Metamorphosis Alpha 2

by Craig Martelle

  The creature looked thoughtful, glancing at the band then back at the unit several times. “Ship? Ship! Our legends speak of something called…Warden.”

  “Yes,” the voice said with affirmation. “The Starship Warden. That is where we are and your level is one of many within it. I see you are injured. We can repair the damage—”

  The voice was cut off by another howl. The image on the wall showed the beast’s teeth for just a moment, then abruptly jerked back and forth and disappeared.

  Andy stared blankly at the wall. Elaira looked at him. She may not fully understand everything she just saw, but she knew what had happened. Neither Andy, nor any of the other reds seem to react to the horrific scene.

  “The pattern of appearances suggests the creature is moving quickly to the main elevator,” Andy said, pointing to a slim layer in the middle of the image that ran from top to bottom. “You have seen it on your level as a mountain reaching into the sky.”

  “The Spire,” she said quietly. “The Spire can truly carry one into the heavens?” It was yet another thing about her world that wasn’t as it seemed. What else could there be? Her eyes traced a line from The Spire to the light that was supposed to be where the cougaroid was, then to the light that showed where she was. The beast was much closer to The Spire.

  “It must be contained between decks,” Andy said.

  Elaira stepped in front of Andy. “I will lead the hunt!”

  “The CC has programmed us to not allow that.”

  Elaira turned to the lighted wall and knelt on the cold floor. “See-see, you won’t let them kill the beast. You don’t want it to get to The Spire. Killing it is the only way to stop it. I don’t know the way to The Spire from here. You help me get there and I will hunt for the beast!” She said it as the decision was already made.

  She remained on her knees for several seconds. When she looked up, she saw Andy’s eyes fluttering as they had before. But it wasn’t just Andy. All of the other reds were in the same trance.

  ***

  NEW DATA FOR CALCULATION. LINE OPEN.

  The creature seems intelligent enough to make use of the band. If it makes it to another level, we may lose it.

  Contamination from another level could undo much repair work and set back progress by a number of standard years.

  With no contact with the lifeforms of Level 11 for so long, allowing the human to contain the creature, will generate data that will prove extremely valuable as to how we should…deal…with her kind, if we are to reintegrate Level 11.

  All units concur with importance of this data.

  —END OF LINE. RECALULATING…

  ***

  Elaira found the sight of all of the red’s eyes, entranced, to be unnerving. Then, just as suddenly, their eyes returned to normal and they were all staring at her. She took a step back.

  “The CC has programmed us to assist you. What do you need for this…hunt?” Andy said, flatly.

  Elaira bowed to the wall with the lights. “Thank you, great spirit of The Warden.” She turned to Andy. “I need my dagger and my spear—” Then she remembered. She saw her spear, broken, when Andy found her. “My spear…”

  One of the reds stepped forward, from behind the others. It was holding her dagger

  …and a spear

  It walked to Elaira and presented them to her. “We reconstructed it.”

  It wasn’t the same spear, exactly. It was the same tip, but the broken shaft had been replaced with shiny metal. She took it in hand. It was lighter than before. She twirled it around in her hands and did a couple of practice thrusts. It was solid and the balance was perfect. She couldn’t possibly miss her mark when throwing a spear such as this. She smiled broadly.

  “We know where it’s going. When need to get there first. Can you do that?”

  “Yes; then what?” Andy said.

  “The Spire is the bait and I am the trap.”

  ***

  Elaira, Andy, and the other reds rode in the strangest wagons she had ever hoped to see. The moved on their own, without a horse and faster than any horse she’d heard of. Certainly faster than the cougaroid.

  On the way, Andy explained more things to Elaira. She learned they were in a space between lands – or levels, as Andy kept calling them. She learned there were people, like her, that used to do what the reds do now and that they all died in the Rain of Fire. She had no idea there were even as many different tribes as Andy had said, let alone the vast number that perished.

  The more they talked, the more she felt the same care in the strange red being that she had come to know and respect in Dartmuth, himself. She was a stranger in his land and yet he’d saved her and healed her. As an elder, Dartmuth didn’t have to watch over her, teach her, and be there when her father no longer could. The stranger she’d come to know as Andy was a lot like her friend and mentor in many ways. They would be friends when the hunt was over.

  The narrow passage that brought them to The Spire opened up to a much larger round clearing with a large trunk, of sorts, at the center. What Andy had said was The Spire looked nothing like what Elaira had seen reaching up into the sky, on the horizon. It wasn’t nearly as large as it appeared from her village. Andy explained the space that one would use to ascend to the sky was inside the stone and only a small portion of the overall size, but she saw it was still large enough to hold half of her tribe at once.

  Elaira and Andy were crouched behind a stack of large crates closest to the near entry. The clearing was dimly lit, but she they had a clear view of the passage on the far side. The rest of the reds hid all around the space, all watching the same passage.

  “If the timing of reported sightings persists, it will be here soon,” Andy said.

  Elaira gripped her spear tightly. Her muscles tensing against her rukey. Soon she would avenge Dartmuth, her father, and even the lost tribe that the beast, and those like it, had driven away.

  She saw Andy retrieve something from his belt. It wasn’t much larger than his hand and fit his grip perfectly. He inserted several metal rods into it.

  “What is that?”

  “Paralysis rods. They will render the creature immobile.”

  “It is mine to kill,” she said with anger in her voice.

  “It’s a precautionary measure in case you fail.”

  “I won’t.”

  Andy put a hand on her shoulder, looking into her eyes. “I know.”

  Elaira’s head snapped back in the direction of the passage. She sniffed the air. Her face scowled as she raised her spear and peered into the darkness.

  A thud echoed from somewhere, followed by a brilliant flash of red light. Elaira couldn’t tell from where, exactly. Andy stopped for a moment and stared blankly.

  The great spirit of The Warden speaks, she thought.

  “Unit Andy-five-zero-three has ceased to function. Its matrix has been collected for recycling and—”

  Andy’s face showed something other than its fixed expression. It almost looked like worry.

  “What is it?”

  “Andy-five-zero-three was armed with a laser pistol…and now the creature has it.”

  She didn’t have to ask what a laser pistol was. Andy’s face said enough.

  Andy pointed at another stack of crates to the right of the passage. “Andy-five-zero-three was positioned there.”

  Elaira took off running. Her footfalls echoed in the void. She made short work of the distance in a few seconds, then jumped on to the lowest crate and behind the stack with her spear ready to thrust, But the cougaroid was gone, leaving the stiff body of the red on the ground. A large chunk of its throat was gone, thrown aside in a heap of white milky flesh. She immediately crouched, looking all around her and sniffed the air again. The beast was still near.

  Footsteps approached from behind her. She whipped around with her spear at her ear, ready to release it, then froze.

  It was Andy. She didn’t know he’d followed her.

  She put h
er finger to her lips and gestured for him to get down as she returned to her crouch.

  Andy kept walking toward her. He had the different object in his hand, then he’d had before.

  Elaira turned, looking around for the creature.

  “I’m sorry about your friend,” she said.

  “Nooooot my friend!” A voice hissed.

  She looked back and Andy was pointing the object at her…except it wasn’t Andy. The form of Andy fell away, replaced by short, thick hair, larger ears, and long teeth.

  A red flash of light struck the crate near her head, instantly burning through it. Reflex and instinct made her roll to her left. More flashes hit the ground near her. She could feel the heat where they struck. Elaira jumped to her feet, but she was off balance. She couldn’t set to throw her spear.

  The cougaroid howled triumphantly and shot at her again.

  The young hunter found cover behind more crates. Where was Andy? Why had the beast taken his shape?

  A hail paralysis rods came from the right, fired by the other reds.

  The shots drove the cougaroid off into the darkness only leaving its cackling to echo all around her.

  The beast was taunting her. It made her furious.

  She stayed crouched, moving in the direction she thought it had gone. Her head swiveled all around trying to catch sight of the beast. It was not going to sneak up on her again.

  There was another thud, this time very close. She sniffed the air, but all she could smell was the foul stench were the floor and crate had been burned.

  She could see a red out of the corner of her eye. She glanced over her shoulder. Andy had hopped up and over some crates, walking toward her.

  The object…the weapon…was in his hand.

  Not this time!

  “Are you hurt—?”

  Elaira dropped her left legged back, pivoted, turned and screamed in anger as she thrust her spear. She heard and felt a satisfying squish as the metal spearhead dug into flesh. The body went rigid, its arms flat against its sides. She yanked the spear out. The body tipped on heels and fell backward, landing solidly on its back. White liquid oozed out of the center of its belly.

  White liquid!

  Elaira looked and saw that her spear tip was covered in the same white liquid and a chunk of moist white flesh. The spear dropped to the ground.

  “Oh—Oh no!” She dropped to the ground beside the body. “Andy…please…I’m sorry. I thought you were…” She put her hands on the chest, shaking it frantically, but the whole body rocked as if it were frozen. Even the yellow eyes were lifeless. “Help!” She called out. “Great spirit of The Warden, send the healer robot! Send the healer…”

  But she’d seen this before. Those wounds were still fresh and they had just been pulled open again. She’d just lost someone else. Another friend that showed her there was more to her world than she knew.

  Another friend lost to those animals!

  The reds started to gather around. One of them moved Elaira aside and reached down, along with another red, and picked up Andy’s body and started to carry it off.

  Elaira couldn’t watch. Not again. She turned away, eyes clenched tightly, grinding her teeth, letting the pain build up inside.

  Then she heard it. A cackling hiss echoing all around her.

  The creature was laughing at her.

  “You’re noooooo hunter.”

  Elaira’s rage took over. She stood and walked to the door to The Spire.

  “Come out and face me!” She yelled.

  The remaining reds stepped out of hiding.

  “It has a weapon!” One of them said.

  “I don’t care! Beast! I have no spear! Come out now!”

  Several long, silent moments passed.

  “To get home, you have to come through me!” Elaira yelled. “Fight me now, without your weapon! They won’t interfere.”

  “They do not keep promises,” said the beast in the darkness.

  “Get out here where I can see you!”

  Then, from out of the shadows of the passage, the cougaroid crept into view. It was still holding the weapon in its hand.

  The reds pointed their weapons at it. Elaira held her hands up to them.

  “No!”

  She turned around. The beast was close now. She could see its fur was soaked with blood, from its left side, running down its leg. Elaira smiled devilishly.

  “My kind knows of them,” it said, pointing at a red nearest to him. “I have watched that rock for many moons, guarding against their return.” It tossed the weapon aside and pointed a claw at her. “Then one of yours came looking—”

  “AAAAAHHHH!” She charged at full speed.

  The cougaroid barely rolled out of the way in time. It swiped its claws at Elaira as she went past, catching her in the back of her left leg.

  But Elaira kept going as if nothing had happened. She stopped and reversed her direction, charging again. This time she was able to tackle it around its torso and drive its back into the ground, something she had learned wrestling with the other apprentices in her group.

  The cougaroid was wounded and weakened, but still a match for the young hunter. It threw her off and got to its feet.

  Elaira was also already up and ready.

  “Our lore tells us this tribe of The Warden,” it said, baring its claws and teeth, ready to strike. “They arrived and healed yourssss…but killed mine.”

  The hunter jumped at the beast again. It fell backward, with her landing on top of it, but this time she had it pinned down.

  “I waaaaas protecting my kind when yours trespassed.”

  Elaira wrapped her hands around the creature’s neck and squeezed. It squealed and hissed. It dug its claws into her arms. She screamed. But not in pain.

  …in anger. She poured everything she was feeling from losing her father, Dartmuth, and even Andy into her grip.

  “They should have finished…killing your kind.” Elaira’s words were dripping with hate.

  Blood poured out of her arms where the claws dug into her flesh, but she could feel the cougaroid’s strength fading fast. This was it. She was going to choke her revenge out of this…thing. She hoped her father, Dartmuth, and Andy were watching from the spirit world.

  The reds started to move in around her. She growled at them viciously.

  The cougaroids eyes rolled into the back of its head before the eyelids closed. She removed one hand from its neck to draw her dagger and stuck the tip against its neck, under the jaw. Her other hand came up and palmed the handle. One quick push and it would all be over.

  “Elaira! Please stop!”

  The voice sounded like Andy. It made her even angrier. I will not fall for any of your tricks!

  She heard fast footsteps approaching. She looked up and gasped. Andy was standing in front of her. But how? She saw him dead. The cougaroid wheezed and coughed, struggling to catch its breath, but she kept the blade in place, firmly on its neck

  “Elaira. It’s me. Unit Andy-four-zero-seven, now four-zero-eight.”

  Elaira was wide-eyed. She looked the figure over. It looked like any other red. It had no wound.”

  “Is this a trick?”

  The figure kneeled down in front of her. “I assure you. It’s no trick.”

  “You were dead! I killed you with my spear, because of this…unnatural thing!”

  “You did. It was a fine thrust. You pierced a power cell conduit. The CC reclaimed my matrix and transferred it to a new body. I’m fully functional again.”

  Elaira started breathing heavy, feeling a little dizzy, but kept the dagger at the cougaroid’s throat. She didn’t know what any of it meant, but she saw someone, she thought to be dead, alive right in front of her. It was overwhelming.

  The creature started to regain consciousness. It stirred beneath her and hissed at the reds that were standing around it, but stopped when it felt the tip of the dagger at its throat.

  “You must listen,” Andy said. “Wha
t it says about us is true.”

  “What…What do you mean?”

  “We went to your level and worked to heal every living thing we could. Your people responded well to treatment.”

  “Killeeeersss!” The creature said.

  Elaira pushed on the dagger. A little trickle of blood ran down the fur of the neck.

  “What does it mean by that?” She said.

  “The radiation accident caused countless mutations to creatures throughout the ship. The CC tells us there was not an opportunity to study each, at the time. Unfortunately, the conventional treatments proved deadly to some mutated species.”

  “Killed…many,” the cougaroid said. “Almost killed all.”

  “It was an accident. We did not know. We were not prepared. We are sorry.”

  Elaira looked at Andy, then back at the cougaroid. It, too, was looking at Andy. It snarled at her friend as if the dagger wasn’t there ready to be pressed into its throat. There was both anger and fear, in its eyes, when it looked at the reds. Was it true? All this time, its kind was preventing the lost tribe from returning because they…thought they would be killed? That would mean when Dartmuth went to The Forbidden Place to try to find them, this thing was defending its home from a threat.

  Elaira took a long deep breath and slowly withdrew the blade, then, cautiously got to her feet. The cougaroid was breathing heavy. It relaxed, letting its head drop back to the ground. All tension seemed to leave its body all at once. There was blood, from the wound on its side, pooled on the ground.

  She turned to Andy. “Can you…help it?”

  “Yes,” Andy said. “But we must act quickly.”

  Without a word spoken, several reds stepped up and carefully picked up the wounded creature. Another red brought one of the wagons. They gently put it in the back and drove off.

  “Will it live?”

  “The CC calculates a forty-two-point—”

  Elaira looked at Andy blankly.

  “…We will do everything we can. We need to treat your wounds, as well.”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  Andy put a hand on her shoulder. “I say we owe you that much.”

  Elaira nodded.

  They started to walk toward another of the wagons. The girl started to limp as pain in her leg set in. Andy offered his arm for her to steady herself.