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

by S. Hansen

  'So you can't pick flowers on Earth?'

  'Oh God no Dantil. Only chief flower pickers from the green wing of the botanist sect can pick flowers.'

  'Wow, Earth is so different to Drium.' Polly continued to allow the lies to tumble out of Stark's mouth as though he were reading from a script whilst she thought about the real implications of their glimpse of the future. As Dantil quietly stood considering the wonders of Earth and its strange rules Polly caught Stark's eye and began to speak softly.

  'Are we seeing the future when that happens?'

  'I'm not really sure, the little green guy only said it would affect the past. But I'm very confident I have never done that before.'

  'So all we know is that the creepy stalker guys don't know everything.'

  'Actually that's not all we know. I also know I need to get us off this planet and the Renyans are excellent when it comes to defence.' Carefully shunting the much lighter plate to one side of the table Stark rested his palms on it and gazed at the etchings, searching for a complete plan. Polly quietly rose from her seat and stretched her legs feeling rather restless in the dingy room. Meanwhile Dantil, understanding that Stark was not to be disturbed, attempted to learn more of the fascinating gardens of Earth from Polly.

  'How do you join the botanist sect? Is it a job? Can you choose to do it?' Polly stood in stunned silence under Dantil's imploring expression and she felt unable to build upon Stark's lies. Fortunately Stark began to speak absentmindedly as he continued to examine the city layout.

  'It's a very secret society, I only know about it because I'm a spy. You don't just join them, they find you and mark you with a tattoo. The tattoo is normally a thin blade of grass so you can hide it easily. Being a member is a bit like a job, they work behind the scenes to control the world and protect the gardens of Earth.'

  'Adam, you need to stop.'

  'He has told me too much hasn't he? I'm very sorry, I won't tell anyone I promise.' Polly shook her head gently as Stark roguishly smiled to himself with his head still towards the table top. Stark became more and more focused on the etchings. Upon noticing this and realising she was extremely tired Polly took the opportunity to try and make the best of an uncomfortable stone corner. Under Dantil's watchful ears she drifted into a light sleep before Dantil himself copied her movements and curled up with his head supported by the wall.

  Chapter Nine – Suicide Run

  Polly and Dantil woke with a start as Stark slammed his palms against the table in triumph. The overflowing confidence streamed from him reassuring Polly and Dantil that they were ready to leave the planet.

  'Ah good you're both awake, come here.' Stark excitedly beckoned them with his hurried hand gestures leading Dantil to jump to his feet and step merrily toward the table as Polly stiffly creaked to her feet, uncomfortably stretched out her muscles and tilted her head from side to side. She yawned and shuffled toward the table to join her crew.

  'So the trapdoor is here.' He pointed energetically to a blocky building at the nearest edge of the table to him. His finger then drifted to the centre of the table where he had altered his rough carving of the looming building to be a more accurate representation of its current appearance.

  'This is the defence tower. We are going to have to take that out if we want to leave. I've seen a lot of science fiction and I am pretty sure it is creating a force field preventing us from leaving.' Polly's head tilted to one side and she sighed a tired breath whilst fixing her eyes on Stark.

  'You are basing this on human science fiction?' Stark still leaning over the table twisted his head to face her with a disgusted expression. He waved his hand in front of his face as he spoke.

  'Geez, you have terrible morning breath.’

  ‘Oh I’m soooo sorry. Do you have a toothbrush handy? No? I thought not.’ Stark shrugged and carried on.

  ‘Anyway I really don't have a lot else to go on. And even if I am wrong about that it still has to go because I'm not wrong about the guns I saw on it. So can you just let me finish?' Polly sucked her teeth before silently motioning him to continue with her open hand. He then awkwardly stretched across the table and pointed to the left of it.

  'This is where the hangar is. Dantil has already told me The Asteria is inside so once the defence tower is down that's where we need to be.' Stark's eyes flitted between Polly and Dantil to check they were both keeping up with his fairly slow pace. 'I'm going to knock out the defence tower on my own because it's safer if I can work solo. But it's very heavily guarded so I need you to cause a distraction and the best place to do that would be over here.' He timidly pointed to the right of the table while successfully masking the pain it caused. 'That way when I take out the defence tower I won't run into any guards returning from the distraction on my way to the hangar. Once you have caused the distraction you need to go straight to the hangar and find a way in. At this point Dantil I need you to make sure the hangar door is opened whilst Polly gets the ship ready to go. Once the shield is down they will head straight for the hangar to stop you leaving so only wait ten minutes then go. I'll be on board.'

  'When you say "you" do you mean Dantil and I? Because I am not okay with that. I'm not a spy Adam. I can't "cause a distraction" whatever that is and then just vanish.'

  'Oh so you think I should send a walking talking siren on his own to do all the work?' Stark's hair wavered as his head tilted up and down while he spoke. Polly's mouth opened to speak but instead she closed it again, sighed and thought about her response first.

  'I suppose not.' Stark smiled condescendingly at Polly and turned to Dantil.

  'I'm going to give you the gun, fire it a bunch of times when you get to a good place. Make sure the shots are seen and heard and then get Polly to guide you silently to the hangar. No more echo location once you start the plan rolling, got it?' Dantil's eyebrows raised gently as a look of innocence crossed his face but he stiffly puffed his chest and took the gun from the table. Stark patted Dantil on the shoulder firmly and took a last glimpse of the map before leading the way to the alerted city. The trio solemnly strode toward their future and this time Dantil felt no desire to question his friends as they walked. Polly was able to keep her thoughts as inner monologue and Stark refrained from any awkward comedic interjections. The air in the corridor was still damp and musky but it felt thick with uncertainty and insecurity too. Polly jumped as a loose stone caught Stark’s boot and skidded noisily across the floor.

  Stark spent much of the brief journey thinking about his glimpses of the future. Each one he had experienced involved his death. He felt the impending doom and was readying himself for death, as surely it was coming and the only thing he was uncertain of was exactly when it would happen. Under the trapdoor the group halted and went over the plan one last time. Dantil helped Stark through the hatch before Polly and then pulled himself through with ease. Polly felt incredibly uneasy about the plan and firmly hugged Stark as she whispered to him.

  'Be careful. You better be on the ship when we leave.' Stark only managed a reassuring smile in response and this time it didn't have the same effect on Polly that it normally did. She still felt the fluttering queasiness in the pit of her stomach as she began to lead Dantil to the East of the city. She briefly looked over her shoulder as they went and saw Stark breath in deeply and exhale at speed before setting off towards the gloomy city centre. She held Dantil's hand firmly and it gave her a sense of security while they strode through the alleys. The sun was completely set and the only thing lighting their way was the orange film of light draped over everything. It made the city seem more appealing than when she had last seen it but the cold, the numerous dark corners that still frightened her and the silhouettes created in the distance brought only grim thoughts to mind.

  After they had been walking for a short while Polly neared the opening that had held the military parade earlier in the day. Dantil had a very limited sense of where he was and what was around him otherwise he might have suggested a marginally
different route. Polly noticed a strange shape on the floor amidst the dim orange light. She couldn't focus on it in the dim light until she knew what it was and as she cautiously stepped towards it she wished she were less curious.

  ‘Oh god not on the body.’ Vomit rose up and spewed over the headless remains. The sound concerned Dantil enough to cause him to throw caution to the wind and he began resounding to hear his surroundings. Polly's hand left Dantil's as she leant on a building with it and turned away from the body still tasting the acid in her mouth. Dantil felt nothing but shame. He had always been trained to kill an enemy but for the first time he regretted his training and he hated that his actions had caused such an unfavourable reaction from Polly. Noticing that Dantil had become aware of his surroundings she quietly spoke without looking at him.

  'I'm fine.' She paused to spit out the repulsive flavour of stomach acid. 'Come on we have to cause that distraction, Adam is waiting.' Immediately Dantil lunged towards the body, dragged it into the open and fired five shots into the sky. The shots acted like a flare as they sailed through the air and impacted on the translucent orange shield above them. He then fired a few shots at the ground, grabbed Polly's hand and pulled her behind him as he sprinted West avoiding any main pathways. Before they reached the centre Polly pulled back on Dantil's grip, gasped for air and quietly spoke.

  'You have to stop making noise Dantil, what if they hear you?' He knew he couldn't argue so he merely grabbed her hand and blinded himself to world around him.

  Meanwhile Stark had been patiently waiting across from the perturbing entrance and watching for the signal; watching as the Renyans turned in unison to see the orange light flicker to the East. The Renyans already outside the building gathered into formation before charging towards the shots, then the doors burst open and Renyans poured out. Stark stifled a laugh as they appeared to form a conga line heading in the direction of the flare. When it seemed to Stark that the last dance participant had left the tower and headed off out of sight he surveyed the area before stepping out of the shadows. He had prepared himself for a suicide run whilst he stood in the dark crevice of a sinister building. He had spent the last three days, whether conscious or not, thinking about the purpose of his life and he had come to terms with the fact he had nothing to live for. There was no one waiting for him on Earth, there was nothing for him to do on Earth that could not be done by someone else. In his deepest self he knew everything about him was a charade for those around him and he was tired of existing without living.

  He looked up at the orange glow above him and slowly closed his eyes as though he were enjoying a warmth given out from the orange glow even though there was none. He breathed deeply as he appreciated the last few calm moments before the storm. Then set off heading directly for the entrance straight across the open courtyard with a confidence that came from not caring at all. He strode through the ominous doorway fearlessly meeting an armed guard as he did so.

  'Parv!' Stark fixed his eyes on his adversary and kept moving straight at him. The Renyan raised his weapon and pointed it at Stark's chest before shouting again.

  'Parv sulimor!' Stark continued on his tracks, steaming toward the Renyan and ignoring the barrel of the gun facing him. The Renyan seemed confused and paralyzed though his face remained expression less. Stark didn't stop moving until his chest pressed against the cold metal weapon and with his eyes still fixed on the Renyan his hands moved in a flash. Before the Renyan knew what was happening Stark had the weapon and was firing it directly into the black armour. The Renyan folded and collapsed at Stark's feet and his focused eyes followed the corridor. He dispassionately stepped over the body and stalked on through the building. He peered in every room, searching for something important enough to destroy, occasionally a Renyan guard would catch a glimpse of him before Stark raised his weapon and fired with his face sternly fixed as he took alien life after life.

  About half way up the tower Stark found what he assumed to be something important. It whirred with power and glowed a white blue light where cracks in the casing allowed. It sat centrally in a circular room that had walls covered in flashing lights. Many of the lights had corresponding buttons but he cared very little for their purpose. He swung his foot firmly at the central object and made no impact on its stability so he turned about the room unsurprised by his foots effect. His focus fixed on the thin bars of metal that created the grated flooring before he effortlessly aimed at the floor and in quick succession fired five times. He had separated a strip of metal from the others in this manner before he yanked it from its loose positioning. With the gun in one hand and the jagged bar in another he turned menacingly toward the centre.

  Stark rammed the bar into one of the crevices in the glowing objects casing and pulled with all the might his free hand could muster. The casing wiggled gently under the strain but budged no further. He slammed the gun down on top of the whirring device before gripping the bar tightly in both hands and pulling with as much strength as his weakened torso muscles would allow. The casing began to bend and pull away but it remained fixed in place. Stark released his grip and hopped lightly from one foot to the other whilst shaking out his hands. He exhaled sharply and planted his feet firmly in place as he took hold of the bar once more. He grimaced through the pain in his side and pulled the bar harder and faster than he had before. The casing creaked and buckled before jolting out of place and crashing to the floor. Stark loudly grunted in pain and kicked the sheet of metal as though it had been the cause of all the pain he had ever suffered in his life and it harshly skidded across the floor before it smashed into one of the rooms many control panels. The impact caused the panel to flicker and spark before shutting down.

  Stark noticed the glowing core hum louder in protest before he seized the weapon once more and began to fire at all of the control panels. The pale blue light flickered at such speeds that it seemed to Stark that it was vibrating while the whirring grew louder and the light grew brighter. Imagining he was about to cause a catastrophic explosion Stark braced himself for death before shooting directly at the vibrating core.

  Simultaneously Dantil and Polly reached the hangar, Polly halted their steps upon recognising the described silhouette. She whispered nervously to Dantil as she searched the surrounding area for patrolling guards.

  'We're here.'

  'How many guards?' Polly frantically searched for any movement before responding uncertainly.

  'Two, I think.'

  'Where are they?'

  'Either side of the open door.' Dantil internally struggled with his instinct.

  'It's your turn to be blind. I don't want you to see me do this, so close your eyes and put your hand on my shoulder.' She audibly swallowed and looked at Dantil pleadingly before she resigned herself to their situation. Her eyes slowly closed out the world after her hand landed on his shoulder and Dantil's resounding began, alerting the Renyan guards to his presence. The noise echoed around confusingly to the Renyans leaving them unsure which way to look as Dantil gained the image of his surroundings calmly. He steadied his nerve and lead Polly out of the shadows with the gun raised where, upon noticing the movement, the Renyans turned to face Dantil. One of them fired aggressively at him only marginally missing him as the blast flew past Dantil's ear. Without flinching Dantil returned fire, accurately shooting each of them twice in the torso. With each echoing crack of the gun Polly squeezed Dantil's shoulder. He felt incredibly ashamed as he silently led her between the motionless Renyan bodies and through the door. He could hear no other sign of life within the hangar so allowed Polly to open her eyes once more.

  It was a bright and vast space in which the lights glinted off the sleek bodies of the ships; most of them were small and suitable for only a pilot with no passengers. Roughly two hundred metres away Polly spotted a much larger ship, its curvaceous black and white hull called to her.

  'There she is, The Asteria.' She began by walking in relief towards The Asteria but her excitement soon sped up
the pace until she was running eagerly toward her open hull. Dantil had been far more cautious and suspicious of the aggressive race whom they planned to take The Asteria back from. He had cautiously paced behind Polly keeping his ears sharp to any movement or possible ambushes when he heard an unfamiliar heartbeat. The powerful heartbeat bounced out of the Asteria just as Polly reached the bottom of the stairs. The angle prevented a clear picture forming in Dantil's mind of what stood at the top of the stairs but he heard a gun lower in trajectory towards Polly. Dantil sprinted faster than he knew he could until he slammed into Polly's side, pushing her to safety, and lining up his shot through the ships entrance.

  At the same time, Stark pulled the trigger with composure. The blast cracked through the air and struck the whirring light. The shot seemed to be absorbed into the light and caused no immediate effect. Stark fired twice more in frustration but the same happened again. Dissatisfied anger appeared on his face until the whirring changed to a clanking and grinding struggle. He realised he had unexpectedly been given a chance to flee before the explosion he hoped would follow. He fired three more times at the toiling machine before absconding. His feet rumbled down the stairs as the walls trembled. Before long the walls and floor cracked around him as the building tore apart at the seams.