to stick with his honor. The mission was more important then him or his wanting for love. He had to protect the Leyline, even from himself!
Alerius revved the bike and then blasted for the bridge. Again the bike tore through the flora and ripped through the green overlay of the swamplands. Small trees and light moss covered puddles were blown away by the force of the machine.
Alerius saw the bridge and lowered hims
elf on the bike with Aurela still attached to him. His eyes became piercing and transfixed on the bridge as it neared. He had to make it across!
The bike leaped right out of the clearing and bounded onto the road. It sped down the bridge clearing about three of the blinking lights and the black deep hole that the fighter had left earlier before the first explosion happened. It blasted away and the chain reaction that Alerius was expecting began. The proximity mines began all going off, one right after the other.
Alerius was approaching the second hole in the bridge made by the spacecraft earlier. He revved the bike and the bike's speedometer was now buried in the display. Alerius was reaching speeds well beyond two hundred and fifty miles-an-hour.
No matter how fast though he was going, the explosions were not far beyond as they chased him down like a rabid animal. Alerius had no choice but to jump the hole! He sped towards it, trying to aim for the small ramp made by the explosion. A section of bridge that had been blown outward.
Alerius screamed at Aurela over the almost deafening engine, "HANG ON!"
The bike flew up the ramp and was soon in mid-air! The fire from beyond Alerius and Aurela leapt off the ramp too and also seemed to fly right for them! The bike was surrounded in fire. Alerius blasted through the flames and landed on the other side of the bridge and took off while the fire trail stayed on him as more mines exploded in his wake.
Alerius swerved the bike to the left and to the right as the fire seemed to take on a personality all its own as it hunted them down! Rolling after them like a tidal wave of flame! The mines feeding the unstoppable force getting closer to the both of them!
After about two minutes of Alerius swerving and dodging their formless hunter he could see the sands of the other side. It was a joyous sight.
The bike was beginning to burn him from him running it so hard. The fire from the exhausts was scorching the metal and tar the road was made of. Alerius could almost swear he could hear the fire roaring at him to go faster from the other approaching wall of fire!
Suddenly, an explosion caught the bike from underneath and sent the bike high into the air! The bridge began to give way! Alerius figured that the enemy had planted more explosives at this end of the bridge just in case he had made it this far. He saw from high in the air the bridge collapse and fall into the water. If he landed, the bike would be crushed into pieces! The desert was only about twenty feet away! So close and yet so far!
The bike plummeted downward, falling like a metal rock. There was no way that Alerius could stop the bike's downfall. In less then a second, he and the Leyline would be a crushed and mangled mess on the remaining rubble of the bridge. He was so close too.
The bike suddenly stopped in mid-air! It shouldn't have though. No bike could hover above a surface that was not flat. The surface had to be flat for the bike to hover parallel to it. Something else had made the bike stop. He looked over his shoulder and saw Aurela with her eyes tightly closed shut and her head was shaking as though she was concentrating on something.
The bike then flew up to the sand and landed down on top of it. The bike returned to its original hover mode. Alerius's hand was off the throttle so the bike was in neutral, not moving anywhere. Alerius looked back over his shoulder again and saw that Aurela was breathing heavily. She was exhausted. She suddenly fell off the bike and was panting in the dirt.
Alerius quickly got off the bike and held her. He looked at her concerned. She was still breathing heavily and panting with exhaustion.
Alerius then figured it out. She had saved them. Somehow, she had telekinetic powers. Alerius knew that Laylines had powers but he couldn't figure out why he hadn't expected this from her as well. Probably because he was so entranced by her beauty and her love towards him that he didn't think of her as a weapon or a "something". He thought of her as a "someone". A person, not a thing as everybody else seemed to.
He picked her up and put her back on the bike. Her exhaustion quickly faded as Alerius flew through the desert towards Dead Grave. It was as if the wind in her hair drew life back into her. Alerius could hear over the roaring engine her sweet voice saying something. It was filled with despair and made his heart sink into his stomach.
"We must hurry. The planet is dying. I can smell death in the air."
Alerius looked up in the sky and all he could see was fire. The mouth of the Oadin was now fully open. Ready to engulf the planet. He had to hurry. He saw the fire churn and rage inside the Flaming Meteorite. He saw small red bolts of lighting consume the sky as the planet itself seemed to enclose around itself. As if it was trying to fold itself up trying to escape its impending demise.
Planet Scalobore: The End of Scalobore
He blasted across the dunes as fast as he could. He could see a small shadow in the distance. Dead Grave was almost in reach. The bike blasted into town and near the auto shop was a big ship with Washington standing right next to it. Alerius brought the bike to a sliding halt. Dust was kicked up about seven feet in the air and the bike swung towards the ship from the force of it stopping.
Alerius got off the bike and helped Aurela off of it too. He walked towards the ship with Aurela in hand.
Washington walked towards them and waved his hand at them both. "What up agent dude! How's it hanging?"
"What? My neck from the noose? Is this the ship or not?"
"Yeah, this is it agent man!" Washington looked at Aurela. "Oh my God! Is this the Leyline?"
"Yeah."
"Damn, she's beautiful! I bet Dark was happy to see her?"
Alerius looked down at the ground.
Washington could see the hurt in his eyes. He asked, "What? Where is Dark?"
"I thought you knew by now." Alerius said still looking at the ground.
Washington's eyes fluttered for a moment and then his gaze returned to Alerius. "He's dead isn't he?"
Alerius looked up at Washington and solemnly nodded his head.
Washington's face crumpled up with hurt. "Oh God, no! Not Dark! Not him!"
Washington's eyes filled with water and he turned away from the two. He looked off in the distance as he began to cry not wanting anyone to see him like that.
Alerius took a solemn breath and looked up at the sky. He saw that it was starting to get worse. The fire seemed closer. He knew that none of them had too much time left. He walked over to the spaceship and opened a glass canopy.
The ship was not too far different from the one that had chased him on the bridge earlier. Except this one was not used for war. This was used for transportation. It had slightly slimmer engines and was a lighter color. Not to mention the body type was slimmer too, for more maneuverability and air flowage. Alerius saw the three seats inside and hopped into the front driver seat.
Washington still could not look back at them. His face was soaked in tears.
Aurela looked at him with a merciful drawn face. She walked solemnly over to him. Washington felt her presence. He choked out a few words to her. "He had saved my life so many times. I couldn't even save him once! I'm so useless! Dark!" He cried out again and began to sob once more.
Aurela put one hand on his shoulder and he moved his head towards her. In her sweet and caring voice she uttered, "You can, if you want to." Implying to something in Washington's mind.
Washington turned around choking back a few tears. He then grabbed her and hugged her tightly as he sobbed into her white dress. She returned the embrace caring so much about his distraught state. She wanted to help ease his pain.
Alerius got up from the seat in the ship and called over at Aurela. "We don't have time for this!"
Aurela turned her gaze over to him. "There is always time for mercy."
Alerius retracted back as though somehow that made sense to him. He figured if anybody else would have said that to him, he would have never agreed. Her voice and her face though. Her in general! She seemed to be able to make sense out of this senselessness. Which attracted Alerius even more to her.
Su
ddenly, the ground began to shake and huge cracks appeared in the ground! They slashed through the sand and slid on the ground like snakes! Powerful, red light emanated out of them! As if the core of the world was about to collapse! Which it probably was! The shaking was fierce and knocked both Washington and Aurela away from each other. Alerius looked in the sky and saw the atmosphere beginning to burn away. They only had maybe a minute left!
He watched horrified as the whole world began to crack and crumble. The sky became fierce with red lighting, the ground shook to its very foundation as the planet itself was about to be swallowed whole!
Aurela got into the spaceship. Alerius motioned Washington into the ship. Washington went over and hesitated at the edge of the ship. Alerius and Aurela both motioned for him to get in.