The LOMMETRUS Chronicles: Book One: The Abduction of William Baxter

by Matthew Novak

  Chapter 16

  There’s a great ocean; with waves crashing down on enormous jagged rock and the velocity pulling tiny bits of that rock with every collision. The sun’s rays are bright on this day as any sign of cloud cover seems imagined. I am standing on the edge of this cliff and looking out over the endless expanse of water in front of me. The bright light is warm on my skin and I take my shirt off to feel the sun’s penetrating beams with greater affection. It’s not clear to me why I feel the need to be closer to this great source of light and heat but I feel compelled to put one leg out and over the edge of this cliff. There is not a solid surface to rest my foot but only the air that enters my lungs. The air keeps me alive. Why can’t I rely on the air now to hold me over these jagged rocks?

  I plant my foot down and place all my weight on it while lifting the other foot firmly planted on the cliff’s edge. To my surprise, I don’t fall and meet the rocks with a crash like the ocean below me does but rather I move closer to that burning sphere of warmth and light in the sky. I am floating or am I being pulled? It then seems only natural to look back at the edge of the cliff and I scan back toward the land; away from the edge. I observe something that went unobserved before in the distance. While I was surveying the rock and ocean below and focusing on the sun and its warmth---behind me; there were large green shade trees. Beneath one of the shade trees is KATRAVIN, under another; Miles and still one more in the distance; I can see Sonya. I wave at them to catch a glance or a gesture of acknowledgement.

  “Look, I’m flying,” I call out.

  Are the shadows of the trees too great for them to see that I am in the sky? This thought motivates me to move toward them; perhaps if only for a moment and then I can return toward the sun---maybe they would join me. This floating sensation is really something and I want for them to have the opportunity to at least see me. I resist the pull that this sun seems to have on me. It’s difficult pulling away from the light but I’m determined to be noticed by my friends on the surface. I break free from the pull and the struggle becomes less as I fight to move toward the trees. As I move closer to those shade trees though; the pull seems to be coming from them and not the sun. I realize that I am coming closer to the ground and that the floating sensation becomes less as I near my friends. My eyes then focus on the ground and every blade of grass comes into focus.

  I am now smaller than the green sprouts and looking up at the grass blades tips. This lasts only for a moment though and then suddenly I am standing next to KATRAVIN, Miles and Sonya. All three are looking down at me. Their faces are pictures of worry.

  “What’s wrong;” I say.

  My eyes actually open now and the images of my friends disappear. I’m motionless in a bed. Beads of sweat are resting on my brow and my shirt is soaked. Lips---cracked and chapped. It takes a few moments but then it all comes back to me; the rescue and being shot with a blast from the guard. I look over at my arm that has been heavily bandaged. My body is so stiff. I try to pull myself up but it is impossible to move anything but my head.

  I mumble the words in a hoarse tone; “Where am I?”

  I am alone in the room and no one is near me to hear my voice. There are thin beams of light that pass in front of me. I turn my head slightly to survey the surroundings. The room that I’m in is subtle in its dimensions as the tiny window near the top of the ceiling emits only a weak amount of light. I want so badly to rise up and look out the window. An empty chair is next to my bed. I listen for conversation but there are no signs of anyone being near. It is quiet; save for the faintest of sound that resembles air flowing---like wind outside perhaps? I listen to it for awhile but I’m not entirely convinced of it being the wind. Then flashes of the dream I had popped in my brain and I remember the ocean crashing on rocks below. It is then that I realize this sound is water rolling onto land somewhere in the distance. I am near a great body of water. My nose then caught onto the slightest of scents---salt water.

  This discovery was soon interrupted by voices nearing me.

  “If we try to move him now; he may not survive the trip.”

  Another voice said; “Do you understand that the ALVERONS; including scientists and council will be searching for us here. They still have technology capable of finding us. I was desperate when I brought him to STONIA but now we must get to NOBI.”

  “What is NOBI; Sonya asked?”

  “It’s another planet. We were told that someone; a NOBIAN, could help us---maybe get you and William back to Earth.”

  I rested my head on the bed; now realizing that the voices belonged to my friends. We were safe---but for how long? And where was KATRAVIN? Miles and Sonya entered the room.

  “He’s awake;” Miles said.

  Sonya came over to the side of my bed. She took hold of my hand and clenched it in hers.

  “Your safe now; or rather, we’re safe. You did a brave thing William. Thank You.”

  I was happy to see Sonya safe but the more pressing image in my mind at that moment was of KATRAVIN in my dream and behind those bars.

  “Did she make it out of the facility too,” I said in a weak and raspy voice.

  Miles spoke up; “We are not completely out of danger yet. We still need to figure out what is the best way to get William and you back to Earth.”

  My throat was dry but with a throaty exertion; the words, “Where is KATRAVIN,” came out of my mouth.

  It was Miles who answered; “She is safe---resting in the other room right now. We’ve taken turns watching you. She was up all night with you. Sonya and I were coming in to take over.”

  I nodded my head as I closed my eyes; relieved that the dream hadn’t come true. There was so much more I wanted to ask but my voice wasn’t quite back to normal.

  I pushed the word; “Water,” out and Miles fetched a bottle from his pack.

  Sonya’s left hand was still clenching mine but she used her other hand to elevate my head for a drink. The water trickled down my throat; replacing every crack and burning sensation with cool streams of relief.

  Sonya looked at Miles and said; “He is still in no condition to move.”

  Miles responded; “The medicine I gave him will take some time; perhaps or maybe it won’t work at all. The burns and blood loss were extreme.”

  Sonya answered; “What about the ALVERON’S, what about Erick? Can they find us here?”

  Miles shook his head; “It’s hard to say how much time we have but they will eventually come here. The ALVERON trackers are sophisticated beyond any cover this planet has available. The longer we stay here; the greater the risk becomes for everyone involved. STONIA is the closest planet to ALVERON---at least a further planet in NOBI would buy us more time.”

  I’m not sure Sonya and Miles were aware that I was cognizant enough to hear and understand their conversation. My fear after listening to my friends talk was that I had put them in danger as a result of my injured and immobile status. I was determined to not let any threat come on them so I had to convince Sonya and Miles I was well enough to handle the trip. I pushed all the weight I could on my good arm and struggled to push off the bed and raise up. Sonya responded at this sight.

  “William, you are not well enough. You must rest.”

  “I, I can make…it,” I said.

  The truth was though; I didn’t feel like I would survive the trip to NOBI. I winced in pain when my head was turned away from them. The room began to spin and I realized walking couldn’t be faked.

  “Miles,” I said.

  He came over to my side; as did Sonya.

  “Miles, how long is this trip to NOBI?”

  Miles responded; “Remember the newer transporter I spoke of on our way here? You know---the one that reaches an additional 100 KECTOPARCHELS?”

  I managed a smile thinking of our trip here and him talking about his old transporter like a used car.

  “Yeah, I remember.”

  “Well, I took one from the fa
cility. That might have been the only way we managed to escape from ALVERON---that and the explosion that I left for them to clean up. Anyway; traveling in that, it shouldn’t take more than a day to reach NOBI.”

  I nodded my head at this.

  Miles continued; “I’ll prepare our departure. For the meantime; you should lay down and rest---try to eat something.”

  I managed an even bigger smile as I said; “SORPOMPEAU stew.”

  Later that evening; KATRAVIN came into the room with a bowl of her delicious SORPOMPEAU stew. She knelt beside my bed across from Sonya. The two briefly exchanged glances. KATRAVIN then lifted the first spoonful of stew to my mouth.

  It was Sonya who broke the silence; “Your brother is reckless---first with the bomb and now risking William’s life to reach this planet. He is in no condition to make this trip.”

  KATRAVIN responded; “I agree. Miles is a quick healer and certainly doesn’t understand how the human body works.” KATRAVIN paused for a moment and then added; “However; you are wrong about my brother. He cares for William and only wants to keep him safe from the ALVERONS. His intentions are to get both of you to your planet.”

  Sonya smirked at this response; “Keep him safe? Like leading him into the ALVERON facility to get shot---you call that caring for him?” Sonya paused for a second and in a lower tone said; “Or taking him a billion light years away from his home; his family and friends---do you really call that a friend on this planet?”

  KATRAVIN responded; “Miles told me he shouldn’t have placed his trust in the ALVERONS; they were the ones who wanted you and William. He was deceived and only acted incorrectly because of that deception but if Miles knew what he now knows about the ALVERONS; he wouldn’t have taken William. I know my brother. He is good.”

  I felt well enough to add to KATRAVIN’S statement; “Besides, I was curious as I’m sure you were Sonya---about traveling in space and discovering this world. I wouldn’t trade this experience; even now, laid up here like this.”

  I clasped onto Sonya’s hand and looked at her; searching in her eyes for a moment. She was scared but didn’t want to reveal it to me or KATRAVIN.

  “It’s going to be alright. We’ll make it to NOBI,” I told Sonya.

  Her eyes didn’t seem convinced but she nodded her head anyway. Then Miles walked in. He announced that the transporter and all our supplies were ready. He pulled out a vile from his pocket that contained a rose colored serum in it. For a second; I thought he was going to transform me back to my old self; something that would have truly lifted my spirits up for our journey. He then told me that the serum was for pain and healing---it would probably knock me out for the whole trip to NOBI but that he prepared a comfortable place in the back of the transporter for me. The rose colored serum was thick and metallic, tasting like blood. It was difficult to swallow but eventually; the entire vile was empty. I wondered what was in the serum but thought better of asking Miles.

  When I awoke; we were nearly on the planet of NOBI’S surface. The first voice I heard was Sonya’s. There was a clear openness between Sonya and KATRAVIN that had occurred while I was asleep. She was telling KATRAVIN about her son; Devon. I had never heard her speak of her son’s tragic death---I had found out months later; after I was hired on at Sorenson and Lankford. The subject of death was difficult to talk about anyway and I could only imagine the most heart wrenching loss would be a child’s death. Sonya’s eyes were red and blood-shot. Tears flowed down her face as she talked about her pain. I turned toward KATRAVIN and only half of her face was visible to me but I could see the genuineness of sympathy as long running tears flowed down over her cheek bone. I lay my head back; thinking about Sonya and all that had happened to her. She needed someone who would listen to her and found that person a million light years away from Earth. It was profound to me in that moment; just how lonely Sonya had been on Earth after Devon’s death. Her reasons for leaving Earth seemed clearer to me. I also realized something about STONIANS. Despite Miles’ mostly rock-hard demeanor at times; KATRAVIN’S tears displayed that these aliens too felt loss in death. Perhaps KATRAVIN could feel this more than many humans.

  I was only twenty–three but knew the existence of people in my world with little to no regard for human life. I thought of the genocide atrocities and terrorist attacks that occurred on my planet. Then I recalled the visions that CHANNAH revealed to Miles and me about Erick and the evil plans of the ALVERON council. What makes a life form possess so much evil in them?

  I felt the transporter touch down on NOBI’S surface. I looked over at KATRAVIN and Sonya again. This time; KATRAVIN had placed her hands on the top of Sonya’s head as she had done with Miles in the apartment. She said something in her language and then released. Then Sonya embraced her as she would a loved one on Earth. This surprised KATRAVIN at first as her body stiffened up but she soon eased her body and copied Sonya’s embrace.

  Miles came into view; stepping out of the pilots quarter and into the passenger space. He looked confused at the sight of Sonya and KATRAVIN embracing; with eyes still blood-shot and watery.

  “What are you guys doing;” Miles asked?

  Neither KATRAVIN nor Sonya answered Miles. Miles shook his head and then he walked past them and toward me.

  “How are you feeling;” Miles asked me?

  I answered; “I think I’m better.”

  “Good,” Miles said.

  He continued; “We’re going to need to get you out of the transporter but first, I need to make arrangements with someone from the village to keep you while I search for this DRUCKER individual.”

  I nodded my head. “He looked back at KATRAVIN and said; “This is NOBI and we might have better luck gaining someone’s trust if you’re with me.”

  KATRAVIN nodded in agreement. “Sonya will stay with you until we get back. Were hidden right now from plain sight but if you do run into any trouble; I found this stun blaster in the pilots consol.”

  Miles showed Sonya how to use it and then he and KATRAVIN exited the transporter. Sonya came over to me.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “I feel better. I think I’m going to survive this.”

  I was curious about what had happened after I was shot.

  Sonya answered; “After you were hit, KATRAVIN lifted her weapon to shoot the guard. However; before she could get a blast off; the explosion that Miles set off happened and that knocked everyone off their feet. I’m not sure where the explosion came from but the guard was knocked unconscious and only KATRAVIN and I were able to stand. We both lifted you and went to the hanger where I was surprised to see Miles. This whole thing has been like a dream or something.”

  I nodded; mindful of all the events in the last two weeks. Sonya and I would be forever connected by this.

  Sonya continued; “He and KATRAVIN then led us to a transporter for escape and I’ve been trying to fill in the missing pieces ever since.”

  I wondered about the explosion and the device Miles had packed. I was certain Miles used it on the control room but wondered how much damage it actually caused. How much of their technology did he destroy? Sonya and I talked about each of our experiences getting to ALVERON and our time spent on the planet. To my surprise, Sonya had stayed on another planet before arriving on ALVERON; a planet named VECILOI.

  “Stacy had some business with the leaders from that planet; ambassador type of stuff as she explained to me,” Sonya said.

  “I was instructed to stay in the sleeping quarters of her transporter while she handled this business. After a long period of time alone in the transporter; I was nervous and at the same time---curious. I wanted to get out and do some exploring.

  It appeared that I was brought into some military base. I sneaked out of the hanger and into a hallway. No one saw me---at least I think no one saw me. Then I moved down the hall and found myself staring through a large glass pane at an illuminated room beneath me. It was the hundreds of beds in the
room that caught my attention. Every bed had a solid white sheet over it; covering forms that all appeared the same in size and in shape. My interest in this display moved me down some stairs to an access door to reach this room.”

  “What was under all those white sheets;” I asked.

  Sonya continued; “I wondered that too. I walked into the elucidated room. It was cold and smelled malodorous of death. The room expanded beneath the hallway and even further into another vacuum hidden beyond the opposite wall to reveal more of these large forms on beds; probably hundreds more and each lined up in perfect rows. I walked down one aisle; scanning the entire room. It was an eerie place. I felt evil in this room and started toward the door but before I left; my ears keyed into a sound. My breathing stopped as I tried to identify what I was hearing. My ears recognized a deep inhalation coming from one of the sheets. I turned around and one of the large figures was sitting up but still covered in the white sheet. I ran out of the room and back to the transporter. Strangely; I felt a similar evil presence again on ALVERON.”

  Sonya went on; telling of her experience in the transporter on ALVERON---when they traveled from the hotel to the testing facility. She described the coffin like container she rode with and the fluorescent light that was eerily displayed through a small panel on the casket.

  “They called what was inside the container a GARGIAN,” Sonya added.

  It was the word GARGIAN that would forever produce the disturbing images in the AVERWOODS. I had a flashback of the AVERWOODS; the GARGIAN lair, the GARGIAN’S taunting words and being stuck with ROTIAN monsters looking up at me while Miles and I waited in a tree for certain death in the morning. There were more of these grotesque monsters, I thought? Why was this VECILOI planet producing these monsters and what was the purpose of their existence on ALVERON? I told Sonya of my experience with the GARGIAN in the AVERWOODS---how Miles was captured, tortured and most certainly; would have been killed by the creature. I told her of CHANNAH and the PUNDGER bird---how they had saved Miles and me that night from the ROTIANS and the GARGIAN. We hadn’t realized it but hours had passed as we told our accounts of what had happened to each of us.

  Miles surprised us when he poked his head through the hatch. Neither of us had noticed Miles had opened it.

  “I found a place for us;” Miles said with certainty.

  He came into the transporter and helped me to my feet. Sonya and Miles carried me outside where KATRAVIN was waiting.

  “We can’t risk our transporter being spotted so I’m going to leave it here. The village is close though;” Miles said.

  Sonya then asked; “William; can you make it?”

  I said; “Yes, I’m actually feeling better now.”

  I still relied on Miles for support but the serum was definitely having its effect on me and the freshness of the air was an added benefit to my mental health as well. I was ready; now more than ever---to be back to my normal state.