Helium Fall

by Darren Robison

  "He did not survive."

  Delack let out a wail, catching Tayana off guard. She quickly backed away keeping her sword pointed at him. She reached for her bow and Delack saw her.

  "Please, I am not going to attack. I grieve the loss of my brother. Greack was my older and meant a lot to me. He was a soldier turned miner and my mentor."

  "I am sorry for your loss. I did not mean to interpret your wail as an attack; however, it did startle me. I do not know you, nor you, me. I see you are injured and I will assist you if you assist me. No harm will come to you if you keep your word not to harm me or anyone else."

  "You have my word."

  Tayana kept her sword close and helped Delack up and out of the bunker into the daylight. "What are these and what do they cure?" She held out the bag of medications and Delack looked inside?

  “They are an assortment of minor healing aids. One will stop bleeding, another will stop fluids from escaping your facial orifices, and this one will bring you to a deep, restful sleep."

  "Will any bring you back to life from a deep sleep you cannot awake from, when sweating with a high fever?"

  "No, none of them will do those things. We were to be here a short time and then move on. We had no need of serious medical supplies."

  Tayana's anger towards Sam grew by the minute. "Do you have means to travel?"

  "No."

  “Can you walk a long distance or do you require help?"

  "I will require help. We are not a civilization of walkers. I am afraid my injuries will overtake me if I was to take on a journey in this condition."

  Tayana sized him up and ran to a nearby pile of tree branches. She chopped and hacked at them with a vengeance. When she was done she gathered vines and remembered seeing some animal hides in the bunker. Once everything was gathered, she fashioned a sled out of the long branches, binding them together with the vines. She covered the center with the hides from the bunker creating a comfortable, but crude seat for Delack. She attached the whole thing to her C-Rex, pointed to the sled, and motioned for Delack to have a seat. He reluctantly obliged. "The ride will be bumpy and long but you will not have to walk. You can lie back and rest. I will pull you to my village where my healers will look at you."

  "Thank you! I am in your debt."

  The trip back to the village was long. Delack relaxed the best he could considering he was being dragged on a crude sled behind a large chicken-like creature, ridden by a warrior woman in a black scaled tunic with dark feathers who wielded a bow and a sword. His life was truly in her hands and he knew it.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sam and Eliot finished their processing and the remaining bots were loaded and secured into their docks. The flight to the village seemed to take forever. Sam was excited to tell Grant what happened and how they manufactured the part and everything else that happened since he passed out.

  Nearing the village Sam got a feeling something was not right. He boosted the engines. "Eliot, land the shuttle quickly. I fear there has been a development in our absence. I think Grant is in serious trouble." Sam never experienced this kind of feeling before and was not sure if it was him being wiggy or if there really was something wrong with Grant. A few minutes later Eliot landed the shuttle. Sam bounded out and ran directly to the med pod. "How is he?"

  The look on the Salbola and Emara's faces said it all, "He is not well. We cannot bring him out of sleep and his fever will not subside."

  "I have to take him to the Ebony Belle, now. Help me get him in the shuttle."

  Salbola said, "I fear we may be too late, Sam. Unless your technology is far more advanced than ours, he will not survive much longer."

  Sam looked at them and said, "Let's move now!" They gingerly lifted Grant from the bed and carried him toward the waiting shuttle.

  "Eliot, have the bay doors open and be ready to take off for the Ebony Belle as soon as the doors close."

  "Yes, Sam."

  Sam asked, "Would you like to assist me aboard the Ebony Belle?"

  Salbola said, "Yes, we would very much like to be part of his continued healing." The ramp to the bay was down and ready when they arrived.

  "Take him to sick bay over there, there are two beds, pick either one and strap him in. You might want to strap yourselves in, too." Sam was about to hit the button to close the bay doors when he saw someone coming his way. It looked like Tayana and she was dragging something behind her?

  "We are ready for lift off."

  "Hold Eliot, I think Tayana is coming this way and it looks like she packed for a month long trip. Women!"

  "There are two life forms, Sam. One is Tayana the other is unidentified."

  Sam quickly ran to the armory. He grabbed a pistol and his trusty rifle. Tayana was closing the distance at a good pace and Sam was glad to see her. As she got closer he wasn't sure what was wrong, but her face was curled up in a snarl and she had fire in her eyes. Whoever was with her was in serious trouble for her to look that angry. Sam and Tayana connected mentally just enough for him to figure out Tayana was angry at him, not the life form with her. He sensed she was after his soul. She was so angry with him she wasn't going to stop until she nearly took his life. Sam prepared and stepped out from the shuttle. He began yelling when she was in earshot, but she was yelling too, so they cancelled each other out.

  Each time he tried, she would yell, too. "Damn it woman, shut the hell up!"

  At the same time Tayana yelled, "Your ass is mine you swine!" She urged her C-Rex even faster. Sam could tell it had been a long ride as the C-Rex was slowing on his own though she kept spurring it to go faster. Sam sensed she was after his hide and there was most likely nothing he could do to dissuade her from her wrath. When she reined her ride to a halt directly in front of him and jumped off before it had come to a complete stop, Sam knew there was only one thing to do. "Grant’s in the med room, he needs you!"

  She ran towards him and slapped him hard as she passed, never missing a step.

  He turned and yelled at her, "Strap in!" Tayana had not informed him she had a passenger and Sam nearly blasted him when he climbed out of the sled. With his gun pointed at Delack's head he said, "Stop, not another step!"

  From behind him he heard, "He's with me, let him in!"

  Sam lowered his weapon and motioned for him to enter. "Strap in! Let's go, Eliot." With the bay doors closing behind him Sam made his way to the bridge and locked the door behind him. He didn't need a crazy woman sneaking up behind him and slitting his throat while he was concentrating on getting Grant to the Ebony Belle.

  "Twenty minutes to the ship."

  "Thank you, Eliot." There were times Sam was glad Eliot was emotionless and didn't give a flip about his current state of affairs. He was always the same and right now, it was comforting.

  "What the hell is going on?"

  Eliot began to answer. Sam cut him off, "Sorry, Eliot, it was a rhetorical question. With everything going on, I'm confused. Grant is slipping away, Tayana is a raging mad woman, there is an alien in my lab bay, and we're headed to the Ebony Bell with all of them plus two healers. Can my day get any weirder? Don't answer. Please, don't answer."

  The trip would take another fifteen minutes so Sam decided to take a power nap. He needed to get some rest and he was sure he was not going to get any once they returned to the ship.

  Eliot took it upon himself to intercede for Sam. He piloted the ship while Sam napped. He addressed the three Antayan's, "Hello, I am the ship's artificial intelligence EL-10T, please call me Eliot."

  Not see who was speaking, Tayana and the healers hit the deck as quickly as they could move. Emara, fearful there were spirits on the ship, was terrified. Salbola cowered in the corner looking for the intruder and shook with fear. Tayana, sword in hand, was prepared for a fight.

  Tayana mustered up the courage to speak, "Where are you? Show yourself!" I am unable to show myself at this time. I am part of the Ebony Belle and not a living being." The three were even more terrifi
ed now. A non-living being was speaking to them and claiming to be part of the ship.

  Salbola whispered to Tayana, "What devilry is this?"

  Eliot tried a different approach, "I am not a spirit and I am not going to harm you in any way. I am a friend of Grant and Sam's, we work together. I am currently in a different part of the ship talking to you over the ships inter-communications system." Their fear eased and Eliot directed them to return to their seats. He would explain more to them, if they were willing.

  They sensed no harm would come to them, but with great trepidation returned to their seats. All were ready to bolt again if the need arose.

  "Tayana, Sam picked up the survey bots and then came directly for Grant."

  Emboldened by the knowledge no harm would come to them Tayana engaged Eliot in conversation. "But he did not tell me he was leaving. When I arrived to tell him about Grant, he was gone. What was I supposed to do? I thought he had abandoned Grant and left for the ship alone."

  "He has great care for Grant and would never abandon him. He did what he had to do to make things right so he could leave your world and bring Grant back to health. You cannot fault him."

  "I want to harm him anyway. He wasn't where he was supposed to be. I ran into another alien, who is now aboard this vessel."

  The Emara gasped in horror and Salbola voiced his opinion, "Why is there an alien on this vessel? How do you know he will not try to kill us as we sleep? This is bad protocol, Tayana, even for you."

  "Mind your station, Salbola. I would not make a rash decision and put our lives in jeopardy. You know me much better. It brings me no joy you think I have made a mistake in forming an alliance with this creature from another world."

  "But he has killed many of our people. He has tried to kill Grant on two separate occasions, have you forgotten?"

  "Again, and for the last time, mind your station."

  Sam's voice came over the intercom, "We will be docking in five minutes, stay secured in your seats. I will let you know when you can move about."

  "Take us in, Eliot. Can you remotely fire up the Belle and have her ready when we get Grant to the med room?"

  "Yes, I can and will."

  “Pump up the gas levels two degrees so the healers and Tayana are comfortable breathing our air. You might add some sleeping meds to the mix too, so she will calm down. Just kidding Eliot, do not do that, yet."

  He could feel the shuttle docking with the Belle and knew it was safe to unbuckle. He headed to the lab bay to tend to his guests. When he arrived he was glad to see everyone was still strapped in.

  "Salbola, Emara, bring Grant and follow me. Table and all, it will float if you grab the green handle.

  Tayana, bring your friend and follow us, and don't grab anything green." It was not a request it was a command. Sam was in no mood for any crap from anyone.

  Once crammed into the lift, Sam directed it to take them to level five, stat. The lift was silent, smooth and fast. There was a ding and the doors slid open. "To the left and three doors down on the right."

  "Eliot, is the med room ready?"

  "Yes."

  "Good. Increase the temperature five degrees please, then another five degrees in twenty minutes. No need to freeze us out of here so soon."

  Sam heard the gentle hiss of the air handlers moving the air he requested. Sitting in space for a month, the Belle was quite cold, as expected when a ship is in hibernation. They entered the med room and the light automatically came on. Tayana and the healers were impressed and mystified at what sort of magic might be at play to make the lights act in such a manner.

  "Place Grant in the room over by the wall and put our mystery guest, over here, in this room." Sam pointed to his right; Tayana escorted Delack to the room. Her look wasn't as severe as earlier and Sam detected some remorse, but he wasn't in the mood to talk with her about whatever set her off, causing her to slap him.

  He went to Grant's room first and positioned him under the healing apparatus, pushed a few buttons and scanned Grant's hand so the device could read his ID imbedded between his thumb and index finger. The healing table immediately began its analysis.

  "The initial analysis will take about fifteen minutes. I can explain more to you in the conference room. Eliot, please direct them to the conference room. I need to check on our other guest. You can go over there and wait for me."

  Sam entered the room containing the mystery guest. "What is your issue, alien?" Sam snapped.

  "I am Delack."

  "I did not ask you your name; I asked you what your issue is. I need to set the apparatus to scan you, so I need to know what it needs to look for. You are not of Earth so I will have to give it some specific instructions on how to proceed with its analysis."

  "I have been pierced in my midsection and one of my limbs was torn off. I cannot regenerate my limbs like other Anotokians."

  “Where are you from, Delack?”

  “I am from the planet Anotoke; it is a large planet over one hundred and twenty million miles from here.”

  Sam continued programming the machine to analyze Delack. “Unknown species, midsection, and appendages. Come over here and lie on the table. The apparatus will analyze you the best it can and determine the best course of care for you. Will you be a threat to me? Do I have to strap you to this table or will you follow my directions?"

  "I have no fight in me."

  Sam nodded and then realized, he was talking to an alien, in English. "How can you understand me and speak my language?" From behind him Tayana began to speak. He held up his hand to stop her. "Go ahead, Delack, explain."

  "There is a biologic on the world below with the ability to translate languages. It has made its way into my ears and now translates your language to mine and mine to yours, fascinating isn't it?"

  "Yes it is. I have a similar substance in my ears doing the same thing for me, thanks to Tayana."

  Tayana smiled at the mention of her name. Sam did not return the smile, nor did he acknowledge her.

  "Lay very still, Delack. The device will do all of the work and it will signal me when the testing is complete." Delack nodded, laid his head back and closed his eyes.

  Sam led the way to the conference room conference room knowing there would be lots of questions, he was not wrong.

  "Sam, will Grant be healed? Will Delack recover from his wounds? Is this how your whole world lives?"

  "All right, I know this is new to some of you, well, all of you. Grant and Delack are being analyzed so the healing process can begin. I will receive notification when the scan is complete. When the scan is complete the healing will commence on its own. If it is unsure how to proceed it will notify me and I will determine how to proceed. I do not know if they will be healed or survive. We will know in about ten minutes."

  "No, this is not how we live in our world, Grant and I are scientists. We travel the universe seeking out new worlds, looking for life, materials, and resources. This is our ship the Ebony Belle. She is the newest ship in our fleet and Grant and I were commissioned to pilot it into outer space. This is our home away from home. It is equipped with everything we need for the long journey we have undertaken. We have a food synthesizer that creates whatever food we desire, a pool for exercise and recreation, a fitness center, a barber shop, and our very own theatre."

  The puzzled looks on their faces told Sam they had little to no idea what he was talking about. "Come on, let me show you."

  They exited the conference room and Sam led them to the lift. He pressed the call button, "I hope you're ready for this." The doors opened

  A moment later and they filed in.

  "Level two, please." The lift doors closed with a small wisp of air and silently descended to their destination. The doors opened upon their arrival and Sam gestured for them to step out. All three stepped out and stood motionless. With a smile, Sam said, "Welcome to the grand lobby. Visitors and dignitaries enter here for meetings and festivities."

  Tayana, Emara, and Sa
lbola gazed around the room with their mouths hanging open. The white walls shimmered behind the framed pictures and the deep burgundy and grey decor. It was unlike anything they had seen before. "Make yourselves at home and explore for a minute."

  The pictures on the walls fascinated Emara and Salbola. "How can they hold their pose for so long?"

  "The photos are a representation of the actual person or place. They are not physically there now, but they were when the photo was taken. We will delve into that at a later time. Let's continue the tour.

  Sam led the down the bench lined corridor to the lobby of the entertainment area. "Beyond these doors is another world, brace your selves."

  Salbola and Emara huddled close, afraid of what awaited on the other side. They gasped as he opened the doors. "This is amazing!" Salbola's eyes were wide with wonder. He ran out onto the field; fell to the ground, and lie back looking up at the stars through the clear panels in the ceiling. "Am I in heaven? How can such a thing be in a ship flying through space? There is real grass in here, and soil, and plants. Is there a small sun as well?" He was lost in his own little dream world.

  The area was a regulation football field on Earth. In one corner was a large pool and close by was the workout center and fitness room.

  Emara headed straight to the pool. Its crystal clear water captivated her imagination. "I do not understand this, but I'm happy it's here."

  Tayana seemed lost in her own world, too.

  Sam wondered if she was imagining her and Grant running and chasing each other through the open field and frolicking in the pool alone.

  Sam interrupted their day dreaming by chirping on Sam's com.

  "Grant and Delack's scans are complete. I'll check on them. You can stay here if you choose or you can come with me, we can return later."

  They followed Sam back to the lift.

  When they got to the med room Delack was moaning. He called out to Sam, "You did not inform me this device would stick me, and take blood and tissue samples."