Intrinsic: Book One of the Terran Cycle

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  Kalian was surprised at his own emotions. Instead of looking up in fear as he once would, he now only saw the bastard responsible for the death of his world. Li’ara was the first to react with a sweeping attack from the ground, attempting to take out the looming figure’s legs. Before she could make contact the armoured figure threw out its hand in Li’ara’s direction, without even looking at her. The resulting action defied physics as she was flung across the floor by seeming invisible strings. Except Kalian knew very well there were no strings involved. Her momentum only stopped when she crashed into the wall with a bone-breaking sound.

  The figure crouched down and picked Kalian up with one hand bringing him to eye level. Kalian desperately wrestled with the metallic grip, gasping for precious air. His peripheral vision caught Uthor charging at them as he lunged to take down the armoured figure. The entire stadium gasped as Uthor changed direction in mid-air and was instead pulled towards the goliath. He landed on his knees at the foot of the monster before it reached down and gripped his shoulder. The sound of rock being crushed was just audible below Uthor’s cry of pain. The goliath made no further move, simply pinning the High Charge on his knees.

  As one the surrounding guards on their high walkway aimed at both aggressors. Kalian didn’t even have time to contemplate the fact that he was most certainly about to die. The triangle was filled with blue flashes and the smell of ozone as dozens of shots impacted at once. Kalian instinctively closed his eyes, not that it would save him from plasma burns. It took him several seconds before realising he was still alive. He was amazed at seeing every shot dissipate like fireworks all around him. Most of the shots hit the figure gripping him but didn’t so much as singe the armour. Whatever it was doing, it was mostly protecting him from the stray shots. Looking over he could see the same was happening to the goliath and Uthor.

  Over the sound of the gun fire Kalian was sure he could hear laughter coming from inside the helmet. This deranged thing was actually enjoying itself. The dark figure extended its free hand like it was gripping an invisible ball. Kalian heard a faint pulse burst from the hand as the epicentre sparked momentarily in the palm. At once all the weapons fire stopped, with their users looking puzzled at the malfunction. Still extended, it raised the same hand into the air and lifted the guards as it did. The display was undeniably an incredible feat of telekinesis. The guards thrashed around kicking their legs towards the floor as they floated above. Each of them looked shocked and terrified at the invisible hand lifting them. The stadium was silent at the extraordinary sight, only the hovering cameras could be heard as they recorded the action.

  Kalian felt like there was something obvious staring him in the face. Something he was missing because of the shock. He could feel it gnawing at him. Something out of place, something alien yet familiar.

  The hand suddenly clenched into a fist and the floating guards were imploded mid air. Their limbs shot into their bodies at awkward angles, with bone tearing through flesh and organs pouring out into a mess on the polished floor. Their screams had been momentary before they were all dead. Dropping the armoured hand the floating bodies dropped as well, crashing back into the walkway above. Blood flowed over the sides like droplets of rain.

  The stadium erupted in terror as hundreds of people tried to fit through the passageways at once. The two statues made no move to stop them; they just continued to watch the one holding him. Kalian looked around and saw Li’ara trying to stand with what looked like a broken arm or a dislocated shoulder. Her pain filled him with an anger he hadn’t felt before, it consumed his every thought and feeling. Where his mind couldn’t find the words his body found the subsequent reaction.

  His hand burnt red hot as he felt it pulling at something that wasn’t there. He looked down to see a swirling pattern of light quickly coalescing into a ball of molten light. The air crackled around his arm, becoming distorted like heat waves in a desert. The strange sight did nothing for his new found rage as he pushed out with his hand, firing the heated ball into his captor. The explosion was limited only to them as it flung them both in opposite directions. Kalian landed several metres away, closer to the door they came through. His vision doubled slightly as Telarrek and Ilyseal crouched over him.

  He looked across to see the armoured figure had been thrown into the goliath smashing them both into the podium. Uthor was using his good arm to crawl away as thick golden blood seeped from five finger holes in his shoulder. Kalian’s attention shifted to the stabbing pain in his left hand. Inspecting it now he was dismayed to see the second degree burn across his palm and finger tips. The shock would wear off soon and the pain would increase dramatically.

  Telarrek helped him up as Li’ara put her good arm around him and supported herself. Her eyes moved from his burnt hand to the smoking rubble at the base of the podium.

  “We’ll have to add that to the list...” Telarrek and Ilyseal only appeared confused. Before either could explain an unexpected laughter erupted from the smoking pile.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve been hit by one of those.” The black clad figure rose from the smoking crater, along with the hulking goliath. The voice was altered as the helmet filtered the sound. That’s when Kalian realised what had been staring him in the face. The hand that had gripped him, the hand that had killed the guards...

  They were human hands.

  As if confirming his thoughts, the figure strode across the clearing with the helmet parting into various sections and becoming one with the armour.

  A very human looking face stared back at them.

  “Do you not recognise your own kin?” His voice was strong like a veteran commander with a hint of intelligence behind his pronunciation. He walked over with his arms out stretched as if he posed no threat. His face was clean shaven, as was his head with the exception of two dark braids of hair that ran above his left ear and fell over his armour. He had a distinct red tattoo in the shape of a fang below his right eye, both of which were crystal blue. He had a strong jaw line and perfect check bones; in fact all of his features appeared perfectly formed and symmetrical. Back on Earth he could have easily been a model or an actor. But his eyes had the look of a hunter with his prey in sight.

  Distant screams and explosions broke the tension as more of his kind burst through the outer walls and into the tower above and below them. They were no doubt causing the same kind of damage they did to the human fleet around Century.

  “You’ll have to forgive my brothers and sisters, we have travelled a great distance to find you, and your petty fleets didn’t provide them with much entertainment. The mind, like our muscles needs its exercise, does it not?” He paced the triangular clearing like a beast taunting its food. He noticed Kalian eyeing the goliath behind as it stood completely motionless. “Don’t worry about him; he obeys my commands as though they were his own thoughts. I came here to end the last Terran life myself.” The armoured gauntlet covering his hand parted like the helmet retreating into the arm. He flexed his free hand as though it were the first time. “Know this Kalian Gaines; your death will have meaning. As I squeeze the life from you, the cycle of your kind will finally end.” For a moment he seemed to look beyond all of them as if he were seeing another world. In a mocking tone he whispered, “We are forever...” There was hatred in those words.

  “Who are you?” Kalian asked.

  “I am, Savrick.”

  Everything had erupted into chaos around Roland. Thankfully the two, whatever they were, landed a few hundred metres away around the stadium. He saw the occupants of those seats become buried under the rubble of their impact. Not to mention the falling glass that cut several members of the audience to ribbons.

  Amid the mad scramble of everyone trying to flee, he glimpsed another two drop from above and land in the central triangle. He felt everyone pushing him aside as they jumped over rows of seats taking no care as to whether they were occupied or not. At first he wasn’t sure what the alarm meant, in fact he hadn’t
been sure what anything meant. From the conversation taking place below he had only understood what the two humans were saying. They had mentioned some kind of attack but were not referring to Alpha, although when they did, he wondered who they were to have clearance about such operations. As hard as it was to believe, he had come to the conclusion that these two individuals were not members of the terraforming expedition. But what attacks were they talking about? And how the hell did they get here?

  Instead of heading for the exit with the thousands of others, he tried to force his way down to the podium level. He didn’t know who these new aliens were but they could take some damage if they could drop from such a height without the fear of death. He wasn’t sure how much his new boot accessories would protect him but he guessed it wouldn’t be as good as their armour.

  The crowd froze for a moment as everyone witnessed some kind of violence within the arena. Roland couldn’t see it over the large rock creature that obstructed his view, but everyone gasped after he heard the distinct yell of a woman. Whatever happened, it only spurred them on as the rock creature pushed multiple aliens aside in one stride. With that small clearing he managed to jump down two rows worth of steps before something small and chubby with mechanical headgear knocked him over.

  He rose to his feet convinced he must have hit his head; he couldn’t be seeing what he thought he was seeing. After several others around him had similar expressions he knew it to be true, though he couldn’t explain it. All the guards surrounding the podium were floating ten feet in the air. Their deaths were quick but violent. He had never seen anything like it; their limbs just imploded into their bodies like someone had placed a black hole in their gut. He noticed a couple of aliens faint at the sight while others screamed in terror, frozen still.

  He stopped to check the other attackers but was only confused as they stood motionless. It occurred to him that they were most likely guarding the one in the centre who he could now see was holding the young man. Roland couldn’t help but notice the behemoth standing in front of the podium.

  Well aren’t you a big bastard...

  It was unnaturally big, bigger than any alien he had seen so far. It was actually subduing one of the rock creatures with one hand.

  As the broken guards dropped back to their posts he immediately took note of the guns attached to their waists. Now past the fleeing crowds, he was free to move onto the guard’s walkway and get a better look at what was going on. He crept onto the platform, though he was sure he couldn’t be heard over the crowds and the screams. It wasn’t long before he was in possession of two handguns with large rectangular barrels.

  He was again witness to something he couldn’t explain. The human man being held up by the armoured figure created some kind of light in his hand. A moment later he pushed into the attacker and blew the two apart.

  Well they’re dead...

  That was a given since they were so close to the explosion. He reasoned that the human must have been concealing a grenade. What he wouldn’t do for grenades. He made his way over to the arena door as the red head got her feet below him. She was injured; broken arm, maybe collar bone too. He was impressed with the man, he recovered quickly from what he was sure should have killed him.

  Laughter broke through the ruckus. Not just any laughter, he had heard that kind before. He had heard it from old enemies and targets from his past. It was always the ones who thought themselves untouchable, invincible and above reproach. When that laughter came from a being who had dropped half a mile like it was nothing and been blown into a wall, it gave Roland pause.

  The figure strode across the clearing as its headgear compacted into the suit. Roland wasn’t ready for the face underneath. The confusion of recent events combined with what he was now seeing gave him a headache. He couldn’t quite make out every word over the thousands of feet thundering around the stadium. The man was definitely human as he was speaking central, but he only caught the odd word and got the impression he was making threats.

  In his assessment things were only going to escalate. He had to act now or they would most likely be dead in the next sixty seconds. There was that conscience again.

  Kalian had been faced with death so many times in the last week he was becoming numb to the feeling of dread. His world had been up ended and thrust into a life of violence and destruction. He had never felt rage like he had at the sight of Li’ara being hurt. His hand was beginning to burn but his senses were being overridden by the tingling in his spine. He knew he faced death again and perceived this Savrick to be an even greater threat than the goliath.

  When Savrick came for him he would pour all of the power he felt building through his arms into the mad man. He wouldn’t let him hurt Li’ara again. Having seen Savrick’s abilities he doubted he could best him, but he didn’t need to. If he could just distract him long enough the others could escape. He tried to ignore the pain in his hand and concentrate on the image of Li’ara being flung into the wall. If he could find that rage again, maybe he could create the light again.

  Savrick closed the space between them, his eyes fixed on Kalian. He paused as Elondrasa rose from her seat in the podium.

  “You have no right to attack us or these humans, they have sought refuge within our borders and they will have it. Leave now and we will not bring the full weight of our combined fleets on you and your ship.” Kalian admired her courage. She stood up with nothing but words as her weapon against a foe who had already demonstrated a greater power. Savrick slowly turned on the spot to face the Highclave, who all looked very sheepish.

  “You are advanced, Novaarian; your society is remarkable, and it is truly a great feat to have brought so many cultures under one roof.” His face turned sour. “But you are a shadow of the world we have left behind. If you could see how primitive you are compared to those left in our wake, you would tremble at my feet and beg for the chance to evolve as we have.” Kalian was desperate to find the meaning behind Savrick’s words, but feared he would be dead before he got any answers. A movement above him caught his eye. There was a strange person crawling along the gantry in what looked to be a large coat and helmet.

  Elondrasa took a breath to protest more before Savrick raised his unsheathed hand. As his hand lifted, so did the councillor. She gasped as her long legs kicked out to find the floor; she looked to her fellow councillors for help and watched as they sank into their seats. Savrick flipped his raised hand sending the Novaarian councillor flying into the empty seats behind the podium. At the same moment her body crashed into the chairs the archway behind Kalian opened up to reveal Namek with his staff in hand and a small ball in the other. Telarrek and Ilyseal reacted to the sight quicker than he or Li’ara did. They moved aside allowing him space to enter whilst guiding the two humans back through the doorway.

  Namek’s movements were swift and clearly rehearsed as he flicked his upper arm to the side releasing the ball. This action instantly caught Savrick’s attention as he swivelled round to face them. But it was already too late. The ball had stuck to the wall and activated with a high pitched hum.

  Everything happened at once after that. Savrick was immediately pulled into the wall on which the ball was stuck. The force and speed was impressive as he became a blur of dark armour. The wall crumpled under the impact as he remained lodged above the floor. The other three acted at once with the statuesque guards jumping through the air, aiming for the podium. The goliath looked at its master before making giant strides towards them. Telarrek and Ilyseal gripped both Kalian and Li’ara pushing them through the archway, Li’ara grunted as she held back the scream of Ilyseal’s hand around her injured shoulder.

  The stranger from the gantry dropped down in front of them alongside Namek. Kalian could hear him shouting as he fell while firing two handguns at the approaching goliath. The shots were absorbed by the armour and did nothing to stop it, though that didn’t seem to stop him from shooting. Before landing he appeared to slow down just before reaching the
floor allowing him to keep his balance after such a drop. Kalian would have stopped to think about this new ally had he not been running for his life, again.

  The six of them ran through the connecting corridors until they found themselves back at the yellow vehicle. Ilyseal jumped an impossible distance for any human as she landed in the driver’s seat. Telarrek scooped Li’ara up into his arms as though she weighed no more than a child. Kalian thought again how serious their situation was when she made no protest to being handled that way. Once all in the vehicle, the new stranger jumped into the back seat and kept his guns levelled at the doorway.

  “What was that?” Kalian asked.

  “Gravity bomb,” was Namek’s only reply, his lip raised above one of his fangs in the Novaarian equivalent of a smirk.

  “Get us out of-” the stranger’s augmented voice was cut off as Ilyseal engaged the vehicles maximum thrust. They were ejected from the stadium, the G forces pushing them back into their seats. The goliath burst through the door bringing the frame and surrounding wall with it. The stranger released several blue shots, each one hitting its mark but causing no damage.

  Ilyseal banked the vehicle sharply before entering into a dive, trying to avoid another armoured attacker that flew off one of the great rings. It just missed them with his finger tips scratching the back of the car. The ride was sickening as they were pinned into their seats hurtling down the tower.

  “Activating grav enforcers.” Ilyseal’s words were followed by a change of inertia. Despite their direction, gravity was not pulling them towards the diving front of the car. Ilyseal continued to manipulate the holographic domes in the console, in a bid to avoid debris and wayward attackers. An explosion to their right made her change course so they were no longer weaving between the floating platforms. They banked hard along a platform that resembled a giant park with forests and streams. The car flew low over an expansive lake kicking up waves of water behind them, weaving between falling debris and the occasional person as they impacted the lake.