The Fall

by J. L. Wood

  “Get out of there!” Jessica yelled over the intercom. “Just leave him. Abort mission!”

  Keener stared at Don. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t leave without what he came for. “You are not of sound mind. You will die here. Come back with us!” he yelled.

  Don opened his eyes, his pupils dilated, the whites of his eyes slowly turning brown until they matched the muddy color of the creatures. Keener released the pressure from his knee on Don’s chest and stood up, staring at Don and the wall of creatures that towered behind him.

  “They won’t let me leave,” Don whispered, exhausted from the shuffle. “They need my help.”

  Defeated, Keener slowly backed toward the shuttle, the large wall of creatures in front of him mysterious and terrifying. “Hurry up, Commander!” Fackler yelled, holding out her arm to pull Keener into the ship.

  “As long as I don’t remove my helmet,” he whispered. With each step he took, the swarm inched closer.

  “So help me God, Keener, if you don’t get on that ship! Just run!” Michael yelled through the comm.

  Keener turned around to dart for the stairs, but the swarm moved in front of him, blocking the entrance. Then they encircled him in a tight cocoon, their transparent feelers gripping their neighbor, making it impossible for Keener to move. They covered his helmet, blocking his vision. It was as if a swarm of bees were on him. The creatures’ small teeth gnawed at his helmet, and through his screams, he could hear the sound of it cracking. With all of his strength, he forced his hands together in the tight cocoon, activating his Parrot device.

  “They only want you to see!” Don yelled. “They just want to show you!”

  But it was too late. Commander Keener’s suit burned hot as he activated his suit’s shield. Dozens of the creatures closest to the suit burned and fell, breaking the cocoon, and a high-pitched shriek erupted from the darkness beyond Don. The remaining swarm reformed, and as Keener took off for the stairs, they dove at his helmet, each sacrificing its life to make an impact. The side shattered, and as Keener tried to yell to his crew, a few of the creatures entered his mouth and began biting at him from inside. The shield of his suit fell, and the swarm returned, ripping at his suit with their rows of teeth, shredding it. And then they were biting into his flesh, pieces of blood and meat falling to the ground until there was nothing left but a pool of bits being slowly absorbed by the dry sand.

  “Close the hatch!” Fackler yelled at the crew, standing at the top of the stairs. “Prepare for takeoff!” As the hatch closed, she ran to the commander’s chair and strapped herself in. “Fackler to base. Fackler to base. We are aborting the mission. Preparing for takeoff.”

  *

  “What the fuck did I just witness?” Justin yelled in the hub. “What the fuck. Did they just eat Keener?”

  Michael raised his hand to hush Justin. “We will hold a retrospective later. Right now, focus on getting them out of there. Can you key in the coordinates to the Kuiper Belt, in the Milky Way galaxy? We have a military base there.” Michael held out his tablet to Justin, the coordinates on the screen.

  “Yes, yes, I will. Will do. Okay,” Justin said, clumsily grabbing the tablet.

  Jessica quietly watched the Horizon shuttle take off, the brown swarm of inhabitants leaving it undisturbed as they trailed behind Don, who continued to zigzag through the sand away from the crash debris and toward the giant illuminated, curved semicircular structure in the distance. It became more and more difficult to see Don, even with the camera at maximum viewing capacity, but as she continued to stare, a second figure, which she could not quite make out, joined him on the journey to the mysterious structure. As the shuttle exited the planet, she knew he was gone forever, and it was no one’s fault but her own.

  *

  “The crew is making its way through the portal,” Jessica announced. “The creatures did not bother them. Before they entered, they activated the heat plates on the ship to try to burn off anything that may have latched on while on the surface.”

  “But why kill Keener, turn Don into a nut job, and then let the remaining crew go?” Justin asked as he replayed some of the video feeds on his laptop.

  Michael reviewed a photo of the dome-like structure on his tablet. “Perhaps they saw Keener as hostile and the others not. But then that would not really fit Don, since they captured him when he wasn’t even on their planet.”

  Michael, Jessica, and Justin sat in silence, waiting for the NASA representative, Jerry, to respond on the video feed from the safe zone. He tapped his fingers together, trying to formulate what he wanted to say. “I cannot speculate on what happened—only that it was a tragedy. I will pass the information on to the president. Please make your way to your designated shuttle and head out to the safe zone, and we can continue discussions at that point.”

  Jessica leaned forward in her chair. “I don’t understand what getting the crew to the military base in the Kuiper Belt will do. Won’t they just find them there? Also, who says that they are actually coming to destroy us? They only killed Keener because he might have been seen as a threat to Don, and no one knows what caused his condition—it could have been the result of something we do not understand on that planet. In their minds, they could have been protecting him.”

  The silence continued until Jerry finally decided to speak up. “I don’t have time for this. Michael, please clue them in. They’re already in the thick of it. See you at Amity.”

  The screen went dark, and Jessica looked up. “Clue us in? Is Amity the safe zone?”

  Michael nodded. “The safe zone is the planetary system Greu. Amity is a collection of three space stations in that system. That is one of the reasons why the Collaboration has always refused traffic to that area. We mine Element 122 from Greu 9b, which is used to create the portals and fast-travel spaceships. This element…I’ve been told…was a gift to us by a sentient species in 1972. They visited once—during a Moon landing.”

  “We saw them?” Jessica asked, wide-eyed. “I…I saw a figure on 4d. Was that them?”

  Michael shrugged. “I don’t know. We never saw them. They spoke through one of the astronauts. They called it the dikap, the method of communication. They never went into detail about that—they were very secretive. But they did say that Earth would suffer a large catastrophe that would wipe out everything as we know it.”

  Jessica sat back in disbelief. “Like the dinosaurs? That type of event? Justin, are you hearing this?”

  Justin nodded. “And so the NASA Collaboration was born,” he whispered.

  “Yes, that is what spurred the Collaboration and later the space fleet,” Michael continued. “The visitor instructed us to head to Greu to mine Element 122 and that it would protect us. It took years to get there and even more years to figure out how to use it. That was the real Phase I. When it was discovered that it would advance space travel, the Collaboration’s Phase II came into play—exploring and documenting the universe. Because it is so difficult to mine and bring that element back, only a few companies were chosen to aid in that phase. Only so many ships could be made, since they were also making the portals.”

  “And then our Phase II,” Justin said. “When we documented to a certain point, then we needed to find a second home, since we would lose Earth.”

  Michael rubbed his chin. “That’s right, Phase III as we know it. But we were always looking…looking for them. When Steven called us, we thought maybe we’d finally found them. But when we saw the connection with the CDC’s data, we shifted to the idea that this was the catastrophic event. That is why Project LMS was activated. We have to take those who can contribute to a new world should we lose ours. We need to find a second home.”

  Jessica sighed. “But why all of the secrecy? Finding life outside of Earth has been my dream. How many people know?”

  “Not many,” Michael replied. “This type of information is dangerous. How would an ordinary citizen react if they learned that everything they knew about life, the
universe, was different? We need people to continue thinking that all is well—that there will always be a tomorrow. You take that away, and you take away everything. Knowing this is a burden. Now it’s yours.”

  “So Amity was created to save mankind. Do the people of Project LMS know all of this?”

  Michael shook his head. “They just know that they are part of an elite group that will help advance mankind. And it needs to stay that way.”

  Jessica leaned back in her chair. She thought of the non-elites, people like her. People left to witness whatever was to come. “How many people will be saved?” she asked. “How did the Collaboration choose them?”

  “As far as I know, they chose people with select skills that can keep us in a stage of advancement. Advanced skills of all types—farmers, astrophysicists, doctors. The people chosen get to bring one extra person. For diversity of the gene pool, there are storages of embryos. I don’t know the count. Of course, the search for a second home would need to continue.”

  Justin cracked his knuckles. “Jessica mentioned a figure on Lerner 4d. Are we sure that could not have been the visitors? They wanted to help us. Maybe they are trying to help us now, and the sickness is just a mistake. Maybe even a…a…I don’t know. Like a disease. You know, like Columbus. They didn’t kill Don or anyone else—just Keener.”

  The room fell silent. “The visitors could communicate with us,” Michael said. “Those creatures killed Keener and pulled the Pitch to the surface. We’re lucky he’s still alive. It’s speculation, but I doubt our visitors would harm us. We need to head out now. Let’s continue this conversation at Amity.”

  Jessica nodded. The world had been warned of this day, but only a select few had the liberty of spreading the warning. Jessica clenched her teeth. She was here by pure luck—if she had never taken the Pitch, she would have been another left-behind, her life unexpectedly cut short. Now she had a chance, an opportunity to live another day, while all those she knew would become distant memories, eventually forgotten. And although this secret burned inside her, she knew it was best to let it stay her burden. The death of billions was something that she would have to carry on her shoulders for the rest of her life, so that all of the left-behinds could have at least one more peaceful day, dreaming about tomorrow.

  – 18 –

  Truth

  Don stared in terror at the lump of blood and tissue that was once Commander Keener, paralyzed with guilt. Stuck in a trance of regret over his excitement for the false world. He didn’t know Keener, but he knew he wanted to help. Keener couldn’t see what he could see. He’d never removed his helmet, which Don knew was for the best. If he had, the creatures would have control of him too, but Keener didn’t need to die for it. That was Don’s fault, and he absorbed the loss as he ran his hand along the thick blades of grass on the ground. “It’s not real,” he told himself.

  The grass slowly wilted, and Don realized the false world was being removed. It caused a sickening feeling in his stomach, and when he ran his palm over the grass again, he felt nothing. He was back in the natural state of Lerner 4d, with its smooth black sand and pinkish-purple sunset. The reality of Keener’s death jolted angst inside him, and he jumped up, eyeing the escape pod. He wanted to make a run for it but hesitated.

  Maybe they will kill me too, he thought. But why would it waste one of the creatures on healing me?

  “Come,” the voice of the alien called from the distance.

  Don removed the piece of rope still tied to his wrist and looked again at the escape pod. He calculated the distance of the pod from the alien. He had to try. He didn’t want to live out whatever was left of his life as a captive. He darted for the pod, the shiftiness of the sand slowing him down. As he ran, he looked back at the alien, who stood still, staring forward. Don was filled with relief that he was not pursuing him. When he returned his focus to the pod, he halted, nearly falling over. A band of the creatures were collected in front of him, shifting as he shifted, blocking his way forward.

  “Come,” the voice demanded again.

  Don shook his head. He refused to be a prisoner. I’ll kill myself before they kill me, he thought as he touched the small device clipped to his wrist. He didn’t want it to come to that, but he believed that being poisoned would be far better than what Keener went through. He just needed to hold on for as long as possible. As long as the device blinked green, he knew there was hope he would be rescued. Justin would never give up. Don turned away from the pod and walked toward the alien, his right hand resting on the small device, just in case.

  Don followed the alien to a small village while the creatures trailed behind him in case he attempted to run again. The pink and white lights in the village center immediately caught his attention. The scene reminded him of a wedding reception he went to once that had hundreds of small bulbs hanging over the outside dining area. It felt as magical now as it did then. The lights moved back and forth through the air, and as Don got closer to the village, he realized they were the creatures zooming back and forth, illuminating the area like the large tower. Although they were terrifying, it did not diminish the beauty of his new, dark world.

  The center of the village held a large clay cauldron over a fire, propped up by large stones. Around the cauldron were rows of benches made of a mixture of clay and sand that sat in a semicircle. Dozens of the aliens sat on those benches, their large eyes fixed on Don, motionless. It made him uncomfortable, as if he were about to be paraded around town. The catch of the day, a human who was being obedient.

  Don continued to look around the village in an attempt to know his surroundings for when he had an opportunity to escape. Outside of the center of the village was a large two-story structure made of the same clay-and-sand material that wrapped around the village center, leaving only the front of the village open. The face of the structure had dozens of openings on the front, which Don understood to be doorways, since the individual dwellings were rounded on the front although connected to the structure as a whole. It reminded him of several wasp nests nestled side by side.

  “Come,” the alien instructed, and Don looked up, realizing he had stopped walking to take in the sight. He followed the alien up a thin ramp to the second floor of the housing structure. The room was high to Don, but not to the alien, whose head nearly touched the ceiling. There was a tight roll of white fabric along one of the walls and a large clay bowl filled with water beside it.

  Don walked around the room, occasionally looking up at the alien. It felt like a prison cell. His mouth was dry from the bits of sand, and he questioned if the water was drinkable. Slowly, he dipped a finger in and let a droplet rest on his tongue. After a few seconds, he cupped his hand in the bowl and poured water into his mouth. It was refreshing and clean. Pure. “Am I…your prisoner?” he asked, taking another scoop of water.

  The alien towered over Don and looked down at him. “Not a prisoner. We could use you.”

  Don tried to look away. The alien terrified him. Up close, he could see its smooth, tight black skin stretching over protruding bones. Don was barely half of the alien’s height, its hands larger than Don’s head. Three small slits were on each side of its waist that opened slightly as it breathed, giving way to the illumination he noticed earlier. The alien leaned down and inspected Don, causing him to step back, his back now against the grainy wall. Its large black eyes showed no reflection, and as it breathed through its small nose, Don could feel its warm breath escaping from its partially parted black lips. The entire face was smooth, with small holes for ears. “Silky” was the only word he could think of to describe it. Devoid of any imperfections. As the breathing continued, Don felt the urge to urinate. He placed his hand on his device. Just in case, he thought again.

  The alien slowly moved its large hands and wiggled its fingers over Don’s forearm before grabbing his hand. “Let go of me!” Don yelled, pulling himself backward, but the alien, although frail-looking, was strong, and Don could see long muscles protrud
ing from its body as it held him down. It snatched the device from his wrist, and Don shrieked at the pain as the prongs were forcefully ripped out of him. “Give that back!” Don yelled, but the alien crushed the device in its hand and let the pieces fall to the floor.

  “We could use you,” it said again as it left the room.

  Don crawled to the broken device and held it in his hands, the green light no longer blinking. I had my chance, he thought. And I pissed it away.

  *

  The chilly night air gave Don goosebumps. He peeked out of the opening of his prison cell and watched as the aliens sat around the cauldron, eating with their fingers from small bowls. One of the aliens caught his attention. It was a little smaller than the rest, with a beige cloth around its waist and chest. He squinted. Its body was covered in what he assumed to be a light-purple paint forming interlocked circles around its body. I guess that’s their women, he thought. But only one? He crouched and looked around the village for a way to escape. Even monsters have to sleep. As he crawled farther out for a better view, he felt something looming over him.

  “Go back,” it said. Don couldn’t tell if this was the same alien he’d seen earlier or a different one. They looked the same to him. They dressed the same. They moved the same. Don slowly retreated to the farthest side of his cell, away from the alien. It held a small clay bowl in its large outstretched hand. “Eat.”

  Don shook his head. “No…not until you tell me why I’m here and why you killed Keener!”

  The alien moved forward. “Eat!”

  Don shook his head again, and the alien grabbed him and tossed him to the floor. It pressed its right shin across Don’s stomach and pried open his mouth, shoving a sweet, sticky pink substance from the bowl inside. Don tried to cough it out. It hurt his teeth, but the alien closed his mouth until all he could do was swallow. The alien released its grip. Don crawled away from the alien and hugged the wall, spitting the substance onto the prison floor. The taste remained, caught in the cavities of his cheeks, like pure sugar and honey. The smell of lilies lingered in the air and on his breath. It was overpowering. Sickening. When he looked up, he saw another of the aliens standing, its right hand in the air.