by L. Danvers
In the distance, through the misty pink sky, was a sizeable mountain range. Sparkling dust danced twenty feet above the ground, though it never touched down. It whizzed and whirled in hypnotizing motions. The planet’s diamond-like rings reflected light from the sun. Cal dreaded venturing outside in what she assumed would be sweltering heat.
Commander Ahmadi, both mesmerized and perplexed by the tan bubbles, looked over at Sam. “Are you thinking what I am thinking?”
“Are you thinking we’re screwed?” Sam joked. It wasn’t well received.
“They’re magnetic,” Flynn piped up. “That’s why the ship was pulled down with such force. We are stuck.”
Cal and Britt exchanged worried glances. What did they mean stuck? There had to be a way to get unstuck, right?
“We should notify Agent Taylor,” Cal said.
“O’Boyle?” Commander Ahmadi prompted.
Flynn punched in the control center’s coordinates, and Agent Taylor’s image appeared on the holographic projector. Commander Ahmadi explained the team’s predicament, and she assured him she and the other agents would work to come up with a solution. She suggested in the meantime that they continue their mission and explore Prixine.
Cal couldn’t shake the bad feeling she had about leaving the Stellix. She wanted to speak up, to say they should stay put. But she ignored her gut instinct. It had led her astray many times as of late. How many hours of her life she had wasted chasing the story on the disappearances, insisting it was worth the time and energy to investigate because her gut told her so? It had been for nothing. Her gut was probably wrong about this, too.
The five of them collected their gear and made their way together down the curved hall. Commander Ahmadi opened the hatch, which gave out a gush as the suction released. It slid open, and a ramp unfolded before them as they walked until the end of it touched down to the magnetic surface.
Commander Ahmadi was the first to step outside. He flared his nostrils as he sniffed.
“Ugh,” he grunted. “It smells like rubbing alcohol.” He descended, but his leg dragged behind him. “You have got to be kidding me.” He lifted his pants leg, revealing his prosthetic leg.
“It’s the magnetic force, isn’t it?” Flynn asked.
“Yes. The platinum is not magnetic, but the metal screws are.” His forehead creased as he examined his leg. “I will be alright,” he assured them. “You will have to be patient with me. I will be moving a bit slower than usual.”
Commander Ahmadi continued walking, and the rest of the crew followed, going slower than they would have otherwise, so that he could lead the way. They could have offered to help him, but they knew their commander well enough by now to know he was too proud to accept it.
“Looks deserted to me,” Sam said, using his hand to shield his eyes as he scanned the horizon.
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Flynn said.
Cal drew a long breath. The alcohol-scented air burned her throat. She thought she heard Britt crying, but when she looked to her side, she saw that she was sniffling, having fallen victim to the scent as well.
Everything they saw, the tan bubbles, the mountains in the distances, reminded Cal of home. It was natural, she supposed, to try to put a name to things. To categorize them. It was a coping mechanism used to make sense of unfamiliar sights.
The five of them trekked for hours beneath the sizzling sun. An occasional warm breeze would give them enough of a relief to help them to keep going onward. Beads of sweat rolled down their faces as they marched. Commander Ahmadi had the hardest time. He had the extra effort of dragging his leg behind him.
“I miss my cat,” Britt said, with no context whatsoever.
“Huh?” Sam asked.
“When I think of home, I miss my cat. Her name’s Fluffkins.”
“You haven’t mentioned Fluffkins before,” Cal said. “What made you think of her?”
Britt shrugged. Cal supposed Britt was searching for a way to fill the silence as they walked, to help pass the time.
“I left her with Nana Jane,” she continued, not caring if anyone was listening. “I used to visit Nana Jane at her assisted living facility twice a week. I’d always bring Fluffkins with me. Nana Jane had a soft spot for cats. So I left Fluffkins with her when I left for training.”
“Where did she think you were going?” Flynn asked.
“I told her I’d joined a medical humanitarian mission, and that I had to go overseas.”
“Was she upset?” Flynn asked.
“No, she was proud of me. I hope she’s doing alright.”
“I am sure if she was not alright,” Commander Ahmadi said, “someone in your family would have let you know.”
“Doubtful. No one else visits Nana Jane.”
Commander Ahmadi scratched his peppered beard, unsure of what he could say to make her feel better. Cal didn’t know, either. They continued in silence.
In time, they made their way across the stretch of tan bubbles and to the mountainous structure that had looked so far away hours ago. The ground was now green, wet, soft and moss-like. The smell of rubbing alcohol was gone, though they might have gotten used to it.
“Hey, look at this,” Britt said, crouching to the ground. Cal followed Britt’s line of sight and saw she was referring to tiny holes in the planet’s surface. They didn’t look like they could have formed naturally. There were too many of them, and they were too small and too deep to have appeared on their own.
The crew looked around, searching for any other possible signs of life. Sure, intelligent creatures would probably be bigger than whatever had burrowed these holes in the ground, but this was at least a good sign.
Cal helped Britt collect samples of the dirt in hopes that scientists on Earth could pinpoint remnants of whatever organic materials were left behind by whatever, or whoever, made the holes. Once the samples were tucked away in Britt’s utility belt, the five of them continued up toward the mountain peak.
Commander Ahmadi let out a harsh breath. Between that and the sweat beading on his brow, it was apparent he was struggling. He hunched over, his hands resting on his thighs. He raised his head and saw that the others were watching.
“I will be fine,” he said. “The magnetic pull weakens the further we climb. It has been a long walk. Nothing more. But I could use a break. Do you mind if we take a minute?”
They found a good spot to rest. Cal, Flynn and Britt sat together and took turns taking sips from a canteen.
“I can’t believe we’re the first humans to step foot here,” Britt said. “We are so lucky.”
“Yeah.” Sam laughed. He was sitting beside Commander Ahmadi, listening in from a few feet away. “Something like that.”
Cal pulled her FlexTab out of her utility belt, unrolled it and turned it on. She created a new log for the day and recounted everything that had happened so far. It would be easier to do it now, while she was experiencing Prixine, than to have to recall the details later back aboard the Stellix. She worried whether they would indeed be able to get off this planet at some point. “I’m guessing Agent Taylor would have contacted us if they had figured out a solution to the Stellix being stuck.”
“I’ll check in with her,” Sam said. His xfone unraveled and wrapped around his ear as he got up and walked away from the group. Cal wondered why he felt like he needed privacy. He was calling Agent Taylor. It wasn’t like she didn’t know the rest of them were there, too. He kept walking until he was out of earshot. He paced as he talked, gesticulating with his hands as he marched back and forth. Minutes later, he returned and said Agent Taylor and the others were working to come up with an answer. She encouraged the crew to continue the mission, and she assured them she would be in touch when there was something to report.
“How are you feeling, Commander?” Sam asked.
“Better.”
Sam offered him his hand, and Commander Ahmadi took it. Sam’s biceps bulged as he lifted the commander to his feet.
The group continued on its journey. Cal didn’t think it was possible, but the sun was shining brighter than before. Sweat raced down her face. She wiped her forehead every so often, but it didn’t make much of a difference. The salty liquid kept sneaking its way through her lashes, burning her eyes.
Something caught her attention between her vigorous blinks. She wiped the tears from around her eyelids. When her hazy vision came into focus, she spotted a creature slithering across the mossy surface inches from her feet. The creature, no bigger than a worm, was an electrifying green and left a trail of slippery clear slime behind as it wriggled across the ground. It plunged into the planet's surface and burrowed a hole. Within seconds, it was gone.
“That was it!” Cal screamed. The others looked to see what she was yelling about. “That's what made the holes. Look. There!”
Another one of them slipped across the moss and tunneled a hole.
“Amazing!” Flynn exclaimed, blinking to take photographs with his computerized lenses. “The first alien lifeform on Prixine.”
“After these months of training... the first alien we see is a worm,” Britt said, sounding rather disappointed.
“What did you expect?” Sam asked. “Some gray guy with big bug eyes to come up and talk to us?”
“I don’t know.” Britt shrugged. “I thought it’d be a little more exciting than a worm.”
“Be careful what you wish for, Ridley,” Commander Ahmadi said. “We have only begun our explorations.”
The crew waited in that same spot for a few minutes, taking turns photographing and examining the holes and looking around to see if any other creatures would come along. There were no more green worms to be found, though, so they ventured on up the mountain.
It wasn’t long before the moss disappeared. It was replaced by a peculiar reddish-brown surface that was as smooth, but firm. The wind howled, and the ground beneath them rippled. The crewmembers did their best to steady themselves as they waited for the gust to pass.
The path became steeper as they continued uphill. Cal’s thighs were on fire, and her feet were heavy. She stopped herself from complaining. If Commander Ahmadi could handle it, so could she. He wasn’t whining. And anyway, the exhilaration of exploring this strange, beautiful planet was worth a little discomfort.
She thought of what she would be doing if she hadn’t been recruited for this mission. For starters, she would have had to beg for her job back. If Katz had rehired her, she would be sitting at her desk in the newsroom writing some boring report of a press briefing while Sue pestered her. And for what?
She thought of the things that had felt so important to her back home. Seeing Prixine firsthand put life into a different perspective. Humankind was nothing in the grand scheme of the universe. Earth and its problems were so insignificant from a distance. Right then, the human race was fighting for power and control over the planet it called home. Cal wondered if humans would spend so much time bickering amongst one another if they knew they weren’t alone. Would they realize how petty their differences were? Would they come together if pitted against another intelligent species?
The others turned around and stared as Cal’s stomach rumbled.
“Sorry,” she said. She knew her cheeks must be bright red. She asked the group if they would mind stopping to eat, and they agreed it was a good idea. They continued keeping an eye out for any other possible signs of life while they ate. Britt thought she saw something flying far across the horizon, but no one else saw it. But if wriggly worms lived on Prixine, there had to be something else.
Cal was mesmerized by the sparkling dust curling and whirling above them. She was about to comment on it when Britt slapped the back of her own hand. “Ouch!”
“What is it?” Commander Ahmadi asked.
“Something bit me,” Britt said. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she studied the white bump protruding from her brown skin.
“Are you alright?” Cal asked.
“Can we get you anything?” Flynn offered.
“I’ll be okay,” she said. “I hope.” She laughed, but no one else did. “I’m kidding. It is kind of funny, though. We traveled lightyears to explore a planet, and I get bit by an insect. We should have Agent Taylor teleport over some bug spray.”
The sky faded into a velvety black within a matter of minutes. Flynn suggested they start a fire to keep warm now that the heat from the sun had vanished. It would offer a source of light, too. It was a good idea. Commander Ahmadi and Sam pulled some supplies out of their utility belts and made a fire. The others huddled around it, rotating their hands back and forth while reveling in its warmth.
A gust of wind bellowed past them. There was a funny smell in the air, though they couldn’t put their fingers on what it was. It was both awful and familiar. The ground quaked beneath them. Cal’s chest tightened. It was clear to her what was going on, but Sam was the only one brave enough to voice aloud what everyone else was thinking.
“I don’t think that’s wind,” Sam said.
“Run!” Commander Ahmadi shouted.
Leaving the fire burning, the five of them jumped to their feet and fled in the same direction from which they came. It was like they were trying to run faster than their own legs could sustain. They kept losing their balance, falling and tripping as the surface shook. Sam grabbed the commander’s arm, trying to help keep him steady. While the magnetic force had weakened, it was still enough to keep Commander Ahmadi from running at full speed. A thundering roar was accompanied by another blast of warm air. Cal looked over her shoulder, and she screamed at what she saw. Commander Ahmadi, Sam, Flynn and Britt checked, too. Their jaws hung open.
They had not been trekking up a mountain. They had been climbing a winged creature the size of a mountain.
The creature turned its ginormous head and screeched. The gust from its howl put out the fire on its back that the crew had abandoned. They coughed as smoke was sent soaring in their direction. It filled their lungs. Cal’s eyes watered. She blinked as fast as she could in an attempt to produce enough tears to rinse the smoke from her eyes.
Not far in front of them, the silky red surface lifted from what they had thought was the ground. It was then that they realized they were running toward the beast’s wing, which had begun to flap. They huddled down together, grasping onto what they now knew to be large, thick red feathers.
“Hold on,” Commander Ahmadi screamed. As if they had to be told.
Cal wouldn’t be able to keep her grip much longer. The mountainous being soared into the sky. Tornado-like winds gusted past each time it flapped its wings. The sun rose again, which was surprising considering the short stretch of time that had passed. Cal appreciated that she could now see, but she wished she could see anything but this. The alien planet was aglow in hazy pink.
The beast reached such incredible heights that the crewmembers could see the actual surface of Prixine, which was covered in the same moss they had walked across before reaching what they thought was a mountain.
The creature soared toward the magnetic bubbles. The five of them held on as tight as they could as it swooped down and wrapped its gigantic talons around the Stellix. Sam cursed as it ripped the ship from the planet’s magnetic pull.
The beast flapped its wings as it soared above Prixine.
This was how she was going to die, Cal thought. She was sure of it.
It made a sharp turn and glided over a sapphire body of water.
There was a tremendous splash. Water shot high into the air, and it rained upon them. There was no doubt about what had made that sound. Their spaceship had been dropped into the depths below.
The five of them didn’t have to say a word to one another. They knew what they had to do if they had any hope of escaping this planet. Commander Ahmadi shouted something, almost inaudible over the blistering wind, and at the same time, the five of them let go of the beast and fell.
Cal tumbled down, gagging on gulps of air as she descende
d toward the blue abyss. Through the corner of her eye, she spotted one of her comrades—they were flailing too much for her to tell which one—and she noticed their helmet was on. Her heart almost stopped. She’d forgotten to activate her suit. She fought against the rushing air and reached for the insignia on her chest. She pressed it.
The deafening wind halted. A helmet sealed around Cal’s head before she was thrust deep into the water. A light shined in the darkness to little effect.
There was no sign of the others. She looked up as she propelled her body in the direction of the surface. Cal wrestled her way up to the top until her head bobbed above the water. She was grateful for Agent Hendrix’s clever suit design. She had to remember to thank him for thinking of making the bottommost layer shock-absorbent.
She treaded in circles, searching for a sign, any sign, that the others had survived the fall. She hoped their suits had protected them, too.
She saw nothing. No ripples to signal they were swimming to the surface. No bubbles evidencing their helmets hadn’t sealed and they were struggling for air.
Cal panicked.
What if they were dead? Was she the sole living human left on Prixine? How would she get home?
Her emotions were about to get the best of her when Sam’s head popped up out of the water. Flynn, Britt and Commander Ahmadi came to the surface as well.
“Oh my God,” Cal said to herself in disbelief and appreciation that her comrades were alive.
Sam swam to her and wrapped an arm around her, treading water with the other. “Are you okay?”
“Ha,” Cal laughed. “I’m alive. That’s good enough for me. Are you okay?”
“I am now.” He pulled her close. He wanted to kiss her. She wanted to kiss him, too, and she would have were it not for their helmets. Cal couldn’t hold back her tears. She was so grateful she and the others had survived that terrible fall. Sam interlocked his fingers with hers, and they both looked to the sky. The winged beast had vanished.
Cal and Sam swam toward the rest of the group.
“Are you ready?” Commander Ahmadi asked.
“For what?” Cal said.