The Download

by R. E. Carr

  “Let me help you,” a woman’s voice echoed on the breeze. The wind shifted and the dust settled to either side of a path through the ruins. As Eon began his walk along the path, walls of ice held back the carnage while snow hissed and spit as it landed on the remaining fires that were burning here and there.

  “Licia?” Eon asked.

  “I’m not doing this for you, murderer,” she spat. Her already-cold eyes hardened as she surveyed the destruction all around.

  “So many,” Eon said as he surveyed the scene. The debris shifted to reveal a mostly intact Machidonian skiff. Its singed crew slumped over its railings, their hollowed-out eye sockets fixed heavenward.

  “As you can see, we have dealt with the Machidonians, and we can deal with them again. However, they do have their uses,” Licia said flatly.

  Licia waved her hand over the barge, and it surged to life. It hummed and shuddered for a few moments before hovering off the ground. Eon approached it slowly.

  “I can feed it energy, but I can’t control it,” she snapped. “Get the damn half grunt over here.”

  “Wait—” Eon started, but the wind changed again, revealing that the devastation reached all the way to the water. Machidonian blood and wreckage had changed the bay from blue to gray. The faint sounds of battle still echoed near the temple.

  “The answers you seek are not here, Eon,” echoed in the winds.

  “Did you—?” he started.

  “Did I what?” Licia snapped. “We need to get out of here before either side finds us. I don’t think my sisters have any forgiveness in their hearts, and I have neither the will nor the patience to defend you any longer, Eon.”

  Eon ran back to the cave. Kei was there, remaining ever vigilant by Jenn’s side.

  “So, we found something, Kei,” Eon said. “But you aren’t going to like it.”

 

  Kei roared as the Machidonian ship barely skipped over a hill. His three passengers held on to the rails for dear life as the silvery ship swung wide to avoid a tree. Even the normally placid Eon turned green as the ship banked again. Jenn finally gave in and vomited over the starboard bow.

  “Can you possibly fly this thing any worse, Beast-Man?” Licia snapped as the ship lurched again. She squealed as the ship banked sharply; branches nearly smacked the Oracle in the face. “You may look like a grunt, but you sure as the seven hells don’t fly like one!”

  Kei whirled around and snarled. As he jerked the wheel, however, the barge whirled into a tailspin. Eon toppled against the control panel and slammed his face against a large red button. A series of Machidonian symbols poured down the central display, and the skiff levelled off. Kei growled and collapsed into a sweaty heap in the captain’s chair.

  “What happened?” Jenn asked as she too fell into her seat. She wiped her mouth and groaned.

  “It seems that this Phantom’s thick skull is good for something,” Licia muttered as she joined Kei in the front. “He engaged the autopilot—finally.”

  “There is an autopilot?” Kei asked as he stared at the vast array of buttons, knobs, and levers on the dashboard.

  Licia pointed to the display. “It says it right here,” she sighed. “Wait, you’re a grunt that can’t even read Machidonian?”

  “I am not a grunt!” Kei growled. “How does it even know where we are going?”

  Licia and Eon both looked at the panel. Eon tapped the screen and more symbols appeared. The skiff gently banked left.

  “That should take us toward the Western Highlands,” Eon said.

  “You can read that?” Kei asked.

  “We often use Machidonian skiffs to get to faraway contracts. We only need a grunt to start and stop the machine,” Eon said.

  “But you couldn’t even see,” Jenn added. “How—?”

  Eon slunk away from the controls. “I seem to know a great many things that I shouldn’t,” he said as he slid back to his seat.

  “Well, you don’t seem to know where we are going. Chikin Hol is farther to the northeast than the trajectory you’ve plotted,” Licia said as she studied the screen.

  “We’re going to a place called Chicken Hole?” Jenn asked, wide-eyed. Kei, Eon, and Licia barely stifled their laughter.

  “Chikin Hol is the gateway to the west,” Licia corrected. Before she could change the heading, though, Eon moved back to the controls and gently pushed her hand away. The Oracle recoiled. “How dare you?”

  “We aren’t going to Chikin Hol, my dear Licia. We are going past the mountains,” Eon said.

  “I am not your dear anything, Phantom,” Licia spat. “And we can’t plot a course through the mountains with a pilot like this. There is nothing there anyway . . . is there?”

  “Both of you be quiet, or I will start driving this thing again!” Kei snapped. “Can you please just sit still before I turn this damn machine around?”

  Jenn started snickering as she moved for her seat. Kei turned to glare at her next. “And what is so funny now?” he asked.

  “I’m sorry, but you sounded just like my dad when we used to take road trips,” Jenn said, still laughing. She pointed to Licia and Eon. “And you two are bickering like an old married couple.”

  “How dare you insinuate . . . ?” Licia said as frost formed along her forearms.

  Jenn merely leaned back and smiled wider as the breeze blew past the icy woman. She let out a deep sigh. “Finally, some air-conditioning,” Jenn said as the color returned to her cheeks.

  “You are truly bizarre, Serif-fan of Beasts,” Licia said, shaking her head. “And you, Phantom, do you mind telling us where are we going?”

  “To Ka’an Ek Itza,” Eon said. “To the city of my birth. But first we should go to the Temple of Kukulkan on the slopes of Noh Uitz. That is where the story of Eon began, and I think it is where my story will end.”

  “Oh, well, that is comforting,” Licia said as she returned to her seat. “Instead of going to the Western capital, you want to follow some hunch and go to your little home in the mountains. Do we really have time for this?”

  Kei’s tail twitched as he watched the landscape transform into thicker forest. He rubbed the back of his hand, and Jenn saw that a bit more silvery liquid was seeping from his cysts. She reached over and blotted them with the tattered edge of what still passed for a shirt.

  “Are you OK, sheep-boy?” she asked softly.

  “I am fine,” Kei growled. “Eon, are you certain this is where we should be heading?”

  “That Ancient One said for us to confront the serpent—” he started.

  “Well that was certainly helpful,” Licia muttered. “We have a vague portent and a pilot who cannot fly for—”

  “Just shut up, Ice Queen!” Jenn snapped.

  Kei reached for the controls and gave the Oracle a threatening look. Licia flopped back into her seat and crossed her arms. She rolled her eyes and remained quiet. Eon sighed deeply before continuing.

  “As I said, she told me to head west, to the place where the stories of gods and men end. Where I come from, it’s believed that time flows in a circle—that the story should come back to the beginning as it ends. A man is born from darkness and returns to darkness. Eons begin and end, and then begin again. Like the name I was given: Eon,” he said, staring at the sky. “I think she was telling me to go back to where I began.”

  “Why must gods always speak in riddles?” Licia muttered.

  “For once I agree with you,” Jenn muttered next to her. “Still, it’s all we have, so unless you know where the last seal really is, Licia, I think we should just settle in and enjoy the slightly less bumpy ride.”

  The group sat in an uncomfortable silence as the skiff continued to skip over the trees. Kei kept his hand at the ready as he watched the rolling landscape. Jenn finally leaned over and squeezed his shoulders.

  “We can do this,” she whispered.

  “We can do this—together,” Kei replied.


  Eon remained stone-faced and silent as he watched the mist rolling over the mountains. Finally, as the sun grew so low that they all had to squint, he dared to face the sulking Oracle.

  “I see that Ancient One was able to restore you, Great Oracle,” he said.

  Licia stared at the remains of her armor. As he watched, links of hoarfrost connected across her bare midriff. She then ran her fingers over the now-faint line on her shoulder.

  “I suppose I should thank you for saving my life,” she said. “But considering that you were also the ones who put it in danger, I think my gratitude is rather diminished.”

  “Then why are you coming with us?” Eon asked.

  “Because I was told to,” she snapped. Eon waited patiently as she continued to seethe in her seat. Finally, his expectant look was simply too much.

  “Those grunts and that bastard Farris killed Dailyn,” she said flatly. “I’ll rebuild Oracle Mountain after I’ve had my revenge, if you don’t mind. Right now, it’s all I have, so I’m not particularly picky as to how I get it.”

  Eon narrowed his eyes further. He hopped over to adjust the autopilot once more. Licia closed her eyes, but still nodded slightly toward the Phantom’s seat.

  “You know, if the circumstances were different, you would not be the worst person to share a bed with,” she acquiesced. “But if you ever even think of touching me again, I’ll freeze every protruding part of your body and break it off. Am I clear, Aj’Chatan Tzin?”

  “Crystal clear, Great Oracle. You should rest now if you can. It will be at least another few hours until we reach the temple.”

  “And will you wake me when we reach this temple?” she asked.

  Eon shook his head and laughed. “Oh, I’m quite certain that our good friend Zhanfos will do that. After all, the autopilot cannot land in an unknown destination. We are going to need him to guide the ship down.”

  Licia clasped her hands and began muttering fervent prayers. Kei and Jenn stared at each other in horror from their seats. Only Eon remained calm and collected. He reached over and placed his hand on Kei’s shoulder.

  “Have faith in yourself, Kei,” Eon said. “After all, we are heading to the temple of my god. He will watch over me, and I am fairly sure he will watch over you as well. He should have already been appeased by a blood sacrifice this moon, so I doubt that he will demand ours this day.”

  “Eon,” Jenn said as she turned to face him. “That was the single worst pep talk I’ve ever heard.”

  Eon burst into laughter and shook the rattled half beast for good measure. “Relax, Kei,” Eon reassured. “We are heading to a place of peace and safety. As long as the mighty statue of Kukulkan watches over the valley, no harm can come to us!”

 

  “So, you were saying?” Jenn asked as she looked over the railings of their shuddering skiff. Eon stared in horror at shards of stone that were littered across a mountain path. Kei, however, was too preoccupied with trying to sync with the Machidonian vessel to notice the shattered remains of the once-mighty statue.

  “Spirits of the north winds, guide me,” Licia prayed as the skiff swung over the valley for a second time. Eon and Jenn double-checked the ropes that held them firm against the railings. Licia repeated her prayer. “Spirits of the north winds, guide me!”

  Kei grabbed the control panel with both hands, hissing and spitting as he tried to make the machine land. The more he strained, the more the vessel trembled. Finally, a piece of the paneling ripped from the side.

  “Oh God, we are going to die,” Jenn moaned as the little air ship made a beeline for the mountainside.

  “Kei, just focus on the ground!” Eon called over the icy winds whipping around the ship. “Make the ship a part of you. Stop fighting it!”

  “Spirits of the frozen north—” Licia tried to finish her chant even as she lurched over the side. Eon barely managed to grab her before her frozen tie-down snapped. The ship whirled around again as Kei roared. Jenn screamed.

  “Kei!” she cried as the spinning intensified. The cat-man stared in horror as his blood dripped onto the panel. He turned his hand ever so slightly, but the ship swung wide again.

  “It won’t land!” he cried.

  “Spirits of the frozen north, hear me!” Licia screamed. This time the mists did seem to respond to her—a spear of ice solidified in her hand.

  “Licia, what are you doing?” Eon cried as a chain of ice formed from one end of the spear.

  “Saving our asses!” the Oracle snapped as she hurled the spear to the ground. She then grabbed the rope, which grew thicker and stronger each second she held it. Eon grabbed Jenn and sheltered her under his own body as the thrashing skiff tugged against its new tether.

  “Kill the engine, Kei!” Eon cried. “Now!”

  Kei slammed his fist against the control panel, sending a chunk flying into the air. “Just stop, damn you!” he roared. “Stop!”

  The engine whined and shuddered for one second more, then grew eerily quiet. It hovered for a moment in the sky before crashing to the ground. Kei went flying over the dashboard while Licia toppled off the rear. Both swore profusely, but they landed on their feet. Kei stumbled a few paces while his legs shifted and snapped. Licia had managed to land in a pile of snow in the middle of a jungle.

  “You nearly got us killed!” Both Kei and Licia howled at each other. Meanwhile, back in the ship, Jenn moaned when she saw how her arm had been pinned into an unnatural position between Eon and the ship’s deck.

  “Jenn, I am currently suppressing your pain receptors as I attempt to assess the damage. Please stand by.”

  “CALA, I’m really glad you are with me right now.”

  “Jenn, proximity alert detected. Please return to consciousness.”

  “What now?” Jenn moaned as she came to. A concerned pair of violet eyes stared at her as she was eased into a sitting position.

  “You’re hurt, Ji-ann,” Eon said as he ripped off his shirt and tore the fabric into strips. “Where do you feel pain?”

  “Nowhere, actually,” she said softly as she stared at her arm.

  Eon raised a brow. “Is that a gift from the voice in your head?” he asked.

  Jenn nodded. Eon made quick work of running his hand along her arm and up to her shoulder. He gave her an apologetic smile before he yanked her arm without warning. Jenn winced at the loud pop she heard as the arm snapped back into place.

  “I don’t feel anything broken, but your shoulder is going to be in a lot of pain once CALA’s intervention ends. You are going to have quite the black eye as well,” Eon said as he continued to improvise a sling. “I’m sorry if I’m not as talented a nurse as Winowa.”

  “You’re bleeding,” Jenn said as she wiped a bit of blood from behind his ear. “Yeah, you took a hit to the head.”

  “I will live,” Eon said as he helped Jenn to her feet. The pair stumbled to the edge of the skiff. Kei scrambled to help the moment he saw Jenn’s arm in a sling.

  “Ji-ann, I am so sorry,” he said as she limped to the ground.

  “I’ll live,” Jenn muttered in an imitation of Eon’s stoic voice.

  “I will live, won’t I, CALA?”

  “You are correct in your assessment, Jenn. However, I am detecting the early stages of a concussion in addition to your dislocated shoulder and a cracked rib. You must rest immediately so I can continue to regulate your blood pressure and allow the residual Beast Tribe technorganic parasites to repair your systems.”

  “Those things are still in me—even after that thing back there?”

  “Yes, in fact they have been replicating at an increased rate.”

  “Just let me know if I’m going to turn into a walrus or something, OK?”

  “I do not believe that you have a sufficiently sized colony to attempt a full form shift—”

  “Fine, just warn me if anything else weird is going to happen.”

  “Of course, Jenn
. I will warn you of anything I am able to detect within my programming parameters.”

  “Wait—what?”

  “Ow . . . ,” Jenn groaned as she found herself leaning against a trembling Kei. She buried her face against his chest, careful not to put pressure against her bound shoulder. “I guess CALA couldn’t keep the pain away forever,” she muttered as she grabbed her temple.

  “I am so very sorry,” Kei said.

  “Hey, we’re alive! Aren’t we?” Jenn asked as she surveyed the Machidonian wreckage scattered among the statue pieces. Half of a stone face stared at her from across the path. “Landing is always the tough part.”

  “There is more than one wreck in this place,” Eon said as he picked up a hunk of red-painted steel. He kicked at the grass until a bony hand rolled into view. “And there are bodies too.”

  Licia pulled a stick out of the ground to reveal its silvery, pronged end. She tossed it at Kei’s feet. The Beast-Man scowled.

  “It’s a force pike,” he said.

  “So you at least know something about your grunt heritage, mongrel,” Licia said. “There were walking cannons too, Phantom. The Machidonians attacked this place in full force, just as they did Delphi.”

  Eon knelt before the shattered face of the god. “Forgive me,” he whispered as he cut his hand and smeared blood across Kukulkan’s cracked eyes. “I will find those who did this and make them know the name of the feathered serpent.”

  Jenn pushed herself to her feet and made her way slowly toward Eon and the statue. As she stepped on a stone feather, her eyes lit up. “Kukulkan—the feathered serpent!” she said softly. She surveyed the mix of Machidonian bones and wreckage scattered around their new disaster of a skiff.

  “Eon, this is where the Machidonians stole Kukulkan,” she said, wide-eyed. “The ship, the Quetzalcoatl—”

  “I can’t believe it,” Eon whispered. “How do you steal a god, Ji-ann? It implies something that I’ve never wanted to consider. Is my god so weak, so trivial, that . . . ?”