Slipstream Messenger (Neutrino Book 1)

by Daltea Francis

  Neutrino scanned the mess once more and was about to start panicking again when his eyes caught a glimpse of a small piece of very refined blue material sticking out from under a bowl of overturned turquoise vegetables near the entrance to the sleeping chambers. He breathed a sigh of relief and moved to go after it, but he tripped over a broken table leg that was sticking out and crashed noisily to the ground. Before he even had time to be disgusted by the once delicious now stinking food that he was covered in, a thunderous roar emanated from the far back room.

  The Arnasians turned sharply toward the sound. Neutrino, who was seated just in front of the back hallway, had a frighteningly perfect view of the monster now trying to make its way down to the kitchen. The ylmax beast struggled to get through the narrow passage, especially as it had no arms, but it was forcing a way through with its three incredibly strong legs. The Arnasians began shooting at it from their positions behind Neutrino, but the blasts only bounced off the creatures grey-green scales as though it were nothing more than a walking rock. Neutrino could just barely make out two beady black eyes but he didn’t see its enormous mouth until it let out another thunderous roar.

  Neutrino began to inch backwards across the floor when he remembered his glove. He had to get it now or he might not get another chance. Knocking several things out of the way, he dove forward, grasping at the scrap of material. The ylmax had nearly reached the end of the hallway. It burst through the threshold and Neutrino squeezed his eyes tightly shut in expectation. But instead of a sharp kick from the ylmax he felt himself being heaved up by the back of his suit and tossed out of the way. He opened his eyes in time to see Creet being punted towards him by the ylmax’s massive third leg. Creet landed a few meters away from Neutrino near the entrance to the front doorway and lay still.

  Someone yelled, “The ceiling! Aim for the ceiling!” All four remaining Arnasians turned their blast guns upwards and began shooting at the ceiling directly above the ylmax. Neutrino moved over by Creet to try and protect him from the falling debris. He wasn’t sure Creet was even still alive, but he hoped. Neutrino pulled Creet further through the threshold towards the sunny street and away from the chaos. It was difficult considering his size.

  When they had finally reached the outside Neutrino stopped to check if he was still breathing. The cacophony from the blasters and falling ceiling died down and Aru came out of the house, covered in dust and coughing. He kneeled down beside Creet.

  “Creet?” Aru coughed. Creet groaned and shifted. “Creet? Are you all right?”

  Creet groaned again and slowly opened his eyes. He looked up at Neutrino and Aru.

  “Creet? Are you okay?” asked Neutrino.

  “I think so,” Creet said slowly between pained breaths, “I think my arm took most of the blow.” Neutrino looked at his crushed left arm lying limply over his chest.

  “Is that all?” Neutrino couldn’t believe he had been so fortunate, after being so severely pummeled. Creet paused for a moment, checking himself over.

  “Probably broke a few ribs too, but otherwise okay I think.”

  “I can’t believe it.” That hit would have killed me.

  “Oi, Creet, survived another one, eh?” Bengor asked coming out of the kitchen with the others. They also looked a little dusty with a few scrapes here and there, but otherwise unharmed.

  “Looks like,” Creet laughed then groaned in pain. He struggled to sit up.

  “Easy now,” Aru said with a smile.

  “Another one?” Neutrino asked.

  “Don’t you know?” Bengor asked, “Creet’s a living legend around here. He’s survived more cave-ins and ylmax attacks than anyone.”

  “Just been lucky is all. But I think this is the end of the road for me on this one. I won’t be much help to you with a crushed arm and broken ribs. Plus I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to be seein’ a bunch of spots floatin’ around your head, right?” Creet winked.

  “Well, I’m no doctor but I’m pretty sure that’s a bad thing,” Neutrino smiled, more out of relief than at the lame joke.

  “I’ll take Creet back down to the Under City,” Aru offered, “I’m thinking we better go through one of your neighbor’s houses. I wouldn’t count on that ylmax staying down.”

  “I don’t think that ylmax will be bothering anyone again. Still, better safe and all that,” Zaku said. “Hope you wanted a skylight Creet, because we covered him with your ceiling.” They all chuckled a little, glad mostly just to be alive.

  “We better hurry. You all make sure Neutrino reaches the Port.” Aru began pulling Creet up off the ground.

  “We will,” said Illiet. Neutrino looked at Creet and realized, with a sadness greater than he expected, that this would be the last time he would see Creet, and he was going to miss him.

  “Thank you, Creet, for everything.” Neutrino felt like he wanted to say more but he didn’t know how to. Creet smiled down at him. Neutrino wished he’d had more time to get to know him.

  “I hope we’ll meet again someday,” Creet said.

  “I don’t think we will.”

  “You never know.” Creet held out his good hand and Neutrino gratefully took it.

  “Get home safe.”

  “You too,” Creet said with a knowing look. Then he turned with Aru’s help and headed down the street toward a neighbor’s front door.

  Neutrino was preparing to head off in the opposite direction to the Slipstream Port, when Creet suddenly turned back around, dragging Aru with him.

  “Hey, uh, Neutrino,” Creet called out jerkily, as though he was struggling to find the right words, “You know, that stuff you were sayin’, last night, about your home…and your friends?”

  “Yeah,” Neutrino drawled, hoping Creet wouldn’t reveal to the others what he had shared in confidence.

  “Well, it’s just,” Creet stammered, “Well, I don’t think it’s true, what you said, about deserving. I’d still be your friend regardless.” Then he nodded, as though agreeing with himself and turned clumsily back around.

  Neutrino watched his only friend walk away in a sort of stunned silence. Then he looked towards the Port with a greater determination to succeed in his mission.

  13. Escape

  Neutrino and the remaining Arnasians began moving swiftly down the empty street. A distant banging indicated that there were other ylmax still in the city, but they were not in the immediate vicinity. It wasn’t until Neutrino and the Arnasians got closer to their destination that they realized where the sound was coming from. Two ylmax were beating on the door to the Slipstream Port, trying to get in. Illiet pulled Neutrino down behind a nearby building with the others. Zaku peered around the corner at the beasts.

  “Oh, of course,” she sighed angrily.

  “They must have sensed or smelled the others inside,” guessed Illiet.

  “It’s a good thing that’s the strongest building in the city,” said Bengor.

  “Do you think we can make it to the other entrance?” Illiet asked.

  “Doubtful. We’d have to go right by the ylmax, we probably wouldn’t be fast enough to get past them,” said Zaku.

  “We could go down past the Council Center and around?” Illiet offered.

  “That would take hours,” Zaku shrugged, “And besides, we have no idea what we might find at the other door, there could be others.”

  “Shouldn’t we try?” Neutrino asked. After seeing what one ylmax could do at Creet’s house, he was not eager to go up against two.

  “No,” said Zaku after some consideration, “I think we’d be better off creating a distraction and luring them away from the door. What do you think?” Bengor and Illiet nodded in agreement.

  “A distraction? How?” That can’t possibly be safer than trying to slip past them.

  “Two of us will move back up the street a ways, so we’ll have a head start,” Zaku planned, “Then we’ll call them out. When they begin chasing us, we’ll lead them away from the Port then we’ll
duck into a house and take the Stair.”

  “Won’t the ylmax follow you? Down the Stair I mean?” asked Neutrino.

  “They can’t really, the Stair is too narrow, but they will probably try for a while though.”

  “That should give you time to get into the Port,” Illiet added.

  “Isn’t that kind of risky? What if you can’t find an open door or another ylmax jumps out at you?”

  “Do you have a better plan?” Bengor asked a little roughly. Neutrino tried to think of something, anything that didn’t require putting people in mortal danger, but he was already exhausted and sore from the Stair and battling the first ylmax, not to mention his crash landing the day before, and his brain felt like mush. Zaku’s plan seemed to be the most logical and expedient.

  “Well?” Bengor prodded. Defeated, Neutrino shook his head.

  “All right, I’ll volunteer to lead the ylmax away, I think someone should come with me though,” Zaku said.

  “I’ll come with you,” said Illiet, “All right?” Bengor nodded in agreement.

  “All right. Neutrino, good luck,” Zaku said. She and Illiet shook Neutrino’s hand and then began moving quietly back up the street.

  Neutrino and Bengor sat silently in the shade and watched the two ylmax beating hopelessly on the door with their third limbs. Neutrino took the time to put on his gloves, slip an anti-nausea film under his tongue, and then activate his air shield and check the suit’s systems on the heads-up display. Everything was working properly, so he disengaged the shield and prepared for their dash to the Port. Surprisingly, he felt a little stronger and surer of himself with his gear on, maybe for the first time ever.

  After perhaps ten minutes of anxious waiting, they heard the sounds of two women screaming and hollering from the other end of the street. The ylmax swung around and stared in their direction for only a moment before they began chasing after the women. Neutrino watched as each ylmax gracefully swung its middle leg and propelled itself forward. They moved ridiculously fast for a creature of that size. When they seemed to be far enough down the street, Bengor signaled Neutrino to follow him. He moved as quickly and quietly as he could to the door. Neutrino looked back over his shoulder to see the ylmax turning a corner and disappearing from sight.

  Bengor got to the entrance and tried to key in the code to open the door, but it had taken quite a beating and was not working. He took a step back and began searching around for something.

  “What are you looking for?” Neutrino asked.

  “The door’s jammed because of the ylmax, we’re going to have to force it. I’m looking for something to pry it open with.”

  “Maybe we should just go around to the other door?”

  “It may be in worse condition and I don’t want to waste time finding out. We need to try and get this one open first, before they come back.” He walked into a nearby building and came back out moments later with what looked to be a couple of thick metal table legs.

  “Here, take one and jam it into the crack.” Neutrino put his table leg into the lower portion and Bengor forced his into the top. They struggled for several minutes without making much progress. Every time they let up a little the door quickly closed back up. Suddenly it started to give. It opened a small fraction and they heard a woman’s voice calling out to them, combined with the sound of banging from somewhere within.

  “Keep pushing!” Lylia yelled from the other side. She was using some kind of hydraulic type device to assist them. Finally they pried the door open enough for Neutrino to squeeze through.

  “Go on Neutrino, I’ll hold it!” Bengor called.

  “Thank you,” Neutrino said, struggling to get through the door. He caught one last brief glimpse of Bengor before it slammed firmly shut. Neutrino paused for a few minutes panting but Lylia went immediately over to a work station. Neutrino watched as her hands flew over the monitors and keyboards.

  “We don’t have much time. That door,” she said with a nod in the opposite direction, “won’t keep the ylmax out for much longer.” Neutrino looked to the other end of the Port where a less formidable looking interior door stood. Loud banging and the occasional grunt was emanating from the other side. As there were no other visible exits, the entrance to the Dark Stair must have been somewhere beyond, along with the other exterior door, that Neutrino was now very glad they had not tried to use.

  “Where are the others?”

  “Back below ground hopefully. We ran into ylmax almost immediately, they must have broken through the south door. The others did their best to fight them off and lead them away while I barricaded myself inside the Launch Room, but the ylmax have obviously gotten past them.”

  “How long until the ylmax get in, do you think?”

  “I don’t know. The Port is very sturdy but…” she glanced at the bending door. “Probably not long. We need to get you out of here.”

  “What about you? How are you going to get out of here?” Lylia didn’t say anything she just kept staring at the monitors and pushing buttons while Neutrino felt a new panic growing inside him.

  “Lylia? Lylia!” he hollered.

  “Don’t worry about it,” she said without so much as a pause in her typing, “I’ll figure something out.” Neutrino was mortified. He couldn’t let her get herself killed and eaten by those things, even if she was infuriating. He looked to the door he had just entered through. It was once more firmly shut, and the device Lylia had been using was crushed when it had slammed closed. There was no way she would be able to get herself out that way, even if the device were intact, it wouldn’t be enough to hold the door open on its own.

  “Come with me. There must be spare suits in here, put one on and I’ll take you back to Venthall with me,” Neutrino couldn’t believe he’d suggested it; he’d never taken a passenger before, he could barely get himself through.

  But what else can I do?

  “I thought you were hopeless?” Lylia said skeptically with a bit of a smirk and a laugh-snort that almost made him want to retract his offer.

  “Well, I am. But it’s either that or you become a tasty ylmax snack. Which would you prefer?”

  “The Slipstream’s ready. You better get going.” She avoided his gaze.

  “And you?”

  “I can’t risk it. You must get back to Venthall, taking me with you would jeopardize the mission.”

  “I’m not leaving without you,” he said, firmly grabbing her arm. Lylia looked at him with dark eyes and he almost let go. She was so irritating. Neutrino knew she was right, that taking her with him was technically a mistake, but he just couldn’t let her stay there.

  “You’ll have to. Hundreds of people are relying on you; I won’t risk ruining your chances.”

  Neutrino stared angrily at her. If she wouldn’t come willingly he would have to force the issue, they were losing time. He rushed into an adjacent room where there were storage lockers, and began searching through them until he found a spare Slipstream suit and harness. Lylia followed after, yelling at him the whole time.

  “What do you think you’re doing? The Slipstream is ready, you should go now!”

  “I’m not leaving without you. Put this on.” A loud bang from the main room and Neutrino peeked out to see the door begin caving in. The ylmax on the other side roared and continued beating on it. “You better hurry; we’re running out of time.” Lylia stood fuming at him for a moment before relenting.

  “Oh! You stupid spoiled Stream brat!” She said as she stripped off her navigator uniform and began pulling the suit on. Neutrino didn’t have time to turn away, but it didn’t matter, she wore the same standard issue undergarments that he did; a black sleeveless shirt and black shorts.

  “You’re no walk in the park either.”

  “You’re just like all the other stupid Messengers; you think you know everything when you really know nothing at all!”

  “Yeah, yeah. You can chew me out after I’ve saved your life. Well, if we make it an
yway.” He held out an anti-nausea film to her.

  “What’s that?” she asked suspiciously.

  “The Slipstream messes with your stomach, this will help. You just put it under your tongue and let it dissolve.”

  She looked at it skeptically. “I don’t need it.”

  “Just take it, will you?” he growled. The pounding and occasion growl from the ylmax were only highlighting their need to move faster. “You don’t want to get sick up there. Trust me.”

  “Personal experience?” she smirked and finished putting on her suit. Neutrino grimaced, but she took the sheet from his hand and popped it in her mouth.

  Lylia strapped on her part of the harness and he put on his. They stepped onto the platform. Neutrino activated his air shield, she did the same. Lylia came and stood right up against him so they could attach the harnesses. If not for the air shield, he would have been able to feel her breath on his face. He felt his heart begin to race and it wasn’t because he was about to make his first real trip with a passenger.

  “Um, you know, you’re supposed to turn around,” he muttered. His bravado from a moment ago had disappeared in her proximity.

  “I know,” she said tartly. He gave her an incredulous look and she sighed. “Look, if I’m about to be hurtled through space I’m damn well going to have something to hold onto, rather than just counting on this stupid harness.”

  She had made the statement matter-of-factly, but she refused to look him in the eye, instead focusing on attaching the harness. Neutrino looked over the top of her head to where her sleek black hair was still tied back and tucked down into her suit and waited while she fiddled with tightening straps that were self-adjusting. He realized that she was afraid. Tough-as-stardust Lylia was afraid of the Slipstream. The thought encouraged him; she was not so flawless after all. Neutrino didn’t have time to dwell on it, or even to freak out about going into the Slipstream again, as the ylmax had nearly broken through the door and it sounded as if its kin had also returned.