by Darren Lewis
A distorted figure walked towards Ellie as her feet bumped the bottom of the cell. The figure resolved into herself, only tainted blue by the liquid and deformed by the glass between them.
“Enjoy your new home.”
Ellie screamed and her lungs flooded.
*
Ellie's screaming had stopped a long time ago, or a short time ago as there was no way to measure time in a dragon thread. Her abject terror waking from such an intense nightmare was bad enough but to find herself cast adrift within infinite blackness caused her to shut down. Her body instinctively curled into a ball and she hid her face in the safety of the crook of her arms.
Calm down, Ellie. I told you I'd be here.
The voice kept repeating these words. Ellie heard every utterance in her mind and recalled a dream, speaking to another person trapped in her head.
Yes. You were knocked unconscious in the tomb. Malachite must've panicked as it collapsed and thrown you in. We had a talk, remember?
Ellie did remember and it made her shiver uncontrollably.
That's why we have to get out of here. You're freezing to death.
I don't know how. Ellie whispered into the dark, the pain of the cold making the unheard sound tight and forced.
You both knew your next destination. Where was that? Somewhere you'd been before? The voice asked.
Ellie thought about the plan and her part in it, but the cold was penetrating and her bones ached enough to make her cry.
Ellie, you must remember. I can help you leave here but you must remember!
Ellie felt her jaw rapidly clicking together and she wondered what on earth was happening to her. She slowly moved a curled, frozen hand towards her mouth and slid her index finger inside her mouth.
Arghh! Bloody hell! Ellie yelled.
What?
I just bit my finger! I could feel my teeth chattering but not hear it. How weird!
Are you back with me? The voice asked, exasperation filling her tone.
Ellie licked her lips and tasted blood. The warm bitterness seemed to pull Ellie's fractured mind into one piece again and a quick image of Rox sat waiting for her flashed into her imagination before being chased away by guilt. Rox was depending on her, they all were. She slowly raised her head and stared into the blackness. It made her heart skip several beats and she felt the dire need of a trip to the toilet but it was now manageable. Ellie found herself trying to see something, trying to give her brain a point of reference but there seemed to be nothing, at least at first. She turned her head and from the corner of her eye she saw flashes or sparks of light. Ellie immediately turned her head to see them but they had vanished. Frowning and keeping her head still more sparks appeared on the periphery of her vision.
Am I imagining that? I know the brain can play tricks on you. Ellie asked herself, well aware that after watching yet another documentary with Dad that sensory deprivation has some unusual side effects on the brain as a person sought to make sense of their surroundings.
No. I don't think you are. I think…I think they're doorways to the world!
Ellie experienced a rush of hope but pain shot through her once again as the cold continued its deathly grip about her.
Quickly. Ellie gasped.
A soft glow emanated from Ellie's chest and she opened her arms stiffly. A rapid pulse shot forward. The glow grew bigger and finally formed itself into that of a young woman. A young woman that Ellie believed was Isabelle. It certainly was the same woman Ellie held when she died.
I thought this might be easier. The woman smiled.
Ellie nodded and calmed down slightly with another's presence close by.
So can we get out of here? Ellie asked.
The woman looked around and shrugged.
Let's find out. Do you remember where you'd planned to go next?
Yes! Ellie exclaimed. The army, Shanxii Province!
The young woman nodded and reached out her hands. Ellie cocked an eyebrow at the prospect of holding hands with a ghost but held out her own and was pleasantly surprised to find the woman's hands substantial and warm.
Now close your eyes and picture where you're taking us. The woman instructed.
Ellie did as she was asked. The image of the Terracotta Army came to her. Rows of soldiers, standing in readiness to protect their emperor from attack. But the emperor was dead. Killed by Malachite swiftly and now the Army was hopefully theirs to control.
That's it. The woman said. Are you ready?
*
The young man squeezed his sponge into a soapy bucket and nodded with satisfaction and a fair amount of glee as the task was finished. As a graduate student he imagined his professor must think it was some kind of lowly job to come down here amongst the grand army and clean up a burnt mess left by some pranksters. He didn't care. Up until now he hadn't been allowed near the warriors and had to be content with viewing them with the tourists, who even now were standing above him, gasping, exclaiming with wonder at the sight of the Terracotta Army.
He turned to stare at the head of the army, imagining himself their leader, his to control and use against his imagined foe. That professor would be the first on the list, the man thought with half-hearted venom. He sighed at such wishful and ridiculous feelings and bent down to retrieve his bucket when he heard a woman scream followed by many others, all yelling in terror. The young man looked up and saw to his horror the front line of the Terracotta soldiers moving towards him.
*
When Ellie was ten she'd caught chicken pox. That awful, constant itch felt like it would drive her into insanity with no possible return. Unbelievably she was now experiencing the same intense itch all over her body as she tried to hold the image of the army in her mind while her 'passenger' tried to open a door to the real world.
Sorry, Subject 1138 told her. I'm using your body's electrical energy to open a doorway. It's trapped on your skin until discharged.
Just hurry! Ellie said from clenched teeth.
A few seconds of annoyed grunting from Ellie later and a bright rectangle opened to her left. The charge left her body and Ellie felt instant relief as she watched the doorway expand to the real world. Subject 1138 tugged on Ellie's hand and they both swung towards the door. Ellie grinned madly. She couldn't believe she'd survived a dragon thread, albeit with a little help.
Uh. Subject 1138 interrupted. Before you congratulate yourself too much, I think you're moving a bit fast.
As the door grew large in her vision Ellie saw details beyond the darkness. Large rocky outcrops that she'd run across the top of a few hours ago to avoid the standing warrior figures in the trenches below. The relief Ellie was feeling evaporated in an instant. 1138 was correct, she was travelling extremely fast. Dragons, when exiting a thread, would flare their wings to slow down or simply continue flying. With neither options available to her, Ellie's stomach clenched and she felt her legs go a bit weak at the thought of landing in what surely must be a few seconds time on jagged rock.
Hey! I've got an idea! 1138 exclaimed and she let go of Ellie's hand and propelled through the opening a second before Ellie.
*
The student rocked back and forth while sitting on the dusty ground. He'd wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his head upon his knees.
“A dream. This is a dream. Just a dream.” He continually whispered. Only a few minutes ago the warriors had forced him against the wall and as he whimpered while awaiting death they all simply stared at him. Then with a swift salute and precision timing any army in the world would be proud of the warriors turned as one and left the enormous room by climbing the carved walls of the trenches and exiting the same way as the fleeing tourists.
A loud buzzing sound entered the student's awareness and he assumed an alarm was sounding within the building. But the noise was close by and even more irritating than any fire or security alarm. Stopping his whispering the student rose and tried to pinpoint the source of the odd noise.
*
With mere seconds to go before entering the world Ellie offered up a prayer to whoever was listening, with the quick reasoning of the desperate, that she knew China had many, many gods and maybe one could come to her aid.
*
The buzzing became crackling and the student saw a ball of bright blue energy forming near the centre of the room. The smell of burnt dust permeated the atmosphere and a black opening appeared. Regardless of this new danger to himself the student was transfixed, partly through terror but mainly astonishment at what he was seeing. The black opening spread wider and electricity surged outwards to wrap and coil around the edge of the darkness as if fighting with itself to be free.
A white mist emerged from the opening at an amazing speed and the student stepped back with a fearful swallow. The mist swirled, then flattened itself into a large disk and disappeared. A new sound arose, like a shrill train whistle in the distance but approaching fast.
*
This is it. Ellie thought in terror. This is how I die! The cold vanished and Ellie left the darkness for her world. She felt the pull of gravity immediately and a cold, calculating part of her mind projected her fall and where she would crash. Time seemed to slow, the brain's instinctive response to danger allowing Ellie the opportunity to study her predicament and find a solution. All she saw was a young man, dressed neatly with a mess of floppy hair, staring at her wide eyed and slack jawed. Ellie flung her hands out in a desperate attempt to stave off certain injury.
*
The whistle became a scream. The scream of a girl. The student jerked in shock and knocked his head against the rock wall behind him. Grimacing in pain and holding the back of his head he watched this girl fly across the room towards him. Her speed was so great she would crash into him in a couple of seconds. He pushed his back into the rock attempting to meld with it and away from the coming impact.
*
Ellie closed her eyes and waited for the painful impact. She waited, and waited. She heard a high pitched laugh and opened one eye to see what had happened now. The young man she'd seen was standing about six feet away, pointing at her and laughing. Ellie noticed the laugh wasn't quite normal. Ellie looked down and saw she was suspended at least ten feet in the air, seemingly hovering. She tried to turn but her body responded as if she was bouncing on rubber or a vertical trampoline.
Sorry I didn't have time to explain, Subject 1138 apologised as she lowered Ellie to the ground. The idea hit me, no pun intended, and I had to get ahead of you.
What idea? Ellie asked, glad she could ask within her mind as she didn't quite trust her voice yet.
Airbag! 1138 explained gleefully. I thought I could use myself to generate an 'air' airbag! I caught you in it.
Ellie's feet touched the ground and she sighed with relief, followed by a contented smile albeit on trembling legs. The young man she'd nearly remodelled against the rock wall walked slowly towards her, his face a picture of shock and awe, his eyes round and staring. He looked Ellie up and down and his eyes then shifted to over her shoulder and is face quickly converted awe into fear. Ellie caught the look and followed the man's gaze.
“Where the hell…” Ellie flapped her arms against her sides in exasperation and then turned and placed her nose on the student's nose.
“I don't mean to be rude.” She growled. “But where the bloody hell are the soldiers?” She paused and narrowed her eyes as another thought took her. “And what time is it?”
Rox
“How long is this going to take?” Plume asked impatiently. Rox frowned at her partner and nudged his shoulder. After Plume had made his grand entrance a short while ago Rox sat him down and explained what Ellie, the older Ellie, now named Eleanor, planned to do. Plume had merely shrugged; as far as he was concerned, if Rox agreed and went along with the plan then he was happy, irrespective of his utter confusion over two Ellies and that Rox's mother, who Plume vaguely remembered from his younger days, was still alive. His patience however was running dry, especially as he hadn't slept, had risked his life jumping under a moving truck to get in here and then explored more than ten levels of this building trying to find Rox.
Plume sighed and started to pace, tapping his staff on the floor.
“Plume.” Rox said. “Relax. Whether Ellie comes in time or not we'll get our family back.” Plume stopped and gave Rox a long stare. “What?” Rox asked him quietly. He coughed and glanced awkwardly at Storm, Rox's mother, sitting a short distance away. Storm smiled slightly and walked off a ways.
“I'm not just your protector, Rox. I'm responsible for the warren and our family. I failed you all. I've seen what's happened to our home, it's destroyed, gone. We can never go back.” Plume closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against his staff. Rox moved slowly to Plume and then stroked his ear.
“There was nothing we could've done, nothing you could've done. We may never be able to go home but we'll find one and start again.”
Plume squeezed his staff and sighed. He looked around and grinned self-consciously.
“Feel better?” Rox asked. Plume shrugged. “Feel like an idiot?” Plume nodded. “Well, I still love you, you, daft rabbit.” Plume chuckled at Rox and gave her an embarrassed look.
“I just hate waiting around. It makes me think.” He told her.
Storm walked over trying hard to keep the amused expression off her face.
“Okay, children, shall we…” A deep, far off whirring came to their ears and all three of them turned to the elevator as it came to life and began its descent.
*
The rabbits captured by the Institute at the warren finished their long journey in complete darkness from the coast by helicopter and then truck to the white room in a state of numbness. The panic inducing gas used to drive the rabbits out and into the Institute's trap had long since dissipated and fear ruled each of them. Most had descended into silent quivering as they contemplated their bleak, unknown future. The rest expressed their fear by voice. Babbling, mumbling, their voices starting low and as hysteria gripped them, adrenaline surged through their systems pitching each voice higher and more desperate, yelling into the dark until they wore themselves out before starting again.
The rabbits were jolted as the crates were bumped and moved again and again until the constant roar the captives heard from outside of human vehicles stopped and then silence. Each rabbit became still, tense and alert for what would happen next. A clanking sound made each rabbit jolt in terror and then start jabbering in fear as a deep hum vibrated through the crates they were held in. Another clanking sound and a hiss as the crates moved once again and then silence fell once more.
“What are we going to do?”
“Why? Why do they want us?”
“We're dead, simple as that.”
“No, no. What happened to my little ones? Did anyone see them?”
“Shush. I'm trying to listen!”
A sharp bang against the side of one black crate made every single rabbit jump and bang their heads.
“Shut up you lot. Bunch of kittens you are.”
“Plume?”
“Yes. Now shut up while we try and get you out of here.”
“We?”
“Rox is here too and her moth…well, that's too complicated to explain right now.”
“Oh, Plume. Thank you so much, I'll never forget this!”
“By the White and the Grey.” Plume whispered to himself. “How are we supposed to get a bunch of babies out of here?”
Plume leapt onto one of the crates and searched for some kind of opening. When he, Rox and Storm had heard the elevator descend it was decided they would attempt a rescue immediately which meant incapacitating any humans. Fortunately however the crates exited the elevator on an automatic platform which deposited them at the centre of the large white room before entering the elevator and returning to where it came, repeating the process twice more, delivering all the rabbits to the room.
Plume grumbled and cursed until he
found a release catch. The metal lock was large and bulky, clearly needing some complicated human device to open them. Plume studied the lock as the rabbits continued to chatter endlessly. He rolled his eyes and hefted his staff.
“Plume.” Rox called out.
“Yes?” He replied.
“Is that the best way to get them out?”
Plume looked around the room and saw Rox with her mother, Storm, staring at him. He nodded with a certain amount of glee.
“Yes.” And he turned his attention back to the lock. Rox smiled at Storm.
“Males are quite immature at the best of times.” Storm said.
“All part of the charm I guess but he needs this right now.” Rox advised her mother.
Plume thumped a back leg on the black crate.
“This might hurt your ears.” The response from inside the crate were whimpers and Plume rolled his eyes. “Bloody kittens.” And he brought the staff down hard onto the lock.
Fern
Fern was completely baffled at what was going on at Ellie's house. He'd watched the same people who'd tried to capture him search Ellie's house and then turn their attention to the house next door. Fern snuck into the house and bounded up the stairs as he could hear all the voices were on the ground floor. Each room he searched was empty and as far as Fern could tell a complete mess. Ellie's room was easy to identify. There were pictures on the wall, placed haphazardly, of the woods, the temple and of Rox. Fern sighed softly, wondering when he would see his home again.