Fractal

by Rachel J Mannino

  They stopped in front of the group chosen for this mission: six Guards of the Realm, five crew members from the scouting party, Decana, Varick, and Anna. Anna sighed. Hannah was late for the briefing. Why was she not surprised?

  She exchanged a glance with Varick, and he offered a rueful grin in return. “Should I have her guards pick her up and carry her down?”

  She laughed, tempted by that invitation. “No, that will only encourage her resistance. She’ll come, but she’ll be very late.”

  “I resent that assumption. I’m only three minutes late.” Anna and Varick turned to find Hannah standing behind them. She wore jeans, a T-shirt, and hiking boots, similar to Anna’s outfit. She raised her hands and twisted her black hair into a ponytail.

  “Glad you could join us. I didn’t think you’d make it.” Anna’s smile stretched to a sugary sweet grin

  Hannah made a face that was a blend of annoyance and mischief. “Yeah, it’s my home world too, you know. So let’s get this whole thing over with so we can get to the ‘celebrating our triumphant return’ part.” Hannah huffed as sauntered over to the rest of the mission crew.

  Anna glanced at Varick with raised eyebrows. He shrugged in reply, and then grinned. Decana beckoned them all forward, so they moved into the circle forming around her.

  “I’m going to hand out pulse shields to everyone. It will block the harmful pulse emissions from the science center for as long as you are wearing it and have it switched on. Under no circumstances should you switch it off or remove it while you are in our solar system. You should have it on from now until we land again on this ship.”

  While Decana spoke, she passed around thick, black bands that fitted around their wrists. A small, square black box sat in the center of each band. Smooth and cold to the touch, it reminded Anna of a clunky watch she once owned. Decana showed them the “on” switch, hidden on the side, under a flap and how to lock the switch into place. Everyone activated their pulse shields with the centers of each black box glowing with a golden light.

  Varick took Decana’s position in the center as he ran through the plan and everyone’s role. He didn’t announce his role, but without a doubt, his sole purpose was to protect her at all costs. He finished the debriefing with a warning to keep a sharp eye out for any animals, and to keep their weapons close at hand.

  Anna and Hannah gave each other a sidelong glance. Varick had refused to let them carry their own weapons, insisting that they had the guards to protect them. So they had snuck down to the weapons locker and stole their own electric knives and pistols; they refused to go down to this science station unprepared.

  After the debriefing, additional crew filtered into the hangar from the hallway. Most of the ship’s crew arrived to see them launch. She didn’t know if protocol demanded she give a speech in this case, but she should. This was a moment most of the people had waited their whole lives to witness. She wanted to honor that, but she didn’t know how. She fidgeted as more and more crew members entered into the hangar.

  “You don’t have to say anything, you know.” Varick appeared at her elbow

  “Yes, I do. I just don’t know what. What could I say that would live up to the expectations of such an incredible moment?” Anna sighed in vexation and paced.

  “I would just be honest.” He risked a squeeze on her shoulder before he stepped away. With the mission crew now behind her, she stood center stage. The room filled in on all sides and the catwalk above. The councilman pushed his way to the front on her right, giving her a broad smile and a wink. Captain Fayn was nowhere to be seen, but she couldn’t wait for him. Each second that went by brought the Star Alliance closer and their goal further away

  She took a deep breath, and steadied herself. Anna peered out over the crowd of anxious and hopeful faces. They were sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, and bracing themselves against the banister of the balcony. She had come to know most of them by face, if not by name. She knew where they were born on Dahrel, how long they had lived there prior to the accident, and how many family members they had lost to the science station accident.

  Each story was different, unique. She took a decisive step forward. As all eyes focused on her, a hush fell over the room, and she began the speech that formed in her mind.

  “Today is a momentous day. A day that will most likely survive in our history logs. Today, we may either regain our home, or lose it forever. We have already lost so much since the science station experiment tore apart our world. Family members, possessions, and an entire planetary system. I lost two homes. Many of you don’t know this, but when the Protector first came to me, I had no idea Dahrel even existed. I knew nothing of my heritage, or that I was your chosen ruler. My parents raised me as any girl on Earth would be raised. They died before they could tell me. I lost my heritage—my sense of place in the universe. When the Protector showed me the truth, it meant I had to choose between the home I was raised in, and the home I’d only heard about. I chose Dahrel and lost Earth, and yet, I still haven’t gained Dahrel at all. Today will change that because I refuse to lose anything more. I refuse to lose another planet, another building, another starship, or one more person to the great yawning chasm the science station created. I will lose nothing more. And I refuse to let you lose anything more. We are going to go down to that science station, and we are going to do everything in our power to shut that experiment down and bring our people home.”

  The applause and cheering in the room made a deafening roar against the metal walls. It ricocheted off every surface. Many were crying. Anna’s heartbeat tripled. Her hands trembled from nervous energy, but she hid them in her pockets. She’d said what she needed to say, and her people responded in kind. They chanted, “The light to our way home!”

  The chanting continued as the mission crew boarded their star speeders and prepared for launch. Her star speeder had a spacious, one-room cabin, with a closet-sized bathroom. Light-purple seats lined each wall. The pilot and co-pilot sat farther forward in two captain’s chairs in front of the main view screen. Even with the doors closed and sealed, Anna could hear the thrumming litany of the crowd.

  The pilots ran through a launch sequence. She slid into the middle of the long row of seats on one side, and Varick sat down beside her. Two guards, Tael and Jessick, took positions across from them. She longed to take Varick’s hand and hold it, but with his guards there, she couldn’t. She huddled close to him instead.

  Hannah sat down on the other side of Anna, watching the pilots with an intense and curious gaze. Anna tilted her face to the side over her shoulder and smiled at Varick.

  “You were incredible.” His eyes glowed with admiration.

  Anna blushed, but didn’t reply. The pilots called out the final launch notice, and the craft lifted into the air a moment later. A force field between the two star speeders and the crowd activated. Then the hangar doors opened and the two space craft left the ship in a slow processional.

  Once the star speeders were clear of the ship, they lined up side by side and thrust into hyper speed together. She sat at the edge of her seat for the entire hour and a half trip to the science station. Her blood pulsed in her veins, and the underlying thrill of anxiety coursed just beneath her skin.

  She was, by no means, alone in her agitation. Varick tapped his fingers against his thigh. The guards stared at the floor or the walls. Only Hannah appeared calm and relaxed in her seat, looking out into the distance through the view screen while planets and stars flew by

  When the star speeders slowed down, Hannah pointed ahead. “Is that it? Is that Dahrel?”

  “Yes,” one of the pilot’s responded. “We’ll fly right by Dahrel’s first planet. Assis is beyond the science station, but we’ll be able to see it from there.”

  Anna rose from her seat as they skirted the large planet in front of them. Like Earth, the orb had a mix of blue-green seas and landmass. One central landmass on the planet stretched diagonally across the world like a sash
. The land appeared green and verdant, and she couldn’t help but wonder what might await them there if their mission was successful.

  They flew past Dahrel and approached a small, craterous, dusty brown ball of rock not even half of Dahrel’s size. As they approached the science station, she marveled at the irony that a disaster so large could come from a place so small and unassuming. Varick came to stand beside her. Warmth radiated from him. She let his presence calm her as she took in a deep breath of his clean masculine scent.

  The crewmen maneuvered the craft toward the other side of the science station. A stark circle of greenery appeared below—the terraformed jungle outside the science station’s main city. Anna caught a glimpse of Assis, a planet very similar to Dahrel, before the pilots were ready to bring their craft down to the surface.

  Anna and Varick resumed their seats, as the star speeders descended. Remembering the last time she entered a planet’s atmosphere, she was surprised at the barely discernible whisper of the atmosphere as they sank closer and closer to the ground in a graceful arc.

  ~ * ~

  Varick stood when they touched solid ground. He tamped down on his impulse to order Anna to stay in the star speeder. It was much too late to stop her now. He met the eyes of his guards, and they delivered a subtle nod of understanding. They understood that Anna and Hannah were their first priority, and at the slightest sign of trouble they would abandon this mission and carry them both to the star craft, kicking and screaming, if need be.

  They filed out of the star speeder and met with the other mission crew members on the ground. Varick spotted the central town buildings in the distance, stretching into the purple-blue sky like scattered fingers. The dry, stale air choked them. The sun had risen only an hour ago, having no time to warm the atmosphere. The rainforest vegetation had grown tall and wild over the past twenty-five years.

  A thickly woven moss covered the landing pads of the spaceport. Grass and weeds choked the road to the center of the science station. The silver-colored pavement lay cracked and broken, with tufts of vegetation and vines springing up from the dirt deep below. The small planet seemed more like an arboretum than a science station. Silent; not one single bird called, no insects buzzed. The breeze didn’t even stir. This planet is a tomb.

  They moved toward the center of town, the crewmen leading the way. Varick walked close beside Anna, with several guards hovering near Hannah and behind them both. The guards were alert, scanning their surroundings for any sign of life. Only Decana chattered away, naming the plants for Anna and Hannah as they traipsed toward the center of the city.

  After entering the city limits, the road resumed its paved appearance, smooth and regular. Vines and plants no longer pulled apart buildings or waved to them from inside windows. As the central science building came into view, he breathed a sigh of relief.

  The science center was a concrete and stone step pyramid that would have dwarfed whole mountains. Each level had held hundreds of science offices and labs. Mincelin’s research facility was on the level second from the very top.

  The street split into a T-intersection. On their right, the plaza came into view, opposite the metal double doors of the science center. The plaza had once been the center of recreation and enjoyment for the science station’s inhabitants. Now the stones were broken and cracked, and the fountain at the center—a statue of a carbon molecule—sat encased in rust.

  The crewmen headed across the plaza, at a diagonal, toward the science center’s doors. A surprised cry of pain sounded from behind him. Varick drew his electric sword on reflex. He shoved Anna behind him

  A small, black ofla attacked Tael, with relish. The ofla had a long, sleek body, punctuated with a bottlebrush tail. The ofla clung to Tael’s uniform with its sharp little claws, biting him repeatedly. The guard next to Tael tried to grab at the mad creature, but the ofla clawed its way to another place on his body.

  Tael succeeded in grabbing the horrible thing by its tail and jerking it straight off him. The ofla screeched and screamed its anger, before it wrapped its claws around Tael’s pulse emission shield and bit the black box so hard it cracked. The ofla bit again, furious, snapping the band of the shield so that it slid to the ground.

  Decana and Anna both gasped their horror, while Tael flung the beast against the nearest stone where it landed with a sickening crack.

  “Tael, are you all right?” Varick came up beside him.

  “I’m…I’m fine. The thing just wouldn’t get off me.” He picked up his pulse emission shield.

  “You should return to the star speeder immediately.” Decana glanced up from her portable console. “Your shield isn’t working anymore.”

  “I’m fine, old woman. I’m fine.” He slid the pulse shield into the belt of his pants. When he scowled at Varick, it sent chills racing down his spine. Tael’s eyes were glassy and bright, a gathering anger stored in their depths.

  “Tael,” he said. “Perhaps you should return to the star speeders. They have their own shield and you’ll be much—”

  “I. Am. Fine.” He gritted his teeth and snarled at Varick. “You just want me out of the way, don’t you? You just want all the glory for yourself.” Tael took a step toward him

  “Tael, you know I’m only concerned for your safety. You don’t want the madness that overtook this station.”

  Tael lunged at him, red faced and sneering. Varick pivoted to the right and aimed a well-placed thump on Tael’s back near his kidneys that should have rendered him momentarily immobile. Just as Varick stepped toward him to restrain his arms, Tael swung at him with his fist. He connected with Varick’s jaw. A jolting pain skittered down Varick’s throat and spine. He stumbled a few paces from the impact of the blow

  Another guard approached Tael, sword drawn, but Tael’s newfound anger quickened his reflexes. Tael’s sword slit the guard’s throat before the guard had a chance to swing. The guard fell lifeless to the ground. Anna and Hannah retreated, removing their knives and pistols from their hidden sheaths. He prayed to the Oracle that they wouldn’t have to shoot Tael.

  Two more guards swarmed around Tael, but Varick recovered and he was the first to engage. Their swords sang as they clashed together. Jessick approached from behind and tried to tap Tael on his leg with the electric sword, but Tael counterattacked, slicing at Jessick until he forced him toward the wall of another building. Varick came at him again and barely missed being singed by Tael’s sword. Dadon managed to get close to Tael while he fought off Varick. Facing all of the Guards at once, Tael let out a feral growl. He turned and sprinted farther into the center of the city.

  “Should I go after Tael?” Jessick asked.

  “No, he is lost. We can only hope that turning off the experiment will set his mind right again. If he finds us again, try to subdue him without killing him. It would be a tragedy to lose him to this madness. But, the faster we turn this experiment off, the more likely it is that we can save him. We must get to the safety of the science center.” Varick rushed forward and grabbed Anna’s wrist.

  He said nothing about their stolen weaponry. At the moment, he was almost relieved they were armed.

  He dragged her toward the science center, Hannah following at their heels. The crewmen sprinted ahead and sprayed down the doors with an anti-rust agent. Then the crew, the remaining guards, and Varick worked together to wrench the doors open.

  The doors sprang open with a creak and bang. They slipped inside, and then the crewman closed them again.

  “Bar the doors. I don’t want Tael finding a way inside,” Varick ordered.

  The women huddled together, and Varick kept one eye on them, while the other focused on the door

  Anna gripped Decana’s forearm. “If we can reverse the science experiment, will we be able to restore Tael? Will we be able to restore anything that’s been affected?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know what part of the brain has sustained the damage, or if there are any known treatments that can be used
to heal it. We can only hope that is the case.” Decana gave her a worried shrug.

  With the doors barred, he tried to get his bearings. The science center had a large lobby with a wall of glass windows at the far end, grayed over with dust and filth. A double helix central staircase stood in the center, giving off the obvious impression of a strand of DNA. Hallways ran away from the main lobby on the right and left with low, curved archway ceilings.

  Skeletons riddled the floor of the lobby. Bile rose in his throat. Dried blood stained the tile floor. Decana inhaled sharply next to him, and she murmured soft words of disbelief under her breath. Anna slid her arm around Decana’s shoulders.

  “Oh, God. I should have stayed on the ship.” Hannah stepped in closer to the other women.

  Varick closed his eyes. His heart wrenched in his chest. He should have never brought any of them here. He pushed the thought aside. “Don’t look at them. Don’t think about them until we have succeeded in our task. The quicker we get to Mincelin’s office, the quicker we can get away from this place.”

  They nodded. Varick sent Decana a pointed look. She tore her eyes away from the skeletons before her. “This way.” She waved them forward. “I wouldn’t trust the elevators. We’ll have to take the stairs.”

  He tried not to think of the crunching sounds beneath his boots as they picked their way through the bodies toward the stairs. He also tried not to dwell on the signs of violence everywhere. Pistols, swords, knives. All manner of weapons were in plain view, still clutched in the hands of those that brandished them.

  The stairs were little different than the lobby. Bodies and dried blood everywhere. Some skeletons were torn into tiny pieces; others lay prostrated across their path, so they had to leap up a stair or two to step over them.

  By the time they ascended the eight flights, Varick mentally distanced himself from the carnage. Then he stumbled over another skeleton. This one, a child. Couldn’t have been more than five-years old, but it had a knife stuck in one of its ribs, struck with enough force to slice into the bone.