Dark Moon Rising

by Michael E. Gonzales

  "Hugh?" Larry said, about to ask the obvious question.

  "I'm told that the power to the lighting is out here, that glow we see to our right is the direction we want to go."

  They trotted toward the light. "Where is this leading us?" Larry asked.

  "You're not gonna like it."

  They ran to another set of stairs and ascended farther, an additional fifteen stories. They stopped to rest at the exit.

  Larry panted as he lay down on the floor. "I thought I was in good shape. Man, you're remarkable. You haven't even broken a sweat."

  Hugh lay on his back and looked over at Larry. "Well, I've benefited from solid Army training."

  Eventually, Larry stood, but bent over with his hands on his knees.

  "Let's just walk awhile. What do you say?" Hugh asked.

  "You got a deal. So Hugh, besides that little climb, what is it I'm not going to like?"

  "I asked The Nine to show me all possible routes back to the globe room. They showed me five. Four entail a considerable amount of walking rerouted around damaged and impassable areas that would take us hours to complete. One, however, is a significant time saver."

  They climbed yet more steps. At last, they exited into a large, dimly lit room. Larry followed Hugh across to a single door that Hugh slid open with one hand. Larry heard the roaring sound before he saw what waited beyond. They entered into the side of a rectangular room three meters tall, five wide, and so long that the far end vanished into the mists. The floor they stood on was a balcony, mounted to the side of the wall. To their left was a low opening in the solid wall that ran the length of the room, barely visible for the massive quantities of water gushing out of it. The water filled the room beneath them and flowed rapidly through it to their right where there was no wall at all. The water rushed over the edge and plummeted down out of sight.

  "This is the top of that giant waterfall, isn't it?" Larry shouted above the din.

  Hugh nodded.

  "You want us to jump?"

  Hugh nodded again. "I told you—"

  "That I wouldn't like it. Oh, buddy, this is way beyond dislike. I hate this idea."

  "Secure anything you don't want to lose."

  "Like my life?"

  "I suggest we—"

  "Hugh, from this height we'll plunge deep into the pool at the bottom."

  "The Nine tells me it's deep enough."

  "You sure you trust them?"

  Hugh paused but a moment. "Of course."

  "One other thing," Larry added. "I don't swim."

  "You'll learn. Besides, I'll be right there and I'm a great swimmer."

  "Of course you are." Larry looked over the balcony at the roaring current and watched as it cascaded over the ledge into oblivion. "I know we only have one sixth the gravity up here but...how fast will we be falling?"

  "There's an equation used to find the gravitational acceleration in different places," Hugh responded. "There is a constant, called the universal gravitational constant, which is equal to six point six, seven times ten to the eleventh—"

  "Never mind, I'm sorry I asked."

  "Follow me, we'll run and leap toward the precipice away from the wall. I will guide you down. We'll want to stay centered.

  "This is important, we have to hit the water feet first. Here's what you must do; keep your feet together and put one hand over your crotch. Tuck your chin down and with your other arm tightly across your chest hold your nose to keep water from bursting into your nasal cavity. And clench your buttocks together tightly—trust me on that one."

  "I don't think that's going to be a problem. Let's go before I chicken out," Larry said, wide-eyed.

  "One last thing. I need the E-COM." Larry unzipped his pocket and handed it to Hugh.

  "Mary."

  "I'm here Hugh."

  "If, in fifteen minutes you don't hear from us, come to the rainforest room and look in the pool at the bottom of the big waterfall," he turned off the device and returned it to Larry.

  "Ah...perhaps you should keep it," Larry said, and swallowed.

  "Naw. Secure it and let's go. Shall I count to three?"

  "No. Just give me a push."

  Hugh pulled Larry by his arm, and then ran toward the edge of the balcony to the point where everything ended. They hit the water and Hugh jerked Larry to the surface. The inexorable current washed the two quickly over the edge of the fall. Larry started to flail his arms and legs and he started to scream. Hugh jerked him over and hugged him tightly, shouting in his ear, "Do as I do, and live."

  Hugh watched as Larry tried to assume the position he had described before they jumped. Larry tried, but still he wanted to tumble. Hugh grabbed Larry and molded him into position. Hugh was counting and watching below them. There was little to see in the mist.

  They impacted the water hard. Instantly, Hugh began to swim upward. Larry, however, had ridden the fall down into the depths of the lake. Hugh turned in the water and plunged down after him. Larry was disoriented and apparently close to panicking. Hugh grabbed him by the back of the collar and pulled. Initially, Larry struggled against Hugh, but quickly relaxed. Hugh kicked the water faster and finally broke the surface. He heard Larry gasp for breath.

  Hugh pulled Larry to the water's edge, and they crawled out onto the moss-covered floor. Larry was panting hard, sucking in air in huge gulps. Hugh removed the E-COM from Larry's pocket and called Mary. "Mary, we made it, and are headed your way."

  "Made what? What did you do?" she asked.

  Larry grabbed the E-COM from Hugh and gasped into it, "He's a hero again."

  "Knock that off!" Hugh said sternly. "Mary, sit tight, we'll see you soon."

  Hugh pulled Larry to his feet and aided him toward the hallway. Larry was dripping and his knees and hands were shaking. He turned and looked back at the great cataract. Hugh paused a moment then asked, "Are you all right?"

  "I never want to forget this," Larry said. He slung the water from his arms and turned to Hugh. Larry was still sucking air through his mouth, and his entire body was now shaking like a leaf. "Thanks, man."

  Hugh grinned and slapped him on the back. "You're welcome. You'd do the same for me."

  "No, Hugh, I don't think I'd ever suggest we throw ourselves off a cliff."

  Shortly, Hugh, supporting Larry, who was still overcome by the ordeal, entered the globe room and they both sprawled out on a couple of chairs. Mary and Balaji rushed to greet them.

  Mary grabbed Hugh and hugged him tightly. He seemed okay, but Larry was pale and shivering.

  "Are you all right, my friend?" Balaji asked Larry.

  "I just need a moment. Two things that scare me the most—falling from a great height and deep water—just threw me a surprise party."

  "Let's rest here for a while," Hugh suggested.

  "I think we'll all feel better if we eat a little," Mary said.

  As Mary retrieved rations and water, Balaji turned to Hugh. "Tell her!"

  "What? Now?"

  "Yes. Suppose you had not survived this trip? Do you expect me to tell her?"

  "If I just disappear, you don't have to tell her a thing."

  "Hugh, this is wrong, you must tell her."

  "I will, I promise, just not now. She needs to be in the proper state of mind to stay alive down here. Balaji, you know that."

  "I know the longer you wait, the greater her heartbreak will be if she is unaccepting."

  "You think she will be unaccepting?"

  "Are you more worried how this will affect you, or her?"

  "I'll tell her, Doc. I swear."

  Chapter 32

  As they all rested, Mary and Balaji ate and drank a little, but neither Hugh nor Larry had a thing. Larry said he'd had enough water for today.

  After a short nap, Hugh roused everyone. "Time to move," he said. "Well kids, we have everything we need. All we have to do is install this stuff, pick up our pilot, and we can leave."

  "No, we can't," Mary observed. "We can't
leave them behind."

  As they marched back toward Hotel Insularum, Mary returned to the subject of Bob and Stanley. "The idea of abandoning them here is unthinkable," Mary said, "despite what Dr. Whitmore has done. It's the job of the courts back home to decide his punishment. Not us."

  "Mary, an attempt to rescue Bob could take months and could cost more lives. We need to weigh the possibilities and our options," Hugh said.

  "No, Hugh," she replied, "we need only weigh right and wrong."

  It was almost seven hours later when they closed in on “home.” Hugh was checking their progress and ensuring that no surprises waited them around the next corner. Pixie was their scout. She was about fifty meters in front. So it was Pixie who saw him first causing Hugh, and then everyone following him, to stop.

  Hugh rushed back and gathered everyone together. "Bob is at the door to the hotel!" he told them, keeping his voice hushed.

  "What!" Larry exclaimed.

  "Pixie is looking at him right now. He's unconscious and bleeding, but still breathing."

  "Let's go!" Mary turned to leave, but Hugh grabbed her.

  "This could be a trap. Remember, Bob could be alive only as bait."

  "We can't just—"

  "Mary, we can't go rushing toward that door. Dr. Whitmore could very possibly be waiting there in ambush. I have Pixie looking around. Let's give her a few minutes. Everyone check your muskets." Hugh prepared his own alien weapon.

  Larry, Balaji, and Mary exchanged glances.

  "What's the matter, aren't you all loaded and primed?" Hugh asked.

  "Darling," Mary said slowly, "we are not soldiers. The first time I ever fired a gun was when you showed us how. Now, you're telling us we might have to shoot Dr. Whitmore? I don't know about the others, but I can't do it."

  "I hope there will be no shooting at all," Hugh said, looking at everyone. "But keep this in mind; he will not hesitate to shoot any, or all of us. If you're confronted, don't think, don't hesitate, just shoot. And remember, you've only got one shot."

  Loaded and primed, they spread out in the corridor and slowly made their way toward Bob.

  They were only five-and-a-half meters from Bob now. To Bob's right, their left, was the adjoining hallway. It was from here Hugh worried the attack would come.

  Hugh stopped everyone and they watched as Pixie returned to Bob. She drifted all around him, even behind him.

  "Hugh, what's happening?" Larry asked.

  "I'm checking to see if he's been booby trapped."

  Hugh then sent Pixie down the other hallway to their left looking for Whitmore.

  "Now, listen." Hugh turned to face everyone. "I don't like this one bit. It looks clear, but I am going up first, alone. The rest of you stay here." He looked at Mary. "And I mean all of you." With that, he handed Larry the alien weapon and took his musket, and then he cautiously approached Bob who was leaning against the door. On reaching him, Hugh checked him over, and then laid him flat on the floor. As he did, an expended chemical light stick rolled out from under Bob and came to rest against the wall.

  The door to the domicile opened and Hugh motioned everyone forward.

  "Larry, you watch the halls. Mary, you and Bal-ah-gee help me carry him inside." But it seemed Hugh did not need help, he scooped Bob up in his arms and carried him in. When all were in the door closed and sealed behind them.

  Hugh put Bob in an unused room. Mary brought in a container of water and a cloth, and she began to clean Bob's wounds.

  "None of his wounds are very serious, but he is dehydrated," Mary said as she worked. "He's covered in cuts, contusions, and abrasions — all very recent. His upper right arm has been bitten very seriously, and there's no doubt the bite is human."

  Hugh briefly examined Bob's injuries.

  They stepped outside the room and conferred about his condition.

  "I'd say he'd been in the fight of his life," Larry observed.

  "Fight?" Mary asked.

  "Yeah, those bruises are consistent with a struggle," Hugh noted. "Did you notice his forearms? Bruised when he held his arms up to shield his head; busted lip; both eyes blackened; he may even have bruised or cracked ribs."

  "And that nasty bite," Larry added. "Oh, yeah, my guess is a life and death struggle. I can't wait for him to wake up."

  "Do you think he may be suffering from internal injuries?" Balaji asked.

  "Hell, Doc, you're the doctor," Hugh said.

  "All these PhDs and not an MD among us," Balaji said.

  "We'll just have to keep an eye on him," Hugh concluded. "Let him rest. Try to encourage him to take little sips of water every few minutes. There is no telling when he'll be ready to talk to us."

  Mary put together a roster, two hours each for the next eight hours, then it would start over should Bob not awaken. Hugh's name was last.

  Mary insisted that everyone have time to sleep. Three days had passed; they had walked close to forty eight kilometers and been through some traumatizing events. They needed sleep. Balaji had the first watch over Bob, followed by Mary, then Larry who really needed the rest, and lastly, Hugh.

  Six hours later, Larry went to wake Hugh. There was no response at his door. Suspecting what was happening, Larry went through the front door outside to Zellat 43. Sure enough, Hugh was inside the ship, working.

  "Hugh," Larry called out as he advanced up the ramp.

  "Coming." Hugh started down the ramp.

  "Mary is going to have a fit, you know."

  "Why?"

  "You've been in here working instead of resting."

  "Listen, I have all the sensors in place and was just starting on this filter; we were losing a lot of time. And yes, Larry, I know it's my watch. Uh...we don't have to tell Mary about this, do we?"

  They returned to Bob's room and found him still asleep.

  "He’s managed to take in a little food and water," Larry said.

  "Any change?"

  "He's in and out of consciousness."

  "Okay. So, I’ll wake Mary in two hours," Hugh stated.

  "You wake everyone in two hours and we'll all go back to work."

  An hour-and-a-half later, Mary entered Bob's room. Hugh stood as she did. "Hey, you have half an hour to go," he whispered.

  "I couldn't sleep," she said, hugging him around his neck and kissing him. His arms slipped around her waist and they kissed passionately.

  Just then, a weak voice broke the moment. "I must have missed something."

  They both rushed to Bob's side. He smiled up at them. "I thought you two hated one another."

  "What gave you that idea?" Mary responded, smiling.

  Hugh went to the monitor and called everyone. "Bob's awake."

  Quickly, everyone gathered in Bob's room. Chairs bloomed out of the floor and they all took a seat. Bob ate some gruel and drank some water.

  "Hey, this stuff is great. Beats those wafers I was eating."

  "Bob," Mary said, "do you feel up to talking?"

  Bob sat up a little more in his bed, and then took another sip of water.

  "It's all a little blurry now, but...I remember finding Dr. Whitmore sitting on a rock outside after he'd run off from us all that first day here. He was really sorry for what he'd just said and done, and now he was embarrassed. That's when I contacted you on the E-COM and told you I was with him, that he was better and that we were going to just sit and wait. We sat there; quiet, for a long time. Then he turned to me, and out of the clear blue sky, demanded I give him the E-COM. I did, of course.

  “He stood and began to talk about this faith of which he was a blessed believer. He told me how the portal was opened with blood and kept open with war. He spoke of how the correct number of martyrs among the blessed believers was only one short of completing the prophecy, and how the world was ready to be cleansed and remade. He said that then the blessed believers would live forever in an absolute paradise. He said he was in possession of the key to paradise, but that the heretics would have to die.
I knew he meant all of you. He said you alone were preventing the creation of paradise. I think he was trying to convert me."

  "What happened next?" Hugh asked.

  "Understand, this speech of his took a lot longer than it sounds. At several points in his preaching, Joe's voice, coming from the E-COM, interrupted him. When Joe's footsteps could be heard coming down the tunnel, Dr. Whitmore pulled that giant gun out of his pocket and forced me into the rocks. When Joe showed up, Dr. Whitmore just...shot him."

  Bob rubbed his hands over his face. "Before we left, he grabbed an Ess-CEPS suit and smashed the rest. Then he made me gather up as much of the food and water as I could carry and he tried to destroy the rest. He grabbed the pack with the vials in it. From there, we started walking through spaces under this facility—between the spheres and cylinders. At last, we entered the place. I crawled in through a hole in the bottom, but Dr. Whitmore, dressed in that spacesuit, had to move to a larger opening just above where I climbed in, out into the light."

  "That's when The Nine saw him," Larry said.

  "We walked and walked," Bob continued. "It might have been for hours or for days, I couldn't tell.

  "At last, he sat me down and tied me to something. The room was dark, cold, and wet. I could just barely see a table and several box-like things.

  "He'd show up every once in a while. If I begged, he'd give me a bite to eat or a sip of water. Then one day, he left the E-COM on the table. Between my working the ropes or whatever he'd tied me with, and my weight loss, I was able to work my hands loose and contact you. He returned before I could tell you much, but at least you knew I was alive.

  "After that, it was just darkness. I tried to sleep as much as I could, but I was too hungry to sleep. Then he started moving me around, a different room every few days. I pretended to be weaker than I was and sick, as well. Then in order to speed up our moves, he started untying me completely. He figured I was too exhausted and starving to put up a fight, and too scared. I knew that to turn on him would mean my having to kill him or be killed by him. He was strong, well-fed, armed, and quite mad. Mad people are stronger than sane people are, you know. They can suffer more pain; do things sanity will not allow."