Kepler: Humanity's Ark

by Kyle Perkins

  “Is that the stone from the cave?”

  I notice the color of the stone is less blue and more indigo, just like the plants when he touched me. I smile to Orrin. “How did you know about the stone?” I don’t recall ever telling him about it.

  A smile spreads across his face as well. “I thought I told you that you talk in your sleep.”

  He pulls away from me, interlocking his fingers with mine. “Let’s go. I don’t see any other threats.”

  I can barely think as we follow the pathway to the lake. Knowing that we are almost there, I fear that it will be the end of… us.

  The clearing is covered with hanging vines and petals of every color. My heart races as I pull him through the woodlands, breaking through to the meadow; my meadow.

  “See, the lake.”

  He scans the area as he always does, ensuring our safety. I am thankful for his technology right now, as my emotions are all over the place. There is so much I want to say to him, but I wouldn’t dare.

  “Have you been in this lake before?” he asks.

  “Of course, I come here very often.” I start walking to the water.

  He follows. “This is going to sound crazy to you, but I need you to do something for me. Do you trust me, yet?”

  “Yes,” I respond without thought. I should have stalled for a minute, but there is no reason. I do trust him. He could have killed me by now. He could have abandoned me in the cave or the woods; he didn’t.

  Looking to the illuminated pocket of my dress, he gives me the directions that I need, “Drink the water.”

  His words are less of a demand and more of a plea. Curiosity laces his words as he looks at me. I can’t say no. It isn’t the first time that I have consumed the water of the lake, so what is the harm in it?

  As I step into the water, the warmth helps to relax my body and allow me to take a deep breath. Taking small steps further into the water, I wait until my finger-tips brush against the surface.

  Looking over my shoulder, I watch Orrin as he watches me. His hands are at his hips, taking stance like the leader that he is. Garret has tried to appear in charge, in control, only to fail. Orrin is nothing like Garret is…

  “Aya. You were saying something before.” He smiles from across the lake.

  I reach down to scoop the water into my hands and tilt my head in confusion. I don’t remember what we were talking about.

  “You were saying that you were owned. By who?”

  I pull the water to my lips. Before I open my mouth to do as he asks, I respond in hopes he doesn’t hear me.

  “You,” I whisper.

  Finally at peace with myself, I tilt up my hands, the liquid passes through my lips and I swallow greedily. The long walk through the cave and to the lake has caused more thirst than I had expected. I close my eyes and scoop more into my hands. The liquid cools as it passes over my tongue. I feel a breeze begin to swirl around me. My long, dark hair whips across my face as I look to the reddened sky.

  I open my eyes to nothing I had expected. There is not only the orange hue that I had anticipated, there is also a funnel of blue surrounding me, like a twister from the sky with me as the eye. I stretch out my arms to the sparkling winds. My fingers begin to absorb the color. With the new ability to control the plants, I attempt to control the wind. I pull more of it towards me, causing the swirling breeze to tighten around me as I allow my body to accept it.

  “Aya?” Orrin stands at the shore, watching from below me. I am no longer standing in the water, but floating above the surface. I take small steps towards him. With my toes barely touching the waves, watching as the blue brightens, our eyes lock. I am mesmerized by the acceptance in his eyes. Before I can reach him, a flash of light and a loud boom echoes through the meadow. The electricity from the light flows from the stone in my pocket and through me. I reach for it, grasping it tight. It brightens as I watch it, making it impossible not to cover my eyes. I turn my head towards Orrin as the stone increases in temperature.

  “It’s going to be okay.” One last flash of light causes my body to absorb the power being given to me. I can feel it as it flows from the glowing stone through my racing heart.

  If there is anything that I have learned from the people of the land and the natural bliss that surrounds me, is that there is a reason for everything.

  Today, I found my reason.

  Everything goes dark. I can no longer see, hear or feel. I beg for answers to no avail. What was the purpose of giving me power, only to have it destroy me? The hum of my blood is still rushing through my body. I can’t be dead. There is more to the death of a being than just this, isn’t there? Everything is muffled and distant. I reach for the one calling my name. I barely hear it as the darkness fades to gray. I hear the beat of my heart pound erratically against my chest.

  My name is louder and louder as the lighting around me softens to a recognized shade of blue. My blue.

  “Aya, you have to wake the fuck up. This is not how it is supposed to end for you. Dammit! I wish Erikk were here; he’d know what to do.”

  Afraid to open my eyes, I lick my lips and smile. “Hey, who’s Erikk?”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore. How are you feeling?” he sounds concerned, “Open your eyes, Aya.”

  My lids flutter open to see his face above me. I am, again, in his lap.

  “Do I want to know what happened?” I feel different, but better.

  He smiles. “You might be surprised by a couple of things,” he says.

  “I have seen some things that no-one would believe, what else is there?” I ask as the wind picks up, blowing my hair into my face. Orrin plucks a few strands from the air, holding them for me to see.

  “Well, this is different,” he chuckles.

  Looking at the hair in his hand, my hair; once a mahogany brown to match the darkest trees, is now a brilliant blue to match my cave stone.

  Chapter 13

  Erikk

  “Sir, do wake up. We have important matters to attend to,” I vaguely hear as I begin to regain consciousness.

  “How long have you been repeating that, E-7?” I smile up at the floating orb.

  “For twenty-nine minutes and thirty-six seconds,” he buzzes.

  “Perfect, so I likely have permanent brain damage. I should probably have a look at that after we warn the captain.”

  “Sir, with all due respect, you are in no condition to travel. I have analyzed—”

  I put a hand up, silencing E-7. “Caius and the others are likely right on his heels. I would send up a flare, but I don’t want to draw the tribes to our location, you know, and see it completely unguarded.”

  “That is the matter we must attend to. Though you cannot travel, we can fortify our position here, and protect the cargo,” E-7 beeps.

  “E-7, the captain is more important than the cargo. We can rebuild this stuff with the elements found on this planet. We can’t, however, replace Orrin.”

  “Captain Windhelm,” he corrects me.

  “Yeah, sure. Regardless of our name preferences, we need to find him quickly, or we’ll be arguing over what to etch on his tombstone. So, are you with me?” I ask.

  “It doesn’t appear that I have a choice. If you are to fall, we are left without our most senior medical personnel.”

  I nod to the machine as I climb to my feet and grab a rifle. I am willing to die for Orrin, even if it only slows down Caius for a few minutes. That is the vow I took – the vow we all took. This betrayal is treason, and if I can get a clean shot, I will take it. I’ll take down as many of those bastards as I can. I owe it to our mission, and I owe it to Orrin. He did his part and got us here, it’s his call to make as to how we approach and handle the natives.

  I always knew Caius was bad news, but I just assumed he would be an irresponsible nuisance, not lead a rebellion.

  We haven’t been able to analyze all of the soil and air samples yet, and I fear that the planet itself may be having an adverse effect
on us as a whole. The scientist in me wonders if there are toxins in the air or water, or if the plants and animals here have activated some kind of defense mechanism. The superstitious part of me says that the planet, itself, doesn’t want us here. I don’t know which side to listen to.

  I have been having trouble concentrating since our arrival, and it’s not just because of the shot to the jaw. It troubles me to think that some of this may even be affecting Orrin’s judgement, but I have to push the thought out of my head. Out of all of us, he seems to be thinking the clearest. Though, wanting peace and not war… that’s not really our way, and goes against our entire human history.

  “Is wanting peace really that crazy?” I say out loud without realizing it until I finish the sentence.

  “Peace can only be possible through equality, and true equality doesn’t exist. Everyone is crafted to be different. Some are more intelligent, while some are more beautiful. Equality can never be possible, because it directly contradicts evolution. The weaker of a species must be sacrificed to make way for the stronger genes to take their place. You see—” E-7 is abruptly stopped by the wave of my hand.

  “I was thinking out loud, E-7. It was rhetorical. Though, wouldn’t everyone be happier if everything was equal?” I ask.

  “Happiness is irrelevant, if you want a species to survive. You are the product of millennia of suffering,” E-7 responds.

  “If we have to suffer, then why bother continuing? What are we fighting for, here?”

  “We are fighting to—”

  “Rhetorical again,” I cut him off.

  “Apologies, sir,” E-7 says before scouting ahead.

  As his metallic form floats off in the distance, a flash originating from far off into the forest temporarily blinds me. I shield my face after the fact, like a complete idiot, when a second flash happens.

  As my vision returns, I see E-7 off in the distance, flying in a bizarre circular formation. It must have scrambled his optics.

  “E-7, are you alright?”

  E-7 beeps and buzzes loudly as he continues his trajectory. I jump into the air, predicting his path, and catch him between my hands. I then step on him and remove the grate shielding his reset switch.

  “Sorry, buddy,” I say as I push the button.

  All of the lights on his frame go dark before lighting up again in sync. I take my foot off of him, and he launches off of the ground, stopping about ten feet overhead.

  “During the flash, I detected a power source roughly ten-thousand times stronger than a bolt of lightning on Earth. We must investigate,” he says.

  That must be Orrin. What did he do?

  My thoughts are suddenly interrupted by the familiar sound of rifle fire in the distance. It’s coming from where we estimate the largest settlement is.

  …and that must be Caius.

  “Let’s go!” I yell as I begin sprinting towards the forest.

  E-7 lags behind, struggling to keep up. I am running on pure adrenaline, as the sound of gunfire draws closer. I run for what seems like forever, without ever stopping to catch my breath. The forest changes into a dizzying array of color as I feel a sudden pinch in my side, telling me to take a break. I slow down as I spot two men laying at the mouth of a cave, naked and tied up with their own clothing. It had to either be the work of Orrin, or their own people. Caius would have killed them.

  A sudden urge to enter the cave begins to overwhelm me, almost tugging me by the arm.

  “What are they here for?” I think out loud.

  “From their position, they are either keeping something or someone in, or keeping intruders out,” E-7 buzzes.

  “What if Orrin is inside? E-7, scan the cave.”

  “That’s impossible, sir. Something is disrupting my system. I can go no closer,” he replies.

  “I guess I will have to do this the old-fashioned way, then,” I say as I crouch down to enter the cave.

  “I would advise against this, but I doubt you would heed my advice,” E-7 says.

  “If those two so much as move, shoot them,” I say as I enter the opening.

  ***

  Something feels off about the cave almost as soon as I enter it. Feelings of euphoria laced with terror wash over me. It’s like my body is at peace, while my mind is left screaming. Everything about this place feels unnatural. It doesn’t feel like the rest of the world I have come to know during my short stay here. Even the air inside is heavier, though I feel lighter.

  I continue down the path, noting the plants on the wall of the cave for later research, before reaching a massive open room. The room is cold and dark, while completely still. I scan the room for another exit, but find nothing.

  This looks like the end of my path and there is no sign of Orrin. I can’t help but feel that I have just wasted precious time in here, when I should have been getting back to him. It was a bad call on my part. One I plan to rectify, now.

  I turn around to go back the way I came, but the path behind me is gone. In its place is another solid stone wall.

  Am I hallucinating?

  “No. Well, maybe. Crazy people never know they’re crazy, right?” a voice calls out.

  “Who’s there?” I ask, shakily.

  “Who. What. It makes no difference, Erikk. Maybe I am just part of your psyche, trying to make sense of the impossible. It has to drive you sciencey types crazy.”

  “What is this place?” I ask, raising my rifle and scanning the room.

  “Your rifle will do you no good, at least not here.”

  “…and where is here?”

  “Here is there. There is here. Here, there, everywhere. It’s all the same. This is a place separated from the other. Not bound by the rules of the everywhere. Make sense?” the voice snickers.

  “No, of course that doesn’t make sense. Really? Look. Am I hallucinating?” I ask, growing impatient.

  “Asking a potential hallucination, if they are a hallucination. Oh, Erikk. I had such high hopes for you. Instead of worrying about if I am you, or something otherworldly, why don’t you focus on a way out? Orrin does need you, after all. He is about to do something that makes things rather boring for me.”

  “You know where Orrin is?”

  “I know where everyone is, was, or will be,” he replies.

  “Why don’t you show yourself. Talk to me like a man!” I call him out.

  “What makes you think I am a man? Again, I may just be all in your head.”

  “Just fucking let me out. I have things to do. I don’t care if you are a man, or a hallucination. I don’t have time for this. Say what you need to say, then be gone,” I say, becoming more agitated.

  “Pushy. Fine. You must kill Orrin. There, I said it.”

  “Okay, now I know I am hallucinating. Now, I will choose to ignore you.”

  “You can’t ignore me,” a breath whispers in my ear. I turn to face it, but nothing is there.

  “Go away. I am obviously not going to kill Orrin. He is my captain. I took an oath.”

  “I took an oath,” he mimics me in a whiny voice.

  If this is in my head, this cave may be toxic. Whatever it is, is obviously getting through my suit’s filtration system. Meaning, that if all this is a hallucination, there is no wall there. I just need to retrace my steps.

  I turn back and face the wall that is blocking my way out, and charge at it full speed. The journey is short-lived as my head smacks against the very real stone wall. I fall backwards in agony and writhe on the floor.

  “That. That was worth coming here for,” the voice laughs.

  I suddenly get tunnel vision, and everything starts to go dark, when I hear his voice for the final time.

  “One final piece of advice; keep your enemies close, and your friends far as fuck away…” his voice drifts off, as I do the same.

  ***

  My eyes open to see several plants gathered around me. From what I can tell, I am still in the cave, mostly due to not seeing the sky while laying o
n my back. I shuffle to my feet, thinking to myself about what kind of lingering effects all of these fun concussions may grant me.

  I turn around, and see that there is no longer a wall blocking my way, and start to move towards the entrance when one of the plants moves.

  “Whoa!” I exclaim, jumping back about ten feet.

  “Be calm, Erikk. We are here to help you,” the plant-thing says.

  Great, still hallucinating.

  “Alright, I am over this shit. I’m just going to leave. It’s been fun and all, random voices and plants, but I have shit to do,” I say as I begin walking out of the room.

  “I apologize for our tardiness. A strange force compelled us away from this sacred spot. Once it was no longer present, we rushed to you,” one of the plant people says as it walks forward on two legs.

  “You’re in my head, and you’re not real. Just stop talking,” I say, continuing out.

  “This is not in your head, and you are not hallucinating, Erikk. This is a grave matter, and I need your focus, only for a moment. I can’t let you leave until you have heard me out,” it says as its arms stretch out like vines, taking my rifle and hoisting me into the air simultaneously.

  Fuck, this feels real. After this is all over, there will be a real market for whatever compound lies in this cave.

  “Okay, obviously, you’re not giving me a choice. If I hear you out, will you stop this madness and let me get to my friend?”

  “Your friend is who we have come to discuss with you. He is in trouble, along with the rest of you. I need you to lend him your strength when his falters,” he says.

  “I’m not really in a position to lend anything. I am actively losing my mind. The only thing I can do is take out a few traitors and hope it helps Orrin in some way.”

  “That is not the way you can help him. You’ll just die, and so will Orrin. Then all is lost. You are a doctor, and something of an engineer, yes?” the plant asks.

  “I was, though I don’t think I can practice in my current state of mind.”

  “Your mind is sound, and so is your body. As much as it can be in this world. However, the longer you are exposed to our world, the quicker the madness will set in. This will affect Orrin as well. You are unwanted guests here. The tribals may not be able to do anything to stop you, but the planet will.”