Into Tordon

by Z. F. Kingbolt

  Finally, they burst into a small cave with numerous exits and Beth desperately scanned the walls, searching for the ‘e’ sign.

  ‘Well?’ Zane demanded as another screech sounded close behind them.

  ‘Look for the ‘e’!’ said Beth and she quickly explained. ‘Found it!’ shouted someone and they all turned to race down that tunnel.

  The ground became rougher, with large black boulders and sudden gaping sinkholes hampering their way. Dark passages veered off to their left and right, and some had strange white webbing strung across them. There was no time to investigate. The approaching high-pitched hum drove them on.

  ‘Careful!’ the captain commanded as their torches flashed around.

  The ground sloped steadily upwards, leaving them all puffed and sweating. Then suddenly they burst into an enormous rock-filled cavern and froze, deafened as their helmets crackled with all the reconnecting comms.

  ‘Help! Oh help us!’ cried twelve figures stuck to the cavern’s wall, trapped by sparkling white webbing. ‘Help us!’ they begged, waving their arms and legs about.

  Everyone rushed over and began tugging at the webbing holding them, but it was hard like shiny crystal strands and wouldn’t budge. Beth banged on it with her torch, but it wouldn’t shatter either.

  ‘Stand back,’ yelled Zane, aiming his rifle at some of the webbing.

  ‘Stop!’ the captain shouted, pushing Zane’s gun back down. ‘You’ll kill them!’

  Beth felt her heart squeeze. The Zane she knew was truly lost.

  But then he stared at the rifle as if seeing it for the first time, shook his head and dropped it like a burning stick.

  ‘Help us! Help!’ the web victims cried again. Whatever was going on with Zane would have to wait—Beth had to free these people before the worm-thing arrived. What could she do? She tried to think quickly. She’d solved the puzzle but where had it led them—into this strange cavern decorated with people, with only torches and guns to save them? Wait, no, that wasn’t all—she also had the green stone. She whipped it out of her pouch and gazed at it. Could it be the key?

  ‘You brought the stone?’ yelled the captain, noticing. ‘The crystal stone?’

  Zane took a swipe at it, caught one side and pulled. ‘Hey!’ Beth yelled, clutching it tight.

  Zane held fast too and in an instant they were having a stone tug-o-war, just like they had with Kira’s bow—and just like with Kira’s bow, the black crystal casing cracked open, casting a green glow around the cavern’s walls. The stone’s blinding light shot up and over the dark rocky surfaces, lighting up thousands of green markings. It was like turning on a light show.

  ‘Oh!’ Beth murmured, her eyes wide. The light was dissolving the webbing like melting snow. She eased the stone completely out of its casing and held it up so its strong beams dissolved every piece of web binding the victims to the wall.

  They fell to the ground in relief as the green glow fanned out toward the surrounding passages, though it didn’t stop the giant worm. Its wailing cry sounded even louder as it sped into the cavern. Everything trembled.

  ‘Watch out!’ said Zane, still holding the black crystal casing.

  Beth stared at the green stone in her hands, now throbbing as though alive.

  ‘Here it comes!’ cried the captain, pushing everyone back. ‘Head for that big pile of rocks in the middle!’

  Beth and the others ran for what looked like a pyramid of rocks in the cavern’s centre. Zane tucked the crystal casing under his arm, grabbed a rock from the floor and threw it at the pulsing worm rushing from the tunnel towards them. Just like the rifle bullets, the rock did nothing except tinkle down its side.

  ‘It’s invincible!’ Zane cried as he retreated to the pyramid too.

  ‘Get up,’ Captain Lang called, helping others climb. ‘Get higher!’

  Beth scanned the cavern as she climbed one-handed. The ceiling soared so high into the darkness she couldn’t see its end. Still she climbed as far as she could, away from the worm below.

  It rose up and up, trying to reach them. When it couldn’t, it let out a mighty shriek.

  ‘Does it have any vulnerabilities?’ the captain asked one of the rescued party. ‘Did it attempt to harm any of you?’

  ‘No,’ someone replied. ‘Just kept us alive.’

  Beth steadied herself against the pyramid. If the worm didn’t want them for food, what was it after?

  Whatever it wanted, it must be something one of them had, because the worm was circling them, humming and squealing with increasingly piercing screeches.

  They were cornered.

  Chapter 22

  Beth studied the worm as it circled them. It had no eyes, no mouth, only a pointy part at the front of its body. A green glow played across its body, and a humming vibrated from all over it. How could they stop it?

  Beth bit her lip. Stop it from doing what, though? It hadn’t actually hurt anyone…

  She glanced at Zane and noticed him staring at the relatively flat top of the pyramid. Had he found another weapon? When he saw her watching him, he pointed at the green stone still clutched in her hand, then at the pyramid’s top, which had a pillar with a perfect hollow carved into it—a circular hollow, the exact size and shape of her stone.

  ‘I’ll save you all!’ Captain Lang suddenly shouted, jumping off the pyramid with a long shard in his hand. He rushed at the worm.

  The beast hummed louder and louder until its whole body roared with a frenzy of sound, making the captain sink to his knees and cover his ears with his hands. The worm raised its monstrous body high above the captain, ready to squash him.

  ‘No!’ Zane yelled, dropping the crystal casing to jump down and race over to help the captain.

  Beth quickly climbed to the pyramid’s top pillar, watching as Zane took a flying leap to knock the captain away. The worm shrieked with a pitch so piercing it flooded her helmet but she still managed to slam the green stone into the pillar’s hollow.

  BOOM!

  A sonic thud burst out over the entire cavern, pushing her and everyone else backward. Walls rippled while a rainbow of coloured lights trickled down the sides of the pyramid, seeping like lava down to the worm, which began to flatten itself against the floor.

  Zane dragged a stunned Captain Lang back to the pyramid, giving Beth a familiar-looking smile. Was that the old him? Was he back?

  The worm lengthened and stretched to form a flat circle around the pyramid, colours seeping over its body, spiralling as though in a dance. Shapes flickered then came into focus as the worm stilled. Like an immense screen, images emerged, deepened and glowed until the cavern floor was filled with visions of travelling through vast and distant galaxies, past moons, planets and suns—a retelling of the cocoon’s lengthy journey through space.

  Beth marvelled at the epic extent of this creature’s travels. Was this what the alien life-form wanted viewers to feel—marvel? She looked down at the glowing stone still under her hand.

  Yes, yes it did. It had come here with a message, not of hate or destruction, but of wonder.

  ‘We have sent,’ she spoke aloud, although it was not her speaking, but the trilling voice of the cocoon’s creators, ‘probes such as this one across the universe to find beings such as yourselves—intelligent life-forms capable of empathy for our pet.’

  Zane climbed back up beside her and touched her hand. ‘We wish to offer transport in stasis,’ he said, continuing the message for her, ‘to whoever opens this message and contacts us, as a chance to begin a new relationship between our peoples. If you are hearing this, you may choose two ambassadors to send on a journey unlike any your species has ever known. For those you select, the journey will be but a blink though the time more worthwhile than you can imagine.’

  This time Beth spoke. ‘Your chosen ambassadors would expand their minds as they visit a new world with new technologies. They will explore space on a completely different plane to what may be familiar. Therefore, they must
be truly worthy. Choose wisely.’

  A magnificent vision of a crystalline alien world beamed over the cavern, showing sparkling towers of glassy-white reaching up to twin suns. And there, deep within the cubical structures, pockets of bushy green— trees!

  ‘Think what we could learn!’ Captain Lang said in awe. ‘Whoever went would be famous!’

  Beth shivered as the message finished. Everyone was staring at her and Zane and their hands were still touching. She blushed and looked away.

  ‘Perhaps,’ suggested the captain, climbing up the pyramid to stand beside them, ‘the ones who saved us should be the ones to go? These two have shown compassion, intelligence and the team-effort required for such a mission.’ He gestured at Beth and Zane.

  Beth stared at the captain, then back at the beautiful pictures splashing over the cavern, so mesmerising. Imagine travelling far across the galaxy, past planets and stars, discovering so many impossible things. She knew Zane would want to in an instant. Together they could do so much for humanity! They would be famous and rich! It was certainly tempting. What did she really have waiting for her back home?

  Choose wisely, the message had said of the ambassadors to be selected, they must be truly worthy.

  She was worthy, wasn’t she? She had helped free everyone from the web by dissolving it. She had gotten the green stone into that hollow. She had passed all the tests they’d thrown at her during the simulations. And she couldn’t have done any of it without Zane. He was certainly worthy too.

  ‘So, Beth and Zane, do you agree to be our ambassadors?’ said Captain Lang.

  Zane shifted his weight from one foot to the other and shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked at Beth, a frown where she expected a smile to be. ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t go,’ he glanced down. ‘After today, I realise I need to return home. Dad and I have lots of talking to do. He made me do some things I hated, at survival camp and sailing, but I get it now. He was only trying to do what was best for me.’ He looked up. ‘You understand, don’t you, Beth? You’ve been ready to go home since, like, forever.’

  Beth hesitated, staring at the images. ‘I don’t know anymore.’

  ‘Why?’ Zane asked.

  ‘It’s just, I’ve got the chance here to do something really worthwhile with my life. What have I got at home? No friends. Everyone thinks my dad’s a loser, and me because of it. At least here I’ve finally won some respect. These people all think I’m amazing. Whereas back home you’d probably start ignoring me again, like you did when I docked here earlier.’

  Zane shook his head. ‘That wasn’t me. It was weird. I remember not quite making it into a coffin, or did I in the end?’ He shook his head again as though to clear his thoughts. ‘Then I woke up and forgot all that somehow. I was Corporal Ed with a whole life story. It’s hard to explain.’ He smiled at her. ‘But all the time I thought you were amazing, even before you saved the world, in fact way back when you won the Chameleon Chart. Jumping into the chasm like you did was a bold move. I don’t know if I would have dared. I admired that.’

  ‘You had a funny way of showing it.’

  ‘I was jealous! I’m not anymore. We’re friends now,

  remember? After everything we’ve been through, no one will ever take that away from us. And if anyone back home has a problem with that, well, who cares what they think anyway?’

  Beth smiled, relieved and proud at the same time. She had a friend. A real friend. Even winning The Chameleon Chart didn’t feel as good as that. She nodded slowly. ‘You know, we’re not really ‘the best of the best’ anyway, are we? I left you behind with those zombies…’

  ‘…virus-victims…’

  ‘…whatever they were. Then I stole the stone and kept it hidden. And you know what else? I just don’t feel… grown up enough! Surely they have adults they’d rather send? Representing the world—that’s really big. Let’s go home as heroes. Leave the interstellar travel to someone else.’

  ‘So home then? You sure?’

  She nodded firmly.

  Zane turned to Captain Lang. ‘Thank you, sir, but we’re going to say ‘no’ to your amazing offer. We’re ready to go home. Perhaps you should go? After all, you showed great bravery facing that worm.’

  The captain paused as though deep in thought. Then he suddenly turned to the worm. ‘I always did like the idea of spinning across the galaxies.’ He gazed at the flashing images. ‘Perhaps I’ll even find a wife on one of those stars out there.’ He spoke into his comms unit. ‘Neptune Base Station, we’re ready to depart the cocoon. No need for caution. It’s safe here now. Send shuttles and please contact ground control. Now,’ he addressed those in the cavern, ‘anyone know the way out?’

  Beth gazed beyond the worm’s hard and slippery surface and noticed a small tunnel with a glowing green ‘e’ symbol displayed above it, almost like an exit sign, oddly human. She looked down, shuffling her feet. ‘Um, I think I see the way out over there,’ she pointed.

  ‘Thank you,’ said the captain, holding his hand out to shake, ‘gamers.’

  Beth shook his hand then climbed down the pyramid, heading for the exit. ‘Bon voyage.’

  ‘Good luck,’ Zane said, following her, along with a number of others.

  With a last glance back, Beth saw the captain with his hands over the green stone as if trying it out for size, then she turned to take the glowing ‘e’ trail all the way to where her shuttle had docked. ‘Where did your shuttle dock?’ she asked Zane.

  ‘I don’t remember.’ He sounded sad.

  ‘Wishing you’d gone?’

  ‘Nah, that journey’s too far for me. I love space, but it can wait.’ He paused. ‘Sorry I hit you with that rifle. I kind of lost it back there.’

  ‘Just one more bruise for my collection.’ Beth shoved him with her elbow, though doing so hurt her foot. ‘Ouch.’

  ‘Still sore?’

  She nodded and he slowed to match her speed, walking in silence until they neared the shuttle door. It was black, Beth realised, so perhaps their shuttle had never left them—it had just looked like it had at the time.

  Zane sighed as the door slid automatically open. ‘What?’ Beth asked.

  ‘Well it’s going to be tough now since we both really want to get home, yet we’ve got weeks of sleeping in stasis ahead of us.’

  Beth sighed too. ‘At least we’ll be asleep and won’t know it.’

  ‘As long as we don’t have such crazy dreams again!’ ‘Definitely! Though ‘the gamers who saved the world’ sounds like a good enough dream!’ Beth laughed, although the words made her feel uneasy. Wasn’t saving the world every gamer’s fantasy?

  ‘Do you think they’ll reward us?’ Zane wondered aloud, strapping himself into a recliner, ‘you know, since we saved the—entire—planet?’

  Beth nodded slowly. Maybe.

  You’re the best of the best, the captain had said.

  Surely there were better gamers, with more experience…

  ‘Have you ever thought,’ she asked Zane, climbing into her seat’s safety harness, ‘why the cocoon requested kids and not adults?’

  Zane shook his head, then shrugged. ‘Younger, faster, stronger? Not so set in our ways?’

  ‘Are we though?’ Beth clicked her straps into place and that sent a blinding flash around the room.

  When she opened her eyes next, nothing was as she’d expected.

  Again.

  Chapter 23

  Beth squinted against the glare. Was that daylight? Was she home? A breeze tickled the back of her neck. She reached down, feeling soft grass beneath her hands. Yes, she was sitting on grass. But it wasn’t home, again. Was it a simulation or another world? Towering tree trunks surrounded her, blue sky peeking through their leafy canopy. Smoke wafted towards her along with the sound of angry roaring beasts. Was she back in the Witheng forest? Was she dreaming while in stasis on a space shuttle home?

  ‘What’s going on?’

  Turning around, she half expe
cted to see a mutt crouching nearby ready to attack. Instead the grass clearing ended at a chasm as deep as a skyscraper. A tree sloped off its edge and, suspended by his wrists, unconscious over the emptiness, was Zane—a real life hanging man. The bark of the old tree groaned as he swung.

  ‘Zane!’ she yelled, her throat so tight it came out as a squeak.

  He didn’t answer.

  She dashed to the edge of the chasm. She had to get him down, but how? There wasn’t anything sharp around—not a sharp rock, Witheng spear, Jingum sword or even a pair of scissors…nothing.

  The breeze twisted Zane around. Fresh blood stained his top. The slash he’d got from the Hupuleq was back, dripping slowly. The gash on his neck from the rockfall glistened too.

  ‘You want to rescue him?’ came a slithery voice.

  Beth froze.

  Striding from the trees was a tall figure with dark hair, a moustache and bright green eyes. He was dressed in a cape—exactly like Tordon’s gamemaster, the Chameleon, who ushered winners into the Golden House of Fame.

  ‘You’re…’

  ‘Yes.’ He beamed, spreading his arms wide while stalking closer, his green eyes almost luminous against his skin. ‘Do you like my home?’ He gestured at the forest around them.

  Beth remembered DaveT had seen Kaleski among the trees of the Witheng forest. Did he mean this guy? She supposed Kaleski might have made the Chameleon look like his own appearance. ‘Wait, are you Kaleski or the Chameleon?’

  ‘Which do you think?’

  Beth stared into his green eyes—hadn’t she seen them before, in some of the other worlds, in other creatures as well? ‘I don’t know,’ she said, cautious. ‘I’ve never met Kaleski, though DaveT said he came through here.’

  ‘I have done, from time to time. What do you think?’ ‘Um…’

  ‘Lost for words?’ The Chameleon swung back his jacket to reveal two steel Kumdo swords at his hip. He rested his hands on their hilts. ‘I understand you’re this year’s winner?’

  Beth nodded, not taking her eyes off the swords. ‘Great game this year, don’t you think?’