“I, um, I think we should get out of here,” Steve said.
“He’s right,” Norwood said. “Let’s get the hell out of here. Now.”
Kevin almost laughed to hear Norwood lose his cover of intellectual snobbery and speak like a normal person. The size of this new creature frightened him more than even the Ferox. Couldn’t he see how incredible this was? Couldn’t any of them? This was an alien creature, never before seen by mankind. This was great!
“I don’t think we’re in any danger,” Kevin said. “It’s trapped behind that gate.”
“Buck, you’ve been heroic n’ everything, but now it’s time to listen to Steve-O. Full throttle, out the way we came. Pronto.”
Kevin smiled as he swung the vehicle in a long arc around the arena, putting some distance between them and the gated creature but allowing them a better view of it…and it of them. “You can’t seriously mean you’re not curious.”
“Yes, I can,” Steve said. “Everything we’ve discovered on this little trip has wanted to bury us in snow, eat us alive or spill our guts onto the floor. I’m in no mood to find out what this thing wants.”
“Look, it’s obviously some kind of animal kept here for the games,” Kevin said.
Eve raised an eyebrow. “And it’s managed to survive ten thousand years? I’d hate to think that God created every other form of alien creature immortal.”
Kevin sunk into his seat. “Good point.” But he didn’t turn toward the end of the arena they had come from, where the gates still lay blasted open. He stopped the vehicle at the center of the arena and turned his head toward the gate. “C’mon,” he said under his breath. “Give us just one look.”
As though the creature had heard Kevin, it stepped forward into the light of the area. Kevin gasped as he saw its full body come into view behind the thick bars of the gate. It was massive, maybe forty-five feet tall. Its hands had three digits each but were built like elephant’s trunks, perhaps even with the opposable grabbers at the ends. But it was the creature’s face that was most amazing. It had two large black eyes that denoted intelligence and captured his attention. Below the eyes were three appendages, like the prickly fingers of a starfish, dangling over where he imagined a massive mouth must be. The creature loomed tall but stood with a hunch. Kevin scanned the creature’s white, naked body, past what he thought must be its genitals. What captured his gaze most were the giant’s legs, which were built like tree trunks, broadening toward the bottom until they merged with gargantuan feet, each the size of a Buick.
The creature grabbed hold of the bars with both trunk-like hands and began to push. The gates gave way and spilled open.
Eve gripped Kevin’s shoulder like a striking anaconda. “Kevin. We need to leave now.”
“Why?” Kevin asked, even as he moved the throttle forward and spun around towards the blown out gates, which seemed to be very far away now.
“That creature must be Aeros,” Norwood said.
Kevin looked back at Eve with wide eyes. Steve looked petrified.
“My God,” Kevin said, as he looked back as the creature stepping into the arena, shaking the floor. “You’re right.”
Steve gripped Kevin’s shoulder on top of Eve’s hand. “Kev…in the future, you need to listen to me when I say it’s time to go.”
Kevin nodded.
“Umm,” Norwood started from the back, “I think now would be a good time to accelerate…he’s coming up fast.”
Kevin didn’t bother to look back. He could tell by the frequency of the vibrations he felt in his seat that the creature was indeed moving quickly. He stomped the acceleration and made a beeline for the exit.
The shaking grew more violent as what they believed was an Aeros, one of the builders of this arena where men would be fighting for their lives, closed the gap. Kevin shouted as they plowed into the staging area at near full speed. They crashed through the room, running over weaponry and armor and slammed into the hallway. Kevin pulled back on the throttle and the vehicle slowed to a stop.
“What are you doing?” Steve asked, as he looked back into the staging area.
“It can’t fit through there,” Kevin said with confidence. “We need to figure out where Eddy went.”
“I still have the other map!” Steve said, as he pulled it from his pocket. He opened it up and looked at the glowing green layout. “Take a right!”
Kevin twisted the steering wheel and slammed the throttle forward. They peeled out on the puddle of purple Ferox blood that remained smeared on the floor and disappeared down into a long dark hallway.
As the hum of their vehicle faded into the distance, it was replaced by the heavy sound of giant footsteps. A large white foot fell, splattering the Ferox blood. Moments later a second foot fell, twenty feet away, following the fleeing team.
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼
The impact came without warning. Eddy was tackled from the rear like a line backer had just caught him unaware behind the line of scrimmage. The hard floor slamed against his body and immense weight held him down. Eddy could smell the pungent vinegary odor of the beast as its crushing weight threatened to smother him. His sword was pinned between him and what he knew as Marutas.
Eddy exhaled and, as he attempted to suck in a breath, and found that his chest didn’t have the strength to lift the crushing weight above him. He felt his head fill with a painful pressure as his heartbeat pulsed rapidly, searching his bloodstream for more oxygen. What a cruel fate, Eddy thought, to die of lack of oxygen when the atmosphere is so thick with it. With his body melting into the solid floor, Eddy had one option. His right hand, which still had a firm grip on the sword’s handle, was free and able to move.
Twist the sword so that the blade was up, then draw it out as far and as quick as he could sounded like a great plan, in theory. It would slice open his attacker and free him from the massive weight that pushed the air from his lungs. But there was one major flaw. Eddy had no idea which way to twist the sword; if he guessed wrong, he would slice open his own stomach and make his own death that much more excruciating. But he had no other choice.
Eddy twisted the weapon and felt the metal of the blade pressing down on him. He then realized that with this weight on the blade, even if the dull side was against his body, it still might cut him open. But as glimmering points of light began to dance in Eddy’s vision, he knew it was now or never. Eddy squeezed with his sword hand and yanked it out. He felt the metal slide across his stomach but he felt only a slight sting. He wasn’t sure if he had cut himself open that he’d even feel it at the moment, but a loud shriek told him that he had turned the blade in the right direction.
The weight lifted from Eddy’s body and he sucked in one desperate breath after another. Eddy looked up to see Marutas clutch his chest and lurch away. He moved his large arm and hissed at Eddy after seeing a large gaping wound that chugged purple blood.
Eddy smiled. His plan had worked, but he was still too weak to escape. He looked at his stomach and saw a raw red line where the dull blade had rubbed away a few layers of skin, but that and a light-headed feeling was all the damage Eddy had sustained during the attack. His left arm pounded with pain but he was still alive and fighting. This alien savage has met its match!
Eddy regretted thinking the thought as soon as it entered his mind.
Marutas was on up on all fours, breathing heavily but headed straight for Eddy with death glowing in all six of his ruby eyes. Too winded and tired to move, Eddy did his best to hold the sword in front of his body—a mild threat at best. If only he had time to catch his breath.
Marutas, chest heaving, raised his razor talons, preparing to strike Eddy down. He paused and tilted his head. Eddy couldn’t hear anything over the pulse of blood rushing through his mind, but the Ferox’s superior ears heard something. Then Eddy heard it, too, a hum like an engine, growing louder.
Marutas turned toward the sound and Eddy used the distraction to scuttle away, moving as far from the Ferox lead
er as he could. The sound grew louder and Eddy knew it was an engine of some kind…but an engine to what? He could tell it was some type of vehicle, coming this way, but friend or foe he had no idea.
After climbing to his feet, Eddy took a peek over the crest of Marutas’s massive form and saw something that made a smile spread across his face. Charging toward him and Marutas was a vehicle, like a futuristic dune buggy, and in it were Eve, Kevin, Steve and Norwood! Eddy almost laughed out loud as Steve, manning some kind of cannon, unleashed a cloud of large darts that whistled through the air and stabbed the floor around Marutas. But the beast, though wounded, was still quick. It jumped to the wall and scurried up, ducking into a carved out crevice that featured some kind of alien statue.
The vehicle screeched to a halt next to Eddy and Eve bounded out, grabbing Eddy’s right arm. “Eddy! You’re hurt!”
Eddy took Eve and squeezed her close to him, balancing his weight but enveloping her more than was necessary. “I’ll live.”
Eddy climbed into the back of the vehicle, aided by Steve and Norwood.
“What is this thing?” Eddy asked.
Kevin looked back from the passenger’s seat. “Long story. We’ll tell you later.”
“Fair enough,” Eddy said.
“Which way?” Kevin asked.
“Straight ahead then right, maybe thirty yards…we’re almost done with this mess.”
Eve looked into Eddy’s eyes with a look of disappointment. “I’m afraid it might not be that easy.”
Eddy sat up straight. “Why not?”
Eve pointed back down the long, tall hallway. At the far end Eddy saw something that filled half the width and three quarters of the height of the open space. Eddy made no attempt to take in the rest of the hulking form. “What is it?”
“An Aeros,” Norwood said. “We think.”
“Aeros?” Eddy looked confused. “Isn’t that a good thing?” Even as he asked it, his heart told him it wasn’t.
“No time to explain now,” Eve said and turned to Kevin. “Just get us out of here.”
The vehicle surged forward under Kevin’s control and they rocketed down the hallway. A dark blur followed them close behind, clinging to the wall and moving fast. And even as they rounded the corner, the thrumming of colossal feet on the dense floor grew louder.
THE TRUTH
32
SHALL SET YOU FREE
The turn came so suddenly that no one even had time to brace for the impact. Kevin veered to the right, but the alien vehicle was moving so quickly that it slid sideways for thirty feet before careening into the solid red wall. The tires on the left side snapped free, and as the vehicle spun, the torn metal caught on the floor and spilled the vehicle on its side. Eddy and the others tumbled out like fish from a bucket.
Eddy struggled to his feet and scanned the area for any immediate danger. Finding none, he searched for a direction, a path to guide their way. A large set of double doors, sixty feet tall, loomed before him. Like a speck on the wall, one of the lock units shaped like a human face sat to the side of the doors. Eddy glanced at his crew; all were climbing to their feet—alive, for the moment.
After plunging his face into the lock mechanism, Eddy heard the giant locks clunk open and the doors began to slide to the sides, disappearing into the walls. Eddy ran to Eve, who was sitting on the floor, and helped her to her feet. “Let’s go,” Eddy said.
No one replied, but they all heard the message. The group hobbled through the doors and entered the new, cavernous room. Eddy paused as he gazed from side to side then looked up, following a massive structure that was built like a telescoping tube. At the top of the tall tube rested a gigantic dish, like a radio telescope. The room was several hundred feet in diameter, round and domed at the top. It was devoid of equipment, save the dish and a human-sized console at its base. A rhythmic yellow glow caught Eddy’s attention and he headed for the console, the others close behind.
When he reached the console, Eddy saw that the glow emanated from an imprint of a human hand, much like the one from the round room where Artuke had provided them with maps. This was it! This was the single moment for which so many of their friends had lost their lives. The Ferox evil was over and the Aeros would rule over a new era of peace on Earth. Eddy caught his breath when he heard his own internal monologue.
The Aeros would rule.
Knowing time was short Eddy forced his doubts away and raised his palm over the hand shaped imprint. He began to lower it.
“Eddy, wait.” It was Norwood.
Eddy turned to Norwood and waited for an explanation.
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”
“You haven’t been sure about a lot of things that have worked out,” Eddy said.
“Yes, but this time we all agree with him,” Eve said, as she placed her hand on Eddy’s and pulled it away from the imprint.
“I don’t understand.”
“I don’t have all the answers,” Eve said. “But I know that there is more to these Aeros than we’ve been told.”
“You’re right,” said a human voice that was both familiar and shocking.
Eddy spun to see the hologram of the hooded figure, Artuke, standing among them like he was really there. But this time he removed his hood and smiled at them with kind eyes. His hair was short and his face clean shaven. His teeth were brilliant and his cobalt eyes were bright. He was a supermodel and five star general rolled into one. Eddy instantly distrusted him.
“There is much you haven’t been told because it would only confuse you. But please, there is little time. You must activate the transmitter.”
“I’d like some answers first,” Eddy said.
“The remaining Ferox is closing in on this position.”
Eddy crossed his arms. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist.”
Artuke remained silent.
“Let’s start with the coliseum,” Eddy said.
The hologram of Artuke paced as he said, “You must understand that your people have been infected by the Ferox for almost a full term. You are corrupted, some beyond salvation. Many are so corrupted that they will fight against us in defense of the Ferox way of life.”
“Which is what, exactly?”
Artuke paused and turned to Eddy. “Chaos.”
Eddy nodded. “I have seen the Ferox for what they are and I know that they are evil. But I don’t know anything about you. The coliseum looks as though it was designed to house human combatants.”
“That’s because it was,” the voice of Marutas sounded out from twenty feet away, as he approached in his Inuit form.
Eddy clustered with his crew and held his hand over the yellow hand print. “Move another inch and I’ll activate this thing.”
“The only reason you are standing here, ready to trigger something you don’t fully understand is because you’re afraid,” Marutas said.
“You expect me to listen to you?” Eddy said.
“Fear is the greatest human motivator. Without it, you would have stopped to think. You would consider what you’re about to do.” Marutas fixed his eyes on Eddy’s. “How do you think I got in here? The door was opened for me. I was too preoccupied by the hunt to realize that they needed me here to keep you afraid, to blind your intellect, and make sure you put your hand on that spot. You might find the goals of my people to be evil, human, but what we have given the human race is a gift.”
“Do not listen to his lies,” Artuke said with a loud voice. “He will corrupt you further.”
Eddy’s mind spun with the possible scenarios that played out in his head. Marutas would kill them once Eddy was clear of the transmitter, but he was beginning to trust the Aeros as much as he trusted Marutas. Then Eddy realized the truth. With his hand hovering over the button, so to speak, he held all the control. He could sway the battle in either direction by putting his hand down or pulling it up. There was only one thing he wanted to do with that power: get some answers.
> “Let him speak,” Eddy said to Artuke. It was more of a command than a request.
Marutas smiled. “What the Aeros don’t want you to know is that we, the Ferox, and they, the Aeros, were once one and the same. Millions of years ago our single race divided into two. Those of us who chose free will were cast out, banished to the far reaches of our galaxy. We evolved in new and hostile environments, while they evolved on our oxygen-rich home world. Our single crime was choosing free will over collective thinking and they damned us for it. The Aeros created the Ferox, but we still share the same blood.”
“You corrupted our civilization!” Artuke blurted out.
“Our civilization,” Marutas returned with a cold glare.
“History lessons aside, your past gives you no right to bring your twisted version of free will to our planet,” Eddy said.
Marutas sighed. “Can’t you see the truth yet, Eddy Moore? A species such as yours cannot be taught the ways of war in an instant. You must learn over time.”
Eddy furrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth to speak, but Kevin had put together the pieces first.
“You’re raising the human race to be soldiers,” Kevin said with a blank stare.
“Indeed.”
Artuke stood between Eddy and Marutas. “They are corrupting your species, and the Ferox influence must be routed out of you before they can culminate their plans. Listen to me. Your planet will be destroyed.”
“But not by the Ferox,” Eve said, stepping forward. “The Aeros will destroy our planet.”
“If you join the ranks of the Ferox military,” Artuke said. “You will have left us no choice. Please understand, your people need to begin anew.”
Steve leaned against the console and spoke, “And now, if we call the Aeros back…you’re going to take over, enslave the human race, and kill everyone you feel is ‘corrupt.’ And some you’ll even make fight for your entertainment…battling Ferox, maybe even other corrupted species. You guys are pricks.”
Raising the Past Page 29