Closer To The Core (25,000 Light-Years Book 1)

by S. Hansen

  'Well maybe its best we don't build a shelter anyway; it might be spotted. Better to find a shelter.' She studied the mountains in the distance hoping to find a convenient cave whilst absentmindedly cleaning her bloodstained hands in the icy water. Meanwhile Dantil began examining the trees but his eye sight made it difficult for him to examine the leaves and branches in detail. He could see colour with his eyes and his resounding system provided him with depth and shape but he struggled with fine details. He had decided there was no way forward with the trees because he had no way of cutting them. However, he realised that the trees may be a kind of energy farm, converting sunlight to useable power. If that were true, then there must be a collection point. He also realised a collection point may require maintenance. Polly began to hear a low humming sound as Dantil had lowered the frequency of his resonation system meaning the noise could travel further and he could listen for any inconsistencies in the lay of the land. He proudly turned to Polly and spoke.

  'I know where we can go while Adam recovers, let's go.' The ever cautious Polly had some concerns to address before she could happily trundle along behind Dantil once more.

  'Oh hold on a second, we are right by water, water is important for Adam's recovery. Also can you help me get this shirt back onto him? Do you have a plan to get off of this planet once we move?' As Dantil helped Polly in her struggle to get the t-shirt over Stark's head and arms he tried his best to address all of Polly's worries.

  'Well we can find a vessel to transport water, I'll make sure you have all the water your funny little bodies need I promise. I don't have a plan yet but I think Adam will have one when he stops being so floppy and quiet.'

  'He's not just floppy and quiet Dantil, he's unconscious. I don't know if he will wake up, he has the first signs of infection and we have no way to treat him. We have to prepare ourselves for the possibility he is going to die, we have to find a way to leave Renya without him.' Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke and when the last words were spoken the tears began to stream down her face whilst she cradled Stark's head. Dantil had no idea what to say or do now. He didn't understand human biology. He was sure Stark was stronger than to die of infection but Polly too seemed very sure. Her grief was evident and he felt it was his duty to ensure the safety of Polly even if he couldn't say the same for Stark.

  ☆★☆

  After a short period of thought Dantil made a decision so he approached Polly and Stark and as he bent to scoop up Stark he motioned for Polly to come with him. Dantil strode through the forest gallantly carrying Stark and escorting a damsel in quite obvious distress. He carefully navigated towards the bunker he had been able to hear in the distance while remaining ever vigilant to the possibility of Renyan contact. Polly stumbled along behind him, trying her best to hold back further tears. Her thoughts were regrouping and she hoped she was feeling emotional because she was extremely hungry. She hoped she was wrong about Stark but it was all she was able to think about since the words left her lips.

  'You know I think he must be getting better he is very much warmer now.' Dantil smiled and looked to Polly in the hopes of finding a similar reaction to the good news. Instead Polly rushed to Dantil's side and pressed her palm to Stark's head, he was burning up. The pair continued to move through the forest as Polly explained that there was also such a thing as too hot for humans. Whilst they discussed the implications Stark's eyes opened very slightly. He saw the strange forest, he saw tears rolling down Polly's cheeks as she explained the likelihood of Stark's death without modern medicine and he saw the look of horror on Dantil's face before his weak eyes fell shut once more. Neither Polly nor Dantil noticed.

  They continued their progression through the forest in sombre silence. When they at last reached their destination Dantil carefully laid Stark on the floor and used brute force to open the hatch in the ground, he was disappointed to see a ladder. Getting Stark down the ladder would be difficult. He decided to check the other end of the ladder before starting on the tricky task so he slid seamlessly down the ladder leaving Polly to try and make Stark more comfortable.

  At the bottom of the ladder was a small warm room with a number of electrical devices, a table, a chair and two doorways. The room was dimly lit just as their prison cell had been but at least it was warmer. Dantil approached the first doorway and as he did so it slid open and revealed another smaller room. In this room there was an odd piece of furniture which Dantil decided could be used as a bed if it was turned upside down. He neared the piece of furniture, easily flipped it and quickly decided better of the idea when he saw the underside was grimmer than the top side. The top had numerous holes and did not look soft at all but the underside was covered in spikes and what may have been mould. He returned it to its former position and headed for the other doorway. The second door led to a corridor which he hoped would prove useful but decided to get Polly and Stark to relative safety first.

  Dantil climbed almost the entire length of the ladder when another time shift left him lunging at speed up some familiar stairs. He was on his way to Tanika's home, she had been betrothed to him at birth and had grown up in a similar environment to Dantil, perhaps because of this he had always found it easy to talk to her. He even considered her his best friend but he had never felt anything close to what humans call love. As he approached her door he cheerfully called to her.

  'Tanika kraa trim parma?' [Tanika are you there?]

  'Pim, duma tip.' [Yes, come in.] She greeted him with a smile as he entered the room. Her deep red lips popped out on her pale skin, something which Dantil had always appreciated. Dantil had also always admired Tanika's ability to grow plants anywhere. She had created a symbol of everything that Dantil enjoyed most about the high gardens inside her home. Tanika had grown luscious green grass up an entire wall, she had a small water feature in one corner, hanging baskets filled with the colourful flowers typical of Drium and somehow she had been able to destroy parts or her ceiling to allow vines to grow out and down. The purplish grey wooden floor had been crafted from his favourite high garden trees, it was soft and almost spongey under foot. The wonder of entering Tanika's home never faded with time. Dantil had been excitedly running straight from work to Tanika's house because he had finally made the breakthrough she had dreamed he could do. Tanika drifted effortlessly around the room with her long black hair floating calmly behind her as Dantil began to speak.

  'U nud ark Tanika, U malakimptan uup kimtir suuna stil trupi priktir duk hupt.' [I did it Tanika, I synthesised a kimtir flower to emit signals on command.] Tanika continued to sway around the room tending to her plants.

  'U prinkan trim rulatim nad arj, slum serimatak krim ulasvarium trum rula par arik tar trum rula sluptamina par mintakinamir virtir ti suunir. Krim mirtim nad trim triipa ark sku limt trum rula fusti trapim parim tipsil kras?' [I knew you could do it, just imagine how beautiful we can make the city if we can disguise the communications devices as flowers. How long do you think it will take before we can start putting them into use?] Dantil shook his open hand from side to side.

  'U mir nima, U nad vam triipa Kanim sku klarp ark ti uup sliirvant kras ara vush, kir tar U rula lima Tanir stil limt uup klarpt shik urim riiptir ark rulatim ikluutram tip par pinta pill ishvir' [I'm not sure, I don't think Kanim will see it as a valuable use of time but if I can get Tanir to take a look at our ideas it could happen in the next few cycles.] Tanika was proud of Dantil but she didn't show it, not in the way a human would. Dantil knew she was proud, he could smell the change in her emotions.

  'Kim illa trum vaas ta skar par mina danum shtiirimir stil istriipat trum vaas stil fusti tiklampintarim iklar tut trum rula dim tikla urim iirtimtrimantir.' [Now all we need is for the other bloodline members to decide we need to begin space exploration again and we can both follow our dreams.]

  'Nad trim triipa mina Dantans kraa lurp truma?' [Do you think other Dantans are like us?]

  'Ilsh nad trim skipat?' [What do you mean?]

  'Trum nad vam kl
arp tupat duk par suukim stulaptan stil truma shik tani, trim kraa uup virmanir patari vam uup suunasuukimit tut U mir uup mintakintamir suvar kir illa U nusva stil nad ta klarp sinpa. Nad trim triipa mina Dantans kraa lurp truma?' [We don't focus only on the work assigned to us at birth, you are a careers manager Tanika not a botanist and I'm a communications expert but all I want to do is see space. Do you think other Dantans are like us?]

  'Ara matina, part ta usti trum kraa iptilaman stil rishvam urim ranimir. Nad vam munstil Dantil trim kraa nad lismavin; trim kraa slum vustin.' [Of course, that's why we are allowed to pursue our interests. Don't worry Dantil you are not different; you are just better.] Tanika gently paced towards Dantil and standing taller than him she delicately placed her hand on his chest where his heart lay.

  'Uvar, prisma. U daman U prulim stil am vustin nis ilsh ta par uvalipt tip par danum shtiirimir?' [Well, good. I guess I have to be better or what's the point in the bloodline members?] Dantil shook his open hand again and left the room but as he did so he almost lost his balance on the ladder back on Renya. Meanwhile Polly experienced a fragmented memory. She felt as though time had stopped as she stared at the crumbling ruins of a temple. Her eyes were drawn most significantly to a statue of a God; the sculptor had given him a kindness that stone was often unable to give. But his figure had been segmented and his endearing face lay on the floor, it was a familiar and pleasing face that she couldn’t name. It was unusual for her to fail to remember anything but the memory of this Greek temple and God escaped her. The sun beat down on her causing her to sigh in the heat before the cold of Renya struck her harshly once more. She couldn't tell if the time ripple had effected Stark and he was already suffering from rather peculiar dreams so it would have been difficult for him to tell the difference.

  Dantil delicately tugged Stark towards the ladder and tried to find a comfortable way to hold Stark with one arm and the ladder with his free hand. Sadly there was no comfortable way but Dantil was able to find an uncomfortable way to complete the task. When he reached the bottom he called to Polly and placed Stark on the table. He tried to learn from what he had seen Polly do as he gently lifted Stark's shirt to reveal the bandaging. There didn't seem to be any sign of further bleeding so he was glad he had been careful enough not to reopen the wound. Polly made it safely into their temporary accommodation and was immediately grateful for the warmth, Renya seemed a cold and unforgiving place to her so far.

  It had now been twenty hours since they had eaten and even Dantil was beginning to feel hungry. Polly sat in the chair and began to consider their options. She was hungry and upset, and she had been told before that when she was a combination of tired, hungry and emotional she was the most dreadful person to be around. Although she didn't much care as long as she still got off the planet soon. Dantil had positioned himself quietly on his knees in the corner as usual, Polly's eyes flitted between Dantil and Stark until she made up her mind.

  'Dantil, I want you to find The Asteria, be careful no one sees you though. Don't worry about anything else just find The Asteria and come back so we can make a plan of escape.' Dantil's eyes opened, he jostled his lower jaw as he thought then he sprung to his feet.

  'Okay.'

  'Don't be seen Dantil.'

  'Okay.' Dantil headed cheerfully on his way through the corridor leading from the second door, it had been difficult for him to tell but it sounded as though it led in the direction of the buildings they had escaped. Polly turned to Stark and sighed.

  'Don't you bloody die.'

  Chapter Seven: Lives Well Lived?

  Dantil had made it a short way down the corridor when it occurred to him that although Polly and Stark could no longer hear the signal he emitted the Renyans would still be able to, if they could hear that frequency. He stood silently considering his options as the picture in his mind of the surrounding land faded. He knew he couldn't be of any use without it but if he got caught he would be even less use. It wasn't a decision he felt comfortable making quickly so he knelt on the ground and peacefully meditated.

  Dantil could feel distant vibrations moving ever closer to him and as they rumbled through him he was flung into his past. An eight year old Dantil knelt in the tall grass of a teaching meadow amongst many other Dantans of a similar age. He aimlessly plucked strands of grass and braided them together slowly creating a tough rope. The sun shone down on the Dantans as an older female Dantan stood in front of Dantil's favourite tree, the purple matiek. The trees huge translucent green leaves projected a sea of deep green across the young Dantans. This particular tree had had a section cut out of its trunk, the tree grew on and flourished in defiance of its injury but because of this the grain of the wood was visible. Dantil was sure his teacher was saying something very important but his mind focused on the hues of the tree. The blue wood streaked with a delicate purple grain was hypnotising when combined with the gentle breeze blowing through Kanarik.

  Dantil had not realised how much he missed the smells of Drium until he experienced his past life. The grass gently crushed beneath nineteen young Dantans, the subtle aromas of the meadows flowers, the sweet sap of the matiek tree, he even missed the smell of the young Dantans arguing. A Dantan in an argument will often try to put off their opponent by releasing foul odours. Dantil couldn't believe how little humans used their sense of smell and he missed Dantan company. Young Dantil closed his eyes and enjoyed the smells and sounds of Drium while they lasted. He knew his memory was coming to an end but he lingered as long as he could. When the last trace of the powerful sweet sap had vanished he opened his eyes and sighed.

  Meanwhile Polly found herself sat comfortably in her favourite armchair, it was an antique chair from the French renaissance era that she had painstakingly restored. She sat filling her mind with the mythological tales of the Greek gods. The pages of writing drew beautiful images in her mind as Asteria threw herself into the sea. Suddenly her concentration was rudely interrupted by the beeping of a reversing truck. She twisted in her chair to peer out of the window at last realising how far back the memory reached. It was three years ago, she waited in anticipation to see Adam Stark step out of the cab and walk into her life.

  As Polly involuntarily rose to go and greet her new neighbour she prepared herself mentally. Whether it was because she was getting a second chance to view her surroundings or because this time she knew he was an agent she couldn't tell but she realised the removals men weren't ordinary removals men. They moved quickly and efficiently, they were professional at all times, she even thought she saw the flash of a weapon as one of them lifted what was to become the headboard of Stark's bed.

  'Hi, are you my new neighbour?' The words seemed to fall out of her mouth, she mentally winced and wished her first words to Stark had been a little more interesting. He swivelled on his heel and smiled at Polly with a closed mouth as he offered his hand to her.

  'Hello, yes I am. Adam Stark.' Polly gleefully shook his hand as she studied his dishevelled yet handsome face. She had completely forgotten that Stark had obviously not been taking care of himself when he first moved in. He was still fit and healthy but he hadn't bothered to shave, he hadn't combed his hair, his eyes looked red and sore and his nails had grown just a little too long. Stark looked at her expectantly as he tried to retrieve his hand from the abnormally long handshake.

  'Oh yes sorry, I'm err Polly. Polly Webster-Hargreaves.' Stark flashed her his signature smile technically for the first time and she tried her hardest to keep the swooning to her inner thoughts.

  'Well it's a pleasure to meet you err Polly. I hope I can depend upon you for a cup of sugar should I be in need.' Polly laughed, perhaps a little too hard but Stark was distracted when one of the removals men called him into the house from an upstairs window. He walked away, Polly longed for him to look back but he never did so she pottered back to her home and sat thinking about him for some time in her armchair before returning to her books. Although she knew that she was in the past and she would have to re
turn to the present sooner or later she was very glad of the distraction that her books brought. Eventually her eyelids grew heavy before she drifted to sleep and as she did it coincided with a blink in the present time.

  Stark too had spent some time in the past, as the tremor rumbled through Renya Stark's dreams became more focused and soon he found that they had become a vivid recollection of his twenty second birthday. Roughly ten years ago, he had spent the day at work. He had been training a younger constable recently and that day had not been any different. The working day had been entirely uneventful and not being much of a socialiser he had politely declined the invitation to blow off some steam after work. Stark found himself with his foot out the door of the police station, wearing a dark shirt and well fitted jeans with a backpack slung over one shoulder. He headed a short distance down the road and waited at a bus stop. After some time three buses arrived and he hopped on the last one hoping it would make less stops as the buses in front would collect all the passengers.

  The moment he sat down on the bus he felt as though he were being watched and although the bus wasn't very busy he felt incredibly uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat and tilted his head slightly and as he did so his peripheral vision caught sight of a smartly dressed man watching him. He tried not to alter his behaviour but every time he discreetly checked the man was still observing his every move. Stark was not a fan of strangers but creepy strangers were the worst so he decided to give the man a taste of his own medicine. Stark turned in his seat and sat staring overtly at the man. He had obviously not been expecting this reaction and a look of panic flashed across the man’s face before he could compose himself. He took his phone from his pocket, his thumbs dashed across the buttons and he returned it to its place. At the next stop the man got up and left but as the bus drove past him Stark caught the stranger watching him again.