Fractured Worlds (Book 1 of the Fractured Worlds Trilogy)

by Alan VanMeter

  15: TIME TO FLY

  The ape pulled a large knife from a hidden sheath. “Argggh! I’ll kill you wench!” It growled, and moved for Jackie.

  “No!” Came a sharp order from Millie.

  “You saw her kill General Koko!” The ape spat with venom.

  “Koko made a mistake, you all did! And she took advantage of it, that’s all. She got lucky.”

  “Grrrrr.” The ape growled as it sheathed the knife again.

  “Let’s not cut off our nose to spite our face.” Millie said with a disparaging smile. She walked over to Jackie, “Try something like that again, and I’ll let them have you. Understood?”

  Jackie swallowed hard, and nodded. Next to her was Ms. Robinson, Penelope’s mother, whom was sobbing out of control.

  “Somebody put a gag on this one!” She barked. “I’m tired of listening to this dribble.”

  An ape obeyed and pulled some cloth off the lady’s pants, before tying it as a gag on her.

  Millie sauntered back and forth in front of Jackie. “I don’t know. This one might be able to take you all on.”

  The apes all went into an uproar. “What do you mean?”

  “Well let’s see, she got past four of you, and then she had the presence of mind to kill General Koko.”

  “Yeah, but we got her then.” McGillas said.

  “Like you said, she got lucky.” Fielder added.

  Millie laughed wickedly.

  Jackie sat on the floor with her hands bound behind her, trembling. Her fate and her family’s fate were not in her hands.

  ----------

  Michael Welsh sat impatiently in the temporary field office the FBI had set up in the Dreamland HQ complex. It had been a full day since his wife, and Ms. Robinson had been taken by the fury yellow monsters with Millie Schotner.

  “I’m sorry Mr. Welsh. That’s the bottom line at the moment. The alien device is under total lock down.”

  Michael grew even more frustrated. “That sort of crap is not going to get my wife and kids back! You know this.”

  Agent Holder nodded. “I agree completely sir. Trust me, as soon as the order comes down to continue our investigation, you’ll be back up there with us. We do need your help, along with Ms. Myers. You two were the only ones that had any effect on the device, besides your wife and Ms. Robinson.”

  “So let’s get up there, and try to get that thing going again!” Michael urged most strongly.

  “I can’t even get up there myself right now Mr. Welsh. Homeland Security has priority, and they are calling the shots for the time being. Look even the Director himself is going to bat for us on this. I’ve got just about the whole team of research scientists from Area 51 standing by as we speak. We are not going to just sit on our hands here. We will figure this thing out, and we will get your wife and children back, or I’ll die trying to do so.” Holder was earnest.

  Michael sank in his chair, and realized the agents were doing all they could. “Thank you for that Agent Holder. I know you’re doing your best. Please, just hurry.”

  Ten minutes later Agents Foley, Stickley, and Hansen entered Holder’s office, as he was just disconnecting from a call on his cell phone.

  “The Director is busy in a meeting with the President, let’s hope he has some luck.” Holder said to them.

  “You called him again?” Foley was dumbfounded. “You’re not going to win any friends in high places by pestering them to death.”

  “I’m not here to win any friends Agent Foley.” Holder was angry. “No one takes out my men, and shoots up my crime scene! Not on my watch. Not on my scene!”

  The rest of them saw his anger and determination, and they were careful not to say a word in response.

  ----------

  Leena awoke late the next day, a gentle breeze blew through the partially open window next to her bed nest. Their mission; ‘operation fish finder’ as William had dubbed it, of the previous night had worn her out. The attendant birds had let her sleep in also, though they would usually wake the children for breakfast earlier than that. Leena figured they were being lenient because of their big field trip the day before.

  It suited her just fine. After stretching lazily in the warmth of a sunbeam, she dragged herself from bed. On her way to the toilet hole, she saw a medium sized black bird hop in through the window. It was about the size of a goose, but it had a very squat wide head, and a bright red beak. The small eyes of the creature were totally glossy black, and close set together.

  “Well hello.” Leena said to it, and then as she thought about it she said ‘hello’ in Threelt. The bird squatted abruptly, as if she had startled it. Then it just stood there for a moment looking at her. It puffed itself up suddenly, and Leena could swear a rather pleased look flashed across its inky eyes.

  A noise from the hallway startled both of them, and Leena turned away momentarily. As she looked back to the black bird, it was just hopping out of the window. One of the attendant birds burst into the room chirping up a storm. It was telling her to rise and shine. Leena said ‘good morning’ in Threelt to the attendant, and they exchanged pleasantries. Since Leena had started to learn the bird’s language, she had been practicing on the attendants. They were patient, and helped the best they could, but since they did not know any English, like Chirp Swee, they couldn’t advise her much.

  Still she had developed a rather good relationship with the other birds. Leena asked the attendant about the bird she’d just seen in her room. The attendant was very curious right away.

  “What bird?” it asked in Threelt.

  Leena described the little black bird to her, though she wasn’t sure if it translated quite right. The attendant ran from the room making a very odd clucking sound Leena had never heard before. Within moments there was an alarm cry throughout the palace. Guard birds began running everywhere, searching everything. Several guards burst into Leena’s room and shut the window right away. Leena hurriedly dressed in her golden jumpsuit, and went into the hall. There were dozens of guards there too, searching every room, and pushing the other children into the common area. Leena was also escorted there. The other kids were quite worried, especially William who figured that they had gotten caught for their escape plans.

  “Something weird is going on.” She told them.

  Within moments Chirp Swee showed up and quickly ran over to Leena.

  “Is it true?” Chirp Swee asked with obvious fright.

  “Is what true?”

  “Did you see a Grogak?” the bird trembled at the word.

  “A what?” Leena asked in confusion.

  “A small black bird with a red beak.”

  “Oh yeah, it came into my room. Are they smart too?”

  Chirp Swee almost fainted. She had to sit down. “Oh my.” She swooned. “You could have been killed.”

  “What? Are they dangerous?” Leena grew worried too.

  “Dangerous? They are assassins my child!”

  Leena’s eyes grew wide. “You think it was trying to kill me?”

  “The red beak is a natural warning sign. They have a poisonous dart that they can shoot from their mouths with great accuracy.” Chirp Swee told.

  Leena thought back to how the bird had puffed up, and the look it got in its eyes. She shivered.

  “You should be dead by all rights Leena. Why didn’t it kill you?”

  “I don’t know, I guess it was startled by the attendant coming to wake me.” She figured.

  William was at once relieved their plans hadn’t been compromised, but at the same time he too was terrified. “Are there many of these Grogaks?” He asked.

  “Fortunately no!” Chirp Swee exclaimed. “The Grogak is a rare creature native to a small chain of distant islands. They are a sinister bird, and have but one purpose; to kill. There hasn’t been a sighting of a Grogak in years though.”

>   “I hope there isn’t another one for years.” Becky said trembling.

  Chirp Swee smiled, or did what Leena had grown to know as one.

  What Chirp Swee didn’t tell them though, was that the Grogak was usually employed as a mercenary; and that meant that there must be a whole plot to kill her, and the other children as well.

  “I must go tell the King immediately my dear.” Chirp Swee excused herself. “I will return shortly for our lessons though.”

  Things didn’t look good for operation ‘gone fishing’. The guard was doubled everywhere, and roving patrols of multiple guard birds were added as well.

  “We’re going to have to re-calculate.” William told them.

  He and Becky went to reconnoiter the basement entrance discretely. Joshua went to hide his stash of booby traps, and shortly Leena began her lesson with Chirp Swee.

  The bird was flustered obviously by something though, and Leena thought it to be the incident with the Grogak. It was partly, but Chirp Swee was dealing with guilt also. She felt she had let her friend down, and she had. Just by allowing that old coot Crashooyt to meet with her. Some things, a lot of things, were just out of her control. Like her reports to the King. Even though Crashooyt had instructed her not to reveal her true progress to him, it was still doing harm to her new friend she knew; since neither Crashooyt’s nor the King’s plans considered the children’s well-being for even a moment.

  Chirp Swee hadn’t slept much the night before, tormenting herself over all of this. She had determined to help Leena and the kids somehow, and she’d come up with a plan in haste.

  “Leena, I need to tell you something that I have gone and done.”

  Leena looked at her curiously. “Sure Chirp Swee, what is it?”

  “I’ve made arrangements to smuggle you children to safety.”

  “What?” Leena thought it incredulous.

  “I’ve made plans for you to escape.”

  Leena giggled, and that broke out into an all-out laugh.

  Chirp Swee frantically tried to quiet her, as there were guards everywhere.

  “What is it that you’ve planned my friend?” Leena asked as soon as she could control herself.

  “Well I came up with this by myself, and in haste; so it might not be the best plan. I told the King you really loosened up on the outing yesterday, and that I found out much new information.” Chirp Swee paused knowing the cat was out of the bag so to speak. “I asked to take you all out again, and when we do; we will do just as we did last evening with the diversion. Only this time you will all disappear with me.”

  “Where will we go?” the young girl asked just to appear interested.

  “I have some dear friends whom live far out in the jungle. I know they will hide us for a while.”

  Leena smiled, and suddenly didn’t want to lead her friend on. She saw that she was only trying to help them, and probably risking her life to do so.

  “Chirp Swee, I know you’re only trying to help and all, but I’ve told you many times that I have to get back to the spire.”

  “But we could all go there from my friend’s home in the jungle. We could organize an expedition.”

  “I’m sorry Chirp Swee, I just don’t have that kind of time.” Leena was truthful.

  Chirp Swee suddenly realized something. “Do you have other plans Leena?”

  Leena’s face went white, and Chirp Swee’s gaze seemed to intensify.

  “What? No um, I’m just sure that the King will grant our petition soon.” Leena lied through her teeth, and the bird easily saw this.

  “Don’t worry Leena, I’m not going to cause trouble for you. I’m your friend. I want to help you if I can.”

  The gleam of love, and trust that was missing after the encounter with Crashooyt was there again in Leena’s eyes for Chirp Swee.

  “I’ll let you know, maybe. Wait here.” Leena went to find William. They had some help now.

  William didn’t like it at first, but Leena convinced him that they could trust Chirp Swee. They really needed the extra help now too, as the doubling of the guards messed up the whole plan.

  “Do you think she could get a pilot for us?” He queried.

  “Let’s ask her.”

  Chirp Swee was astonished by the question, and the audacity of such.

  “No. I don’t know any, they are warrior class.” She answered truthfully.

  All of the children had joined them at the common table.

  “How about a harpoon gun?” Josh grilled her.

  “A what?”

  “A weapon.”

  Chirp Swee really started to baulk at that.

  “Don’t worry professor, it’s only to convince the pilot.” The little boy told her.

  “What can you do?” Becky was blunt.

  The bird blinked hard several times. “I guess all I can really do is to help you distract our people, and I can have a cart load of provisions waiting for you too.”

  William and Leena nodded, but the other three only rolled their eyes.

  After running down a list of changes in the perimeter security, and guard positions, including the two guards now at the bottom of the stairs. William looked at the others and said, “OK, operation ‘gone fishing’ is a go for tonight, but its sketchy guys. Here are the changes; first we need a diversion to pull the guards from the stairs. The one sleepy cookie isn’t going to do it now. Then we need another one, or it could be the same one, to clear the perimeter guards from the gardens. Joshua, your smoke bombs better work. Here is the sketchy part; we need someone to yell for alarm from the back bed rooms here, while the rest of us hide in the front one there. As soon as both guards are past us, we hit the stairs to the basement. Too bad old Chirp here can’t stay past dark, ‘cause that someone who yells for alarm has to do it in bird talk.” He looked at Leena seriously.

  Now she understood the sketchy part. How was she going to get out?

  “I think you’ll have to chance a jump from one of the windows, and hope nobody sees you.” He went on.

  “Or that you don’t bust a leg.” Josh put in.

  Just then one of the attendant birds came by the common area. They usually milled around the children all day long. It seemed to be checking if they needed anything.

  “No thank you.” William said politely.

  “I help you.” The attendant said in moderate English.

  “Excuse me?” Becky asked in bewilderment.

  Sarah smiled at the bird. “She wants to help.”

  William grinned as he saw in the bird’s eyes that she meant it. “Good news Leena, you don’t have to bust your butt jumping out that window.”

  Leena smiled at her savior from ear to ear.

  The rest of the plan was simple enough; get out of the palace through the basement window, and sneak through the gardens into the orchard. Once on the streets, they had already mapped the most concealed route to the air field, where Chirp Swee promised she would leave a cart full of provisions, and a weapon if she could. That made them all breathe a little easier, although the hard part of the plan came next. Capture one pilot. Hijack one ‘air-fish’, and last but not least; proceed to the spire to rescue Tristan and Penny. Oh, and then get back home to Earth. Chirp Swee was more than just a little apprehensive as to the whole plan, but it was better than her idea she had to admit.

  Too soon evening came, and Chirp Swee had to say her sad farewells to the children. They had all come to like her somewhat, even if she was one of their captors. Leena had a real hard time right then, and had to leave the common area for her room. She didn’t want the guards at the bottom of the stairs to hear her crying as Chirp Swee was leaving, for that would be a dead give-away that something was up. Chirp Swee followed her in to the room, and gave Leena a hug with both her arms and her wings. This meant deep feelings to the Cracowck.

  “Don’t worry Leena, I’m su
re we’ll see each other again sometime.”

  “But what if we make it home.” Leena cried into her breast feathers.

  “Surely my dear, the universe isn’t that big of a place.”

  She left shortly, and the little girl in tears was sure she would never see her friend again.

  William and the others were waiting for Joshua to come running into the first bedroom by the stairs. He knew if Joshua’s smoke bombs didn’t work, that the whole plan was scrubbed.

  “Come on smoke bombs.” William whispered wishing.

  “This isn’t going to work, is it?” Becky asked very quietly.

  “We’ll find out in a second or two.” He nodded to her.

  “We could still try the cookie.” She reminded him.

  He looked at her questioningly, “Did you bring it?”

  She nodded.

  Just then Joshua burst through the door mat, and joined them in the corner. He gave a thumbs up signal. Suddenly someone was shouting from the far end of the hallway in Threelt. It was the attendant bird, she was making the alarm call just as planned. They listened closely for the claw steps of the guard birds to go running down the corridor. Sure enough the heard the strange patter of birds running past the room. They waited just a moment after those past, and William said, “Let’s go.” They followed single file in predetermined order down the stairs as quickly, but quietly as they could, and ducked into the near-by ante chamber as they heard more birds giving alarm and running by. William tugged on Becky’s sleeve, and she tugged on Leena’s, and then as they started to move from the chamber into the corridor; another bird peeked its head out of a door way and saw them. Will’s eyes went wide with panic, and he knew they were caught by this bird. His heart sank, but then the bird whom he suddenly recognized as another of the attendant birds, motioned him to hurry on. William quickly bolted for the basement door way, quickly followed by the others. It seemed they had more help than they knew.

  The basement was quite dark, but each child knew the way, as they had all been down there a few times before, and had memorized the pathways. Each also held onto the child in front of them by their sleeve. Dim light came from the window ahead, and William signaled with his arm for the ones behind him to wait. He quickly crawled up on the bench top, and peered outside. It seemed to be clear.

  “Let’s go!” he whispered behind him, and he propped the window open to crawl through.

  The garden flood lights came on all of a sudden, and they froze in their tracks by the low berry bushes, ducking into what scant cover there was. The sound of claws running came from their right, and then another cry of alarm reached them from their left. The patter of the running claws faded off to their left.

  “Go!” William whispered hoarsely, and he took off for the low wall separating the garden from the orchard. He stayed just over the wall as the others hopped over and silently directed them to hide amongst the trees ahead. Sarah was next to last with Josh right behind her, and he easily just about tossed her right over the wall. In a flash he’d bounded over and they were all safely out of the palace. More alarm cries came from the distance behind them, as they ran through the trees towards the city streets. This only spurred them onward with urgency.

  The streets were deserted as far as they could see, while they quietly ran from shadow to shadow. Their heavy breathing, and the thudding of Joshua’s heavy foot-steps were the only sounds they made, although the increasingly distant noise of alarm shouts from the palace accompanied them. It didn’t seem to take them nearly as long as the previous night to make their way to the airfield. When they were fairly close, William motioned the others to wait as he and Leena scouted ahead.

  There was a single guard patrolling around the ‘air-fish’ as the night before, but there was no sign of any others in the dim light of the twin moons. Then Leena spied a seemingly abandoned cart nearby, and she smiled. They smoothly made their way back to the others waiting for them.

  “OK Will. What about the guard?” Leena asked him bluntly.

  Joshua took off his pack, and removed a short club-sized stick with a canvass knot on one end. He handed it silently to William. Leena reached out and touched the knotted end of it, and felt that it was hard under the canvass.

  “Don’t you think that will hurt it?” Leena questioned.

  William looked at her seriously. “How bad do you want to get out of here?”

  “Give me the club.” She answered.

  William just took it and disappeared into the forest. The rest of them crept quietly up to a position to observe. Joshua had pulled a second club from his pack, and waited with it at the ready. Leena grew quite nervous, as did the others.

  A couple of minutes passed by that felt like an hour, when they saw William creep from a shadowy bush close to the ‘air-fish’. He scurried low to the ground into the dark shadow the ship itself lent. Then Leena’s heart started racing as she watched the guard bird making his round near to where William was hiding. The bird walked past the spot where William was, and they all held their breath as Will moved out behind the bird, and made his move for it.

  Suddenly the guard spun around towards William, and let out a squawk. It ever so quickly raised the harpoon gun it brandished at him. William was caught quite off guard, and froze in his tracks. The bird motioned to the ground, telling William in clear sign language to drop it. Joshua started to get up to go help, but a loud and sudden noise from off to the side of the scene startled them all.

  Another bird came wildly flapping towards the pair, and the guard turned his weapon towards this threat. William saw his chance and lunged at the guard, his club in full swing downwards. It struck the bird cleanly and hard on its head, and the guard dropped in a heap of feathers to the ground. The waiting children bolted out of hiding, running to the scene to help. The other bird just stood there looking down at the guard. William quickly reared up to strike it also, but then he recognized it and stopped.

  Leena ran up, and embraced him, “Are you OK?” she blurted out.

  “Yeah.” He responded still kind of confused. “Thanks to her.” He pointed at the other bird.

  Leena turned and saw that it was Chirp Swee!

  “Chirp Swee!” Leena broke from William and ran to her friend, hugging her. “You saved his life.”

  Joshua and the others stopped in front of William. “Not bad.” Josh said.

  “Yeah, Will. Nice job.” Becky added.

  Will smiled. “I did it. I thought I was toast, but Chirp Swee saved my butt.”

  “Yeah, you sure clobbered him Will.” Josh congratulated.”

  Sarah tried to pick up the heavy harpoon gun saying, “Here, get his gun before he wakes up.”

  William grabbed the unwieldy weapon from her, and then bent down to make sure the guard was still breathing. He was to Will’s great relief.

  “There is plenty of food and water in the cart.” Chirp Swee told them, and then excitedly whispered to Leena, “I’m coming with you.”

  “Let’s get us a pilot, and get out of here!” Josh urged.

  William nodded.

  Leena told Chirp Swee, “But this could be real dangerous.”

  “That’s why I’m coming with you, to keep you out of trouble.” She replied.

  William heard this and got upset. “We don’t have time for this Chirp Swee! We’ve got to get going, and we don’t need you slowing us down.”

  “So who’s slowing you down?” The bird asked him. She looked down at the way William was holding the weapon, and she knew he didn’t know what he was doing with it. She didn’t really either, but at least she knew how to hold it, and discharge it. “May I?” Chirp Swee held out a claw for the gun.

  William drew back.

  “You can trust her Will!” Leena assured him.

  He reluctantly gave her the weapon.

  She took it and pointed at a lever on the end. “H
ere this is how you release the…”

  Suddenly from behind the group there was sharp bird talk! Leena and Chirp Swee both understood only too well the command. “Don’t move!”

  Then the voice ordered, “Drop the weapon!”

  Two dark figures emerged from the shadows behind them. They couldn’t make out what they looked like as the pair each wore a hooded cloak. They could see their claws were brandishing harpoon guns at them though. Chirp Swee set the weapon down.

  “Great.” William said. “Your friend double crossed us.” He spoke out of the side of his mouth at Leena. She shot a questioning glance at Chirp Swee.

  “No Leena, I didn’t…”

  “Move! Over there.” The voice commanded.

  As the children walked out into the open of the landing pad, the two hooded figures backed apart. One stopped on their side, covering them; while the other stayed behind the group motioning them ahead.

  “Well thanks a lot for getting us busted professor.” Josh was almost in tears.

  “But I had nothing to do…”

  “Quiet!”

  Leena didn’t know what to do, it sure looked like they weren’t going to make it to the spire, and they were so close! The ‘air-fish’ were right there. Then just as they all knew for sure the guards were going to march them right past the ships, and back to the palace; the one behind them said, “Hold it!” as they came right next to one of the ship’s boarding ramps. Then it said, “In.” in Threelt, and motioned up the ramp. They all looked at each other in disbelief for a moment.

  “IN!” the bird commanded.

  They all hurriedly scampered up the ramp. Inside it was pitch black, and they all groped around trying not to bump into anything. Suddenly an electric light came on overhead. One of the cloaked figures had turned on a switch by the entrance.

  “Up against the bulkhead.” The leader motioned at them.

  The other four children didn’t understand the words, but they followed what Chirp Swee and Leena did. As their eyes adjusted they could now see their captors, and they were white birds. The pair tossed their cloaked hoods back. These birds had a narrower head than the Cracowcks, and their feathers were pure white without any speckling. Black beaks adorned their faces under dazzling blue eyes. These eyes weren’t as close set as Chirp Swee’s race were, and they almost looked to be opposing.

  As all of them backed up against the bulkhead of the control room, one of the white birds grabbed some rope from a sack on its side. He went over and started tying Chirp Swee to a metal foot, or claw rail that ran along the base of the bulkhead.

  “What do you want with us?” Chirp Swee asked in Threelt.

  “Nothing with you.” It replied.

  Right after he finished with her, the white bird started tying up the rest of them. Chirp Swee started squawking something fierce, and Leena saw terror in her eyes. She followed to where she was looking, and there in the entrance was the squat little black shape, bright red beak, and ever so glossy black eyes of the Grogak.

  The white birds glanced to see what had set Chirp Swee off, and they laughed. “I see you’ve met our little friend.”

  The red beak stood out like a warning beacon, as it was supposed to be. It hop walked over to the children, and puffed up like it had done in Leena’s room. Chirp Swee passed out. The white birds laughed some more, and the Grogak had a peculiar gleam in its eyes.

  “So that’s what caused all the fuss this morning?” Joshua asked as if not worried.

  Leena said, “That’s a Grogak Josh. It shoots some sort of poisonous dart.”

  “Oh.” He said as he realized the danger.

  The Grogak hop walked back to the front, and easily jumped up onto the control console. The other white bird finished binding them all, and the children tried to get as comfortable as they could up against the bulkhead.

  The bridge of the ship looked oddly familiar to the children, much like the bridge of a ship on Earth. A large wheel protruded from the control console made of a light colored wood. Just to the right of this were two levers side by side, and then to the left was a big round valve handle. When the lead bird issued some orders in a language she didn’t know; the other white bird left the ship. While it was gone the leader went to the rear of the ship, and the children could hear a hissing sound of some gas that seemed to be filling the balloon chamber above them. The other bird returned from outside with a large sack, and the leader went back to the control console. Within a few seconds of it flipping switches on the panel, the engines on the side of the crew cabin revved up. The interior lights dimmed some as they started up, but became brighter as the engines gained power. A low whining noise came from the entrance ramp as it was automatically raised. Then from outside there came a loud whistling sound that was clearly audible even over the roar of the engines. They could all feel a gentle floating sensation as they lifted off. Leena and the others silently wondered just where this turn of events would take them, but each was certain that it wasn’t where they wanted to go.