by K M Lovold
The frothy cascade fell into a small plunge pool with rocky outcroppings. Moss clung to the rocks and tree trunks near the pool—something found nowhere else on this deserted planet. The only shades typically seen were those of rock and dust. But here… He drew closer, and a small patch of lush grass jumped out at him, impossible to see from the pathway to the train. A slow smile grew as he reached it, knelt, and ran his fingertips across the smooth grass. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of rich soil and water-saturated air. If only it could be like this everywhere on this prison-planet. But then it wouldn’t be a prison.
How his grandfather ever got involved in this place was beyond Ian. What had he been thinking when he went along with this? When he traveled here during the building stages and saw how void it was of life?
But then he thought of what his grandfather had told him before he died: “I couldn’t do anything about it, I couldn’t change things. It was going to happen no matter what I said or did, and if I had spoken up, done anything, they would’ve killed me. They’d discovered the gem they needed to create renewable energy and that was that. So, I did the only thing I could: I tried to make a way out, a way to communicate back to Earth, possibly make a way of escape, when the time came…”
The flag. Grandfather’s symbol of hope. Now Ian’s.
He took one last glance at the spectacular vista, took in another big breath, and then ran back to the pathway. Seeing the beauty of the waterfall up close only inspired him to accomplish his task. That of bringing Grandfather’s hope to fruition.
He entered the musty cave, the stale air practically suffocating him after the freshness of the waterfall. After turning the train on, he donned the rubber suit and tromped down the staircase as fast as he could and headed straight to the vials. He bent down and felt them with his gloved hand and pulled them off their bracket, noticing the lids secured in place, and tucked them in his boot.
Next, he did his once-over inside the train and out and then trotted back up the staircase.
Once he closed the door behind him, he yanked off his facemask and pulled out the vials. A light bluish coloring filled them, not a liquid, though it could be confused as such. He tipped the vials back and forth and watched the contents swirl, a vapor taken from the air that floated around the disposal site. Many black particles in each vial mingled with the vapor and the chemicals. Toxicity at its worst.
Made of thick, nearly unbreakable glass, the vials were locked and secured, and if they were opened before he got to Earth and into the hands of the right people, they’d be useless and the truth would never come to light.
He got out of his rubber suit and gently tucked the vials back in his boot. He clicked a few buttons on the computer and listened and watched while the train boomed louder below and waited until it left the cave altogether.
On his way back to his cell, right before he entered it, he caught sight of a keeper walking fast with someone. Ian jogged to get a closer look.
It was David, the one Nikolina always spoke to. Nikolina with him. Wide-eyed, she moved along swiftly with the keeper. David clung to her arm and they headed in the direction of the spacecraft hanger. Where they’d do the transfusion?
This was happening fast. Now, things could take a turn for the worse. If she changed the way she was afraid she would…
Dread speared through Ian. He glimpsed heavenward and uttered an uncharacteristic like prayer.
****
That evening, Malaki putzed with the security gate. With a few tweaks here and a few tweaks there, he made it so the next time Price tried to break in, he’d be able to do so on the second or third try. Malaki didn’t want to make it too easy for him, but he also wanted Price to think he’d accomplished something huge. Breaking into a security device the likes of Ian Mitchell’s was not a small feat. By doing so, Price’s ego would swell even more, and it would be that much more of a blow when he came face to face with Malaki.
He chuckled, then a scent of steak and shrimp wafted to him from the deck. He went out back and checked the grill. His dinner was done. He dumped his grilled potatoes on a plate along with the perfectly browned shrimp and medium-rare steak and a corn on the cob. He took his plate to the ham shack and ate while he listened to the commotion going on. He checked in only occasionally; otherwise, he mostly listened. He enjoyed following other ham radio operators’ conversations, but Ian was the one who was more into talking.
One radio hummed softly with static, Ian’s contact radio, the one connected to the recording device. Malaki could hardly fathom having voice-to-voice contact with Ian after so long, but it would come through that radio. He had to keep it on continuously and listen as often as he could. It was a waiting game, but Malaki was willing to play it.
He kicked his feet up on the footstool, turning the volume up on the scanner. He spun the dial on another radio, and a local weather net popped up, a place for ham radio operators to talk about current weather…
“Hey, Dan, thanks for checking in today, it’s nice to hear ya. We got a lot of rain last night, almost two inches, and that was in only an hour and a half. How much did you get, over?”
“Thanks for asking, Rick. It wasn’t as bad up here as you got hit with. We got all of an inch of rain in that hour and a half, but we did not have near the winds that you guys had. I heard you had it really bad. Hopefully, your antennas held up in all the high winds—”
“E0NQS. Contact.”
“Looks like we have a contact in there. Is that E-0-N-Q-S, over?”
“Roger, roger, just reporting in we had no damage reported for this storm. E0NQS clear…”
Malaki listened while he ate, and after he finished, he called Jonathan. He had to touch base with him, even make it seem like he was out “doing business” for The Circle. But he didn’t trust Jonathan enough to tell him the full truth. Yet he needed to make himself available to the newest member of The Circle.
“Malaki?” Jonathan’s voice boomed in his ear. “Where have you been? What is going on?”
“Listen.” Malaki shoved his plate away from him and turned the volume down on the weather net. “I’m sorry I haven’t touched base, I really am. I got so tied up doing my, um… business… for The Circle that I just never had the time. But I promise I won’t leave you hanging for long. Since I’m not there, I wanted to see how things are going. How far are you on the memroth cycles? How many do you still have to do in the next week? Is there anything I can do to help you remotely?”
“Remotely?” Jonathan sounded surprised. “No. Not really. What I really need is for you to be here helping me. You’re the lead chemist. Why am I being left in charge of all this?”
“Because you’re also a brilliant chemist. That’s why you were chosen to be in The Circle, to do what you’re doing. You took the place of another brilliant chemist, so in order to do that, you must be gifted. You can do this; I know you can. Believe in yourself.”
“Malaki, that’s nice of you to say and all, buuut…”
“No. Stop. You’re a first-class scientist. You can do this. Obviously, you have been, so keep up the good work. I’ll be back when I can, and we’ll be a team again. Until then, believe in yourself. You can do this.”
“All right.” Jonathan sounded a bit more confident. “But keep in touch OK? And I hope whatever it is you’re doing for The Circle is a pretty big deal, and it must be. Otherwise, you would never be gone like this.”
“It is a big deal, my friend. A very big deal. And you’ll be hearing about it soon enough. Talk to ya soon.” Malaki clicked his phone off.
If only Jonathan knew the half of it.
Static sounded on the security device, along with buttons being pressed. Someone was at it again. And that someone had to be Price.
Malaki turned all the radios off but the most important one, which he turned down, and dumped his plate in the sink. He turned the lights off throughout the house and waited. It wouldn’t be long before Price succeeded. After about thre
e tries, the device beeped—the sound that alerted Malaki the gate was opening.
Price was in.
Malaki stepped out onto the deck and punched in the security code, so the house was locked up. He crept around the side of the house and waited a moment. Price hadn’t gotten this far yet, so Malaki darted across the lawn to the outbuilding where his truck was hidden. From there, he’d be able to spot Price walking towards the house.
After many minutes, Price jogged down the driveway and slowed to a walk once he approached the house. Malaki kept his eyes peeled to him while he gripped the handrail and marched up the stairs of the front porch. Did he actually think Ian was here?
Price pressed the doorbell. Yes, obviously, he thought Ian might be here. When no answer came, he started pounding on the door. “Ian, are you in there?” He walloped the door. “You better answer me if you are, or I’m breaking this door down and I’m coming in!”
Malaki gave a quick, disgusted snort. Price was making a big mistake. Malaki stepped out from the side of the outbuilding and moved a bit closer, keeping his eyes on Price. The pounding was so loud Malaki thought he might very well succeed in breaking down the door. The man was enraged.
“Ian Mitchell!” Price continued striking the door. “Open up this blasted door, I want to talk to you, and I want to talk to you now! I know you’re in there, and I’m not leaving until I see you face to face!”
Malaki chuckled quietly. “Not gonna happen,” he whispered. “Ian is far away on Reathran, you paranoid tyrant.”
The pummeling on the door got louder. Price’s face blazed red, and his eyes bulged. He was literally trying to break in the door.
Malaki’s jaw was tight. Let him.
In under a minute, the door busted open, the trim around the door breaking right along with it, the security alarm blaring around them. Then Price stormed inside.
Malaki jogged toward the house and followed Price inside. He couldn’t see him right away, he only heard him yelling for Ian along with the alarm system bellowing. Malaki stood there and waited, his hands in tight fists, his chest thrust out. He could shut the alarm off if he wanted to, but he decided not to. Let the cops come. Once he confronted Price, he’d inform him they were on the way. It’d take at least twenty minutes for them to arrive, because Ian lived so far outside of the city, but they’d be here eventually.
After about thirty seconds, Price rounded the corner of the kitchen and came to an abrupt halt. Spittle buildup was in the corners of his mouth, and his nostrils flared.
“You.” Price moved slowly toward him, jutting his finger at him, his other hand in his coat pocket. “What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here, sir? I saw you bust down Ian’s door and break into his house, not to mention you broke into the security gate. You are in big trouble.” Malaki pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned, stalking back to the door to head outside.
Just then, the cocking of a gun sounded behind him.
“You call the cops, you die.” Price spoke with a quiet guttural sound.
Malaki turned to see Price staring at him, his eyes wide, revealing the whites, pointing a 38-revolver at him. “The cops are on their way, Price. The alarm’s screaming at them.” He clutched his phone in his pocket. “You better calm down.” His heartbeat raced now to nearly exploding. “What are you thinking? You wanna kill me and wind up in your own damn program? Get sent up to Reathran to finish out your prison sentence?” His leg muscles tightened, his body ready to bolt.
“Shut. Up.” Price inched closer, nudging him with the gun toward the alarm panel. “Shut that thing off, or I’ll shoot you. I swear to God, Malaki, I want answers, and I’m gonna get them. Shut it off and you’re gonna tell me where Ian is and how I can find him. If you don’t, you’re a dead man.”
The gun hovered inches from Malaki’s face. He couldn’t risk getting killed now. He punched the code into the alarm system, silencing it. “I already told you where Ian is. He’s at a mental facility.” He felt beads of sweat on his upper lip. “He’s not doing anything wrong.”
“I don’t believe you.” Price held the gun steadily toward Malaki. “I think you’re lying to me. You’re going to take me to Ian yourself. And after I’ve seen him, you’re going back to the lab where you belong to create what you were hired to create. You’re not leaving, and you’re not going to stop. And if you don’t do as I say, I’ll kill you right here and now, and no one will ever know what happened to you.” Price gave a nervous laugh. “I’ll tell everyone you’ve checked into a facility to get the mental help you need and that you’re never coming back.”
“Yeah. Like everyone will believe that.” Malaki attempted to make light of the situation, but he knew what this man was capable of. Still, he couldn’t leave Ian’s house now, not when they were so close to making contact, and he couldn’t be locked in the lab again either. “The police are going to hear all about this. Or, if you let me go now, I’ll drop the whole thing. But if you make me a prisoner again in that lab, you’re gonna be in more trouble than you can imagine.”
“Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about. Call off the cops. Then walk out of this house. You’re going to my car, and you’re going to drive me to the facility where Ian is. Now.” Price put the gun in Malaki’s face again. “Go.”
Malaki stood, blinking rapidly as he tried not to gape at the revolver. He sighed deeply, then called the alarm company and, as he stared down the barrel of the gun, lied about the alarm, saying it had gone off by mistake and all was well. Then he stepped outside. He had to think fast. He headed down the driveway, his gut lurching that he was leaving Ian’s house, with the door busted open and the security gate no longer secured.
Price’s footsteps crunched on the driveway behind him, and Malaki figured the gun was aimed at his head, his back. He took a deep, shaky breath, clenching and unclenching his fists. He took slow steps, so he had more time to think of a way out of this. There was only one thing he could do, and the thought of it caused pain in his chest. But he had to. It was the only way out.
They rounded the last corner, and Price’s vehicle came into view. Malaki sucked in a deep breath, then twisted around and, to the tune of an exploding gun, lunged at Price.
CHAPTER nineteen
Nikolina’s pulse raced, and the pain in her throat made it difficult to swallow. She’d been lying in her cell trying to figure a way out when David appeared and told her to get up. She had to obey him, or else he would’ve made her.
“This is a happy moment, Nikolina. Why the long face?” David gripped her arm as they strode in the direction of the landing strip. “You’re finally gonna be a keeper.”
She fashioned a smile. If they cued in to her misgivings, they would want to know why. “I guess I’m just a little nervous about the transfusion, that’s all.” Nikolina stared down at her boots, seeming to take each step against her will.
“Since when are you nervous about anything? You’re one of the hardest working and most confident females at this prison. Why are you nervous now about a little ole transfusion?” David scoffed. “It’s not like you haven’t had the chemical in your body for the past twenty-three years anyway. What’s the big deal?”
Nikolina nodded and put her hand to her throat. “Y-you’re right. It’s no big deal. I’m fine.” There was nothing she could do about this. She would be a keeper, and that was all there was to it. She could only say a prayer to Ian’s God she’d still be herself when it was said and done.
Up ahead, a lit up spacecraft sat parked. Nikolina didn’t see them very often. Once in a while, on landing or takeoff, they’d appear for a moment before disappearing like a flash. Last time she’d been in one was when she’d arrived. So long ago. She barely remembered it.
David finally let go of her arm and strode out in front. Against everything within her, she took quick steps to follow him. It wasn’t as if she could run away. If she tried, they’d want to know why, and they wouldn’t re
lent until she broke down and told them. Then Ian’s secret would come undone for certain.
She followed David onto the spacecraft into a large circular room that contained a narrow table with a white sheet spread on it. In front of the table was one large wall of different colored lights. Another keeper, probably one of the pilots, stood in front of it pressing a light here and there, different colors blinking while he did so.
“Hey.” The keeper glimpsed David, and then finished up with the buttons and approached the narrow table. “This is the one, huh? The first female to be a keeper.” He squinted small blue eyes at Nikolina.
“Yep, this is her.” David dropped onto a stool near the bed. “I’ll wait here ’til it’s done, and then I’ll take her back.”
“My name’s Wren. I’m going to do your transfusion. It shouldn’t take very long.” He patted the narrow table, his reddish curly hair messy. “Lay down here, and we’ll get you set up. And congratulations by the way. There’s not much hope for us prisoners on this planet. There’s no goals we can set for ourselves besides being made keeper or a pilot so you can fly in and out of here on a regular basis. You lucky lady, you’ve accomplished one of them.”
“Looks like you have, too.” Nikolina’s voice was quiet.
“You got that right.” Wren turned and started working on a plastic bag filled with gold-colored liquid. A long, thin hose dangled from it.
Nikolina lay down on the bed, folding her hands on her stomach and taking quick, raspy breaths. She stared at the fans on the ceiling. Wren returned to her and picked up her hand. He flipped it palm-up, then patted her wrist. “This’ll go in easy. You’ve got a good vein here.”
She swallowed and licked her lips. There was no way out.
“David, hand me that over there.”
Nikolina couldn’t see what Wren pointed to, but she heard David stand and fetch the thing for Wren.