Awoken

by Alex South

  The trio peeked around a wide stone slab. Directly in front of them, the four vessels rested in a clearing. Beyond the ships, the canyon-top tapered to a cliff. Numerous boulders littered the edge of the crag. The vessels were shaped like round-nosed projectiles. They had been lined up side by side in a row that led away from Oa and Kai, toward Bolleworth and the cliff. Next to the row of Legion fighters, several strange pyramid structures had been erected. Their dark metal frames held up shimmering panels. Through one of the openings, Oa could faintly make out the oily blackness of the Void. Just beyond the structures, several Legion soldiers stood quietly overlooking the distant city.

  Kai pointed to the pyramids. “Those are the portals they come through. That’s how they get so far inland so quickly. We need to stay away from those,” she warned softly.

  Oa nodded in understanding.

  “Okay, let’s go. You keep watch while I retrieve the fusion drive,” Kai reminded him in a whisper.

  They dropped low to the ground and scampered from the cover of the concealing boulder out to the farthest Legion vessel. Susan followed along quietly. The Legion fighter was made up of a spherical cockpit with three wings folded back behind it. Behind the cockpit; in the tunnel that the collapsed ailerons created, Oa could see an engine. He motioned to Kai, and she followed his gaze. She nodded and slowly crept inside. Susan floated close behind. Kai took off her pack and began to inspect the engine. Oa remained outside of the wings’ cover. He peered around the craft looking for any Legion soldiers. He counted ten out in front of the portals. They were standing like silent sentinels gazing out over Bolleworth. Oa watched a bit longer then ducked inside the wings.

  “Did you find it yet?” he whispered to Kai. Susan took up most of the tunnel space as she floated behind Kai, providing ample light for her task.

  “No! I can’t locate it. I’m not even sure anymore if these machines run on fusion drives,” Kai whispered back, frustrated.

  Oa grew worried so he crawled back outside to check on the Legion soldiers. Good, they are still just standing there, he thought to himself. He paused, looking closer. Then fear suddenly gripped him. There were only eight Legion soldiers. Where had the other two gone?

  Oa ducked back behind the wing. He peeked out and glanced down the row of Legion fighters. Then he saw them, walking with eerily calm steps toward him from behind the ship at the far end of the row. Oa scurried back out of sight.

  “We have to go now!” he shouted at Kai “They spotted us.”

  ***

  Ohm awoke suddenly. Consciousness flooded back to him. The calculations he and Fred had been running completed, resulting in a dire conclusion. Ohm lunged to his feet, looking around urgently. He quickly took stock of his surroundings. The chamber he was in was cluttered with various engineering notes; but more importantly, no one else was in it.

  “Fred, where is Oa?” Ohm asked, moving about the room.

  “He left through the far tunnel, with an Awoken named Kai. They were headed to a nearby Legion outpost to procure a fusion drive. I sent him off with one of my beacons,” Fred explained.

  “I hope they aren’t getting get themselves into too much trouble. We must catch up to them,” Ohm said, as he ran into the tunnel with exigent purpose. “How long was I out?”

  “Roughly 4902 weebles,” Fred replied.

  “Not too bad. We have been through worse,” Ohm admitted optimistically.

  He ran out of the tunnel into a cavernous hangar. Ohm skidded to a halt as his gaze fell upon the ship. After a stunned pause, he ran up to the vessel. He reached up and brushed his hand lovingly across the worn hull. Ohm stopped as he caught sight of the glyphs that spelled the word ARI.

  “Another sign of fate, eh Fred?” Ohm whispered softly.

  “It is an uncanny coincidence,” Fred replied.

  “It’s been completely restored. Fred, find me an exit. We have to go get Oa,” Ohm commanded. He looked around the room to give Fred a chance to scan the walls.

  “The wall over there is metal, not stone. Notice the lack of mineral veins. It appears to be a gate. The panel to its right should contain the controls,” Fred replied almost instantly.

  Ohm sprinted over to the panel and mashed buttons at random until he heard the loud creaking of the door as the wall began to part. He ran back to the ARI, bounding up the ramp and through the front door with speed that implied familiarity.

  “This is probably what they are trying to get a fusion drive for,” Ohm said shaking his head and chuckling at the humor of the situation. He sat down in the power hub and leaned back in his command chair. The hub fit him perfectly. Fred whirred and clicked as he connected the ARI to Ohm.

  “I would have remembered to tell Oa, but your condition grossly hindered my programming,” Fred accused.

  Ohm sighed. “I know. I am sorry, Fred. At least you had the foresight to send him with your beacon. We still have time. Patch me into all the ship’s major functions,” he commanded.

  The vessel hummed to life, and the roar of the engines filled the cavern. The heavy gates groaned to a halt as they fully opened, revealing a gap in the rock that led to the outside world.

  “It feels good to be home,” Ohm said. The engines roared louder, lifting the ship off the ground. Air rushed through the hangar, buffeting cabinet doors and scattering tools and equipment across the floor. With a thought, Ohm retracted the landing pads back into the ship, and sent the ARI rocketing through the open doors and up towards the sky.

  ***

  Kai dropped her tools, cursing as she bolted out to the edge of the Legion fighter’s wings, leaving her pack behind. She flinched as deadly bolts of nihilistol fire filled the air, deadening all sound as they whizzed by. Kai fished one of the embersplitters out of her pocket and tossed it back toward her tools. She dove away from the ship, grabbing Oa’s hand and pulling him along. Susan wrapped herself around the pair. Behind them, the Legion vessel exploded in a ball of light.

  “We have to get out of here! Throw me your glider!” Kai shouted. Oa pressed the button on his right shoulder and the mesh of his pack went limp. He slid the sack from his back, grabbed his satchel from inside. He tossed the bag to Kai. She sat up and raised the pack, facing it toward their enemies. She slapped the wing deployment button. Sound died again as the Legion soldiers let loose another volley of Void bullets. The glider burst open in front of the trio like a shield, catching the Legion fire. The air-skin fabric dissolved away, protecting them from the deadly blasts.

  “Susan, get us behind those boulders!” Kai yelled, as she tossed a second embersplitter at the Legion soldiers.

  Susan uncurled from around them and snatched the two Awoken up in her paws. Her size in no way hindered her strength as she dragged them across the ground, racing toward the boulders that dotted the edge of the rim. Behind them, the embersplitter exploded, providing a momentary distraction. They slid to a halt behind a medium-sized slab of stone. Oa and Kai got up into a crouch to peek over the top of the rock. Oa slid the satchel’s strap over his head, returning it to his side. He grabbed Seeker from inside the bag.

  The ten Legion soldiers spread out and formed a line across the narrow plateau. They walked forward, trapping Oa, Kai, and Susan. There was nowhere to go but the edge of the cliff. The trio retreated back, crouching to stay below the cover of the boulders; and Susan wound through the stone, laying low to the ground. The Legion weapons obliterated the rocks behind them.

  Ducking behind a thick slab, Kai turned to Oa. “We have to fight or they’re going to drive us off the cliff! Susan will be an easy target if she has to carry both of us out of here.” The bold Awoken jumped out from behind cover, hauling her left pistol out of its holster. She fired ten shots back at the Legion warriors, Oa peeked out from behind the stone, watching as eight of the projectiles struck true, leaving tiny blinking receivers on the Legion soldier’s chests. Kai had barely finished firing before her right hand had whipped out the other pistol. Her arm swung in an arc
as she pulled the trigger. Lightning exploded from the gun, arcing through the air and seeking out each of the previously fired receivers. The blast plowed into eight of the Legion soldiers, overwhelming their physical bodies with energy. They shattered, dissolving into Void dust.

  Susan’s ears flattened back, and her body sparked up angrily. She struck, hurdling over the boulders onto one of the remaining Legion soldiers. The varl swelled to a fighting size as she opened her jaws and roared. Purple lightning poured from her mouth shattering the Void warrior beneath her. Oa stretched out his hand and with a thought, sent Seeker plowing through the remaining Legion soldier who had turned to fire at Susan.

  “Back, Susan!” Kai shouted as more Legion began to pour from the Void portals. They sprinted out to surround the Awoken. Oa whipped Seeker through several of the soldiers, knocking them off their feet.

  Kai fired her pistols in rapid succession, obliterating six more of the Legion. Her efforts were merely a dent in the Legion’s growing ranks as they continued to rush out of the Void portals. One of the warriors leaped over the boulder the Awoken were behind. The demon descended down upon them with a raised fist, its red eye flashed evilly in the dim light of the dying cycle. Susan snarled and reared up at the enemy. Placing her powerful frame in the path of the Legion soldier, her lightning fangs tore the monster apart before it could land a blow on Oa or Kai.

  Oa stepped back, but halted as he felt his foot slide off the edge behind him. There was nowhere left to run. The Legion had backed them up against the edge of the rim.

  “Well, it was nice meeting you, Oa,” Kai quipped as they stood their ground, facing annihilation from the Legion horde. Oa readied himself for whatever flimsy escape plan he knew his mind was about to concoct.

  Suddenly, thunder filled the air; and the face of the ARI rose up behind them. A powerful beam of light shot from the front of the craft, illuminating the plateau. The only thing the Legion soldiers could see were the silhouettes of the trio standing on the cliff’s edge.

  “It’s the ARI,” Kai cheered. “But how?”

  “Ohm must be flying!” Oa exclaimed as he grabbed Kai in his arms. With a thought, he sent Seeker flying into the ship through the open ramp. As soon as Seeker latched onto something solid, he pulled them up into the ARI. Susan gave one last roar at the Legion before she turned and followed Oa. The ramp closed behind them with a hiss. Outside, the ARI’s floodlight grew to an impossible brilliance, driving the Legion to their knees. Suddenly, the light popped and blinked out in a barely audible explosion. The triumphant vessel turned and blasted off. Powerful engines propelled the ship far away from the outpost.

  The Legion slowly returned to their feet and stared at the ARI as it faded away into the horizon. From one of the Void portals, the shrouded form of Eol emerged. He walked to the edge of the cliff, gazing at the spot on the horizon where the ARI had fled. Eol and his Legion remained eerily still, with a quiet patience that foreshadowed the inevitability of the hunt.

  Episode 06 - Light Chasers

  Oa and Kai flew through the open ramp and crashed into the support beam that Seeker had attached to. Susan’s enlarged frame barreled into the pair, further squashing them into the metal pillar. Oa heard the ramp hiss shut behind them. He thought about letting go of Seeker but quickly changed his mind as the ARI accelerated to a ludicrous speed. He held onto Kai and Seeker as the acceleration of the ship attempted to peel them from the sturdy support and fling them to the back of the vessel. Overhead, the air howled as it whipped over the open ceiling. Oa was glad to be rescued, but he wished the escape was a little less wild. He wanted to regain his bearings and get inside. Before long, the ARI settled into a steady cruising speed. Oa and Kai were finally able to unglue themselves from the support beam. They toppled over, their internal sensors scrambled from the acceleration. Susan bounced around the deck excitedly as Oa and Kai stumbled shakily to their feet.

  “That better have been necessary, Ohm,” Oa grumbled looking about for the entrance to the ship’s interior.

  Next to him, Kai pulled her pistols out, inspecting them for damage. She sighted down the barrels, glancing at a gauge at the back of the guns. She squeezed hard on the weapons grip. A depleted ammo block dropped out of the butt of each gun and hit the deck with a hollow ring. Oa noticed the transparent cartridge was no longer filled with blue energy. Kai kicked the empty clip off the edge of the deck. She reloaded her guns with ammo from their respective bandoliers before sliding the weapons back into their holsters.

  Oa spotted the door. He walked over and slapped the access panel next to the entrance. The portal slid open. He stood to the side, politely allowing Kai to enter ahead of him. He looked back to see if Susan would follow, but the varl was busy peering over the deck’s railing at the land speeding by below.

  “Susan, come inside and meet Ohm,” Oa called, daring to make a suggestion. The beast’s gentle nature with him had lessened his fear of the lightning varl.

  Susan turned her head, sparky tongue lolling out of her smiling face. She looked at Oa for a moment then jumped through the air and floated to him, lowering her head. She barged into him playfully. Oa laughed, marveling at how quickly Susan transitioned from deadly force to goofy antics. She growled happily, compacting down to her normal size. Then she whirled around, and flew into the ship. Oa followed, stepping through the entrance. The door slid shut behind him.

  Oa found himself in the power-hub chamber again. The room was lit by a ring of bright orange panels in the center of the roof. The light drifted down through floating motes of dust that had become unsettled during the speedy getaway. The panels covering the interior of the ARI were as worn as the exterior. Splotches of scoring and discoloration scarred the alloys, betraying the vessels old age. Light glinted off exposed rivets and bolts in the walls. Several light panels separated from the main ring-formation, leading off down a corridor to another part of the ship that Oa had not yet seen. He turned to peer out the forward view port of the chamber. The sky ahead was dim, and several weak flares of light wound above the speeding craft. A new cycle would begin soon. He turned back to the center of the room where Kai stood in front of the power drive facing Ohm. Susan sat regally in the air by Kai’s side, her tail coiled tightly beneath her. Oa stepped up next to the pair.

  “Well I never would’ve thought of that,” Kai said, arms crossed as she stared at Ohm sitting in the power hub, his head bowed. Ohm did not appear conscious of the statement and gave no response.

  The ship began to slow before coming to an abrupt stop. Oa checked his balance, not wanting to fall over and look foolish. As soon as the ARI halted, Ohm came alive. His head slowly lifted, and he took notice of Oa and Kai standing in front of him. Motors whirred and clicked as Fred disengaged from the power hub. Ohm jumped up and stood in between Oa and Kai, facing the power hub. He pulled them in close, draping his arms around their shoulders.

  “Fantastic! I have not done that in a long time,” Ohm said, turning to Oa then Kai. “Oa, I am so very glad to see you’re not dead. I have important findings to tell you about. Please introduce me to your new friend. I am more than grateful that she repaired my old ship.”

  “What do you mean your ship?” Kai said, arms still crossed. “I am the one who—”

  “Fred, look!” Ohm exclaimed, interrupting Kai. He hopped over the power hub to embrace Susan. The varl had floated unnoticed to the other side of the room, where she goofily hung upside down in the air. “A lighting varl. I have not seen one of these noble sky-wads in heaps of weebles,” Ohm said, hugging the billowing creature tight. Susan growled happily, wriggling her body right-side up so she could lick the old Awoken’s face. Her tongue sent purple sparks flying. Ohm turned away from Susan’s affections so he could face Kai.

  “Do not fret; the ARI is yours now,” Ohm said courteously. “You put it back together so it belongs to you. I am just one of the previous owners.”

  “In that case, my name is Kai; and that cloud bomb you’re
holding is called Susan,” Kai said in an accepting tone, though she was still slightly wary of Ohm.

  “Oa brought you in asleep; and now that you’re awake, I want to know who you are,” Kai demanded in a gruff tone. She draped her arm over Oa’s shoulder. Ohm turned and let go of Susan. She floated up and began to circle lazily overhead.

  Oa tried to answer on Ohm’s behalf. “Don’t worry Kai. Ohm has been around for a long time; he knows a lot. Despite his appearances, he has been—”

  “It’s alright, Oa. I can speak on my own condition,” Ohm interrupted. “Even though you already know it, my name is Ohm. I am infected with the Void, but I have no addictions to it. My actions will prove you can trust me.”

  “Ohm …” Kai paused, mulling over the name. “Ohm. Ohm! I remember that name now! And the blue ocular plate. You’re the Traveler, the instructor from the academy that Jess and Cale always droned on about,” she said, excited at the sudden reclaimed memory.

  “I did dabble in teaching for a while,” Ohm admitted reflectively. “I definitely recall Jess and Cale, very creative. They did not have any straightforward or sensible programming, but together they were geniuses. They had several noteworthy achievements.” He was filled with pride as he remembered his favorite students.

  “That’s them,” Kai said happily. “They were the first Awoken I ever met. They taught me … about building things? I think they had already graduated from the academy when I—No, that’s not quite right. It was all back in …” Kai’s words trailed off as she struggled to complete her recollections.