by Grant Fausey
Alexander gasped a last breath of air as the Destiny returned fire in a furious battle. A second and third broadside followed, until the Omar erupted in a violent twisting of metals that vaporized its assemblies. The Omar exploded into a billion pieces, pummeling the inside of the dome. The battle raged on, troops were everywhere, falling in and out of the time stream. The Destiny came to rest inside the hanger deck.
Travis leaped over Alexander's dead body, following a momentary trail lead by Kristic. The star carrier was more or less coming apart. Its forward end was in the midst of the time core. There was a feeling of being trapped in the stream of time. As if one was being pulled apart a molecule at a time. The ship was expanding in the time waves. "We're in some kind of time machine," Kristic screamed to Travis. "We've got to get out of here, or where going to end up somewhere we don't want to be."
Travis agreed, but it was only to himself. He could feel something awful around him; something emanating from every direction––everywhere at once. They weren't alone. He was shivering with fear. Something he couldn't see was all around him. Something hideous. "Kristic..." he screamed, spinning around: An explosion ripped through the floor, opening the destiny to the threshold of space. The air was instantly sucked out of the hanger. Death staring him in the face and he was petrified stiff of it. He could feel the unseen force; hear the eerie howl of something he couldn't touch. Not even his mind could sense the existence. Yet, the thing was ripping through the walls and the floor, covering its transparent body with the electrical arcs of the time stream. Thunderbolts engulf the ship from the inside out, hurtling pieces across the deck in lightning flashes.
The front end of the Destiny was becoming fainter, being sent into time. Kristic was on the other side of the flight deck, the Beamrider between Travis and the Trods. "Travis," he screamed. "Run for the ship!"
The darkness oozed into the hanger in front of him, like fingers changing shape in the time stream, mutating as they became less and less shapeless. The living light evolved from the transparent brightness of the Nexusphere, becoming something beyond darkness, beyond inhuman. The figure was enormous––stories tall with the features of mythological dragons, forming in the time stream.
Travis couldn't move. All he could do was stand there, listening to the creatures tormenting squealing. It was in pain and showing great anger. Every living thing was racing for their lives. "Takers of life," Travis screamed at Kristic. "The takers of life!"
The creature w mutated into existence right in front of him, becoming two deadly creations. Kristic's armor formed about him as the rings accelerated through the hanger into the future. Travis gripped his medallion out of fear. His armor flickered into existence, forming in a brilliant light that surrounded him. The creature grabbed Kristic, picking him from the floor on its flight across the hanger.
The old warrior hit the wall with a terrific thud! Kristic slide part way down the wall, being swept away by the creature’s hand. Blood covered the side of his face. Travis couldn't see the injury, only the result of it.
"Hold on, Kristic," he shouted, acting like the young warrior he was becoming. "I'm coming."
"Now Travis..." Indigo shouted; Maccon's voice in his head. The young knight held out his hand, a slender weapon forming in his palm that extended out from the center in opposite directions, forming a lightning rod made of pure energy. "Use the medallion to draw the power from the Nexus' energy. Channel it through Kristic; use him to form the lightning rod. Strike at the creatures from the heart."
"I can't do that––I'll kill him!"
"You have no choice, Travis," blared Maccon. Travis moved sharply, each footstep pounding louder as he approached the raging nightmare. He aimed for Kristic's chest, cowered then tried again to hurtle the rod toward the beast, but he couldn't: Instead, he through it on a course into the heat of the battle, impacting the Acreen in the chest.
Kristic grabbed the rod and his armor exploded in a storm of electrical arcs, firing bolts of energy in a mass of electricity that arched through the bay, striking the Beamrider's nose. The craft exploded, fracturing into a chain reaction of destruction. Kristic screamed as the beams of light hit him in the back, thrusting through his chest into the beast. The energy engulfed the black mass, twisting the metal around it; detonating what was left of the vessel in a cataclysmic event that engulfed the center of the time step core. The resulting eruption hurtled everything into the surroundings.
Travis smashed into the ground, skidding to a halt against a giant plant. Both of his hands searched the ground for his medallion, until he found it. He sighed relief, exhaled his lungs of courage as he scurried to the cover of the plants. He took in another deep breath. Coughed from the smoke, scanning the surroundings in a useless attempt at getting his bearings. The Destiny was gone: Nothing left but a piece of the hanger and a pile of rubble. Nothing familiar. Nothing.
Kristic was on his back in the center of the smoldering ruins. He'd been thrown from the bay; had landed on a piece of the fuselage. His body was limp, drained of its life. Travis cringed and turned away. "This is crazy," muttered Travis talking to him self. The remains of the time ship were about a hundred yards from him, resting on its side. It was tipped over in the middle of the wreckage, the front half ripped to shreds with pieces thrown in a random pattern around the circumference of the ship. The creatures had managed to get inside without much trouble and Kellnar was nowhere in sight.
Any screams for help had long past and Travis half expected to make a turn and find his body draped over the twisted metal, but it was nowhere to be found. However, there was something else; a movement in the grass caught his eye, rattling the brushes. Travis was ready to do battle with whatever enemy would show its face, be it man or beast. He didn't care. The sound of metal scraping against metal made him cringe. Shroom dashed past the time ship into the brush near the edge of the forest. Travis laughed in spite of himself. He was long on fear, and short on bravery. It was going to be a long night and an even longer time until he could put his fears to rest.
"Shroom," he called, heading in the same direction as the living machine rogue, but it wasn't the monkey that awaited him when he finally arrived: the mischief-maker had disappeared. Gem draped over Kristic's body. She put her ear to his chest, running her hand across his shoulders to the underside of his head. His face moved, flopping down into the palm of her hand. There was no heartbeat, only silent death. She laid him against the ground and removed her hand from under his neck.
His medallion slid out from under his shirt, fluttering for a moment with a glowing blue-green light. The sparkle surrounded it, fading the medallion as it simply ceased to exist. Gem's mouth dropped open as she felt the weight of the medallion tugging at her own neck. She jumped back and stood up. A moonlit shadow draped across her from above, giving the distinct shape of the creature. Gem spun around, petrified with a numbness that went from her head to her toes. She wanted to scream, but nothing came out. It probably saved her life. She watched in silence as electrical arcs raced across the scaled flesh of the giant beast. The creature ascended, leaping into the sky in a wide path around the wreckage, which encircled the entire area.
She could feel the stare from its burning red eyes, searching the ground in front of her. If this creature was truly a dragon, she couldn't run. The creature's night vision would hunt her down like an animal. There was no choice but to move, quickly and quietly for the tall weeds. She pulled a leaf over her as a cover to her hiding place.
Travis crouched, watching the creature in awe. It passed overhead like a fighter on its way to the horizon. Its speed was incredible, rocking the ground in a clap of thunder––a sonic boom.
After the beast was gone, Travis stood up and walked back to the center of the wreckage, confused and talking to him self. "Where I am?” He said in a whisper, confiding in no one but himself.
"Sodin, I think," answered a female voice out of nowhere. A ghostly image walked toward him. "Don't be afraid," she said
. The spectral image motioned with her hands for him to stay where he was, to sit down.
"Kristic?" he stuttered looking down at the body of his new- found friend.
"No," said the ghost. "Don't you remember me?"
"I've never meet you," answered Travis.
"Perhaps your memories will return. It was another time, another place."
"Kristic," Travis repeated.
"You are within the sphere of the Nexus."
"The Nexusphere," said Travis.
"The one world of the Triad ...”
This is Sodin," said the ghost. "I'm sorry it’s such a hostile place. I guess in a way it's my fault.
"Why?"
"I've failed in my task to rid the universe of a menace, but there is still hope for the future."
Gem looked up at the ghost from under the large leaf and emerged into the darkness, approaching Travis from the other side. She stared at him for a long moment attempting to understand what she was seeing and what it was that the ghost was trying to say. It was like a dream she couldn't awake from. She figured someone was nuts, probably her. "You're in danger here, Gem," said the spirit. "You must find the safety of the cabins of the mountains. The hollowed walls of the fortresses there will be safe from what is to come."
"Both of you listen to the hum of the medallion.” Travis turned around quickly, seeing the woman behind him. “It will guide you to safety, until the time of my birth, my mother."
"Mother?" answered Gem, backing away. Ready to run.
"One day you will have a son, Gem. I will be that son. Remember––find the safety of the cabins ... look to the mountains. There you will find safety from what is to come."
Gem bounced back. Travis just stood there staring at her. She was in the shadows, but he could tell her face was beautiful. He smiled at her like a wolf then turned back to the spirit, disoriented. But that didn't seem to matter anymore. He had come out of hiding with a feeling of real danger.
"He's dead?" Gem asked softly, wavering back and forth with tears in her eyes.
"Who's dead?"
"You're friend. I believe his name was Kristic." Travis thought for a moment taken back by the ordeal with the ghost. He knew Kristic was dead. He'd killed him or at least, caused his death. Another item to b reckoned with, but for now he was dead.
"Who are you?" he asked. Gem walked into the moonlight and Travis' eyes light up as he saw her face. It was love at first sight; his heart pounding out his chest. He could feel the rise in his adrenaline. He was nothing less than mystified by her.
She pointed behind him to the shadow of a tall tree, and said: "I'm not sure exactly, Travis."
"How do you know my name?"
She didn't answer. She just continued to walk taking care where she stepped, until she reached the other side of Kristic's body.
"I don't know really," she continued, softly; instinctively, almost seductively. “It's like someone told me or something. I don't know you, do I?"
"Hard to say ... maybe, we've meet somewhere before."
"Maybe."
"Your name is Gem, isn't it?"
"Yes. How did you know that?"
"Lucky guess, that's all…" Travis said with a smile. Shroom chirped and ran out from his hiding place in the forest, and leaped into Travis' arms marking his territory, as he knelt down beside Kristic and whispered: "So this is how it ends, old friend."
"Not exactly," announced a rigidly familiar voice. "You have done well, Travis. This is your most delicate time. Remember and relearn––on this all depends."
Alvericon's glowing image appeared before him, surrounding him once again. Travis stood up, floating in the brilliance. "The wreckage will provide you a means of transportation," said the being. "Allow Gem to go with you, protect her with your life. Only this will insure the birth of your son."
Travis thought about having a son, but that would mean being with Gem. A sexual experience! WOW! He thought. Now, that was something new for his agenda. Gem looked at him kind of strange then turned away.
"A son..." she said, feeling the presence of his eyes as they roamed over her body. There was love and lust already between them. It was a mutual attraction and Travis had a hard time fighting the mounting urges in him. Alvericon was a father giving his approval for the first time in his young life; he was overwhelmed by the nightmare.
Gem stared at him, in silent; more than a little apprehensive.
––– 39 –––
ANTI-GRAVITY POD
The Acreens headed north along the edge of the desert wastelands, following the dunes to the inner most part of the artificial world. It was a night flight into oblivion; a game of tag between two driving forces that soared into the sky, snapping and toying with one another in a time of innocence. The two beasts seemed enlightened by each other’s presence. Nature had taken a hand in their miserable lives, forcing fate to bring them together. The journey across the desert would be a short one, marked by the sonic boom of the Acreens’ velocity. The echo in the night sent waves of terror across the dunes. Even the scorpions scurried to find a place to hide. The path to the interior was marked with a course of disparity; However, for the Acreens it was a time of natural things, life and death were only a part of it.
Their sleek bodies plummeted into the blistering sand, striking the ground like a pair of mortar shells. The sand rose into the night air, a cloud of insecurity. The land pressed against them, holding its own for as long as possible. But the Acreens pressed onward, burrowing deep into the surface in search of the perfect spot in which to lay thousands of eggs, under the tons of sand. This was a place where the warmth of the desert floor never left, where the cool breezes of the wind above could never reach. And when it was all over, the beasts burrowed back to the surface and collapsed, resting on the sand as the articulate, life giving sun of the Source raised, shedding light on a new day.
In the morning, Travis stood on top of a large, curved piece of machinery poking a long pole at the ground. Gem had climbed up behind him and was in search of a comfortable place to sit down. A curvature of the metal made a circle that flattened out at one end. Gem thought it the most reasonable seat in the house; so she patted it on the top, then press on it to make sure it would support her weight. The long pole slid past her, slamming into the ground as she sat down.
"Hang on Gem," said Travis, "I'm going to see if I can force the antigravity pod free––It should float. Just be careful in case there's a bounce or two. I could rock the boat!"
"Okay, Travis," said Gem softly. "I've a tight hold, go ahead." Travis pressed on the pole, pushing a good length of the bamboo with all his strength. He could feel the pod giving. It was going to move, but was going to take a little effort. Gem could feel the strain too, so she stood up and took a hold of the pole, pushing on it in unison with Travis. The pole began to bow, bending in the center. The length was taking his weight fairly well and it appeared to be a strong enough force behind it to pry the pod loose.
The pod gave way, the curved metal separating from the frame: They were afloat, the anti-gravity unit a lifeboat. "That's got it," shouted Travis retrieving the pole from another poke at the ground. The anti-gravity unit began to move. "Hey, this could be fun!" shouted Gem.
For the first time, she was happy. The light of a new day sprawling out across the forest in front of her, poking rays of sunlight through the trees. Gem watched the lights in the sky for most of the night, hoping to get a glimpse of something that looked familiar, but there wasn't a star that fit any pattern she knew. It was quite a mystery. Now, the sun filled the sky, and another chance to see the heavens all to clearly presented itself. The new light revealed the curve of another surface one that lied above them. The stars were nothing more than the points of lights from some far off part of the world, hundreds of kilometers above them. A surface covered with mountains, the winding turns of intersecting rivers, and the valleys of blessed cities.
Travis' eyes locked on a glow on the horizon, whi
ch had taken him by surprise. He was shivering from the sheer sight of it. The sky was just dark enough to highlight the rim of the mountains. Neither of them had seen it during the night. But they were higher now, on the flat area of the antigravity pod. He looked to the ground, watching the sway below the unit, some fifty or sixty feet beneath him. Gem was staring too.
"Do you see it too, Gem. Tell me I'm not dreaming––it's really there, isn't it?" Gem shrugged her shoulders, letting out a whine.
"I hope so," she said. There was an excitement mounting in her. Travis pushed on the pole and turned the lifeboat, straightening out its course. The forest twisted around the edges of the antigravity pod as Travis gave the boat a shove with his foot. "Okay ... that's about as straight as I can get it," he said to Gem. "I think it’s going to take a while to get there, but we should be able to make it."
Gem looked up to him and smiled. The effect was hypnotic. He was falling in love with her. He couldn't put his finger on it yet, but there was something different about her. Something had changed overnight. Yes, he thought. There was a change in her; she had grown younger over the period of one night.
• • •
A young hunter and his son climbed through the small opening between two trees, stepping over the stone ridge that guarded the entrance to a small fence. The mountain pass was crossed with tall branches from birch trees, which laced one another down the side of the mountain. The hunter, Avenall; a big man with large hands and broad shoulders, climbed along the edge of the forest, hanging onto the ridge while pulling himself through the opening to reach the gateway's rope handrail. He took the cord in hand and pulled himself into the device in a hand-over-hand fashion.
The hunter cleared the threshold of the doorway and swung the gate closed behind him; his youngster swung down off his shoulders onto the steep ground and watched the approach of the anti-gravity lifeboat from over the edge of the fence. Avenall adjusted his backpack thrusting it over his shoulder. He was ready to climb again, toward a beautiful cabin retreat, which set majestically into the countryside. "Come on, Son," he called. Obviously he was the father.