Earthman Jack vs. The Secret Army (Earthman Jack Space Saga Book 2)

by Matthew Kadish

  “I don’t,” Scallywag said, sadly. “Not anymore.”

  Jack looked at Scallywag in surprise at his words. The Visini suddenly wasn’t a kid any longer. He was back to being Scallywag, only he wasn’t dressed like a scoundrel or a pirate. He wore a proud, deep blue uniform with golden epaulets. His hair wasn’t long black dreadlocks, but bright blue, cut short and neatly trimmed. His skin was also blue, almost purple. To Jack, he looked like a completely different person. “Is… is he dead?” Jack asked.

  “Not here, he ain’t,” Scallywag said, his eyes getting glassy as he looked at his little brother playing. “Everythin’ is just like I remember it. Me family’s house. The gardens. Even me father was happy ta see me again. He hadn’t called me son since tha day me skin went red. And then, North appeared… it was like a dream come true. I knew the moment I saw him that I finally had the second chance I’d always wanted ta make things right. This here… this is heaven.”

  “Scally,” Jack said softly. “It’s not real. None of it is.”

  “I don’t care,” Scallywag replied. “It’s real enough. He’s here. He’s alive.”

  “He’s not.”

  “It don’t matter,” muttered Scallywag. “It feels like he is. I’m finally home. I got me family back. I got me skin back. I got everything I ever wanted…”

  “But it’s all a lie,” Jack said. “Scally, if you don’t come with me, you’ll die.”

  “Then I’ll die happy,” Scallywag replied. “That’s more than I ever thought I’d get.”

  Jack frowned. He followed Scallywag’s gaze to the young boy who was laughing as he battled butterflies. “He wouldn’t want you to give up like this,” Jack said. “He’d want you to fight. He’d want you to live.”

  Scallywag chuckled bitterly. “Aye,” he muttered. “And how would you know that?”

  “Because that’s what I want,” Jack said quietly. Scallywag gave Jack a questioning look. “You’re like a big brother to me, Scally,” Jack admitted. “I never had any brothers or sisters growing up. No one to horse around with. No one to tease. No one to teach me things or look out for me. But you… I look up to you.”

  Scallywag snorted. “I ain’t no role model,” he said bitterly.

  “You are to me,” Jack said. “You’re smart. And resourceful. And you’ve always been there when I needed you. You’ve watched out for me, and you’ve had my back when it counted. I don’t know what happened with you and your brother, but I know you seem to blame yourself. The past is the past. No matter what, we can’t change what’s happened. But we can shape what will happen. Your brother doesn’t need you anymore, Scally. I do.”

  Scallywag’s chin trembled, his eyes growing glassy as he gazed at his brother. “Ya don’t know what yer askin’ of me,” Scallywag said, choking back his tears. “It’s too hard. The guilt. The shame. The filthy red skin. The constant reminder of me sins… yer asking me ta take it all back.”

  “I’m asking you to have the courage to care about something other than yourself,” Jack replied. “I’m asking you to do this, not because it’s easy, but because it’s the right thing to do. You’re a good man, Scally. You might not believe that, but I do. It’s not what’s on the outside that defines you. It’s the inside that counts. And inside, trust me – you’re the right color.”

  Scallywag hung his head, tears running down his cheeks. He balled his hands into trembling fists, the struggle waging within him palpable.

  “I know you feel like you have to bear your burdens alone, Scally, but you don’t,” said Jack. “I lost my family, too. I know how much it hurts. But my mom once told me that all you need to have a family is to have people that care about you. And please believe me when I say… I care.”

  A sob escaped from Scallywag. He covered his eyes and wept into his hands. Jack put his hand on Scallywag’s shoulder, letting him know it was okay to be sad. He simply stood by the Visini’s side in silence as Scallywag’s sorrow ran its course. “Can I… can I say good-bye?” Scallywag finally asked.

  “Of course,” replied Jack.

  Scallywag wiped his eyes. He took a deep breath and then walked across the gardens to the young boy who was still playing. When Scallywag got close, the boy stopped and looked at him curiously. “Why are you crying?” the boy asked.

  Scallywag smiled sadly. He knelt on one knee, so he could be face to face with his brother. “Because I’m sad I have ta leave.”

  “Don’t go,” the boy said. “Stay with me!”

  Scallywag’s lips trembled. “I know ya ain’t real,” he said. “But… I just wanted ta tell ya… I’m sorry for what I did. I’m sorry… for everything that happened. And I’d give anything ta make it all right again. I love ya, North. And it kills me ta know ya died thinkin’ otherwise.”

  The boy frowned. “If you love me, you’ll stay!”

  Scallywag looked back at Jack, then got to his feet. “If ya were really North, ya wouldn’t ask that of me,” he said sadly before walking away.

  “Don’t go!” the boy cried. “Please, don’t go! Scullian! Sound off!”

  Scallywag steeled himself, struggling against his brother’s cries as he approached Jack, looking down at him with resolve. “Let’s get out o’ here,” Scallywag said.

  Jack nodded and held out his hand. Scallywag took it. The portal appeared, and the two men stepped through.

  Jack opened his eyes just as Scallywag gasped. The Visini cried out and kicked Jack away from him, curling up into a ball and cradling himself as he trembled. Jack looked over and saw Shanks comforting the Professor, who was weeping, as well.

  “Professor,” Jack asked. “Are you okay?”

  “Not really,” Green replied, his voice shaky. “But… all things considered, I’m certainly better off than these gentlemen.”

  Jack and the others looked at the skeletons all around them to which Green was referring, and they simply couldn’t help it. They all chuckled. The joke even seemed to break Scallywag out of his sorrow enough for the Visini to sit up and begin pulling himself together. Jack got to his feet and offered Scallywag a hand. He helped the pirate back up, and the two exchanged a look which communicated a newfound appreciation for the other.

  “Thanks fer the save, lad,” Scallywag said.

  “Hey, that’s what friends are for,” Jack replied.

  “Aye. Brothers, too,” Scallywag said softly as he gave Jack a pat on the shoulder. The Visini then sniffed and rolled his shoulders as though the moment had made him uncomfortable. “Right. Now if no one minds… I’d like ta get tha squick out o’ this bloody hallway.”

  Shanks and Green got to their feet. “No argument here, dear fellow,” the Professor said.

  The group walked toward the door at the end of the corridor and it opened to receive them. They all stepped out into the normal hallway of the sunshell once more. “Well, that’s two down,” Jack said. “Just one more to go.”

  “Aye. Tha first one were bad. Tha second were worse,” grumbled Scallywag. “Thinkin’ about tha third is makin’ me brown me breeches.”

  “I have a hard time imagining anything being worse than what we just went through,” the Professor said.

  “Unfortunately for all of us,” said Heckubus. “I do believe the Ancients were far, far more imaginative than you, Professor.”

  Chapter 62

  Jack and the others eventually came to the door of the final chamber, the access orb kiosk patiently waiting to be activated. Scallywag eyed the door fatalistically. “Alright,” he muttered. “What’s this one called?”

  “The Chamber of Awareness,” Jack recited from the inscription on the door.

  “Maybe it means we should be aware of how lucky we’ve been so far and turn around?” Scallywag offered. “Guess the Ancients might have had a sense o’ humor after all.”

  “We haven’t come this far to give up now,” said Jack. “We handled the first two chambers. We can handle whatever’s in this one.”

  Jack touch
ed the access orb. Its kiosk sunk into the ground and the door to the third chamber opened, a bright white light shining from the room beyond so brilliantly it caused the group to shrink back and shield their eyes. Jack squinted against the light and watched as a room took shape past the doorway, the light slowly fading. Inside were walls made of large granite bricks, with a smooth, reflective obsidian floor. The ceiling above appeared to be metal, and recessed lights illuminated the room brightly. On the wall facing them at the other end of the room was a large door with a great, all-seeing eye etched upon it. Jack and the group peeked around, looking for anything suspicious. “Looks innocent enough,” Jack commented.

  “Aye,” said Scallywag. “Which prolly mean’s it’s the deadliest room o’ the bunch.”

  “On the bright side,” chimed in Green, “at least this one isn’t littered with dead bodies!”

  “That we can see, anyway,” grumbled Scallywag. “Robot, ya detecting anything?”

  “Not a thing,” said Heckubus as he carefully scanned the room. “The walls, floor, and ceiling all appear to be normal. I don’t see signs of any traps.”

  “That door must be the entrance to the Chamber of the Great Seal,” said Green. “The Princess and her companions are very likely on the other side.”

  “Okay then,” said Jack, psyching himself up. “Let’s do this.” Jack stepped into the room. The others followed him. Grohm was the last to pass the threshold, and no sooner had he entered than the door fell closed with a loud SLAM. The group all turned, startled at the noise, and watched as the wall behind them closed up, enveloping the door and completely sealing them inside.

  “Greetings,” came a voice.

  The group all turned to see an alien who had not been there previously standing before them in front of the exit. He was a tall, broad shouldered figure clad in a long white robe that kissed the ground. His head was cone-shaped, tilting back slightly from his face and ending in a rounded point. He had sharp features – high cheekbones with no nose – and his eyes were pure black. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, regarding Jack and the others calmly. The members of Jack’s party all exchanged nervous looks, as though hoping one of them knew how to respond. Finally, Jack held up his hand and waved. “Uh… greetings?” he said.

  “And please don’t kill us!” added Green.

  “Aye, what he said,” Scallywag muttered, pointing to the Professor.

  The alien smiled. “Fear not,” he said. “I wish you no harm.”

  “Who are you?” Jack asked.

  “I am the Gatekeeper,” the alien responded.

  “Are… are you an Ancient?” Green asked, his eyes wide with wonder.

  “If you are referring to those who built this place, no, I am not,” the Gatekeeper responded. “I was created by them to be a guardian of their work.”

  “Oy, the last one o’ those we met were in the form of a tornado,” Scallywag said. “And I’m pretty certain it wished us harm.”

  “I can promise no harm will come to you,” the Gatekeeper said. “As long as you have brought the key.”

  Ohhhhhhh crap, thought Jack, not liking that response one bit. He looked at the others in his party nervously. “Right, the key…” he said. “We totally brought that with us.”

  “Then you may present it to me at any time,” the Gatekeeper said.

  “Uh… just out of curiosity – and I’m not saying this is the case, because it totally isn’t… what would happen if we didn’t have the key?” asked Jack.

  “Then you will perish.”

  “Just like that?” asked Scallywag. “You’ll just up and kill us? No tests or riddles or anythin’?”

  “Only those who possess the key are worthy of accessing the Chamber of the Seal,” the Gatekeeper responded. “All those who are not worthy are destroyed.”

  “Um… if I may…” said Green, stepping toward the Gatekeeper as he chose his words carefully. “It’s so rare to get a chance to actually speak to one of the Ancient’s creations. Might you indulge me in a question or two?”

  “Very well.”

  “It has been quite a while since your creators were among us, and our language has changed and evolved in that time,” said Green. “I happen to know the words and phrases the Ancients used to describe certain things do not always translate well. Would you be so kind as to explain what you mean exactly by ‘the key’? You know, just so we’re certain we’re talking about the same thing?”

  The Gatekeeper frowned. “You do not know the key of which I speak, do you?”

  “NoNoNo!” almost everyone in the group cried out. “We know exactly what you’re talking about,” said Jack. “We just want to… uh… make sure you know what you’re talking about. That’s all!”

  It was obvious the Gatekeeper wasn’t buying it anymore.

  “Um… before you kill us…” said Green meekly. “Would you at least give us a hint, as to what the key might be?”

  The Gatekeeper’s pure black eyes seemed to study the group carefully before speaking. “What once was one but now is three? What once was blind but now can see? What once was shackled but now is free? What once was you but now is me? All that is locked requires this key, to see the scope of possibility. For everything that is, was, and will ever be, holds no secrets from eternity.”

  Everyone blinked at the alien as he stood before them patiently.

  “A riddle?” Green said. “The key is the answer to a riddle?”

  “Quick! Heckubus!” said Jack. “Solve the riddle!”

  The motors in the robot’s head whirred audibly as he devised the myriad of different solutions. “There are so many possible answers,” Heckubus replied. “How many guesses do we get?”

  The Gatekeeper stood silent.

  “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say… one,” muttered Scallywag.

  “If you cannot give me the key, then you must choose,” said the Gatekeeper.

  "What do you mean choose?” asked Jack, not liking the sound of that one bit.

  "Choose,” the Gatekeeper repeated, his image fading away. “Choose the form of your destruction."

  “Wait! Please!” Green called out, reaching for the Gatekeeper as he disappeared. “We don't understand!”

  “Oh… crap!” Jack exclaimed as it suddenly dawned on him what the Gatekeeper meant. “He’s not going to kill us… he’s going to let us decide what kills us!”

  “Well, then, we just don’t have to tell him anything,” replied Scallywag.

  “It’s called the Chamber of Awareness, dude!” cried Jack. “How much you wanna bet it’s aware of what we’re thinking??? Quick! Everyone, empty your heads! Don’t think of anything! We need to buy time until we can come up with the key!”

  "The choice is made,” announced the Gatekeeper’s voice as it echoed throughout the room. “The time for your destruction has come."

  "Whoa, whoa, whoa!” shouted Jack emphatically. “Nobody chose anything!” He turned to Scallywag. “Did you choose anything?"

  “I bloody well did not!” replied Scallywag.

  Jack looked at Green and Shanks. “Did you?”

  "No!" they both replied.

  Jack turned to Grohm. "Did you?"

  "Grohm's mind totally blank," the Rognok replied.

  “Well, I didn’t think of anything!” exclaimed Jack.

  There was a brief moment of silence before the entire group turned toward Heckubus, who looked back at them innocently. “Oh, surely I don’t count!” Heckubus said. “I’m a robot.”

  “Heckubus,” growled Jack. “What did you do?”

  “I can’t help myself!” the robot exclaimed. “I’m constantly coming up with new and exciting ways to kill people! To ask me to stop doing that is like asking the lot of you to stop being morons. It’s just a part of who you are!”

  Scallywag grabbed Heckubus by his shoulders and gave him a shake. “Robot!” he sneered. “What did you think of???” Suddenly, the walls on either side of the group r
umbled and began slowly moving toward the center of the room. Everyone glanced around as the walls inched closer and closer. “Moving walls?” cried Scallywag. “That’s what ya came up with? Moving walls?”

  “Exceptionally slow moving, moving walls!” Heckubus corrected. “The psychological torture of watching them close in is actually far more excruciating than the physical pain of being crushed by them – which is actually quite excruciating.”

  “Not good, not good, not good!” said Jack trying to keep from panicking as the walls slowly rumbled closer. “We need to solve the riddle! Ideas? Anybody?”

  “’What once was one but now is three?’” Shanks said. “I believe that is referring to the Trinity. The awareness that a single person is comprised of a body, a mind, and a soul.”

  “Yes! Good! That fits!” said Jack. “What about the other lines? ‘What once was blind but now can see?’ ”

  “In keeping with the trinity theme, blindness could be how the Ancients refer to ignorance,” said Green hurriedly. “Which would mean sight is the equivalent of knowledge. Could the answer be enlightenment?”

  “Sure! Why not?” cried Jack as the walls closed in further.

  “If that’s the case, the third line obviously refers to the mind,” Heckubus said. “’What once was shackled but now is free?’ is clearly a reference to freeing one’s mind.”

  “So… trinity, enlightenment, free mind… what’s it all mean? How does it make you into me?” asked Jack. No one responded. “Anyone? ANYONE?”

  “Oh dear, oh dear,” fretted Green. “If we only had more time!”

  “More time, coming up,” growled Grohm. The Rognok reached out as the walls got closer, his arms spanning a good eight feet. He braced himself against them, his arms quivering as he grunted, fighting against the mechanism that was slowly trying to push the walls together to squash everyone inside. The sound of gears struggling to continue their movement rang out as Grohm held the walls of doom at bay.

  “Way to go Big Guy!” Jack cheered.

  “Yes, our large friend has certainly staved off all of us being crushed to death,” said Green cheerily. “Now we should have time to figure out—”