by J. D. Tew
As I watched the bout with the Exogen, anger seized and emboldened me. I could almost feel Odion there, close to me, and in a trance, I powered up my sword, Wrath. After I blinked my eyes, there Odion stood, with blade in hand and he said, ‘Snap out of it, Theodore.’
This must be a hallucination. I rubbed my eyes with my free hand and the image of Odion de-pixelated before me, replaced by the image of an aghast Migon grabbing my collar.
‘Are you golo? You can’t fight them now,’ Migon said. I could feel my collar tear and chafe at the skin on my neck. ‘Xalag informed me the moment you left Karshiz that I needed to keep you close. Does the name Lincoln mean anything to you guys at all?’
‘Let’s go then!’ I shouted. Sprinting ahead of us, Migon led us through several blocks of away from the market square, and although we were in hot pursuit, we noticed the buildings gradually becoming more and more decrepit. Migon was leading us into a slum area of the enormous metropolitan; a derelict district within a cosmopolitan megalopolis.
‘This is it right here. We are short on time, let’s go!’ Migon yelled, ensuring no one was watching our entry. We followed him into one of the dwellings and it was empty, with the exception of a rug lying on the floor.
‘Lift that rug!’ Migon shouted.
Mariah kicked the thick Cluigoire fur rug aside, and underneath was a peculiar inlaid handle. Migon took an awkward stance, and with two hands he squatted down at the knees to grab at the handle. Contrary to what I thought, the handle was not a means to swing open a trapdoor; rather it was a place marker to bring up an entry control panel mounted on top of a slender four-cornered metal pillar.
‘Help me!’ he urged. ‘It’s stuck!’
As we both tugged onto the pillar that rose from the floor, I discovered it was hydraulically driven, sliding along rusty rails running alongside its enclosure below. Once we brought the top of the pillar up to our waist level, it stopped into a locked position. Migon looked at me, and twirled his finger to indicate that I shouldn’t watch as he entered the passcode. I shielded my eyes.
Upon Migon entering the passcode, a square section of the floor in another corner of the room slid open, revealing a dark tunnel underneath. I felt Migon’s hand on my shoulder.
‘After you,’ Migon said.
‘Me?’ He pushed me and I fell down the tunnel of ice, which now seemed as slick and smooth as that of any decent waterpark on Earth. After one second, it was apparent that I was sliding away, at an angle that was neither slow nor precipitously steep. When I tumbled down, I could hear the angry voices of my friends echo down behind me as they witnessed my fall.
However, as I continued to glide, I started hearing screams reverberating behind me. Since the shrieks did not sound far behind, I assumed they were following me, sliding down the same waterslide-like tube.
My eyes were shut; my stomach felt as if it was pressing up against my brain and ready to squeeze through my ears. It was awkward sliding with all of my gear; a couple of times, I almost twisted over my body and began to roll, but I regained control just in time. I then heard Liam behind me.
He yelled, ‘Yahoooo.’
Frightened, I started trying to claw at the sides of the icy tunnel, completely helpless to slow down my descent. Just then, a glimmer of light lay ahead, signaling the end of the tunnel. I tucked into a fetal position, flexing. Gritting my teeth and closing my eyes, I braced for impact as the tunnel ended and I no longer felt any cold hard surface.
I dropped like a stone, but only for a split second, as I was cradled by a large web of netting. I quickly rolled aside to avoid my friends, whom I knew would be following.
Everyone entered, landing against the netting and tumbling out of the way as I did, one by one. By now, all our facial complexions were back to normal, and these wild, bright colors had safely retreated from our skin.
‘I am surprised to see you here, ED,’ Migon said, entering last. Unlike us, ED was suspended in the air because he had merely deployed rocket boosters to avoid the netting.
‘I am currently assigned to Theodore,’ ED said.
Now out of immediate danger, Migon started to greet each one of us. ‘Nice to see you Mariah… Dan.’ He turned to Liam. ‘Liam, we thought you were a goner. And the messiah... it is a pleasure to meet you finally, Theodore.’
In front of us, sat a table with six vials, each filled with a dark red substance.
‘In front of you is a vial of doutchine,’ Migon said. ‘It is the blood of a Foitian elder mole. It will help you breathe easier under the ice plates. You need to drink it.’
We were not fond of drinking concoctions that we didn’t know. I looked over to ED and he said, ‘Bottoms-up.’ I took ED’s suggestion, and trusted it to be safe to consume. Drinking the concentrated blood plasma of a mole from Foita tasted just as it sounded—horrible. Foitian elder moles can dig underground for hours before feeling any negative effects from minimal oxygen.
‘This way,’ Migon announced, extending a hand toward yet another sliding door. Wiping our mouths with our sleeves, we glanced back at the empty vials resting on the table, hoping that we wouldn’t drop from anything we had just drunk.
‘You have some serious moxie coming out this way. It’s time for me to tell you I was part of a small quick reaction force in charge of extracting you from the barter town, in the event your meeting with the king was compromised.’
‘Where’s the king now?’
‘He’s gone, to Zigon. We were monitoring the security of Xilothion Square, awaiting your arrival. The Dacturons invaded, and I reacted as planned. He would have met you here, but the king had pressing matters in Zigon, that couldn’t wait. What made you consider Foita? Trazuline said you could have gone anywhere.’
‘I came to Foita, because of Eppa, but if I can somehow find a way to get to Sephera, I’ll take it. A member of our team is marooned there.’
Migon nodded his furry head as if he approved, but said nothing. We approached a circle of light that appeared to be the beginning of another tunnel. We turned the corner, and at the end of the tunnel there was a rusty old door.
He grabbed the collar of his futuristic bomber jacket and straightened it out. Standing erect, he said, ‘Welcome to Tamara, our stronghold in times of despair. It is an abandoned mine. We use it to mine elements to convert to dirt. We then sell the dirt to fund our cause. Quality dirt is hard to find here on Foita, and the imports are unfairly priced. We provide a middle ground for those who can’t afford the pricy organic dirt that the traders bring in. Earth is said to have the best dirt, but no one will go there for fear of breaching the Council’s ordinance.’
Liam said, ‘That explains the outrageous prices! A fifty pound bag on Earth is like seven bucks!’
‘Let’s move on,’ I groused. ‘Dacturons are invading, and we stand here talking about dirt!’
‘For the next thirty yards you will walk through a tunnel armed with twenty-five cannons, enough to take down an Urilian squad of Bromels! This is the only entry into Tamara and if anyone plans on taking Tamara by force, they have to pass through this gate first. We keep the lights dim to conserve core energy for the arsenal to pack a better punch and conceal its full potential. You picking up what I’m saying here Danny-boy?’
‘Yeah dude, whatever,’ Dan said. He wasn’t keen on walking through a tunnel guarded by twenty-times the amount of firepower he had, and neither was I. Drinking mole plasma was enough hardship.
We walked down the hallway in packs of two. I with Mariah, Dan with Liam, and Migon with ED. I took the opportunity to chat with Mariah.
‘Hey Chica,’ I said, checking my hip against hers playfully. ‘Did you see that robotic dog up there?’
‘I want one.’
I said, ‘Yeah, we could play fetch the Dacturon warlords!’
We both started laughing, Mariah hung her arm around my shoulder, and we frolicked down the dark tunnel.
‘Let’s go everyone! We must hurry. The Dacturon threat
is still active above,’ Migon said.
While we power-walked down the tunnel lined with pipes and ventilation shafts, I could feel my lungs struggle. The elder mole plasma, which we choked down earlier, worked well, but not perfectly. Before we arrived at the door, we stopped at a station for dropping off weaponry.
‘You will all leave your weapons here, with the Armizards. They’ll square them away for you.’
We arrived at the gear handlers, ready to turn over our weapons for inspection and improvement. Two short men, each about three feet tall, approached the counter. They were called Bilovians and they looked like leprechauns, with pointy ears, short stature, and high-pitched voices. They were creepy.
‘We are the Bilovian weapon handlers of Tamara. Please leave your weapons in the bins labeled with your name. You will all need to fill out a digital performance and a modification form on these tablets. Please pay special attention to the section regarding prospective mods and any suggestions will be taken into consideration by the Armizards.’ He thumbed back behind his desk to a small room, which was occupied by tiny beings with Mohawk haircuts. ‘After we are done cleaning and prepping the weapons for the Armizards, they will inspect and modify your weapons. Here are the digital tablets you will use to provide us this information.’
‘What are Armizards?’ I asked. ‘When will our weapons be finished?’
‘They are a race devoted to weaponry. It only takes about thirty minutes. They are efficient and incredibly quick.’ one of the Bilovians said. The Armizards were equipment technicians that were granted the galaxy’s certification in such. It was a title only awarded to those who displayed magnificence and unparalleled ingenuity in weapon modification. There were only seventy-one declarations in the history of the galaxy. Therefore, the two Armizards sequestered in the back room were infinitely qualified.
‘Umm,’ Dan said, shrinking back as he tenderly caressed his shoulder cannon and hoverboard.
‘Dan, come on. They are helping us. They’ll do just fine,’ Mariah said. Dan relented quickly and handed over his weapons and gear. It seemed he had learned not to mess with Mariah.
We walked, drawing closer to the vaulted entry, not sure of what could be behind that door. The thick steel door, badly rusted, was like an ancient guardian, a testament to the Opposition’s cause. A tiny four-inch tank hatch opened at mid-height of the vault, and the weathered eyes of a twitchy man sized us up.
‘Feather,’ he said.
‘Barge,’ Migon replied.
The vault opened and the blinding light flowed down the tunnel behind us like gallons of yellow paint, leaving only the shadows of mounted turret sections to remind me how well-guarded this place was.
‘I am Bogget. I will see if the captain is ready for you,’ the old-timer behind the door said. I then heard the approach of another man, one who was excited to see us.
‘Where is he?’ a raspy voice echoed.
‘Right this way Cap, he’s at the entry,’ Bogget said.
‘Finally I can put a face on this boy!’ the captain shouted, and from the edge of the raggedy dugout corner wall, a tall beast like Trazuline appeared. ‘I’m Pritok!’
Pritok had a wrestler’s build like Liam, but larger and he was extremely hairy, of course. He was less regal than King Trazuline, as his hair was lacking a fine grooming—scraggly, actually.
Beneath the dangling hair over his face, he was ruggedly edgy. It was a look that made him seem like he ate nails for dinner and drank battery acid to wash them down. Underneath his attire, he had an artificial leg, to replace the one he had lost in battle. King Trazuline had told me of it. This prosthesis whirred and clicked as he made strides.
In my direction, he extended his hand like a fishing rod, eager to catch a fish. In the form of my flexing hand, I served up a lake sturgeon size grip. I shook his hand to death, and he said, ‘Nice grip. Everyone have a seat. Relax here for a moment. Man, am I glad to see you. We figured you all would be dead by now, until we got word from your arrival.’
Finally, it was time. I looked at Pritok in the eyes and said, ‘It’s such a relief to have you right here. We need to discuss the mission to Sephera. I assume that Trazuline told you everything?’
Pritok ignored my question due to his excitement, and said, ‘If it isn’t the boy who was almost murdered today. I’m not the type of guy to beat around the grilox bush, so I’ll give it to you straight. Let’s see, what are the Earth kids saying these days? Oh yeah, you almost got owned. I just received a transmission from the King. He asked me to check on you and ensure you weren’t dead.’
‘Why would you say that?’ I felt my chest constrict, it was like the air in my lungs was being sucked out by the realization of the alleged attempt on my life. I tenderly fingered my scar, which Mariah had noticed earlier.
‘I don’t know when exactly, kid, but someone tried to kill you, in the past apparently, and this won’t be the last time they do it. This is the Dacturon’s new objective. We will be doing our best to protect you, but it gets a bit tricky from here on out, with Zane and all. I just want you to know that we are doing our best.’
‘Who knows about the attempt on my life?’ I demanded.
Migon guiltily peered at me. ‘It was Nilo. We hired him to stop your assassin. He succeeded.’
‘Nilo!’ Mariah exclaimed, gasping. Dan and Liam reacted with total surprise on their faces, and turned to me to check out my scar.
I expelled a long breath of air. Thank you, Nilo. Thank you so much for saving my life. ‘I’ll have to commend him when I see him next.’
‘I know he would not seek your gratitude, Theodore. He is first and foremost a soldier. He was pleased he could stop the assassin.’
‘Okay, fair enough. What about Sephera?’
‘You see kid, we don’t move traffic to Sephera just whenever. You can’t just travel through space on a whim. We need the right equipment and timing is everything.’
‘Okay, so what exactly are you telling us?’ Liam asked, immediately sharing my concern.
‘We can’t get you to Sephera, not here and not yet. Not with this small platoon of elite Dacturons here in Booyang. But look on the bright side. By coming here, you’re being fitted by the best armorers in the galaxy, the Armizards. You have three of your best friends with you, a ship, a robot, and your life—don’t forget you have that. Just be thankful you made it this far. So... we are going to send you through Zigon’s Crevasse and the caverns of Zong. Once you arrive at the town of Zong, we may be able to transport you to Sephera. Only you. These orders come directly from the king.’
‘You spoke with Trazuline?’
‘King Trazuline,’ Pritok said, ensuring I addressed the king properly. ‘And yes. Once finished with Lincoln and Sephera, you can travel to Diode, where you will see if the Rangier elders of Diode will let you enter the Mecca temple of Eppa to discover whatever it is you are searching for. King Trazuline is working on a foolproof option for your entry to Eppa, but it hasn’t fully materialized. We respect your missions, but please Theodore, understand this is a give-and-take relationship. Eventually we will require your team for our efforts. You’re lucky the Council is unable to deter you from your objective. Otherwise, your objective would expire along with you.’
‘Sir. My team and I know exactly what the Opposition stands for, undermining Zane. My crew follows me, not you or King Trazuline. We will help you in the future, but our efforts lean toward a different agenda. The majority of the efforts you’re talking about, go towards defeating Zane. Isn’t Odion the threat?’
‘No,’ Migon said. ‘As you saw, Zane is building an army, with thousands of Sepherans joining him by the day, thanks to Eppa. That’s why we’re supportive of your attempts to breach Eppa and to retrieve Lincoln. Frankly, we see Zane as a bigger threat than Odion.’
‘You’re wrong,’ I blurted out, getting hot under my temples. ‘Odion’s conquering planets! Zane is not. How can you not see this?’
Pritok glared
at me. ‘At least, unspeakably evil as he is, Odion has the decency to show his true strategy, invading planets using the time-honored code of war. On the other hand, Zane steals millions—if not billions—of souls, and commands them as his army. Yes, he could defeat Odion, but if he does, don’t you think he’ll be an even greater danger than Odion?’
I tried to reason with Pritok. ‘What you say of Zane, it’s more complicated than that. What if the life forms he is creating, the Sepherans, are not marching to the beat of war?’
‘Preposterous!’ an angry Migon spat out. ‘So why is Zane deluding so many people to their deaths? Do you think Zane has no interest in dominance, or in war? And he just wants to create a brand new race because he thinks of them as fascinating cute species upon which he can sprinkle pixie dust?’
‘No, but—’
‘You have such short memories, Theodore! How long ago was it when Zane tried to kill you? And Trazuline? Do you remember all the mind control technology he had on his ship, where he eavesdropped on every single word you said? Is that the mindset of a freedom fighter?’
‘Listen to me!’ I shouted, getting red in the face too.
‘I can’t believe—’
Mariah jumped in and said, ‘That’s what you think? Odion will not stop with Zane. My world has seen people like Odion, many times, and I’ll be damned if I let this war spill over onto Earth. We are in pursuit of one thing, Odion’s death. And where is the Council now? Why aren’t they here defending this territory?’
‘They are!’ Pritok, his face red, hollered to Mariah. ‘Don’t you remember the Council are allied with the Rangiers, who control this territory through their Exogons! The Rangiers are probably neutralizing the small Dacturon threat right now! And you can give the Council a big thank-you for this!’