by J. N. Chaney
“No, they certainly aren’t,” he said. “Nor are they native to this planet.”
“Karin mentioned something about that,” Abby said.
“Those scientists made them, didn’t they?” I asked, staring straight at the Cognitive. “That’s where all of this is going, isn’t it?”
Janus frowned, giving me a slow nod. “We made them, Captain. I was the Cognitive of this facility. I was given the responsibility to assist the original inhabitants in their research.” He turned to look at the monster on the screen, it’s snarling face and dead eyes staring off into nothing. “But I failed. In our rush to solve the problem of genetic decay, mistakes were made. Lives were lost. All because we couldn’t see the path ahead of us and where it might lead. We used Eternal DNA, experimented with it, hoping to slow the clock.”
“What are you saying?” asked Abigail. “That those things are—”
“Human,” finished Janus, finally saying what I had already suspected. “What you are seeing is the Eternal gene in its purest form. This is where the path to perdition leads, my friends. It is the face humanity’s hubris.”
Eight
After our meeting with Janus, I wanted to get back in touch with The Star. It had been four hours since I checked in with Siggy. Way too long, I wagered, and I was sure Freddie was going crazy with worry.
“A turn-key,” I said, looking at Janus. “You know, an ancient communicator from Earth. You’ve gotta have a few of those lying around.”
“Ah, yes,” he said. “If you’ll recall, our communications network is down and we are unable to contact anyone outside of this facility.”
“You never thought to repair it?” I asked.
“On the contrary, we have made many attempts. The problem is our Tritium Core. After two thousand years, it has been nearly depleted, allowing for only minor usage across the facility,” explained Janus.
“I take it you don’t have a backup,” I said.
“Well, the cores are quite rare. There were only three on this planet at the time of the collapse. One for each facility. One went offline many centuries ago, while ours is slowly degrading.”
“What about the third?” I asked.
“I’m afraid no one has been able to locate it yet,” he explained. “We have someone in the field, presently, but I have little hope of a discovery.”
I couldn’t believe it. There had been three Tritium Cores on this world at one time. Three. The effort I’d gone through to procure a single one had been overwhelming. If there was still a core on this planet, even a partial one, the Union would do anything to get their hands on it. All the more reason to cut that signal.
“You’ll need to return to the surface in order to establish a connection with your ship, but that shouldn’t be a problem,” said Janus.
“It took us hours to get here, though,” I said.
Karin was standing nearby, talking to Abigail and answering her questions when she perked up at my statement. “We have other ways of moving around,” she interjected.
I turned to her. “Oh? You’ve got a faster way to get us back?”
“Of course. You don’t actually think we use those tunnels regularly, do you?” she asked with a light chuckle. “You saw how dangerous they are.”
“Why was your mother down there, then?” asked Abigail.
“She was scavenging. Mother hates sitting around. She prefers to stay busy. She says it keeps her active.”
“Keeps her active?” I repeated. “I didn’t know fighting flesh-eating monsters was the same thing as knitting.”
Karin laughed. “I’ll be sure to tell her that.”
Janus flicked his wrist, changing the screen to show the layout of what I assumed must be the facility in its entirety. A red light blinked on the screen, inside a tiny room. “This is our current location,” he said, before I could ask. “You’ll want to leave and head in this direction.”
A line left the dot and went through a series of passages, all the way outside the compound. “I’ll be taking you there myself,” said Karin.
“Why?” I asked. “It doesn’t seem that far.”
“We’ll have to pass through a tunnel,” she explained, walking to the screen and pointing to a gap in the passageways. “Here. I don’t expect any danger, but you never know.”
“Is this the safest path?” asked Abigail.
“It’s the best we have,” said Janus. “There used to be multiple tunnels that the Boneclaws avoided, but over the last decade they’ve grown more curious. I believe their primary food source has migrated.”
“None of that matters,” I said, hurrying on with it. “Let’s focus on getting us back to my ship.”
“Of course,” said Janus.
“Please meet me in the hall when you’re ready,” said Karin. She opened the door. “I need to gather some fighters.”
“Could I come with you?” asked Abigail. “I’d like to meet a few more people before we go.”
The two women shut the door, leaving me alone with the Cognitive. It only took him a moment to break the silence. “Captain, I have one request, before you leave,” he said.
“Of course, you do,” I muttered. “What is it?”
“You’re the first visitors to this planet in nearly two millennia. Why is that?” he asked.
“Why?” I repeated. “I guess it’s because you’re in the middle of nowhere. There’s no direct slip tunnel. The only reason we found you is because we randomly dropped out of one.”
“Direct tunnel?” he asked. “I’m not sure I understand.”
I leaned against the table and let out a short sigh. “Old Earth ships were able to create tunnels to travel through the galaxy. You probably know about that, since you were around back then, but what you might not know is that the technology to do it was lost. When the early colony ships left Earth, they created a network of slip tunnels, which we’ve been using ever since. The reason no one has found this planet is because there were no tunnels connecting you to us. That’s how I understand it, anyway.”
“Interesting,” said the Cognitive. “You mentioned you fell out of one, is that right? That it broke?”
“Someone attacked us and sent a bomb inside the tunnel, breaking it ahead of us,” I said.
“Ah,” he said, nodding. “I understand. But this means our system is connected to the rest of the galaxy once again, doesn’t it? Your people and mine.”
“How’s that?” I asked.
“The tunnel you fell out of. It’s open now, and more could come here if they followed.” He flicked his wrist, changing the screen to show the planet we were on, covered in white from pole-to-pole. “What enemies do you have, Captain? Should we be concerned?”
I paused, not knowing what to tell him. Of course, he should have been concerned. The Union and Sarkonians were deadly. They’ll kill or capture everyone here, take all their technology, and strip the place to the ground, all for better weapons and a chance at building their supposed super soldiers. “Yes,” I finally admitted. “I guess you should.”
“In that case, Captain Hughes,” said Janus. “I believe we should discuss what to do next. Don’t you agree?”
“First thing’s first,” I said. “I need to shut down that signal.”
“Are you referring to the warning message?” he asked.
“The one that brought me here in the first place?” I asked. “Yeah, that’s the one.”
“I understand. You’re worried others might detect it and follow.”
I nodded. “That message mentioned Earth. It was the only reason I came here. If we don’t shut it down soon, the Union might find you, and you really don’t want that.”
“Why, exactly? What makes them different from you?”
“Your people are different from the rest of the galaxy,” I explained. “They’re unique.”
“In what way?” he asked.
“Karin and the others are Eternal,” I said. “Isn’t that right? White skin, blue
eyes, fast healing, perfect genes. I’m not a geneticist, but that’s how I understand it.”
“You know your history, Captain,” said the Cognitive.
“Maybe,” I said.
He smiled. “I’m afraid my people are not what you might imagine. They no longer retain the perfect DNA of their ancestors. Quite the opposite, in fact. They live an average lifespan of 150 years. Their healing rate is slightly above average, compared to Transient individuals. They hold little in common with Eternals. Perhaps they fall somewhere in the middle.”
I paused. “But they’re all albino.”
“The appearance remains, while the rest has faded over time,” he explained. “Lucia is the oldest at 162, but I don’t expect her to last more than a few more decades.”
I scoffed. “That’s still pretty damn good.”
“What is the average lifespan of your people, Captain?”
“A century if we’re lucky,” I said. “130 years, if you’ve got the money for the replacement parts and gene therapy.”
“Pity,” he said, shaking his head. “I expected by now that even Transients had figured out a way to extend their lives beyond 150 years.”
“Give it time. The second the Union finds this place, they’ll stick each of these people in a lab and dissect them, one pound of flesh at a time.”
“Well, then,” said Janus. “Let’s try to avoid that outcome. Shall we?”
* * *
The hall was damp and cold, much like the rest of this horrible place. I couldn’t imagine living here for even a day, let alone a lifetime.
Karin and Abigail were ahead of me, walking together, with several others behind us. Men and women, dressed in scraps of metal armor, each with a staff in their hand. What did they think of me? Did I look like strange to them, the same way they did to me? How often did they get to see someone who didn’t have pale skin and white hair? I probably looked like a freak.
This must be how Lex feels, I thought. Or maybe she’s still too young to understand.
Lucia took the rear, following the rest of us with her spear in hand. She had the look of a quiet warrior, something you didn’t see much of, except in the back of an empty bar, where a grizzled soldier might sit alone, drinking and trying to forget. An old warrior from a forgotten war.
I guessed Lucia had never been in a war, not in the traditional sense, but she’d probably had her share of killing. I had little doubt there were ghosts living in those eyes.
Karin was the opposite, and it didn’t take much to see why. She was young, and while she’d probably fought her share of battles, she wasn’t quite as jaded as the old woman. That kind of shit took time. If she stayed on this planet for the rest of her life, she might turn out the same. Pity.
Pity, I thought, repeating the word in my head. I’m beginning to sound like Freddie. Sentimental bastard must be rubbing off.
Janus had asked me to help these people, to find a way to get them off this planet, but until he gave me a solution I could work with, there wasn’t much I could do. Despite my better judgment, I wanted to help them. I felt a little responsible for what might happen if the Union showed up and wiped them all out, but I couldn’t fix everyone’s problems. I was only one guy.
Besides, last time I checked, I had my own shit to deal with. Titan was still out there, probably running around looking for us. If they didn’t show up soon, I’d need another plan besides just sitting around this godsforsaken place, waiting to die.
“Stay together,” said Karin. She looked at Abby, then to me. “You’ll be safe in the middle.”
“Are you anticipating an attack?” asked Abby.
“Always,” Karin answered. “It’s the only safe way to live down here, especially when you leave the gate.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “We’ll let you take the lead.”
The old metal walls faded into stone and ice as we continued along the path. It was the same thing I’d seen when we first left the warehouse on the upper floor, no doubt created by the Boneclaws.
But if they were this capable, I wondered why they hadn’t just invaded these people by now. Were they incapable of breaking through certain areas? Was the compound where Karin and her people lived somehow safe from them?
I pushed the questions out of my head and tried to stay focused on the moment. There would be plenty of time for all this later when it wasn’t so dangerous to risk getting lost in your thoughts.
Karin raised a fist as we stepped into the stone tunnel. She paused. We all did, each of us watching her, and waiting. After a moment, she lowered her hand and continued forward, the rest of us at her back.
We walked for over an hour, slowly and cautiously, and with good reason. The animals could be anywhere at any time, which meant we had to stay on constant guard. I kept hearing sounds, here and there, throughout the caves and tunnels. A sort of clicking sound, faint and faraway, like it could be anything…or nothing. The entire walk to the surface, I heard those lingering clicks and taps. If I had to stay and live in this place forever, surrounded by these distant echoes, I was sure I’d lose my mind and get lost in it.
By the time we reached the surface, all I wanted to do was get out.
Nine
As soon as we exited the cave, I heard my comm click and a familiar voice spoke into my ear. “Sir, is that you?” asked Sigmond. “I’m detecting your transmitter. Are you receiving me?”
“Siggy!” I snapped, relieved to hear his voice. “Sorry to keep you waiting, pal.”
Abigail and Karin both looked at me, probably surprised by my sudden outburst.
“What are you looking at?” I asked them, cocking my brow. “Anyway, Siggy, we’re good. Found ourselves a couple of friends, but we’re almost back. Tell Freddie to meet me in the cargo bay.”
“Excellent, sir. Shall I prepare some coffee for you?” asked the A.I.
“That’ll do just fine,” I said, imagining the warm aroma, letting my mouth water at the thought.
The Renegade Star was exactly where I’d left it, parked in the middle of a white field, snow falling all around it.
The lift door lowered and I hurried my way inside the ship. Freddie was running down the stairs at the same time, while Abigail and I hurried to meet him. I couldn’t let Karin or the others stay out in the blizzard so I invited them inside.
“Welcome back, Captain,” said Freddie, relief all over his face.
Dressler was right behind him, standing at the top of the stairs. “Who…Where did you find those people?” she asked, looking across the bay at Karin’s people.
The white-haired natives walked beside the shuttle from Titan that I’d parked in here after the last battle. It no longer powered on, since we were so far from Athena and her Moon, so until Titan returned to pick us up, the shuttle was little more than a paperweight.
“I found them in the caves,” I said to Dressler as I began to climb the stairs.
She didn’t look at me, but kept her eyes on the natives. I could tell she was studying them, trying to take in every detail. No doubt, she’d already noticed the obvious: that they looked exactly like Lex and Athena, white hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. Maybe she’d already picked out the tattoos on them. The woman was more observant than she let on. It was a shame she never became a Renegade.
“See something you like?” I asked her as I approached.
She finally looked at me. “Are these people—”
“Let’s save the theories until we’re alone, Doc,” I whispered, motioning to the door.
She nodded, slowly, and said nothing else about it. All those years of working in a Union lab and keeping secrets had evidently paid off. Dressler knew how to shut up.
“Stay here,” I told the natives, once we were in the lounge. “Try not to touch anything.”
“This is your ship?” asked Karin, ogling the design. “Strange.”
“Better, I think you mean,” I said.
“No, that’s not it,” she said. “It just
looks so different from what we have. Like that.” She pointed to the nearby coffee maker. “What is it?”
Of all the things she could have told me, her ignorance of coffee crushed my heart the most. You poor sheltered fool, I thought, but then said, “I’ll show you later.”
Abigail leaned against the wall, next to the couch. “I’ll stay with them while you debrief with Frederick and Dressler.”
“If you want,” I said, shrugging.
Karin’s soldiers sat on the couch and sofa chairs, looking completely out of place. I could tell they didn’t know what to make of any of this, probably because it wasn’t a giant ice hole in the ground. I just hoped they didn’t get used to it.
Not that I had any finer things to give them, but when you spent your entire life surviving on scraps, something as simple as a couch probably seemed like a hot commodity.
I nudged Freddie and Dressler into the cockpit, closing the door behind me. I could sense their confusion, especially Freddie, who had that bewildered expression on his face that I had seen all too often.
“Before either of you ask, the answer is yes. I’m totally fine,” I said, leaning up against the wall.
“That’s not what I was going to ask you,” said Dressler.
“Oh,” I said, frowning at the doctor. “And here I thought you were concerned about my well-being.”
She ignored my sarcasm. “What I want to know is where all these people came from, why they look the way they do, and why you decided to bring them all back to the ship.”
“That’s a lot to unpack,” I said, waving her off.
“How about you start from the beginning,” she suggested. “What happened when you went into that cave?”
* * *
After explaining everything I’d seen in the caves to both Dressler and Freddie, they just stared at me. “What is it?” I asked them. “You didn’t like my story?”
“Are you telling me that there are blind animals down there capable of burrowing through solid rock,” said Dressler, a look of disbelief on her face. “And that they are somehow genetically altered human beings from experiments that were performed hundreds of years ago?”