Alliance

by Andrew Stride

  “Have I been out that long?” asked Clom.

  “I guess it’s only the second day, just feels longer.”

  “Where’s Laja?”

  “No idea. They split us up as soon as we arrived.”

  “Have you seen any sign of the others?”

  “We saw them briefly, but they’ve kept us apart. I guess they’re still wondering what to do with us,” said Joeum.

  Clom was rubbing his chest. “What did they hit us with?”

  “A tranquilliser of some kind,” said Joeum.

  “I don’t see how we’re going to get out of this one,” said Lim.

  “I thought Huey had it under control when we arrived, but he was soon knocked out. He was going on about these scrambling devices and I guess the station’s frequency interfered with his.”

  “Huey’s here!” said Lim. “We watched them take his damn head off. How’d he recover from that?”

  “I had to reattach it for him.”

  “Seriously?”

  Clom nodded and held out his hand for a drink of water. “Yes and after all that he goes and gets himself knocked out, so I’d say we’re done for.”

  For the moment Laja was happy to play along with the Femesumma, but their attempts at intimidation were wearing a little thin, as too was the repeated question. Why are you here?

  Laja wasn’t about to tell them what their intentions were and he kept reiterating, they weren’t here because they wanted to be. The Femesumma kept referring to the humans as devils, so it wasn’t looking good for them and as always, they were his main concern.

  Despite everything, he was still trying to talk some sense into these Femesumma.

  “If you’d let us work with you, we might be able to stop the Formless Ones before it’s too late.”

  “What happens on Vulsumar is no concern of yours.”

  “Your race is being wiped out.”

  “Our race might be finished, but we will destroy this planet ourselves before we let it fall into the hands of the Formless Ones.”

  “It is too late for that and in any case, destroying the planet is not the answer.”

  “That’s enough, Lumsulu. Your being here makes no sense at all. Those devils you’re with have blinded you.”

  Laja knew that it was the Femesumma that had been blinded, but he kept this opinion to himself. They continued discussing him as they walked out of the room, but there was no way of knowing what they were intending.

  His bindings held him firm or at least that was the impression he was giving. In truth, he was just biding his time.

  They might have been hoping he was going to make a move. Give him enough rope and they wouldn’t have to justify their actions.

  After a short while, they returned and the leader among them shouted an order and Laja was dragged away, back to his cell.

  In the darkness, Laja relaxed his mind and tried to contact Qwamma, but he was unable to, which perhaps wasn’t surprising. Laja kept trying anyway and after a few hours, there was movement outside his cell. The Femesumma must have reached a decision because he was taken back to the tunnel, where a train was waiting.

  The train consisted of three carriages and after entering the front one, Laja was led over to where the humans had been lined up. They were bound and secured in place and their heads had been covered with sacks. They looked uncomfortable and that was probably the intention.

  He then noticed Huey’s lifeless shell, which one of the Femesumma was sitting on. There were four Femesumma in the carriage with two RDUs and Laja was told to kneel and with his hands still behind his back, he was fastened to the floor.

  They didn’t bother covering his head, so he was able to observe and the Femesumma kept communication to a minimum and were looking ready to move out. Laja had only just been thinking about the other half of the group when he was contacted. It was very discreet and lasted less than a second, but he now knew that Robin and the others were aboard, in the rear carriage and being guarded by two additional Femesumma.

  Regardless of how these potential targets were distributed, it would still be quite a challenge to overpower all of them. No matter how he played out the scenarios, the outcome would inevitably lead to human casualties, so he was desperate for some intervention.

  The carriage door hissed closed and shortly after they began to move. Slowly at first and the speed grew and grew until the staggered lights of the tunnel became a single unbroken line.

  The speed of the train peaked and without warning the RDU closest to Laja started to falter, as if it was running out of power. It dropped out of levitation and onto the floor with a thump. Laja could see it falling towards him and there was barely enough play in his bindings for him to get out of the way. The same thing happened with the second RDU and the Femesumma looked really concerned. One of them even believed the humans to be responsible and started yelling at them to stop.

  Laja had been waiting for the right moment and with all the chaos going on around him, he slipped out of his restraints. Something was going down and now the carriage itself was being affected. The internal lights flickered and the emergency brakes had been applied. There were two Femesumma at the controls trying to resolve the problem, while the Femesumma that had been sitting on Huey, was on his feet and looking anxious. Like the others, he was trying to figure out why everything was malfunctioning.

  The fourth Femesumma was looking over one of the RDUs and was closest to Laja, so it made sense that he would be the first casualty. Laja’s left hand flew up and grabbed the Femesumma by the throat and maintaining the pressure, he was quickly rendered unconscious. These were swift moves, they needed to be and with the unconscious Femesumma still in his grasp, he used the body as a shield and three bolts thumped into it in rapid succession.

  Laja rose to his feet, launching the dead weight of the Femesumma with all his strength, in the direction of the Femesumma that had just fired at him. The Femesumma was expecting this and leapt out of the way, firing off his weapon indiscriminately. Three holes had been blasted through the roof of the carriage and one in the floor and Laja knew he had to stop any further shooting before one of the humans got hit.

  Before the Femesumma had a chance to use his weapon again, the carriage braked sharply and he hurtled past Laja and was rendered unconscious when he collided with the two who were fighting to regain control of the train.

  Fortunately, Laja was well rooted and the humans were still secured to the floor and he turned his attention on the two remaining Femesumma.

  Laja charged forward, hitting the first Femesumma with so much force that it put a split in the screen of the carriage. The second Femesumma didn’t prove too difficult to take down. Just a couple of blows and Laja had the situation under control.

  There was still the rear carriage to take care of, but as Laja turned, he saw an RDU rising off the floor. Luckily this wasn’t any old RDU, it was Huey and Laja relaxed. Out of the range of the station’s influence, Huey was now functioning normally and while he took control of the train, Laja prepared himself for a final showdown and the rescue of the other members of the group.

  With the train behaving erratically, he knew the remaining Femesumma would be expecting trouble, so when he eased himself into the second carriage, he was anticipating a hostile reception but was surprised to find it deserted.

  Since no one was here, it meant the party was going to be taking place in the rear and he was about halfway through the empty carriage when he felt something. He reacted to a displacement of air off to his right and his hand slipped around a solid, but invisible object. Laja quickly processed what was happening, his life depended on it. The object was actually the forearm of a Femesumma and even though Laja couldn’t see it, he knew the hand at the end of this forearm was holding a weapon. A sharp blade with his name on it.

  A struggle ensued, between the visible and the invisible, but it was over quickly and now at the door of the third carriage, Laja braced himself for what might be wai
ting on the other side.

  The train had almost slowed to a stop and Laja opened the door, but only to find there was nothing beyond.

  The third carriage had been uncoupled and the rescue attempt had been foiled.

  Chapter Two

  Destiny

  The drive was predictably slow, made worse by the drizzle of rain, which challenged the windscreen wipers, their blades working either too fast or too slow. After clearing the traffic lights he was on the home straight, passing the leisure complex and a petrol station, where he could have picked up some milk, had he remembered.

  Since David had spent the last two days away on business he was looking forward to getting back to normality. He was almost there and with a sigh of relief he parked up outside his flat.

  The bad weather reflected his mood, but he cheered up after he reminded himself that tomorrow was Friday, so almost the weekend and that got him thinking.

  It had been months since his encounter with the man from many places and the excitement of seeing that glowing snowflake materialise in his flat and since then, nothing. So much for that mission, he was meant to be starting and all he had to show for it was his fancy dress outfit hanging in the wardrobe. Maybe it was for the best, since he had been asking himself if he was cut out for such things and guessed they must have realised this and chosen someone else.

  He fumbled with his keys and half expected the door to open before he reached it, as it often did, but not today. It was good to be home and it wasn’t until he got to the foot of the stairs that he remembered he should have picked up milk. Annoyed at his forgetfulness he climbed the stairs and was about halfway up the first flight when the light on the landing went out with a ping. David stopped abruptly, felt for the banister and continued at a slower pace. After ascending a few stairs, there was a loud meow and a warm body rubbed itself against his leg.

  “Hello Lucy, have you missed me? I don’t suppose you’ve got a spare lightbulb on you?”

  Another meow, which probably meant no and he heard her deep purr in the darkness.

  Avoiding her as best he could, David reached the top of the first flight of stairs and at this point, he was expecting June’s door to spring open. It was the one time when it would have been helpful; then again he could have knocked.

  Still no sign of June, he felt for the start of the next flight of stairs and with Lucy’s tail curled around his leg, it was as if she was trying to guide him to his door. He should have gone back down the stairs rather than run the risk of breaking his neck, but he persevered and made it to his landing. After some swearing, his right hand made contact with the panelled surface of his door and he pushed the key into the lock.

  Home at last and he instinctively reached for the living room light switch. “And then there was light,” he said, smiling to himself.

  He looked down to make sure Lucy hadn’t followed him into the flat, closed the door and went through to the kitchen. There waiting for him was half a sink of washing up. David pretended not to see it and put the kettle on, then returned to the living room and dropped heavily onto the sofa. His hand reached out for the magazine on the other cushion and he began flicking through it, but his mind was elsewhere and the click of the kettle brought his focus back into the flat.

  He tossed the magazine to one side and went back into the kitchen. The magazine he’d been half looking at was a holiday brochure. He felt the urge to get away, to get his mind straight and yet he couldn't make his mind up where to go.

  He looked dreamily into his coffee, which he couldn’t remember pouring and then heard rapping on his front door. He recognised the style, it was June of course and he couldn't really ignore it. As he approached the door he wondered to himself. How had she made it up the stairs without a light? Maybe she had infrared vision.

  Smiling to himself he opened the door and there they were, June and Lucy. His focus shifted to the lightbulb, which was working again and he was left wondering how it had fixed itself.

  “Are you all right, David?”

  “Yes. The light, it’s working?”

  “Of course it’s working.”

  “I came in just now and it wasn’t. Maybe it’s faulty.”

  “It’s been working fine, David,” said June, in a slightly dismissive tone.

  David noticed that she was holding a white envelope.

  “Is that for me?”

  He could see that June wasn’t really focused on him; she was peering into his flat and probably thinking, what a tip.

  “Do you have a cleaner?”

  Here we go, thought David. “It’s her week off,” and he couldn’t help himself from smiling.

  “Are you fibbing again?”

  “I am. I should make more of an effort.”

  “You mean, make your lying more convincing?”

  “No, I meant, put more effort into tidying up the place.”

  “This place needs a woman’s touch.”

  It wasn’t the first time June had passed that comment.

  “The young woman that dropped this off for you yesterday was very nice, wasn’t she Lucy?” June waved the envelope in his direction. “I had the feeling she wanted to speak to you.”

  David looked at the envelope and then back at June. “It must be important if you had to sign for it.”

  “David, don’t be silly. I’m not talking about the post people. This young lady gave me the impression she knew you. Have you been keeping her a secret?”

  “I don’t have time for secrets, June, ask Lucy.”

  He knew that June was as curious as he was about this envelope and she no doubt wanted him to open it there and then. June eventually got the message and David was left in peace. He returned to the sofa with his coffee and the envelope firmly clasped in his hand.

  Instead of ripping the envelope open, he studied it for a few minutes as if looking for clues. There was no address, just his name written in blue ink. It did seem a bit odd that the stranger went to the bother of delivering it by hand and yet was happy to leave it with his neighbour. Could this be what he’d been waiting for, a ticket for an out of this world destination? David’s palms were getting moist and he could feel his heart beginning to race.

  He finally opened the envelope.

  Dear David,

  We don’t have much of time, so when this reaches you, you will need to act quickly, our lives depend on it. We have not met before, but I have seen you, so I know what you look like.

  A slight contradiction and maybe a bit spooky thought David and he continued reading.

  I’m staying on the island to the south of your location. I’ve made contact with people I can trust and I’m sure this is the only reason I’m still alive. I will not disclose my exact whereabouts in case this leads them to me. They are everywhere. They are watching you too David, watching your every move. I’m trying to be unpredictable and I suggest you do the same; it will keep you one step ahead of them.

  Them? Who was she talking about? And then he recalled his conversation with Qwamma and how could he forget the people that had been following him that morning. David shivered at the thought. So this was it, contact, at last, a date with the stranger that wrote this letter.

  Make haste David; follow the signs and you will have no trouble finding me, but doubt yourself and you will be lost. There’s a town to the south of the island and it is here that we will meet. I will look out for you at eleven and three every day. Don’t delay David; time is not on our side.

  Signed, a friend.

  There was only one island to the south of his location and knowing the letter was almost two days old, he wondered if he could make the last ferry. But there was little point, as he’d already missed the afternoon rendezvous. He resigned to the fact that the earliest he could meet this stranger, was tomorrow morning. The problem with all this was that tomorrow was Friday and he was meant to be at work. If he called in sick, it would give him the weekend to figure this out.

  He flicked on his co
mputer to check the ferry times and began dragging clothes from his wardrobe into an overnight bag.

  The ferry times confirmed that he could easily be on the island before nine, so he would have no trouble getting to the south of the island by eleven. David threw something in the microwave and re-read the letter as he ate. It would be an early start tomorrow and he was making a mental list of the things he needed to do. He would slip June a note; otherwise, she would worry about him. He scribbled her one while he thought about it and suggested that he hoped to be back on Monday.

  How much of an adventure was this going to be and was Monday a bit optimistic? Perhaps, although he would probably only be able to stretch it to Tuesday due to work. He really didn’t have time for an adventure and he had a feeling that once he had met with this mystery woman, his life would once again be turned upside down.

  He went to bed early, a big mistake, because he couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned throughout the night and it was a relief when the alarm finally sounded.

  He yawned and thought about the long drive, but the idea of how much of an adventure this was going to be, neutralised the negative feelings of the journey ahead. He showered, dressed and with his overnight bag in his hand, he was ready. He took one last look at his flat before closing the door and descended the stairs as quietly as he could. An exercise he practiced quite regularly and after slipping the note under June’s door, he stepped out into the dark early hours of the morning.

  Rather than start his car right outside June’s window, he released the handbrake and coasted it for a short distance, before gunning the engine. He checked his rear view mirror and saw a car pulling out from the curb. Clearly, he wasn’t the only one up at this unearthly hour. He had factored in a comfort break. There was no way he was going the full distance without breakfast and after an hour on the road, he pulled into a service station. The car behind him did the same and before he parked up, he replenished his fuel and picked up a few sweet treats for the journey.