‘This is almost perfect. It looks like we’ll be able to anchor the ship within a few meters of the shore. Brandt will be able to wade through the water to get to the beach. The rest of you will have no problem,’ Holly said, quite pleased with himself.
‘Once we go ashore, I’ll need you to take the ship back to sea. I doubt our scientists will be able to defend it should someone not us want to get on board,’ Braden advised.
‘You are right, Master Braden, that it will be best to take the ship back to sea. I will do that. Simply call me and I’ll bring the ship back to the beach as soon as possible,’ Holly said, waiting for a reply. Braden was satisfied and without answering, closed his neural implant.
“Even you, Brandt! Holly says if you jump off the deck, you’ll be in shallow water and then can wade ashore. That’s our plan, anyway.”
‘Did you forget about us?’ G-War added. Bounder chuckled.
“Where are you?” Braden asked as the ship maneuvered into position beside the rocky point and the beach.
‘And your keen eyes are going to keep us all out of danger?’ the ‘cat answered sarcastically. Braden looked around until he spotted the three ‘cats looking through the railing from the deck above.
“Just get down here. We’re ready to go. I thought we might wait until the dawn but since we can walk ashore, we’ll see what we can see now and return to the ship by nightfall,” Braden told them all. The ‘cats meandered along the walkway above and disappeared into the galley. They soon arrived on the main deck where they joined the others.
“G, you, Pik, and I take the lead, Micah and Aadi behind us, and Ferrer, Brigitte, Bronwyn and Fea behind them. Bounder to the left of us and Strider to the right. Bringing up the rear, Brandt, I want you and Treetis to make sure no one gets behind us. Skirill, Zyena, and Zeeka, we’ll need you flying overhead, in front and to the sides, but don’t get too close. We don’t want to alarm the natives.” Braden looked from one face to another, happy that no one had been seasick for a while.
Treetis vaulted to the King’s face and ran to the top of his head, where he perched proudly. Aadi hovered closer to the deck so both G-War and Fea could climb onto his shell. He rose into the air and started swimming across the deck and over the water. Pik jumped into the ocean without hesitation, going completely underwater before bobbing back to the surface. He swam ashore with a few quick strokes.
Both the Wolfoids jumped in and dog-paddled the short distance to the shore.
The Hawkoids continued to circle back and forth over the beach, ready to give warning should any of the local fauna appear.
The Rabbits looked at Braden and Micah. “Don’t tell me. You can’t swim?” Braden asked. They both nodded, their noses twitching. The humans looked at each other as Bronwyn dove into the water and swam easily until she could stand, then she walked ashore. The ‘cats jumped from Aadi’s shell as they arrived, and they stood to either side of Bronwyn, looking warily into the trees.
Braden and Micah sat on the edge of the deck, their feet dangling in the water. “Come on, you two. Climb up here and let’s go see what this island has to offer.”
Ferrer and Brigitte both squealed as they climbed onto the humans’ backs, sharing space with backpacks and other gear. Braden grunted. Micah gasped. The Rabbits were as heavy as a human twice their size.
“You have to get off. We’ll sink to the bottom.” Braden opened his neural implant.
‘Are you seeing this, Holly? How do we get the Rabbits ashore?’
‘I didn’t want to say that I was amused by the transition from ship to shore, but there are life vests in the cabinet in the sail on the main deck.’ Braden got to his feet and went inside to find the flotation devices.
‘Holly, you mean to tell me that Bronwyn and I were out here in the storm, and these things were right here?’ Braden was angry.
‘It was all contained in the safety briefing that I sent you while you were on your way from New Sanctuary,’ Holly countered.
‘You sent me so many files I couldn’t even see them all, let alone read them. You know I didn’t read them!’ Braden shook his head and took the life vests outside to the Rabbits. He also gave them a flotation ring that they could hold onto, just in case.
Brandt stood by, in no hurry to jump into the water. He wrestled with the fear that started to grip him. Bronwyn stood on the shore, calling him to her. Chlora and Rhodi showed up and skimmed across the surf, scraping their bellies on the sand as they smacked their tails to escape the shallows of the shore. They were enjoying themselves, but they were also there to help.
Brandt pawed the deck, then started running. He leapt from the edge of the ship and cleared half the distance to the shore in one great bound. When he hit the water, he came down hard, sinking up to his knees in the soft sand. As he dipped, a mini tidal wave surged over him, peeling Treetis from his head.
When the water settled, it wasn’t even shoulder high, so Brandt strolled boldly ashore, while the young orange ‘cat swam through the surf until he reached the beach. Fea and G-War stopped their tree watching to see their adopted son overcome adversity. He shook when he made it to the dry sand, but that didn’t help. The saltwater made his skin itch, so he rolled in the sand. G-War shook his head and turned back to the trees. ‘Really? We had to pick this one out of all those who came south with us? The ‘cat nation is doomed,’ G-War said with a forlorn tone in his thought voice.
Braden and Micah jumped in and found that they had to tread water as they called the Rabbits to them. They stood with their ears drooped, arguing back and forth. Finally, Ferrer stepped to the deck’s edge and hugging the ring closely to him, he jumped. He hit the water with a smack, sending a shower over the two humans, but he didn’t sink past his neck. Micah grabbed his life vest and swam toward shore. Brigitte followed and soon the companions were on the beach and none the worse for wear.
The Island
As Braden had directed, each assumed their position while Skirill flew under the branches and through the trees ahead. He zigzagged with the hard flying that tight spaces demand. By the tree trunks, there were broad lanes of sand that gave way to dirt and grasses. Brandt had far more room than he needed. Skirill gave up trying to fly near the top of the canopy and flew close to the ground where he could clearly see the way ahead.
Zeeka flew near the companions, perching on branches here and there where she could see to the sides of the group as they moved ahead. Zyena flew overhead, high above the jungle.
Braden kept looking down at G-War, who walked casually, cocking an ear every now and then. He suddenly stopped and crouched, pointing into the trees to their front and left. ‘A group comes, animals and humans.’
Braden waved everyone to a stop. They crouched. The Rabbits held their laser pistols at the ready as they pressed in on both sides of the teenage girl. Fealona stood in front of them, hackles up, snarling.
The Wolfoids pointed their spears toward the trees. Zeeka took off and flew that way, but Braden yelled at her to come back. She promptly climbed into the branches, taking a position over Bounder’s head.
Bronwyn twisted her face as she looked confused. Micah went to her.
“What’s wrong? What do you hear?” she asked.
“It’s jumbled. They are all talking at the same time and none of it makes sense,” she said out loud, trying to clear her head of the noise from the approaching strangers.
Braden had never imagined what he saw as the group stepped into the open. There were a dozen beings, some animal, some human, all misshapen. From extra legs to missing legs, from slanted heads to claws for hands. They all carried weapons of some sort, mostly sharpened sticks, the rest clubs. One creature, a three-legged Wolfoid-looking beast, simply carried a big stick in its mouth.
“Hold!” Braden called in his best Free Trader voice, raising his empty hand, palm outward.
“It talk like the Professor, it do. Should we eat it?” one creature, as big as a horse, but with swollen hands for f
eet and a human face atop the long and thick neck, asked while twisting its head back and forth.
“We don’t eat the Professor, but we eat the beasties!” another creature said, looking like a man, but with arms like octopus tentacles. It thrashed its arms, hitting another one of its group with the club it clutched.
“Watch, Bongo, knucklehead!” the other wailed, dropping his spear. He sat on the ground and started to cry. Bronwyn tried to run to him, but Micah held her back.
The man with the octopus arms started stroking the other’s head.
“Take us to the Professor, please. We wish to speak with him. And put those ridiculous weapons down before somebody else gets hurt,” Braden told them.
“No, you!” another said angrily, thrusting his spear awkwardly. “NO!”
The creature next to the spear wielding man looked like a boar with a man’s head, tusks making his spoken words unintelligible, but he made his point by taking the spear away from the other and throwing it on the ground. He nodded to Braden emphatically.
Braden looked at Micah and slowly shook his head, rolling his eyes. Micah shrugged. She walked toward the group, holding Bronwyn’s hand. Her other held her blaster. Braden raised his weapon casually, not wanting to alarm the misfit band.
Bronwyn walked first to those crying and touched them on the head. “There’s no need to be sad. We’re your friends,” she said, gently and warmly. The Rabbits stood close by and seemed to be readily accepted by the other creatures, not even earning a second look. The humans took all their attention.
“You hold!” the man-horse creature said. “We hurt it, eat it,” he threatened. Brandt snorted and pawed the sand. They ignored him, too, even though he towered over them.
The girl looked at the man-horse with raised eyebrows. Micah followed closely as Bronwyn approached the creature. He raised his head and loudly snapped his jaws shut.
“Now, now,” Bronwyn started, “those look like they hurt you a great deal. Let me help.” She pointed to his feet. He let her touch his shoulder, then sighed as the pain seemed to fade from his body. He sat, looking like a great dog, and then he rolled to his side. Bronwyn took a knee and scratched his belly. Micah gave her a handful of numbweed for his feet. She applied it and wished him well, then she walked from one to the next of the misshapen creatures.
“How have you come to be here?” Braden asked. They didn’t know–they shrugged or shook their heads, each looking adoringly at the girl.
Micah kneeled next to the man-horse creature. “Can you take us to the Professor? We’d like to meet her or him,” she said in a low voice, calmly, while stroking his neck.
He looked to Bronwyn for guidance. “Yes, please. Take us to the Professor,” the girl said, nodding to Micah. The man-horse stood, testing his pain-free feet, and waved to the others.
The creatures gathered into a group surrounding Micah and Bronwyn, their weapons forgotten on the ground as they pointed the way into the woods and started limping, stumbling, and shuffling away. Braden and the others followed, still spread out, suspecting a trap, but certain that if there was one, it would not have been set by the group they followed.
The Wolfoids stayed to the sides, while the Hawkoids took turns flying ahead, then finding places in the branches where they could watch the odd procession.
Braden, G-War, Aadi, and Pik stayed close to the group, confused. Braden opened his neural implant. ‘Any ideas, Holly?’ he asked after explaining what the greeting party looked and acted like.
‘I don’t know, but suspect human interference. Natural evolution does not make such changes to a body. I think you’ll find the Professor is a scientist, and not a very good one, judging by what I’m seeing,’ Holly replied.
Braden didn’t have a follow-up question, so he closed the link with the AI. ‘Anything, G?’ he asked the ‘cat.
‘This bunch is more dangerous to themselves than us. I sense some tasty creatures not far,’ the ‘cat suggested hopefully.
‘Not yet, my friend, but soon. We’ll make a quick stop to see this Professor, then we’ll return to the ship, come back in the morning and talk more after we’ve had time to think about it all.’
‘I’m not sure what there is to think about. We’re stuck on an island with a pack of idiots.’ G-War closed their mindlink emphatically as he looked forlornly into the brush, hoping for a chance to hunt fresh game.
The Professor
‘I see a compound up ahead. It looks similar to that of the Overlords,’ Skirill told them. He shared what he saw with the others. Braden was instantly alert.
‘Not idiots, G, failed experiments,’ Braden said. Bronwyn started to slow down, grabbing Micah’s hand. The creatures seemed to grow more excited as they approached the compound nestled beneath the branches of great trees, concealing it from the overhead sensors that Holly counted on to see the world.
Bronwyn stopped completely. ‘I don’t want to go any further,’ she said over the mindlink. Micah pulled her blaster and kneeled. The creatures left them behind and entered the area near the buildings, cheering, grunting, and chanting Bronwyn’s name. Braden positioned himself behind a tree, bracing his blaster against the trunk as he aimed toward the buildings.
G-War was alert. ‘I don’t sense anything, but I know someone is there,’ the ‘cat offered. Treetis stood atop Brandt’s head, hackles up and back arched. Fea leaned against Bronwyn’s leg, keeping herself between the unknowns of the compound and the girl. The Wolfoids watched for an ambush, but they expected the real danger would come from one of the buildings.
Pik remembered the Overlords. His thoughts centered on that day, seemingly so long ago and that battle, how he’d killed them, mercilessly. He saw it all happening again, right before his very eyes. He turned away as vertigo seized him, putting his hand on a tree to keep from falling. Aadi came close, nudging him and talking to him in the unique Lizard Man language that the others couldn’t hear.
While Braden was distracted by Pik’s discord, an elderly man walked from behind one of the buildings, using a cane to help him as he went from one of the misshapen creatures to the next, greeting them kindly and touching each on the head. Micah crouched as the man looked into the trees, squinting to make out the newcomers in the shadows.
The man-horse creature tried to speak louder than the others, but the cacophony was unintelligible as each vied for the attention of the old man. He nodded knowingly as he slowly made his way toward Braden, Micah, and the companions.
Bronwyn tried to inch away. The Rabbits stood shoulder to shoulder in front of her, protecting her with their bodies as they held their laser pistols in their small hands.
‘What do you see, Bronwyn?’ Micah asked.
‘Darkness,’ she answered, not elaborating. She ducked behind the Rabbits, peering out from behind their big ears. She shivered, clutching their harnesses as she pulled herself closer to her guardians.
Fea had had enough. She raced forward, sliding to a stop before the man, arching and hissing with one paw raised and claws fully extended, threatening to rake the man’s flesh.
Braden was shocked from his reverie by the sound of a ‘cat ready to fight. He jumped from behind the tree, making plenty of noise to distract the old man.
“I’m Free Trader Braden, and we’re here on a mission of peace.” Braden spread his arms as he talked, forcing a smile against the hostile emotions that raged all around him.
“Peace, you say?” the man responded in a rich baritone. “With blasters and laser pistols? Lightning spears and engineered creatures with claws bared? I am but an old man and can’t understand why I would warrant such aggression on your part.”
‘He knows things he shouldn’t. Why is his mind closed to us?’ Micah asked Braden in her thought voice. The old man waved as if he heard her and discounted what she was saying.
‘He’s one of the ancients,’ Braden replied, holstering his blaster. Micah kept hers trained on the old man. Braden walked at an angle, putting himself bet
ween the Professor and Micah.
“I am descended from the ancients, yes, just like you,” the old man said, confirming that he could hear the other humans’ thought voices.
“We’re looking for the people who were taken from White Beach, across the ocean, east of here. They were taken by an ancients’ vehicle and ancients’ Bots operating from the undersea research facility. We’d like our people back,” Braden said icily, dropping all pretense at civility. One of the creatures came at him, but Braden easily parried the punch, sending the attacker over his hip and face-first into the ground.
“That’s enough of that,” the old man said, holding his hand up to prevent any more actions by members of the misfit band. “They call me the Professor. A small group lived here as part of the undersea research facility, as you’ve already surmised, when the war came. But the fighting never came here. The people on the island were no threat to anyone. When they were cut off from the rest of the world, I’m afraid my ancestors had to make the best of a bad situation.”
As the Professor talked, he wandered closer to the companions. He looked at Strider as if examining her. She didn’t let him get closer than the end of her spear as she kept it leveled at his chest. The Hillcat received the same treatment, then the Rabbits, who kept their laser pistols trained on the man. He looked at Pik and nodded.
“A Lizard Man, but one of the originals, not the later evolved versions.” He leaned close to Pik Ha’ar, who also used his trident spear to hold the man at bay. “And what do we have back here? Are you one of the Aurochs? My, they never used to be that big. And could this be a Tortoid? I am happy to meet you.”
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