The Fall

by J. L. Wood

  They knew this would happen, she thought. Why else would this space fleet exist? What better way to hide such a unit than under the guise of space tourism?

  Jessica removed the Spyglass and set it on one of the tables in the hub. She admired the technology of Horizon Shuttles. It didn’t seem fit for the 2030s, and her lack of knowledge regarding current tech made her feel insignificant. She was a nobody. She’d had no idea she was this low on the food chain. Low enough not even to know of a space fleet. Low enough not to be initially invited to Project LMS. It would have felt different if her job wasn’t to explore space, but it was. The NASA Collaboration promised to create open knowledge, but as it turned out, they were the biggest keepers of secrets. Life-altering secrets.

  “Coffee?” a woman asked, holding up a steaming mug, breaking Jessica’s concentration. “Thought you could use it.”

  Jessica gladly accepted the hot cup and the thought of the left-behinds rushed into her mind. Did all these people know of Project LMS? Would they be saved like she was? As she glanced around the room, she saw excited faces, determined people. Not the faces of people who knew they were in danger, that only a select few would leave the planet.

  The question burned inside of her. Quietly, she whispered, “Michael, are these people saved too? Or are they going to remain on Earth to wait out the L8?”

  Michael kept his eyes on the screen, watching the computer map out the trajectory. “There is no waiting out the L8. As of an hour ago, the World Health Organization has reported that it has crossed quarantines in several of the original locations.”

  “So…so this is…this is it? Are we just abandoning everyone? What about developing a cure?”

  Michael frowned. “It’s not a cure we’re looking for anymore. It’s quite possibly the eradication of their species on Earth. We know nothing about these creatures except that they infest our children and possibly traveled from Lerner. They could have hitched a ride on one of the exploratory missions from the twenties and remained dormant until now. But we cannot be certain until we capture one of the creatures from Lerner. What I know for sure is that if this continues, the human race could end. Until we have more information on these creatures, we must keep a portion of the population safe.”

  “And your people?”

  “They all have a spot with a plus-one. We have a mission to focus on. Please save your inquiries for later.”

  Jessica rubbed her arm to soothe herself. She could tell Michael was irritated and that he still knew more than she did. She was tired of secrets. “It just doesn’t seem fair.”

  Michael paused for a moment. “Nothing is fair, but we all have a role to play. You above all people should know that, as an ex-left-behind. Now, please confirm the location on the surface.”

  Jessica compared the computer screen with her notes. “Confirmed,” she said, her voice breaking slightly.

  *

  The glass pane that bordered the shuttle hatch dimmed, making the ship barely visible behind the thick purple hue. Michael activated the intercom, which sent out a chime, silencing everyone in the room. “Persephone, prepare for takeoff.” There was a long silence as Jessica watched the crew adjust themselves in their seats from the hub’s video stream. “Launch in five…four…three…two…one.”

  Jessica tensed, prepared for a rattle of the station, but there was none, just a flash of light that sharply broke through the dimmed glass pane as if she had briefly looked at the sun. “I wasn’t expecting that!” she exclaimed while sporadic shots of light continued to fill the room.

  “As I said, only the best,” Michael replied with a smile.

  As soon as the ship was out of the hangar, Delilah darted toward the command board. “Everyone, it will be a while before Commander Keener reaches Lerner 4. We will take turns watching the feed to ensure there are no complications. Jessica and Justin, you’ve had a long night. I suggest you take a break.”

  “Who let her in?” Michael exclaimed. “This is my mission!”

  “I had to,” Steven said from one of the benches in the back of the hub. “For liability reasons. Donald Wolf is a part owner of Cadence Science. They are to see to his safe rescue.”

  Delilah winked at Michael, then slyly smiled. “That’s correct. Any matters pertaining to Donald Wolf must have David and myself present.”

  The command board sent out an alert. The team in the hub watched the live feed of the Persephone breaking through the atmosphere and into space. Once out of orbit, Commander Keener addressed the hub. “Activating cabin stabilization and beginning route to P-14.”

  Confused, Delilah looked at Michael. “P-14?” she asked. “I thought there were only 12?”

  “That’s classified,” Michael responded. “Show’s over.”

  “No,” Delilah replied, agitated. “Show’s not over. Why is the portal named fourteen? We only know of twelve. What are these other two? Are there more?”

  Governor Anders stood up. “Michael, thank you for allowing us to watch. I’m hoping for the best. I heard there’s a really nice break room around here. I’ll be there should any news develop.”

  Michael extended his hand, and the governor firmly shook it. “We are broadcasting the mission on all screens in the building. You may continue to watch from the break room.” The governor nodded and motioned for Amy Boughan to follow him. After quickly giving Michael her thanks, she followed the governor out of the hub.

  “I’m still waiting for an explanation,” Delilah stated once the duo left. “The president assigned me—”

  Before she could finish her sentence, Michael interrupted, “No, the president assigned Horizon Shuttles, and you are Cadence Science. I must kindly ask that you visit the break room. We need to keep the room clear to operate efficiently. We can settle this legal matter later.”

  Jessica walked toward the door. “Thank you, Michael,” she said. “I’ll be in the waiting room as well.”

  “No, you, Justin, and Steven stay,” he replied. “We need your expertise.”

  Delilah scoffed. “This data belongs to Cadence Science. I have every right to be here. Tell them, David. This is our mission too, and Justin and Jessica are Cadence employees.”

  David fidgeted in his chair. “Yeah, I own that data. We should be here. Donald Wolf is our responsibility, and we want to make sure he is returned home alive.”

  Michael tapped the command board with his fingertips, making a low clicking sound on the metal frame. “Listen,” he said while carefully setting down his tablet, “Gianna heard you in the hall. You don’t want to save Donald. You didn’t even want to send the Caprice out to investigate. You’re just along for the ride and whatever recognition can come from it now.”

  Delilah lost it then. “Who is Gianna? I never said that!”

  Gianna waved from the side of the hub, and Delilah erupted.

  “The coffee lady? Are you kidding me? She doesn’t know anything! She’s a liar.”

  Justin elbowed Jessica. “I called it, didn’t I?” he whispered.

  Jessica watched as Michael pulled a handkerchief out of his front pocket and dabbed at the sweat on his neck. Carefully, he removed his blazer and hung it on the side of his chair. “You’re calling my sister a liar?”

  “No, no, your sister? Oh, well…she misheard us,” Delilah stammered.

  “Mm-hmm,” Gianna responded, waving her phone in the air. “Security’s on the way, hun.”

  Delilah stepped backward toward the door.

  “This is a tight-knit community,” Gianna continued, holding up a picture on her tablet of herself, Michael, and Donald Wolf standing in the lobby of the old Cadence Science building. “You can wait the mission out in the break room, or you can be escorted out of the building.”

  Delilah’s eyes widened as she looked at the photo. “We’ll be in the break room, Michael, but this conversation is not over.” She stopped at the door, just short of the security guards. “David, can we discuss this matter?”

  “We�
��ll escort you to the break room,” a security guard said.

  “No need,” Delilah replied. “I will comply.”

  Justin let out a low laugh while David exited the room, causing him to turn around. “What are you laughing at, Giggles?”

  Justin shrugged. “I didn’t do anything.”

  Resting his hand on the doorframe, David scowled. “You’re fired.” He then directed his attention to Jessica. “You too. And you’re lucky the governor gave you a seat on the ship, otherwise I’d leave your pathetic selves here.”

  Justin leaned back in his chair and gave a slow, half-hearted clap. “Let’s hear it for David Malick, the comedic genius, everyone.”

  With that, David huffed down the hallway, Delilah by his side as usual.

  – 17 –

  Rescue

  Jessica rotated her right shoulder until Justin woke up. “Sorry,” he muttered, wiping his mouth. “How long was I out?”

  Jessica laughed. “Long enough to drool all over my sweater, apparently. The team just exited the portal. It took just a little over six hours. I continue to be amazed at the technology they have here.”

  Justin approached the command station and looked at the monitor of the feed inside the shuttle. “The creatures in the belt move when you do. There should be no fears of crashing,” he said.

  Michael nodded. “I wish you had known about us. We would have helped you, you know. The government has spent billions on this fleet for this exact purpose. We do run shuttles, but this is our secret agenda.”

  Justin clicked the switch to change to a different view from the ship. “I’ll keep that in mind next time I need to steal a ship. Hey, you hiring or what? Apparently I’m fired.”

  Michael laughed. “I’m sure we could make a position for you…and Jessica.”

  The intercom buzzed, and Commander Keener spoke to the hub. “Approaching belt. Have the coordinates been verified?”

  Jessica jumped up and ran to the board. “Yes, all verified. We have Don’s precise landing entered there. Good luck, Commander Keener, and thank you. Thank you for saving Don.”

  Keener responded, his voice flat and uninterested, “I haven’t done anything yet.”

  Jessica paused before she replied. She was confident in Keener and his crew, even if he was not confident in himself. They would find him. “But you will. And under no circumstance should you take your helmet off. It is your only defense against the creatures. Although L8 only affects children, these creatures did something to Don, showed him something. Don’t let them gain control of you.”

  “You got it,” Keener said. “We are now through the belt, ready to enter the atmosphere of Lerner 4d.”

  The shuttle began to descend through the bright-pink hue of the sky, Keener’s crew commenting on the beauty of the planet, the transition from the dark-purple to pitch-black ground. From the high altitude, Jessica could see far off into the distance, the tower that dominated the land and the pink lightning expelled from its tip into the skies. Past the tower, a series of lights shone from a large semicircular structure speckled with white lights that twinkled like stars in the night sky.

  “What do you think that is?” Jessica asked, pointing to the video footage.

  Michael verified that the audio transmission to the hub was off. “I can’t tell from here. That’s not our current mission. Keep an eye on it and get as many shots as you can. After we retrieve Don, we can send a drone out there.”

  The shuttle hovered in the air, the Pitch in sight, all of its many pieces strewn across the sandy ground, as if it exploded upon impact. Its body was dented and twisted, a far cry from anything that would permit survivors.

  Keener addressed his colleagues in the hub. “We have spotted the Pitch. Proceeding to land.”

  Jessica and Justin studied the screen as the Horizon shuttle slowly maneuvered near the Pitch, gauging the surface for a spot free of debris. Three hatches underneath its body sprouted three legs that sank into the sand, supporting its immense weight. “Seems we have an issue here,” Keener said. “Don Wolf’s tracker is about two kilometers northeast of the ship. We’re going to take the rover and head on over there.”

  Jessica turned away from the monitor, disappointed in Don’s spontaneous journey. He must have believed we wouldn’t return for him. That thought sank into her like two sharp fangs pumping regret into her new open wounds. Deeper regret and even deeper contrition filled her veins. She felt so heavy, it was overtaking her. “Why the hell would he go on a hike?” she whispered.

  Justin shrugged. “He’s most likely checking out the sites. What else would he be doing?”

  As Jessica watched Don’s GPS dot blinking on the monitor, Michael spoke into the intercom. “Proceed with caution. First and foremost, find Don and get him safely onto the ship. Once secure, we need better imagery of that tower along with the structure, and if possible, an inhabitant. Everyone, be on alert.”

  *

  Commander Keener spotted Don first, his royal-blue suit barely visible against the pitch-black ground. He was walking around in a zigzag pattern with no helmet, his bare feet kicking up storms of black sand. “Don!” Keener called through his helmet, but Don could not hear him over the loud humming of the rover.

  Fackler increased the speed on the rover until they were beside Don, who still did not look back. Shoving the gear into park, she jumped from the vehicle and ran toward Don, her arms outstretched. Grabbing his arm, she tried to shake him out of his trance, but his face was still staring forward. “Donald Wolf? I’m Lieutenant Fackler from the Horizon Space Fleet. We’ve been sent to rescue you. Where’s your helmet?”

  Don stood unfazed, staring at the world in front of him. He took in a long, deep breath and pulled his arm out of Fackler’s grip. “So beautiful, right?” he said quietly. “Who would have ever thought? A world that could be more beautiful than ours. More plentiful. We could live here. They said it’s our gift.”

  “Who said?” Keener demanded, walking in front of him so that he could study his face.

  Don turned and pointed west. “The aliens. Don’t you see?”

  Keener looked at Fackler, who shook her head. The world was dark, save for the illumination from the tower. Keener activated his Parrot implant by applying light pressure to his palm with his thumb. A small rectangular portion on the inside of his helmet lit up.

  Parrot, intel to Fackler, he thought. The rectangle’s edges turned bright green with the name Fackler written along the top. Silently to himself, Keener continued, Fackler, they must be the inhabitants of the mounds we saw. We need to leave now.

  The left side of Fackler’s helmet lit up as she read the message. “Don…Don, we need to go now. Come with us,” she said firmly.

  Don backtracked through the sand. “Why would we leave? It’s like a beautiful painting. We need to share this with everyone—it’s our new home.” He fell to his knees and pushed his hands through the sand. Slowly, he scooped up a pile of the black sand and splashed it onto his face. “See how blue! And it’s blue like this everywhere!” He then cupped his hands around a mound of sand and poured it into his mouth, then attempted to swallow, the small grits sticking to his teeth. Fackler grabbed Don’s arm again, attempting to pull him up. “We found it!” Don screamed while spitting grains of sand on Fackler’s helmet. “We found our second home!”

  Fackler slapped Don across the face. “Wake up!” she yelled. “Keener, he’s delirious. The oxygen levels must be low on this planet. We need to take him back now.”

  Don stepped back. “I’m not going anywhere! You have to see for yourself!” he yelled, tackling Fackler. Holding her arms above her head with his left hand, he ran his right hand against the base of her helmet, trying to pry it off, but she was wildly shaking her head, and he couldn’t get a firm grip on the latch. Fackler struggled under Don’s weight, trying to knee his crotch to get him off while Keener stood behind Don, trying to pry him off her. Kenner wrapped his arm around Don’s neck, blocking his
air passage, and Don gasped, his legs kicking wildly.

  “What’s happening there?” Michael yelled through the comm.

  Keener replied, his grip still tight on Don but loose enough for him to finally breathe. “Don is delirious. He doesn’t have his helmet on—there’s oxygen here, but something is off. We’re going to restrain him.”

  With Don still in his grip, Keener slowly walked backward to the rover while Fackler sorted through its supplies, pulling out a rope. She pried one of Don’s hands that was scratching at the latch on Keener’s helmet and tied the rope around it. Don began to scream for help.

  Keener reached for Don’s other hand, but a large brown swarm caught his attention, and instead of continuing to tie him up, he pulled Don into the rover.

  “Hurry!” Keener yelled as a brown cloud came rushing toward them. “The creatures are coming!”

  He kept a firm grip on Don’s neck while Fackler started the engine and put the rover in gear. The brown cloud was nearly on them, its shape shifting as it traveled through the air in a direct line with the rover. Don threw his arms and legs around, trying to free himself, but Keener tightened his grip, causing him to gasp for air again.

  “We’re not leaving you behind, Don!” he yelled over the hum of the rover.

  The escape pod was released from the ship, and Fackler continued to floor the gas pedal until they were near the Persephone. She slammed on the rover’s brakes, causing Keener and Don to slide forward, and Keener reaffixed his firm grasp on Don’s neck.

  “Let’s go! Open the hatch! Let’s go!” Fackler yelled to the remaining crew onboard as she ran toward the ship. The hatch on the side of the ship slowly opened, and a short flight of steps descended and rested on the ground. Fackler ran up the stairs first, then turned around to pull Don in, but as she grabbed his arm, he pushed himself backward down the stairs, collapsing onto Keener and bringing Fackler with him.

  “Just leave him!” Fackler yelled, but Keener was not ready to give up. He tackled Don from behind and flipped him over, resting his knee on his chest, then he froze. The swarm was now standing still in front of him—a giant wall of creatures, tightly entangled with one another.