Eve gasped as the doors opened and the enormous Ferox spun around toward them, surprised. This creature, if given a chance, could kill them all with little effort. She was sure of it.
Kevin squeezed off the first shot and a net exploded from his gun, entangling the shocked Ferox. The beast fell to the floor and growled as it fought to untangle itself. Norwood fired next and a spray of projectiles fired out and tore through the Ferox’s thick hide. It howled in pain but continued to struggle. It wasn’t enough.
Eve knew what her weapon did. She’d used it once before, quite successfully. She aimed her lightning gun and pulled the trigger. A blast of energy ripped through the air and hit the floor next to the Ferox. Eve kept the trigger pinned and adjusted her aim. The bolt struck the Ferox and it writhed on the floor, but Eve felt the weapon growing hot. Her instincts kicked in and her hands let go of the weapon. “It’s too hot!”
The Ferox began to rise. Though it was still tangled in the mesh of netting, it was apparent that it would soon attempt to kill them all once it was free. Steve stood in the doorway, pulling the trigger on an oddly shaped weapon. He was pointing it at the Ferox and pulling the trigger over and over again.
“Look for a safety!” Kevin said.
“I did,” Steve said, as he continued pulling the trigger. “There’s nothing on this thing but a little display screen with little things that keep changing.”
Kevin ran to Steve’s side and looked at the weapon’s display screen. His eyes widened. “It’s a countdown!” Kevin ran away from Steve, deeper into the room. “Get rid of it!”
Steve tossed the weapon out into the hallway and it landed next to the stunned Ferox. The group ran deeper into the room, hiding behind a row of helmets and armor. Steve was the last to arrive and dove to the floor just as the explosion ripped through the air.
The loud boom was followed by a shriek and a clatter of noise created as the shockwave pounded into the staging area and threw dozens of weapons in the air. Swords stabbed into the walls, spears chopped through benches. A sword pierced a breastplate behind Eve and sliced open her shoulder. She grunted, rolled forward and held her arm in pain.
When the dust settled, the room resembled a pincushion. Eve looked up and noticed that the gates to the arena had been blown open. A door to the right that they had never seen before lay open. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Steve, looking very concerned.
“You okay?” he asked.
Eve grunted as she stood, still holding her shoulder. Her tan long-john shirt became stained with blood. “I’ll live,” she said. “Though a few stitches wouldn’t hurt.”
Eve noticed that Kevin was exploring the contents of the newly opened room, and Norwood was already in the hallway inspecting a purple stain on the floor. Steve and Eve entered the hallway and looked down at the mass of violet blood mixed with bone fragments and tubules of what Eve thought must be Ferox intestine.
Steve chuckled, out of breath. “He definitely…didn’t see…that coming.”
“No,” Norwood said with an ominous tone, “but I think he will.”
Eve turned to where Norwood was looking and saw another Ferox charging towards them, perhaps fifty feet away. She realized then that it might be only seconds before she died.
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼
Steve stared at the doors in disbelief. When they had first entered the room, the doors had shut on their own, like a supermarket entrance; but this time after they had all run back inside, the doors remained unmoving and wide open. “Why aren’t they closing?” he shouted.
“Move further back!” Norwood said. “There must be some kind of sensor system that we’re still tripping.”
Steve and Norwood moved back, but the doors remained fully ajar. Steve looked to his left as Eve walked between them, brandishing a sword. “Grab a weapon, guys. If we make a stand together we might be able to do this.”
Steve frantically looked for a weapon and pulled a spear out of the wall. Norwood returned with a club.
Steve returned to Eve’s side, bracing for the impact he knew would round the corner any second now and take his head clean off his shoulders. “Where’s Kevin?”
“No time! Just get—”
The roar came from behind them and they all turned in time to see a hulking object bearing down on them from the back of the room. They dove to the sides, avoiding the massive metal machine. “Look out!” Kevin’s voice came, as the four wheeled vehicle built like a hummer and a race car combined sped past and rammed the Ferox as it entered the doorway.
The Ferox was flung back out into the hall and slid against the wall on the other side. Kevin backed the vehicle up and stopped next to Steve. “Climb in! He’s getting up!”
Steve jumped in the passenger’s seat of the vehicle while Norwood and Eve piled in the back where some kind of weapon had been mounted. Kevin eased what Steve concluded was the throttle and the vehicle moved back, away from the Ferox, who was now rousing itself from the floor, and straight out into the arena. Once in the open, Kevin slowed the vehicle, pushed a button and moved the throttle forward again. They zipped off forward, headed for the opposite end of the capacious arena.
Steve smiled. “Buck Rogers to the rescue!”
Kevin grinned, thoroughly pleased with himself.
“How did you figure out how to operate this thing so fast?”
“I’ve discovered that being an avid video gamer can come in handy. Sometimes I like to challenge myself by playing games without ever reading the instructions. Figuring out how to drive this isn’t much different. Of course, all I know how to do is go forward, backward and stop. There are a lot of other buttons here—I have no clue what most of them do.”
“Well let’s figure that out later!” Steve said with a worried expression. “Right now, we need to haul ass!” Steve grabbed the throttle and pushed it forward. He was pinned back in his seat for a moment as the vehicle accelerated.
“What are you doing? I just figured out how to steer this thing!”
Steve jabbed over his head with his thumb, indicating that Kevin should look behind them. Kevin turned his head and glanced back. His eyes went wide and his hand eased the throttle further forward.
The Ferox was still gaining on them, its hair swinging violently as it pursued them on all fours, its red eyes gleaming with sour hatred.
Steve took in the vehicle and their surroundings. It was obvious to him that the unfolding spectacle they were now a part of might be found entertaining to the civilization that built this monstrosity. He heard the crowd cheering as the puny humans ran for their lives, pursued by a creature that was sure to deliver a bloody death and bold spectacle. Steve felt that there was no escape for humanity now. It was becoming clearer and clearer that they might just be trading in one evil for another, like a smoker who starts drinking to make quitting easier. It was self-defeating. Either way, he ended up dead.
But Steve wasn’t ready to die yet. He climbed into the back with Eve and Norwood, who were busy holding on for dear life. Steve grabbed the handles on either side of the strange weapon and realized that this, too, was built for human hands. His index fingers reached out and felt two triggers. He pulled them.
Nothing.
Steve searched the cannon for some kind of power switch or safety and found none. He looked up and saw that the Ferox was still close behind, though not gaining as rapidly. Steve turned to Kevin, whose white knuckled fingers were clenched around the butterfly-shaped steering wheel. “Start hitting buttons!” Steve shouted over the thick wind stinging his cheeks. “One of them must activate this thing!”
Kevin looked back and saw Steve’s hands on the cannon. He nodded and moved his right hand to a console covered in buttons that were marked in a language foreign to him. He pushed the first button and the vehicle started slowing down. He hit the button again and the car jolted forward. He pushed the next button and the car burst forward with the speed of a dragster. Kevin was squished in his seat and
Steve gripped the cannon to keep from spilling out the back. Norwood and Eve lurched toward the back, but being on the floor, they were in no danger of spilling out.
Glancing back, Steve saw that they were leaving the Ferox in the dust. He looked forward and saw the tall wall on the other side of the arena speeding towards them. “Turn!”
“I can’t! We’re moving too fast!”
“Then slow down!”
Kevin pushed the button again and the vehicle began to slow, but not fast enough.
“Hang on!” Kevin shouted as they approached the wall.
Norwood and Eve braced themselves on the floor and Steve clung to the cannon like a baby baboon to its mother. Kevin yanked the wheel to the left and the vehicle turned. The metal body of the vehicle protested under the stress of the turn and its two left wheels lifted off the solid floor. The tires squealed almost loud enough to mask Steve’s shout as his fingers loosened and he was tossed from the vehicle.
Feeling a rib crack as he hit the floor, Steve grunted in pain, but as he slid to a stop, he knew it was the least of his worries. The others had made the turn and were speeding off to his left while directly ahead of him was the Ferox, bearing down on his position like a charging bull. Steve felt his hips. His weapons were gone. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jack-knife. He knew it wouldn’t stop the Ferox, but he might get in a few good shots before dying—maybe even blind an eye or three.
Steve held the knife out in front of his body and braced for impact. It then occurred to him that the charging Ferox was moving at incredible speed, headed in a straight line. Steve felt the impervious wall behind him and caught his breath. When the Ferox came within fifteen feet, Steve dove to the side. He saw the Ferox bear down on the solid floor of the arena, attempting to stop, but the floor could not be pierced by its claws. A loud screech, like fingers on a chalkboard, echoed through the arena.
Steve clenched his teeth at the sound as he crawled further from the beast. He heard a loud whump and knew the creature had struck the wall. He looked back and saw the others, speeding toward the Ferox, who was already getting its bearings. The vehicle hit the Ferox and pounded it against the wall. It howled in pain and Steve heard some of its bones snap like branches. Steve was limping toward the vehicle when he saw the Ferox attempt to push the vehicle away. Kevin stepped on the gas and the Ferox howled again.
As Steve climbed into the back of the vehicle, smoke from the tires began to swirl in the air around him. He coughed at the acrid smell, but did his best to focus on what he knew he had to do. He grabbed the cannon and swiveled it around toward the wall, aiming it at the upper torso of the massive alien. “Push some more buttons!”
Kevin did, one after another, while keeping the throttle at full. Steve pulled the triggers after each consecutive button push.
Once. Click, click.
Twice. Click, click.
Thrice. Click, click. Paft! Paft! Paft!
Six darts like huge arrows fired from the cannon in rapid succession, each finding its way through the thick hide and sinews of the Ferox. It howled but was silenced as the fourth stake pierced its throat.
Kevin eased the vehicle back and they stared at the limp body of the Ferox as it hung on the wall, pinned by the six large arrows. Kevin, sucking in air, turned to Steve with a smile. “Nice shooting.”
“See… Not everyone…has to play…video games…to be good at killing aliens,” Steve sighed and caught his breath. Before he could relax, the ground shook. Steve paused, holding his breath, as did everyone else.
“Was that an explosion?” Norwood asked.
“Maybe,” Eve said.
Then the ground shook again, but not violently.
The shaking grew more intense and came in a series. Boom.Boom. Boom.
Steve turned in the direction where he thought the vibrations were originating and his eyes widened as he saw two large tentacle-like appendages grip the bars of the tall barred gate, one hundred yards to their right.
“Can someone please tell me what the hell that is?”
31
OPPOSITION
Eddy was sure that evil was lurking just behind him. As he ran, he glanced back over his shoulder with almost every step, almost tasting the stench of Marutas as he closed the distance. Realizing he couldn’t outrun the monster, Eddy found a dark nook to hide in, drew his sword, and prepared to surprise the beast. He was sure that the Ferox would have perfected the art of the ambush, but he was also confident that Marutas wouldn’t expect one puny human to be a problem. Of course, small forces defeating large armies by ambush had long been a successful tactic, and Marutas was most likely aware of that…perhaps had even led several himself over the years.
Eddy shook, realizing that he would soon be pitted in mortal battle with a creature as old as human civilization. Marutas was no doubt stronger, faster and smarter than Eddy and every other human being on the planet. But Eddy remembered how far they had come. Perhaps the Ferox had become careless over the years. Without a challenge to keep their wits about them, maybe their instincts had dulled. Eddy hoped so. He was sure it was the only thing that had kept him alive thus far.
The sound of claws clacking on the solid floor drove Eddy’s breath into his lungs where he held it. He pushed his back into the cool wall, almost a relief from the thick, warm air. Sword at the ready, Eddy tensed his muscles and prepared to lunge forward. But before he had his chance, the clacking claws slowed their advance and were replaced by an audible sniffing. Then the clacks stopped all together. There was a snort, then a laugh.
The clacks were replaced by the sound of clumping boots on the floor.
Marutas had retaken a human form only seconds before the alien fiend began to speak. “You continually astound me, Eddy. Really. Good for you. Making a stand here. Now. When you’re so close to your goal.”
Marutas paused.
Eddy imagined he was checking some of the other hiding places along the dimly lit hallway. His keen sense of smell must have told him that Eddy had stopped, but not exactly where he was hiding. Eddy’s chest burned as he still held his breath. He knew he’d have to expose himself sooner or later, and hiding like a child wouldn’t save him. He was best off showing no fear.
Eddy padded silently into the hallway and saw Marutas in his Inuit form, checking a darkened portion of the wall that was inset a few feet, like a park bench. Surprised at how slow the Ferox’s reactions were, Eddy felt more prepared to fight this creature. “Over here,” Eddy said, concealing his anxiety behind a calm voice.
Marutas turned to Eddy, hardly looking surprised by his sudden appearance or by the fact that Eddy held his sword out to his side, ready to do battle. Marutas opened his mouth to say something but the words were never uttered.
“No more talk,” Eddy said.
Marutas nodded and started to morph into his alien form, growing in girth and bulging with gray, skin-covered musculature. When his human eyes disappeared and his six fiery eyes began to emerge, Eddy raised his sword and bolted forward. He swung the sword down just as Marutas jumped away. The sword hit the floor with a clang and vibrated painfully in Eddy’s hand. He wasn’t so upset that he’d missed the mark as he was relieved he hadn’t broken the blade.
Marutas leapt twenty feet and clung to a wall at the side of hallway. He turned his six eyes toward Eddy and hissed.
Eddy knelt down to one knee, keeping an eye on Marutas, and picked up a clump of newly cut hair. He held it up for Marutas to see. “Looks like you’re getting slow.” It was then Eddy noticed Marutas’s labored breathing. Could it be that the thick atmosphere—necessary for the Aeros—hindered Marutas? In the frigid arctic air Marutas had been quicker and more powerful than any mountain cat, but inside the citadel he moved at almost human speeds, though his strength was still far superior. Eddy felt hopeful as he stood to his feet and raised his sword.
Soaring down from the wall, Marutas landed on the floor, took two leaps toward Eddy and began swinging with
both hands, full of razor sharp claws. Eddy felt like he was fighting eight men but was shocked to see that as he parried and blocked Marutas’s incoming claws, he sustained no injuries. Eddy was sure that those claws were as strong as steel and that if they struck his flesh, he’d be torn open like a gutted fish…but they never made contact with his skin.
Marutas moved with a blur of attacks. Eddy blocked the first five swings, but six and seven made it past his defenses. His upper left thigh throbbed with bolts of pain as three claws tore open his thick pants and into his flesh. The sting was intense but not as bad as the shockwave of agony that pulsed through his body when one of Marutas’s claws stabbed into his left bicep, rendering his arm all but useless.
On the defensive, Eddy backed away, heading in what he thought was the right direction. In desperation, Eddy thrust forward with the sword, a move that Marutas had not seen coming. Eddy had meant to push Marutas back but managed to slice the beast’s right shoulder, and deep. Marutas reeled back and growled, staring at the wound and sucking in the thick air.
Legs hammering with pain as his feet hit the hard floor, Eddy ran for the end of the hallway, which turned to the right, and, Eddy hoped, straight to the Aeros transmitter. It was only seconds before Eddy heard the clacking of claws on the floor and he knew he was being chased. But Marutas had slowed down, too. He could hear each footfall and could sense that Marutas wasn’t moving anywhere near top speed. Eddy prayed it would be enough.
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼
Kevin had dreamed of seeing things like this. In fact, this entire nightmare had been close to something more like a dream come true. Remove the human death toll, and this might very well be the most exciting time of his life. He saw the two large fingers grip the bars of the massive gate, just as Steve had. They were stark white, but had a kind of pinkish undertone. Their texture looked soft but Kevin imagined they’d be clammy to the touch. But the sensation that overwhelmed all others in Kevin’s mind was the sheer size of the appendages…if that’s what they turned out to be.
Raising the Past Page 28