Valkeryn 2: The Dark Lands

by Beck, Greig

  The Deltas coalesced around Becky and Edward and drove the Lygon out of their path as they shot, burned, and exploded their way back up the hill. In another few minutes they had disappeared over the lip and Teacher heard Henson’s voice in his ear.

  ‘Got ‘em in the tunnels, Boss. Our job is done. Time for you to join us.’

  ‘Let’s go, let’s go.’ Together Teacher, Sorenson and Arn backed slowly to the rim. Teacher knew his final task was to get all his men home, and then get the portal shut – nothing else mattered.

  In the distance, horns blared and a dark line on the horizon grew with the approaching Wolfen and Ursa. The Lygon were confused by the sound of another army, and Teacher took the chance to reach out to grab Arn’s arm.

  ‘Time to go home.’

  Arn grimaced behind the face covering, and looked to Sorenson, who brandished his sword, holding the Lygon at bay. The huge beasts seemed to come to a decision, and they split into two groups – the larger force headed down to meet the approaching army, but several dozen in a smaller group began to press their attack on the slope.

  Teacher ripped at his arm. ‘Arn… now!’

  Arn slumped and reached up to touch the small button at his neck. The visor retracted into his collar. ‘How can I?’ He turned to look at Teacher.

  The Delta leader let go of Arn and staggered back a step. ‘Jesus Christ.’

  ‘How can I now?’ Arn repeated, feeling the odd shape of his features. He could guess how he looked – somewhere in between man and wolf. He now towered over Teacher, easily as tall as Sorenson.

  Teacher swallowed, working to keep his face calm. ‘It’s probably because you were in this place so long. Maybe the nearness of the moon has affected you, or some disease. Harper can cure you… come on.’

  Teacher grabbed him again. ‘Please… come with us.’

  Sorenson backed into him, overhearing. He half turned. ‘Arnoddr Sigarr. Go, friend to Wolfen. I lost one brother, but in you, I had found another. Goodbye Arn. Save yourself… save your world. You have already helped save ours.’

  Teacher bent and pulled a grenade launcher from a dead soldier’s hands. He fired several charges into the Lygon on the hill, making orange and black body parts fly into the air. He dropped it and grabbed Arn’s arm.

  ‘Now.’

  ‘Give me a minute.’ Arn wrenched his arm free. Teacher hesitated, then nodded and vanished into the dark.

  Arn looked around at the broad flat desert, feeling a sinking depression deep in his chest. There was a part of him that needed to be home, but another part that didn’t want to leave. He had been in this strange land, with these wonderful creatures, for only a short time, but he had lived a dozen life times. He had grown close to them, grown to know them, grown to… love them.

  ‘Goodbye Valkeryn.’ He waved at Sorenson, and took one last long look at this world. He turned and disappeared down into the tunnels.

  *

  ‘Your sáál will live forever in this place, Arnoddr.’ Sorenson watched his friend go and then turned back to the remaining Lygon. He threw his head back and roared. In one hand he held his sword high and in the other he had Goranx’s severed ears crushed into his fist.

  ‘Know who you face this day… the Wolfen of the new kingdom of Valkeryn.’ He leapt into their ranks.

  On the desert plains in front of the mountain, the Far Wolfen and Ursa smashed into the rear flanks of the Lygon. In a few minutes all had been pulled from the mountainside to fight for their lives.

  Sorenson breathed deeply and watched the last moments of the battle. He narrowed his eyes, as the dawn sun showed up a plume of dust from a rider who sped at them across the desert sand. A small Wolfen in a crimson cloak dismounted even before the horse had stopped, and then sprinted up the mountainside.

  Sorenson bowed as he recognized the rider, knowing what she sought. ‘My Princess… my Queen. It is too late… he is gone.’

  Eilif batted him aside, and dived into the dark tunnel.

  *

  General Langstrom stood with his legs planted, the hurricane winds tearing at him as he struggled to stay upright. Dozens of soldiers had taken up positions around the portal, each lashed to a metal spike hammered into the concrete floor. All had weapons trained on the enormous dark wound in their universe.

  The sound was deafening, like that of a giant devouring beast that would not be satisfied until it had consumed the world. Langstrom yelled his instructions, not knowing whether they were heard or not, but determined to keep his troops focused and ready. There was little time now – hours only. There was a war going on the other side of the portal, and he was going to make damn sure it didn’t spill into their world and disrupt the work Dr Harper needed to do.

  He yelled again. ‘Anything… and I mean, anything, non-human that comes out of that hole, you goddamn send it straight back to hell.’

  *

  Teacher held an arm up to shield his face from the force of the wind blasting from the dark maw. The Deltas had gone; he was the last soldier. He’d give Arn another few minutes… but he wasn’t the only one holding off making the jump.

  He pushed at Becky and Edward. ‘Get the hell through… now.’

  Becky clung to the side of the tunnel, resisting Edward dragging at her. Her face was defiant. ‘We came here for Arn. We – are – not – leaving – without him.’

  Edward grabbed her around the waist and tugged. ‘Come on, Beck, he’ll come, but we gotta go… please.’

  She looked down and punched at his arms. ‘No, you go. I’ll stay.’ She knocked one of his hands free and turned, just as several pinkish bodies slammed into Teacher from out of the dark. Becky and Edward were also grabbed with horn-like talons. Edward rolled into a ball and Becky screamed as they dug into her flesh.

  Teacher rolled, trying to dislodge the weight on his back. His CL suit stopped the claws from penetrating his flesh, and he struck out with hands turned to metal hammers. However, the shapes wouldn’t hold – the Morph Steel’s effects were wearing off, leaving him battering away with his bare hands.

  He managed to beat away several of the disgusting creatures, and get between Becky and Edward, and the colorless creatures. He didn’t want to think about what would happen to the two youths if they were spirited away into the endless tunnels.

  ‘They’re still there, they’re still there.’ Becky hung on to Teacher’s legs, trying to use them as a shield. Almost immediately, there was movement all along the tunnel as more of the things crawled out of the darkness.

  Teacher half turned. ‘Stay dow—’

  He was slammed to the ground, the weight of several of the creatures crushing him to the damp tunnel floor. Once again Becky was caught, hooked by the hair, and dragged. Edward lunged at her, but another of the pale things reached out and caught the red diamond hanging from his neck and ripped it free.

  Teacher leapt, his hand out, but the things were bred for the darkness and the claustrophobic tunnels – it was already darting away from him.

  ‘No.’ He banged the ground almost weeping. All for nothing, he thought, as he watched its greasy, pale torso muscle in amongst its kin.

  Suddenly, from out of the tunnel depths there came a roar that froze the strange creatures. In an explosion of fury, something huge and black was in amongst them, ripping, smashing and slamming them into walls like they were nothing. It was huge and powerful, and its fury scattered the remaining tunnel dwellers.

  Teacher backed up, bumping into Becky and Edward. ‘Get back.’

  He could see it now – the remnants of a CL suit hung in tatters from its body. Black hair hung to its shoulders and over a long face with coal dark eyes.

  It held out its hand – there was a red diamond on a silver chain hanging from it. Teacher stared for several seconds, before reaching o
ut to take the precious stone. He looked into its face, barely recognizable anymore.

  ‘Arn?’

  The beast simply raised a hand and pointed to the gateway wavering in the tunnel behind them.

  ‘Arn? Arn?’ Becky looked both horrified and relieved at his appearance.

  Arn studied her for a moment and then turned his head, listening for a few seconds. His huge dark ears swiveled on his head. He turned to face Teacher, leaning forward.

  ‘More are coming. You must go.’

  Teacher looked about to say something, but Arn shook his head. The Delta commander nodded his farewell and then began to back up, the diamond hung about his neck. He hauled himself back on the tether, leaving Edward hanging on to the rope with one hand and Becky with the other.

  Becky shook her head. ‘Arn, I’m not leaving without you.’ She tugged on Edward trying to pull away from him.

  ‘Please, come back with me. My father has money… we can get treatment.’ She turned to scowl at Edward who refused to let go. She spun back. ‘Please, please. I only came for you. I… I… love you.’

  *

  He stood staring at her, his eyes shining silver in the darkness. Indecision wracked his mind and heart. His feet moved without him even being aware of it and he stepped forward, his hand coming up towards hers.

  Arn could see clearly in the dark now. He saw his own arm; it was unrecognizable – the suit hanging in tatters, and a slight sheen of dark fur covering the skin. The silver snarling wolf ring given him by Eilif – it seemed a lifetime ago – now fit snugly, and like it belonged.

  He took another step.

  ‘Arn, my Arn.’ He spun.

  Eilif sprinted down the tunnel, throwing off weapons, her crimson cloak and anything else that was slowing her down.

  Becky lunged and grabbed his hand, tugging with all her strength. She turned to Edward, and screamed.

  ‘Pull!’

  Eilif came fast. If he went, he knew she would follow. He took another step, indecision overwhelming him. In his mind he saw the recurring dream again – the miserable figure being dragged down the sterile corridors to become a laboratory curiosity, a freak – it would all come true if she followed.

  The portal shimmered, and Becky’s mouth formed an ‘O’ as she started to become indistinct – Harper was doing his job. Her voice became panicked.

  ‘Now, please, come home now. Arn… now!’ She turned and started to beat at Edward, but Arn raised his hand in a wave, and his friend acknowledged with a nod, wrenching even harder at Becky.

  Becky turned back, her face wet. ‘Come home.’

  Arn heard his grandfather’s voice speak softly and calmly in his head: to live among wolves, you must first become the wolf.

  He spun quickly to catch Eilif as she landed in his arms, and then turned back to shake his head sadly. ‘But I am home.’

  Becky was pulled roughly back through the gateway, her scream still echoing as it snapped shut with a thump of

  swirling air.

  Chapter 39

  Twelve Months Later

  Becky and Edward sat on the grass in the emerald green parklands that had once been the grounds of the Fermilab Facility. A year had passed since Harper and his team had shut down the accelerator and stopped the gravitational anomaly that had caused the rift in time and space.

  There had been the usual news embargo, confidentiality contracts, compensation, threats of what would happen if they breached national security. It didn’t matter; who would ever believe them? Even now, Becky wondered what was true and what was all just a bad dream.

  She closed her eyes and lifted her head to the sun, allowing the rays to bathe her face.

  ‘Do you still wonder what happened to him?’

  Edward yawned and turned to her. ‘Sure, I do. But I bet he’s all right.’

  She frowned. ‘Harper said that the entire timeline would have been erased. Without our world being destroyed, theirs could never rise, could never exist. He also said he had no idea what would happen to someone from our world if they were there when it simply, ceased being.’

  Edward exhaled. ‘Hurts my head to think about it.’

  Becky opened her eyes and stared out cross the green grass. ‘He looked different.’

  Edward shrugged. ‘Didn’t notice.’ He turned to look over his shoulder at the woodland surrounding the miles of lawn. ‘You know, they never found the dogs… the Guardians they called them. They’re still out there roaming around somewhere.’

  Becky yawned and smiled up at the statue that Harper had erected. ‘Well, I’m going to remember him just like that.’

  The bronze life-size statue was of Arn; all neat and short-cropped hair. There were two lines of words printed on its base, first “HE STILL LIVES”, and then a second line – “IN OUR HEARTS.”

  Becky sighed. ‘He sure does.’ She looked at Edward. ‘I just hope he’s okay, and that he does find his way back some day.’

  Edward lay back on the grass, his hands behind his head. ‘Maybe, but don’t know how. The Tevetron collider is buried under a thousand tons of concrete, and laser acceleration has been banned.’

  He turned to her opening one eye, and saw the look on her face. ‘I mean, sure, me too.’

  Epilogue

  Uri Gorbanov stood with the Russian President and grinned with pride. He had just shown him and the energy minster around the facilities, and they seemed very impressed – and just as well. President Petrov was known to shut billion rouble projects down overnight… as well as making scientists who were judged incompetent, disappear.

  He drew in a deep breath. The first test firing was always nerve wracking, and he had to perform it in front of the President himself. He had promised Petrov the secrets of the universe. If things went wrong, he was finished.

  He stood before the controls, taking over the initiation from his technicians. The computer simulations had been run over a hundred times, all of them showing perfect particle collisions. He started the collider, and protons fired to begin their race around the magnetized, twenty-mile diameter ring-track, each moving faster and faster with each circuit.

  His finger hovered nervously over the button. ‘The diamond will boost the rotation of the particles to the speed of light. The resulting collision will open doors onto a new world of science for Russia.’

  Gorbanov grinned and motioned to the button. ‘And now, Mr. President, the final acceleration.’ He paused. ‘It is only fitting that you are given the honor.’

  Petrov shrugged and pressed the button.