by Phil Price
Before he left the house to pick up his boys, Hugh logged into his Twitter account on his laptop. The man had several thousand followers, such was the community that he’d immersed himself in. His friend Ezekiel from across the Atlantic had almost 50,000 people following his daily updates, retweeting and liking his leftfield posts and links. He copied the statement from the International Space Station, tagging the American in it. As he hit tweet, Hugh knew that word would hopefully spread, spanning the globe in a short space of time. He was hoping that it would reach the news channels, getting some kind of coverage. Anything was worth a try, he thought as he donned his thick jacket before heading out into the village. A village suddenly devoid of life.
Paul Lewis sat at his desk, pondering the exchange on the phone with Mr Andrews. He looked over at his coffee cup, not realizing that he’d not touched the now cold milky drink since he’d sat down an hour previously. Paul stiffly rose from his chair, looking out at the parking lot beyond the window. Lines of cars sat quietly under a leaden sky, the English autumn now in full swing. He set off down the corridor from his office, turning left towards a small kitchenette. After setting a fresh mug in place, he pressed the Cappuccino button on the freshly installed coffee machine, leaning against the counter as coffee beans were being ground next to him. What could I say? he thought as his brew gently steamed next to him. Yes, Mr Andrews, we know about the unidentified object too. So does the NSA, and Mossad. His superior had informed him that the Prime Minister was chairing an emergency COBRA meeting at Downing Street whilst he stood waiting for his coffee. He looped his index finger around the handle, gently sliding the mug away from the machine, sipping the frothy head from the cappuccino before he sauntered back to his office, his feet feeling unusually heavy. As he walked into his outer office, his Personal Assistant looked up from her computer screen, smiling at him. “Your wife called, Mr Lewis. She’d like you to call her back when you can.”
“Thank you, Sylvia,” he replied, a half-smile tugging at his lips.
“Is everything alright?” she asked, standing up from her desk, manicured fingers straightening her pencil skirt.
“Fine. I’m just a bit tired.”
“You don’t look quite yourself, Mr Lewis. Maybe you’re coming down with something. It is that time of year you know, bugs and the like.” She padded around the desk, walking over to Paul, her hips swaying gently. The man looked at her advancing towards him, taking in her ample cleavage and dark nylons. She was barefoot, and Paul noticed for the first time a small toe ring that glinted beneath the dark material of her stockings. He knew that she had just turned forty. He also knew that she was divorced, and rather flirty. He had had no problem with that until recently. Sylvia was very efficient, thinking on her feet rather than asking for constant help and direction. There had always been a measure of sexual chemistry between them, which he’d accepted as normal. He was in good shape for a man approaching fifty, Sylvia complimenting him often on his suits, trim figure and well-kept blonde hair. She touched his brow with the back of her fingers. Fingers that felt cool and smooth. “You feel a tad warm, Mr Lewis.”
Probably because I’m thinking about bending you over my desk, he thought, his coffee cup trembling slightly. “I’m fine really, Sylvia. I will stop by the chemist on the way home and get some Night Nurse. That always helps when I’ve got a cold coming on.”
“Well if you need anything. Anything at all, just let me know.” She turned and walked back to her seat, her chestnut hair bouncing rhythmically as she moved. Paul watching her, almost in a trance until he excused himself, slightly red-faced.
“Thank you, Sylvia. You’re very kind. Now I must get back to it,” he said as he retreated into his office. Fuck! I need a cold shower, he thought as he sat at his desk. He picked up his phone, hitting number two on his speed dial.
“Hi, love,” his wife said as she answered the call.
“Hi, hun. Is everything alright?”
“What time will you be home?”
“Not sure yet. Probably seven.”
“Okay. Well, I’m going to Zumba with Marsha. I will leave your dinner in the oven. Can you also pick up my dry cleaning on the way home? I forgot to pick it up on the way back from Merry Hill this morning.”
“Sure,” Paul said, not really paying attention.
“Okay. Well, I gotta run. See you this evening.”
“See you later, hun. Bye.” The line was already dead. He glanced across of the picture of his family on his desk. His two sons, Michael and Richard, smiled back at him as they flanked their mother. They were tall and blonde like their father. His wife was also smiling back, her chestnut hair framing an attractive face. The photograph had been taken a year before, at their holiday retreat in Looe, Cornwall. A lot had happened since then, and not all of it good. His marriage had taken a wobble, his wife Claire sleeping with another man who was a member at the local gym in Gloucester. Every time that she mentioned a gym class, Paul had a sinking feeling in his stomach. It was all his fault of course. Long hours, coupled with the boys heading off to University, had pushed his wife into the arms of another man. It had ended quickly when Paul found out, his wife stating that it was just a fling and that the man had paid her attention. Something that Paul was accused of not doing anymore. The last few months had been hard on him, ramping up his already high blood pressure. However, a few green shoots of recovery could now be seen sprouting in their relationship. They were spending more time together. Claire was spending less time at the gym, and less time with her single fifty-something friends. The sense of unease still gripped the man from time to time though. Still never quite leaving him be. He’d been married for twenty-seven years, proud in the knowledge that he had never strayed. Marriage was a long road, with several bumps, he’d always thought. You don’t take the easy route just because it looks less bumpy. He took a sip of his coffee, clicking back into his mountain of emails as the afternoon wore on. Might be eight o’ clock, he thought, as the darkening sky darkened some more behind him.
Seventeen
Biflux
“Oh hell!” Trevik said as he climbed out of the craft.
“What’s wrong?” Torben replied as he joined the man next to the huge white pipeline.
“Something’s ripped the control panel off the terminal. Here,” the older man said as he handed Torben the rifle. “I’ll get my tools from the craft. Keep your eyes open for predators.”
“Okay,” was his short reply as he took in the landscape around him. The Tundra of Biflux was a barren, desolate place. No trees or plants grew this far north. On the horizon, a cluster of mountains shimmered in the distance as the collective rays from the two suns cast their glow across the planet. Torben looked to the south, the line of evergreen trees that they had recently burst from still visible to the naked eye.
The older man came back with a leather pack slung over one shoulder. “Hopefully, it’s just a few broken contacts. If not, the engineers from Halycon will have to pay a visit. Not today though. The suns will set within the hour.”
Torben scanned the horizon once more, wondering what came out to play after dark. “Well, let’s hope you can fix it. Then we can head back to Kiton.”
“Tell me about it. Elsor is grilling steaks tonight on the patio. I don’t want to miss that.” They lapsed into silence for several minutes, the older man muttering under his breath as he tried to splice snapped wires together with a rubber sheath. The younger man circled the craft, his eyes playing out over their surroundings. He thought he spotted movement a few hundred yards to the south, and started walking a few paces, shielding his eyes from the setting suns. Hmm. Probably nothing, he thought as he slowly walked backwards towards the pipeline.
“How far does the pipeline run?” Torben asked, suddenly curious.
“It covers the whole planet. From pole to pole, north to south. It’s actually a giant loop. There are research laboratories at both poles; the pipeline provides them with water, power, and ot
her services.”
“Impressive. How long did it take to construct?”
“Years. I oversaw most of the construction, many moons ago. It works really well, except when it gets damaged.”
“What do you think caused the damage?”
“Hard to tell. We have some prints close by, take a look.”
Torben walked closer to the pipeline, noticing the large indentations in the crisp snow. “Shit,” he said as he stood in the centre of a giant footprint. “I hope whatever came by is long gone.”
“Me too. It looks like Barnebaka.”
“Barnebaka?”
“A large carnivore, white in colour. They roam the wilderness, picking up scraps or hunting smaller creatures that cross their paths.” Trevik paused for a moment. “Almost done. I just need to refit the control panel access door.”
“Great,” the younger man whispered, wondering just how big a Barnebaka was. He turned, focusing on the patch of horizon that he’d been previously been scanning for life. Something looked different. A small rise of snow a few hundred metres away had vanished. Strange, he thought as he took a few steps forward, his boots crunching into the snow.
“Torben! Look out!”
The younger man spun around as a large white shape leapt over the small craft, landing between the two men. “Oh my…”
“Don’t try and stun it. Set the rifle to automatic,” the older man commanded.
The captain looked down at the trigger, his mind trying to compute how to activate automatic mode. A roar in front of him made Torben look up, his legs freezing to the ground like two stalactites. “Is that a Barnebaka?”
“Yes! Kill it!”
The creature was over seven metres tall, Torben guessing that it weighed more than the craft they’d travelled in. Its distorted feline features and large canines oozed menace as it advanced on him slowly. Its bristling white fur, stained with dried blood seemed to add to the danger he was now facing. Without thinking, Torben depressed the trigger, several blue flashes emanating from the barrel of the rifle. They found their mark, hitting the beast a metre down from its gaping maw. It roared in defiance, shifting sideways unsteadily as the tracer fire raked its fur. The beast tried one last advance, the life draining from its legs as it landed in a heap a few metres from Torben’s boots. Before he could react, Trevik was snatching the rifle from his grasp. “What?” he said in a dazed tone.
“They always hunt pairs,” the older man replied as another behemoth came charging towards them. The older man took aim, the barrel of the rifle tracking the movement of the monster bearing down on him. His breathing slowed as he depressed the trigger, hitting the dead creature’s hunting partner full in the face. Red mist sprayed from the back of its huge skull as the beast died on the spot, toppling sideways, painting the surrounding snow a crimson red. “Good shooting, Torben. We should be leaving, especially after discharging the rifle. Any predator close by will be on us very quickly. Come.” The young pilot needed no further coaxing as he followed the older man to the craft. Seconds later, they were ten metres above the ground, the ship slowly rotating towards the south. “Look. Razorbacks.”
Torben watched in fascination as a pack of large wolf-like creatures appeared from the tree-line. They trotted forward, ten abreast. “Glad we left when we did.”
“Me too. They would have had us for dinner. At least they will not go hungry. There is enough meat there to last them a few weeks. If they are feeding here, they will not venture south. A lot of the northern settlements have real problems with them. Hundreds of people are killed every year. I will send a message to Halycon. They will probably send drones up to wipe them out. Now let’s go. All I can think about is Elsor’s steaks.”
“He was quite the hero,” Trevik said as he clinked glasses with the others. “He took the Barnebaka down easily. Most men would have messed their pants and run in the other direction. Not this guy though.”
“You’ve impressed him,” Kyra said as Trevik stood next to Elsor, as she added four large steaks to the outdoor grill. “Just don’t put yourself in danger again,” she added, the woman’s face dropping slightly.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to get that close again.”
“Good. Relkon came down not far from the pipeline. I cannot lose you too.”
Torben led her away from the others, sitting her down on a wooden swing bench. They looked out at the vast lake underneath them, both catching the shooting star that streaked across the sky above. The trees rustled gently in the cool breeze, the surface of the water choppy, white crests visible under the moonlight. “I know that you are still feeling the loss of Relkon.”
“I loved him. But life does move on. That’s what he would say. I never thought that I would meet someone so soon after his death. But I have, and I have grown very close to you, Torben.”
“Likewise, Kyra. I’ve not felt this way in a long time. Since Hella.”
“Was she your last partner?”
“Yes.” He composed himself, feeling at ease as Kyra laced her fingers into his. “I was with her for a few years. We talked of a union, of a family.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, what happened?”
“My parents died, together in a fire at their home.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. Anyway, Hella was staying with them. I was due back from an assignment, so she arrived a day before to welcome me home. When my parents went to bed, Hella stayed up drinking and smoking. I knew that she smoked, but she rarely did around me. She fell asleep on the floor of the living quarters, her pipe still lit. It somehow caught fire, spreading quickly throughout the whole house. Hella managed to escape. My parents didn’t. They were overcome by fumes, probably. By the time the emergency responders arrived, the house was engulfed.”
“Oh no! I am truly sorry,” she said, hugging him.
Torben hugged her back, burying his face in her neck. “There was nothing the crews could do. I arrived the next day, seeing Hella sat on the front lawn, the house in ruins. I never blamed her. It was an accident, Kyra. Anyone could have made the same mistake. But Hella never got over it. She was consumed by guilt and grief. We tried to carry on, but it was no use. We drifted apart. Eventually, she called the whole thing off, taking an assignment on a nearby Orbital station. That was the last time I saw or heard from her. Since then, I have just focused on my work. Travelling helps blot out the pain and loss.”
“We have both lost. Maybe that’s why we gravitated towards each other so quickly.”
“I don’t think it was that, Kyra.”
“Really. Why not?” She pulled away from Torben, looking into his dark eyes.
“I just thought you were so hot.”
She lightly punched his shoulder. “Trust a man to think on a more basic level.” Kyra leaned forward, kissing him hard on the mouth. Torben snaked his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace. Up at the house, the couple watched on as steaks sizzled on the grill. Elsor threaded her arm through her husband’s. “It’s nice to see our girl happy again.”
“Yes, it is. He seems a worthy partner. I have no fears over this one.”
“Nor do I,” his wife replied. “Maybe this is just what she needed.”
“I think it’s what we all needed, my love.”
The next morning Kyra and Torben headed out of the cabin as the sun was low in the red sky. They were dressed accordingly, both wearing trousers, boots and warm jackets. “We can follow the forest until it reaches the headland.”
“I’ll follow you,” he said. “I could do with a good walk after all that home cooking.”
She smiled, prodding his midriff. “There’s no fat on you. Which is a surprise, for a captain who just sits in his cockpit, looking out at space.”
“I’ll have you know I do far more than that. I could outrun you any day.”
“Really? Would you like to wager that statement?”
“Sure. What did you have in mind?”
Kyra looked across the forest, evergreen trees dotted in haphazard fashion. “There. At the top of that small rise. Do you see the rocky outcrop?”
“I see it.”
“Last one there cooks dinner tonight. And not just any dinner. It needs to come from the sea.”
“You’re on,” he replied, readying himself for a bit of competition.
“Okay. Go,” Kyra said, shooting ahead of the static Torben. He took off after her, his long strides scattering bracken as he quickly gained on Kyra’s weaving run.
“You are about to lose,” Torben said as he drew level.
She looked to her left, a determined smile on her face. “We’ll see,” she countered as they headed towards two trees that were barely four feet apart with low hanging branches. As they passed the trees, Kyra pulled a branch down, ducking below it as Torben ran headlong into it.
“What the…” he said as foliage and twigs filled his vision, making Torben give ground. He swiped the branch away, noticing that Kyra now had an unassailable lead as her strides took her towards her goal.
“Come on, old man,” she taunted as her feet landed on the rocky outcrop.
Jogging up the last of the hill, he smiled at her, knowing he’d been outsmarted. “So, that’s how you win? Are all folk from Cantis so devious?”
“We do whatever it takes,” she panted, her breath coming back under control.
“I’ll remember that for next time. So, where do we go now?”
Kyra pointed off into the forest, the lock of red hair shimmering in the sunlight. “You see up there?” she motioned. “Where the trees thin out, there’s a pathway. That leads all the way to the sea. It’s probably a good hour walk.”
“We didn’t bring any drinks,” Torben said, his mouth parched after his exertions.
“It’s okay. There is a small-holding next to a dry dock on the shore. They sell food and drink. We may even be able to have lunch there.”