The Cloud

by Daniel Boshoff

“Great, we're supposed to colonize an entire planet with an ax.”

  “So you believe me now?”

  Evelyn shrugged. “I guess. Ready?”

  “Not really.”

  She hit the button and the door closed behind them.

  Evelyn found herself holding her breath, dreading seeing Holly's mauled corpse trampled into the ground. Instead, a lush, rich landscape unfolded before them as the door lifted. Long grass rose up almost to the level of the raised airlock door, and the edge of a thick forest faced them nearby, with trees displaying every shade of green imaginable. And there were birds, hundreds of birds flitting above the grass and the trees, shrieking and singing, dancing on the wind. Evelyn had never seen anything like it.

  “Wow.” Matthew murmured. “It's so … alive.”

  “Yeah. Let's hope so is Holly.” She jumped down to the ground, three feet below them. The grass in front of the shuttle had been flattened by the huge elephant creature. “Can you see that thing anywhere?”

  Matthew looked around from his higher vantage point. “No, but I think I know which way it went.” He pointed to a place in the long grass where the blades had been bent and broken, leaving a clear path. He hopped down and they set off together at a jog, Evelyn taking the lead.

  “Should we wait for Nelson?” Matthew asked.

  “We may already be too late. He'll figure out which way we went.”

  As she ran Evelyn glanced up at a colorful bird swooping over her head in pursuit of a fat insect. She had never seen birds or bugs in the wild before, and she was surprised but a little disappointed that they seemed so familiar. She had imagined alien life-forms would be more exotic, yet here the birds had feathers, the bugs buzzed, and the trees had leaves. She turned her eyes forward.

  The elephant creature's path was leading them into the woods, and as they entered the tree-line the grass abruptly fell away, leaving them without a trail to follow.

  “Which way now?” Matthew said.

  “Ssh. Do you hear that?”

  “I don't hear anything except birds.”

  “It's Holly!” Evelyn set off at a trot through the trees, the layer of dead leaves that carpeted the ground beneath the trees absorbing her footfalls. She could hear Holly screaming up ahead. The sound was faint, but not that faint – she was surprised Matthew hadn't heard it too. At least it meant Holly was alive and no longer unconscious.

  They ran through a patch of wet earth where an underground spring was soaking up into the loam. The boots of their protective suits squelched in the mud.

  “There, those are its footprints,” Evelyn pointed them out to Matthew. “We're on the right track.”

  “Great. Just let's, you know, be careful. That thing may not be the meanest kid on the block.”

  Evelyn knew he was right, and what they were doing was probably stupid, but she refused to leave Holly. They heard her scream again, and this time it was louder. They were gaining on her.

  “Let's go.” The trees became denser as the ventured deeper into the forest, and she realized why they were catching up: the elephant creature couldn't move so quickly here between the trees where it's large body hindered it. This was their chance. She doubled her pace, sprinting hard, weaving between the trees.

  “Wait! Slow down!” Matthew called.

  She ignored him, pushing on – she was so close! And then she heard it: the loud rustling of leaves; the sound of the behemoth pushing its way through the underbrush; the huff and blow of massive lungs drawing breath. And Holly, whimpering in pain and fear.

  Suddenly Evelyn broke into a clearing and saw the creature's rear reentering the tree-line on the other side.

  “Hey!” she called at the top of her lungs. “Stop!”

  Somewhat to her surprise, the creature did stop. It turned around slowly and fixed its eyes on her, flapping its fan-like ears irritably. She noticed now that there was something strange about those black eyes, a kind of deep emptiness that made her wonder if the beast was rabid or mad.

  Holly's frame dangled limply in its trunk, but when she saw Evelyn she cried out. She began beating at the trunk wrapped tightly around her torso again and, as if finally tired of the game, the elephant creature released her to tumble onto the ground. Then it opened its mouth and bellowed. The sound was not that loud, but it was incredibly deep. Evelyn felt its bass echo inside her visor.

  “Holly, run!” she called. The words were barely out of her mouth when the creature began its charge. It seemed slow at first, but it very quickly picked up speed and Evelyn realized she had better take her own advice.

  As she began to turn, Matthew pulled up beside her, breathing hard. “By the Bloom, you run fa –” he saw the elephant creature bearing down on them. “Oh, sh–.”

  “Go!” she yelled, pulling him around. “Back into the trees!”

  As she ran, Evelyn swore she could feel the ground trembling beneath her as the elephant came careening after them. It bellowed again, and it sounded like it was right on top of them. She risked a glance over her shoulder and immediately wished she hadn't: the beast was barely ten feet away. They weren't going to make it.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Evelyn saw something long and slender came sailing through the air. Her head spun, and she watched it plunge into the creature's side. The elephant stumbled, squealing in pain and rage. This gave Evelyn and Matthew the lead they needed; they leaped through a gap between two thick trees and back into the dense part of the forest.

  They ducked behind a thick shrub and hunkered down to catch their breath. The elephant's angry huffing could be heard on the other side of the trees.

  “I thought we were goners for sure,” Matthew wheezed.

  “Me too.” She peered through the leaves trying to see the elephant, trying to see the spear. She didn't even want to think about what a species capable of wielding weapons would mean for their chances of survival on this planet. “Did you see that?”

  “What? The pink alien elephant? Uh, yeah I saw it.”

  “No, there was a – Never mind. We need to get Holly.” At least if there was intelligent life here, it seemed to be helping … for now.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by Nelson's voice calling out her name. The elephant had heard him too, apparently, for it gave an angry snort and she heard the cracking of branches as it pushed its way into the trees behind where she and Matthew crouched.

  “We have to do something,” Matthew whispered.

  “I know, I'm thinking.” There was a loud snap right behind them.

  “Think faster!”

  “We'll split up. You get Holly, I'll distract it. Give me the ax.”

  “Are you crazy? You can't–”

  She snatched the handle from his grasp. “There's no time to argue. Go!”

  Evelyn leaped up from behind the shrub, waving her arms. She was vaguely aware of Matthew saying, “You're nuts, get down!” as she began hollering.

  “Here you big ugly brute, come and get me!”

  The elephant seemed startled by her challenge, and as it focused is small eyes on her she saw the spear sticking from in its side. The crudely carved wooden haft dangled low, and the spearhead tugged at the creature's thick skin. She could see bright red blood oozing out of the wound. Then the beast was coming towards her. Evelyn turned and ran as fast as she could.

  She saw Nelson step through the trees thirty paces ahead, saw his face register shock as he saw the elephant on her tail. “Run!” she called.

  He didn't run. He began doing something with a tree. Was he hugging it? Then Evelyn understood: he had rope. Nelson beckoned her on as he ran the rope around the opposite tree. He had set a tripwire.

  Evelyn hoped the rope was strong.

  The crashing of the beast through the trees sounded frighteningly near and she pushed herself to the limit for the last stretch. She swore she could feel its breath on the back of her neck as she leaped over the taut rope strung at knee height. She landed in loose loam that shifted and sk
idded under feet, snatching her balance. She just managed to spin her torso around so she fell onto her buttocks. The beast was right behind her, and it ran directly into the tripwire. Evelyn watched as if in slow-motion as its front legs hit the rope. The sudden pressure stretched it tight between the trees, and the elephant's back legs kept moving as the rope cut into the flesh of its forelegs. The rope held. Its head came down as it stumbled onto its knees, the tusks plunging toward Evelyn like white sabers. Strong hands jerked her aside at the last moment and the tusks bit into the loamy ground, kicking up a flurry of leaves.

  Nelson had saved her. He dragged her to her feet and they backed off hurriedly as the beast began thrashing to get up, its forelegs slipping on the loose leaves, and Evelyn looked into its left eye: black emptiness stared back. She realized she hadn't let go of the ax, even when she fell. Her knuckles tightened around its handle. The elephant's head was level with her chest. She could swing the blade into its skull. It was helpless … She stepped towards it, raising the ax. She had to make sure everyone was safe. She had to protect them.

  Suddenly the blackness vanished from the elephant's eye and it began rolling around in the socket, registering pure terror. Evelyn snapped back to herself, lowering the ax and staring at it. What had come over her? It was as if, for a moment, her body had not been hers to control.

  Her thoughts were shattered by a strange humming sound. There was something coming out of the elephant’s mouth and ears, even its eyes; a smoky substance that gathered above its head into a black cloud.

  The cloud seemed to possess an air of malice.

  “What the ...” Nelson started.

  The cloud rushed at Evelyn's face, billowing around her visor, obscuring her vision.

  Evelyn ...

  The voice startled her. It seemed to have come from right beside her ear. Then the mist appeared to lose energy. It stopped its swirling and began falling to the ground where it lay in a fine black powder.

  She looked at Nelson. “Did you hear that?”

  His eyes remained on the black dust. “H-Hear what?”

  The Elephant trumpeted loudly beside them and they both jumped in fright. Its feet had found purchase and it was pushing itself up.

  “We should probably try the running thing now,” Nelson suggested, backing away.

  “Matthew and Holly,” Evelyn remembered, pushing the strange voice from her mind. “We need to–”

  “Let's go!” A pair of figures broke through the trees nearby. “I've got her.”

  Holly was leaning heavily on Matthew's shoulder and looked like she was about to pass out. Evelyn noticed a streak of blood running down her forehead. But she was alive. That was all that mattered.

  Beside them the elephant groaned and lurched to its feet.

  “Get to the shuttle!” Evelyn called, turning. As she ran she looked back. The beast was trundling off in the opposite direction, trumpeting worriedly.

  “What the hell was that … stuff?” Nelson asked her as they ran.

  “I have no idea.” Evelyn remembered the hollow blackness in the creature's eyes before the strange black mist had emerged. It was almost as if it had been possessed by some kind of … She caught herself before she could think the word 'magic'.

  What had Damien Reyner gotten them into on this planet?

  7

  Back inside the shuttle Kenji, Brenner, and Clove were crouched in front of a pile of silver sachets on the floor. They all turned when they heard the airlock pressurizing.

  “What happened to the others?” Clove asked as soon as the inner door opened. “Are they …?” She left the sentence hanging.

  “Nelson's outside. Airlock's too small for all of us.” Matthew mumbled, distracted by Holly, who was slumping at the knees and mumbling incoherently.

  “And Seren?”

  “Seren?”

  “She left just after Nelson. Said you guys might need help.”

  Evelyn's heart lurched. “We didn't see her. I … I'll have to go back.” She and Matthew lowered Holly to the ground, where she curled into a protective ball, whimpering.

  “Holly, you're okay now,” Evelyn squeezed her shoulder. “We're back in the shuttle. You're okay.”

  Holly went quiet and began glancing around nervously. When the airlock door hissed open a second time, letting Nelson and Seren inside, she practically cringed. Evelyn's chest flooded with relief.

  “Thank God you're okay,” she said to Seren. “Where did you …?”

  “I must have gone the wrong way.” Seren smiled briefly. “Silly me.”

  Evelyn noticed that the boots of her suit were caked in the same mud she and the others had picked up in the forest.

  “I see. Well, I'm glad you're okay.”

  “You got Holly back,” Seren noted. “That was very brave of you, to go after her.” “She needed help. Someone had to go.”

  Holly's lip began to tremble. She looked at Evelyn, then at Matthew. “I'm sorry. Y-You were right. God, I'm s-so sorry.”

  “Don't worry about that. Let me take a look at your head,” Evelyn said, removing her helmet. The blood that had clotted in Holly's blond hair had already dried a nasty brown color. It was almost impossible to tell where the wound was or how badly she'd been hurt, but at least it seemed not to be bleeding any more.

  “Has anyone found water aboard this thing?”

  Kenji leaped up. “I found the food store. There's a water dispenser. I'll get some.”

  “Is that was that stuff is? Food?” Nelson frowned at the pile of silver-wrapped sachets.

  “I think 'fiber with nutritional value' is a more apt description,” Matthew explained. “But yeah. We need to re-hydrate it before we can eat it.”

  Kenji brought two sturdy plastic cups of water. “Sorry, there's nothing bigger.”

  “And I don't suppose there are any medical supplies?”

  Those who had stayed on the shuttle glanced at each other uncertainly.

  “There won't be medical supplies,” Matthew said.

  “Why not?” Evelyn demanded.

  “I … I'll explain in a moment okay?” At the withering look she gave him he added. “After we check on Holly.”

  “Fine. But you've got a lot more explaining to do than just that.” Evelyn bent over Holly's head and dripped a little water into the bloody tangle of hair.

  “Here,” Seren said, offering her a piece of gray fabric. Evelyn realized she'd cut it from her sleeve on the blade of the ax.

  “Thanks.” She gently rubbed at the dried blood, adding more water, until it began to dissolve. “Is that okay Holly? Say if I'm hurting you.”

  “No, it's fine. It … doesn't hurt anymore.”

  Evelyn scrubbed away until there was no blood left and she could see all of Holly's wet scalp. “I don't understand.” She peered closer, sure she was mistaken. “There's no wound.”

  Holly reached up and patted her head gingerly. “But I ...”

  “It must have been that thing's blood.” Nelson said. “I thought I saw a spear in its side.” He nodded to Evelyn and Matthew. “Which one of you stabbed it? That was ballsy as hell.”

  “A spear?” Matthew frowned.

  Evelyn kept silent, glancing surreptitiously at Seren. Was it possible that she had been the one who threw the spear? But why not tell them?

  “It wasn't its blood,” Holly said. “I know it wasn't. When it took me I hit my head and … when I woke up it was carrying me. I remember touching my head and feeling the blood. It hurt.”

  “Well, obviously you were mistaken,” Nelson pointed out.

  “No! I felt it.”

  “There could be another explanation,” Seren said, stepping forward. “Why don't you tell them the reason we don't have any medical supplies on this shuttle, Matthew?”

  Matthew swallowed. “It's a long story, and I don't really know all the details. Maybe we should eat first.” He looked towards the pile of silver packets hopefully.

  “Not on your life,” Bren
ner snapped, joining the conversation. “I don't know how or why you seem to know so much more about this whole rotten business than the rest of us, but I've had about enough of being kept in the dark.” Her expression changed, becoming almost pleading. “Did you know they were going to send us here? Is that why you were acting so weird before?”

  Matthew looked away. “I … might've known.”

  “And you didn't think it would be a good idea to tell us?”

  “You wouldn't have come.”

  Brenner stepped towards him, causing him to back away despite her small stature. “You're damn right I wouldn't have! And if you think–”

  “That's enough.” Evelyn was surprised to hear her own voice. “Whatever happened happened. We're in this together now. And we need to eat. Let's figure out how to make that stuff edible and then Matthew can tell us everything.” She looked at Matthew purposefully. “And I do mean everything.”

  Matthew nodded slowly. “Okay,” he said, drawing a deep breath. “Okay. There's a re-hydrator in one of these things.” He gestured around at a series of white storage compartments lining the interior of the half-moon room. “All the on-board equipment was stowed for the voyage. We can use that computer terminal to choose a mode for the shuttle. It has three: Voyage, Lab, and Living. Each one rearranges the interior layout to best suit our current needs.” He walked over to a high-tech computer terminal in one corner and switched it on. “Oh-kay,” he said, giving a little cough. “Apparently OrbiCor doesn't use a Windows operating system. Any of you know how to read code?”

  Clove turned to Brenner. “Didn't you say you were studying to be a programmer?”

  “Uh, yeah, but there are loads of different kinds of code.” She strode over to the terminal and glared at Matthew until he moved over. Everyone else clustered around to watch as she studied the screen.

  Evelyn noticed several lines of text running across the black background, a cursor blinked patiently beneath them. One line offered options for controlling the environment inside the shuttle, one offered a backdoor into InDi's automatic systems, one linked to a data library, and one offered access to on-board facilities.