The Planetsider Trilogy

by G J Ogden

  “I can bring up a holo feed from the GARD,” she said, without turning around. She tapped another sequence into the console and a live holo feed from the GARD hovering above the river bank filled the glass windshield.

  “Oh no…”

  Ethan’s view was obscured so he jumped out of the rear compartment and swung into the seat beside Yuna, who was fixated on the holo feed, a hand clasped over her mouth. Ethan didn’t need to look to confirm what he already suspected; the creatures that were moving along the banks of the river were not animals, but the maddened. Ethan stood again and followed the path of the river in the opposite direction, down the valley, until it banked out of view, obscured by a craggy headland, beyond which rose a plume of dark smoke.

  “The city…” said Ethan. “They are following the river that runs along the outskirts of the city.”

  “But, Ethan, there are thousands of them!” said Yuna, reading the data feed from the GARD’s sensors. “We couldn’t hope to kill more than a small fraction of that number, even with a dozen more GARDs.”

  Ethan bowed his head and combed his fingers through his hair, scratching the back of his head with his fingertips in an attempt to bring some life back to his addled mind.

  “Where does this river lead?” asked Yuna.

  Ethan knew the answer. While the river wasn’t important to life at Forest Gate, owing to a natural spring that provided their source of water, most of the other settlements relied on the rivers and the lakes in order to survive. And while there were many smaller rivers and brooks spanning the terrain that encompassed the known settlements, there was only one river the size of the one he was looking at now. It cut its way through the lowland areas and out towards the sea, far further than Ethan had ever had cause to venture. But he knew the settlement locations, and he knew that perhaps as many as two thirds of them bordered this mighty waterway. The river was an artery that had allowed a tiny slice of the life that had once existed on the planet to survive and grow. Now, instead of life, it would feed these settlements with death.

  “We have to get back!” said Ethan. “We have to find the hermit; he’s our only hope now.”

  “But, what if he’s no different to you?” said Yuna, and for the first time since Ethan had met her, she looked visibly rattled. Yuna had seemed unflappable, and had taken in her stride events that would have scared even an experienced ranger. Not even Kurren’s soldiers, or the maddened that had poured into the underground city beyond her subterranean complex had caused her to waver. But, though she was brave she was not reckless and she was also no fool. She knew the grave threat that such a huge number of these creatures posed, and she was scared, just as he was.

  “Ethan, what if his blood can’t help to find a way to defeat these things? We don’t have a chance against these numbers.”

  Ethan watched the stream of corrupted bodies swarm along the river bank. Who knew how many had already passed through, and how many had already spread out in other directions. Even if they could find or build more GARDs, crawlers and turrets, the maddened would have reached the other settlements and killed everyone long before they could hope to even dent their progress.

  “We have to find a way,” Ethan said, his voice hollow. “Because if we don’t, we will fall for a second time. And we will never get back up.”

  Chapter 17

  Yuna steered the crawler into line with the gate and hit a button on the console to trigger the mechanism to open. Their journey back across the moorlands had been steady and silent, other than the sound of the wind whipping through the cabin and the reassuring thrum of the GARD overhead, matching their course and speed precisely. Since leaving the moorlands, the lights on the GARD had switched from red to blue, but Ethan and Yuna knew that the danger had not gone away; it had merely passed out of sight.

  Ethan stared out of the cabin window, which he had wound down as they approached the settlement to allow the cold air to flow past his face. The processed environment of the crawler’s cabin, like the subterranean engineering complex and the UEC base, seemed stifling and claustrophobic by comparison, and he wondered how people could live, day in, day out, without the feel of the wind on their skin. As the gate opened, he looked idly out towards his tree on the mound outside the walls, and was surprised to see a GARD hovering above it. He sat up, alert to the potential danger, and it was then that he noticed that someone was on the mound, resting back against the ancient tree. The late morning light broke through the clouds and picked out the shimmering red hair of Summer, blowing gently in the breeze. His first instinct was to alert Yuna and to drive over and get her, but then he stopped himself and stayed silent. He checked the GARD above them, which was still humming gently, its light blue, and then observed that its counterpart appeared to be similarly passive, though he couldn’t quite make out the color of its lights. Ethan remembered how that spot had always brought him great comfort and perhaps, he hoped, it might bring some comfort to Summer too.

  The gate finished opening and Yuna pressed the accelerator lightly, driving the crawler into the courtyard, as the GARD and the two massive turrets remained watchful for any threats. Zoie and Gaia were already waiting for them, and their grim expressions suggested they were also aware of the news. Yuna stopped the crawler and switched off the motor, which emitted a slowly descending whir, like the exhausted sigh of a huge mechanical beast.

  “I take it you saw what we saw?” said Ethan, jumping down from the cabin.

  The concerned look on Zoie’s face told him that she had seen the feed, but it was Gaia who answered. “Yes, I am afraid we did. We have sent a message back to Neils and the others so we can send a probe out to monitor, though the implications are self-evident.”

  “Do you think there’s any chance this hermit could help?” said Yuna, getting immediately to the issue that had been on her mind for the entire journey back to the settlement.

  Gaia’s eyes flicked over to Ethan, who was regarding her intently, and then back to Yuna. “The honest answer is that I do not know.” Yuna’s head dropped, only a fraction, but enough to make her disillusionment clear.

  Ethan, however, appeared undeterred. “Have you made any progress deciphering the disc that the hermit gave me?”

  “I have not, but Tyler has,” Gaia replied. “He has also managed to convert an area of the council chambers into a decontamination suite, which will make it easier for us to remain out here for longer periods.”

  “If we don’t find the hermit and find a way to reverse the Maddening, none of us will be staying out here for much longer,” said Ethan, aware that Gaia appeared to be changing the subject away from the hermit.

  “Speaking of which, we should return inside, especially you, Yuna, since you have been exposed for longer than the rest of us,” Gaia went on, continuing to be evasive.

  Yuna checked the tactical monitor on her arm. “My stats are fine, mother, but you’re right, I should spend some time in decontamination, just to be safe.”

  Gaia ushered Yuna ahead of her in the direction of the council chambers, and then they all started walking towards the wooden structure together.

  “Gaia, if there’s even a slim possibility he could help, we need to take that chance,” said Ethan, jogging to reach her side.

  Gaia glanced across at Ethan; he could read her mannerisms well enough to know she was trying to work out how to be truthful with him, while also not being harsh or discouraging.

  “I do not want you to build up yours hopes on this one chance, Ethan,” said Gaia. “I was wrong to believe that your blood was the key, and my mistake has already caused us all to lose heart. Hope is a precious commodity, Ethan; we should not foolishly squander that which we have.”

  Ethan understood Gaia’s sentiment, and he also knew that he was hanging all his hopes on the hermit being able to unlock the secrets of the Maddening, but there really was no choice. If they could not eradicate the sickness, eventually civilization planetside would die, and Gaia’s underground compl
ex would become a living tomb. None of the survivors rescued from the destruction of the GPS space station would be able to set foot on the surface and feel the wind on their faces. Mere existence at any cost wasn’t enough, at least not for Ethan.

  “I realize there are no guarantees, Gaia. But any hope is better than none; even a fool’s hope.”

  Gaia stopped and turned to face Ethan, while the others continued on. “You are no fool, Ethan. And I know how much is at stake, which is why I do not want you to make reckless choices. Journeying to the location of this hermit will not be without dangers.”

  “So, you do know where he is?” asked Ethan, and he couldn’t help but allow the corners of his mouth turn up into a rascally smile.

  Gaia returned the smile. “See, I told you; no fool. Yes, we have managed to track down his location. The device was indeed an old UEC transponder disc, likely removed from what would have been a very early version of a modern PVSM. A mystery, indeed.”

  “One I intend to get to the bottom of,” said Ethan. Then he pointed back at the crawler, and waited for Gaia’s eyes to follow. “If I have to, I’ll learn to pilot that damned contraption myself.”

  Gaia sighed and narrowed her gaze. “If you are so intent on going then I will come with you.”

  Ethan could not hide his surprise. “You want to come with me?” Gaia was an extraordinary woman, but she was no fighter. He tried to tactfully discourage her. “But you just told me how dangerous the journey could be.”

  Gaia shot him an austere look and he felt like he was thirteen again, and being scolded by the lead ranger for messing about during training.

  “You will need my expertise to pull off this bold plan of yours,” she said, looking down her nose at Ethan. “We will be far from the engineering complex, and time is of the essence. If we can get a sample of the hermit’s blood then I can use the equipment I have here to process it and send a probe back to the engineering complex so that Watson can begin the more detailed analysis in my absence.”

  “I’m sorry, Gaia, I didn’t mean to offend,” said Ethan.

  Gaia smiled. “Apology accepted, young man. Besides, it’s about time that I saw more of this planet than the insides of a mountain. I am sure Yuna will accompany us. Not that I could stop her anyway; now that my daughter has had a taste of the adventurous outside world, I wonder if she will ever set foot back in the engineering complex again.” Suddenly, Gaia’s gaze veered off to Ethan’s side, and her eyes widened. “Perhaps we have another volunteer too.”

  Ethan looked to see who Gaia was referring to, and saw Summer scaling the wall from the outside, and jumping down onto the metal decking. The GARD that had been escorting her zipped overhead and then gently glided down into its re-charging dock in the center of the settlement square.

  Ethan laughed. “It’s a good job that roamers don’t climb as well as Summer does.”

  “Indeed!” said Gaia, smiling. “I shall rejoin the others, and inform Yuna of our plans. Providing we spend a few hours in decontamination, and Yuna and I journey inside the crawler’s shielded cabin, I can bring enough medication to protect us until we return.”

  “Thank you, Gaia,” said Ethan. The generosity of this strong, but kind-hearted woman never failed to amaze him.

  Summer had jumped down into the courtyard and was walking towards them. Gaia waved to her and, much to Ethan’s surprise, she waved back. Gaia departed while Summer approached and Ethan waited, wondering what frame of mind she was in, and whether they were going to end up arguing and fighting again.

  “Hey…” Ethan called out, as Summer got within earshot.

  Summer waited until she was closer, but then returned the greeting. “Hey, Ethan. I heard you went out with Yuna, scouting for monsters. How did that go?”

  She sounded genuinely interested, and much more like the Summer he was used to; Ethan could physically feel the tension slide off his shoulders. “Well, the good news is that these mechanical defenses work.”

  “I sense a ‘but’ coming…” said Summer, raising an eyebrow.

  “A pretty big ‘but’…” Ethan replied. “We went out in the crawler and followed a few of the stragglers that turned tail after those turrets unloaded on them.”

  “The maddened retreated?” Summer cut in.

  “I know, it sounds unbelievable, and if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes then I wouldn’t have believed it, either.”

  Summer rested her hands on her hips and pressed her lips together, contemplating what Ethan had said. “I guess when you think about it, we know hardly anything at all about those things”

  Ethan nodded. He’d had more first-hand experience with the maddened than most rangers, and even his encounters had all been brief, violent affairs. “One thing we do know is that there are far too many of them to fight.”

  “What did you find out there?” asked Summer, narrowing her eyes.

  “We followed them out across the moorland. That thing over there can seemingly go anywhere. But we reached the valley on the other side and saw thousands, all following the path of the river out from the city.”

  Summer threw up her hands, angrily. “But that river must run close by to… I don’t know, maybe fifteen or twenty other settlements!”

  “I know.”

  Summer pressed her hands back to her hips and shifted her head to one side, shaking it in small, jagged, near imperceptible motions, while scowling off into the distance. Ethan smiled; he had seen this look many times before, but he always remembered the first time he had seen it, or at least the first memory of it that stuck in his mind. They were teenagers, maybe thirteen or fourteen, and already training to be rangers. One of the younger kids had been crying and Summer had gone to ask why. It turned out that she was being picked on by one of the other ranger trainees, and Summer had got almost the exact same look she had now; the same barely contained shaking of the head, the same fire in her eyes as she turned away, trying to contain the explosion inside her. But, like redirecting the flow of a powerful river, the forces within her could only be contained for so long, before nature demanded they be released and resume their natural course. She had waited until the next session of physical training, and made sure that she was paired with the bully, and then as they sparred the explosion went off. Ethan hadn’t seen all of it, but he had seen Summer, standing over the other girl, eyes flashing brighter than the lights in the night sky, willing her to get up.

  The woman standing in front of him was the old Summer, alright, and he knew what she was going to do.

  “Has Gaia found that old hermit yet?” she said, staring back into Ethan’s eyes.

  “Yes. She and Yuna need to spend some time in decontamination, but then I hope she will take me to him.”

  “I’m coming with you.” The forcefulness of Summer’s statement left no scope for refusal, not that Ethan would have considered refusing her. Summer joining the party would significantly increase their chances of finding the hermit and making it back unscathed.

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Ethan, smiling. “It’s good to have you back.”

  Summer held Ethan’s eyes and folded her arms across her chest. “It’s never going to be like it was, Ethan.”

  “That doesn’t mean it has to be worse, Summer,” Ethan hit back, keeping his eyes locked onto hers, despite the sensation that his own eyes were burning. “I’m not asking you to forget, or to forgive yourself; hell, I know that you won’t. I’m just asking that you not let it define the rest of your life.”

  “We both know I’m dying, Ethan.”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  Summer’s eye narrowed, but neither of them wavered, or even blinked.

  “So, tomorrow then, we go and find your strange old hermit,” said Summer, letting her arms slide back to her hips.

  “Tomorrow then,” repeated Ethan, nodding gently.

  Then Summer glanced down. “I’m… sorry for what I said. In the ranger hut. I didn’t mean it.
”

  Ethan stepped forward and gently held her shoulders. “I know.”

  Summer reached up and wrapped her arms tightly around Ethan’s back, pulling him close until their heads rested on each other’s shoulders. He felt her increase the pressure and, as he squeezed back, it felt like she was charged, like an explosion waiting to happen.

  Chapter 18

  The crawler had been making quick progress across the undulating terrain for a little over three hours, and they were now deep in uncharted territory. They were also moving further away from the cluster of known settlements that mainly lay scattered around the lowland areas, along the line of the river or close to it.

  Using the transponder’s unique signal, Tyler had traced the location of the counterpart disc with reasonably high accuracy, considering his limited resources, and determined that the hermit had journeyed an impressive distance since his last known location. Initially, Ethan had been skeptical of the transponder’s accuracy, questioning why the hermit would travel so far into the barren mountains, far beyond the outer limits of the ruined megacity, Green Haven. But, Tyler had insisted the signal location was correct, and the decision to investigate had been unanimous.

  Gaia and Yuna were sitting up front in the sealed cabin, while Ethan and Summer had chosen to ride in the exposed rear compartment, partly to take in the spectacular scenery. This was Ethan’s favorite time of year, when the leaves and tall grasses turned to a palette of gold, bronze and rich, burned orange, contrasting against vivid evergreens and the sharp blue sky and shimmering, glassy lakes.

  It was on days like these that Ethan could imagine how the planet used to look, until the illusion was shattered by the sight of scorched craters, smashed and broken roads, or large swathes of blackened, dead land. But, the further they travelled towards the harsh mountainous region, the fewer such sights seemed to occur, and Ethan realized he was venturing into areas where no ranger had ever travelled, at least not in his lifetime.