Planets Falling

by James G. Scotson

  I answer. “A place called earth and I suspect a mutual friend has brought us together. I need your help if you don’t mind. We can then find your way back home.”

  I travel with it to the bubble and its tentacles grab onto the fleshy wall. The soldiers run back toward shore. With great effort, the tentacles tear a seam in the fabric of the barrier. Air escapes with a terrific hiss and the rip expands to a huge rift. “Thank you,” I say to the creature. “I’ll return soon.”

  An eerie green glow emanates from the hole. Ricard yells and our troops advance into the trough, weapons gleaming silver-yellow. A grub-like creature with enormous hands that look oddly human skitters out of the seam. A catapult ball arcs overhead and hits the thing on the head. It falls forward and a tentacle pulls it into the surrounding water. It dissolves instantly.

  Our troops yell and whoop as they disappear within the vast space under the lake, with Theo and Bets in the lead. “Etch, what are we to do now?”

  “Patience, my dear girl. Have some faith that they will be victorious.”

  I cannot be patient however. I search the landscape for a bird or insect to inhabit. I find a hummingbird that has just returned from its winter home, happily feeding on wildflower nectar. “Sorry buddy,” I whisper as I direct it into the rift.

  The interior of the bubble is filled with shouts and the metallic smell of blood. Thresh’s goons are struggling against our forces, but holding their own. The few grubs that have survived are taking their toll on our fighters. Several torn bodies, some who I recognize, litter the sand.

  At the far side in the greenish light, Thresh and Jonah are perched on Silius and Phineus. Eliza holds on tight to Thresh’s waist. They’re surrounded by dead men with swords. In the center of the line stands Wenn, his eyes vacant and a portion of his skull missing. Jonah is terrified and Thresh looks anguished.

  The bird flies closer and Thresh swivels, looking straight at it. I swear she knows it’s me. I fly the bird behind a large shuffling body. Thresh throws a dagger at it and the cadaver falls. I fly the hummer up and out of the rift.

  I return fully to the Raven, letting the little bird return to its foraging. “Send in more troops,” I announce through the ship’s speaker. Ricard nods and a group of heavily armored men enter the rift carrying maces.

  After a long hour, Thresh, Jonah, and about twenty men emerge from the seam, our troops prodding them forward. Eliza’s in Theo’s arms. Once the fighters have left the trough, Etch and I release the water and the hellish, swarming bubble and a few living corpses are swallowed by the lake.

  I’m relieved to see Phineus and Silius in Theo’s care. I extend my mind to them and feel joy at the reunion.

  “Ready to land?” Etch brings the Fuerst down.

  “In a moment. I have one thing to do.” I leave my body. “Fromer, where are you? You can’t just leave that tentacled beast alone, away from its home.”

  “Of course not.” His voice is so close that he could be sitting in the Raven with me. “Bring the Raven above the lake.”

  I hover at about 200 meters and Fromer asks, “Can you see it yet?”

  I look down, and between the yellow waves I see a blue planet with what looks like a tiny pinprick on its surface. “Lead your friend here.”

  I reach out and experience the creature in its entirety. It has two grey, wise eyes, pink tentacles, and a giant beak. It whispers, “I’m the Kraken of old. Count on me, if you need me again.” It slips into the portal in the bottom of the lake and returns home.

  The Raven lands softly on the coast. The prisoners are shackled, lying face down in the prickly grass. I rush through the hatch and there she is, still in Theo’s arms. Thresh yells, “Don’t trust her Eliza. I’m your mommy.” Bets hits Thresh in the head with her staff and the ragged woman in a tattered red dress falls silent.

  My hands shake as I approach the impossibly beautiful but terribly filthy little girl. “Do you know who I am?”

  Eliza tilts her head. “Where’s Magarat?”

  “I don’t know. I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

  “Mommy says that you’re all bad people. I want to go home with her, now.”

  Theo pats her. “We can’t do that, Liza. I’m your Uncle Theo and this is your real mommy.” Theo begins walking with her to a small cart with a donkey.

  Eliza struggles in his arms, bawling. “Momma, daddy. Don’t let them take me.” Theo sets her down in the cart and I join her. I feel wretched.

  “Amy, you know this ain’t gonna be easy. I’m here to help you. Always.” Theo grabs my arm firmly.

  As we clop into Yellow Stone, children and old folks gather to greet us. I stare at them, smiling tepidly. Eliza’s quiet again, scrunched in the back of the cart. A woman in a dirty dress stands at the side of the road amongst the villagers. Her skin’s darker than that of the others – obviously a foreigner. It takes me a second, but I recognize her as Magarat. “Theo, stop the cart.”

  Magarat obviously does not see Eliza in the bottom of the cart but does see me. I must be a frightening sight, with my frazzled hair, wild eyes, shaking arms, and pale skin. She recedes into the crowd and is about to bolt away. “Wait, Magarat. Stop, please. I have Eliza with me. You’ve nothing to fear.”

  She pauses, confused and terrified. Then she squints, tilting her head. “You’re the real mother, aren’t you?”

  I nod anxiously. “She’s over here, in the cart. We need you.”

  Magarat climbs up and Eliza clamps onto her, elated. “Shh, there, there girl. We’ve got a lot of explaining to do. Healing too.” Magarat looks up to me. “What happened to that woman? Is she dead?”

  “No.”

  Magarat panics. “We’ve got to hide, now.”

  “It’s okay. We have her as prisoner.”

  “She’ll escape, conjuring those demons to do her bidding.”

  “Not if I have a choice in the matter.”

  “We met, didn’t we?”

  “Yes, Magarat. I was able to – occupy - Thresh for a moment. That’s when I asked you to kill her. It was a terrible thing to ask you to do. I’m so sorry I put you in that position.”

  “I’d have gladly done it if I knew I could.”

  We head to the city center and get some food into Eliza. Magarat cleans herself up and puts on a fresh dress. She’s a beautiful woman, even if she’s a little worn.

  “Thanks so much for caring for Eliza,” I say, combing my hair.

  “Didn’t have much say in the matter. That woman, she killed my husband and my little boy.” Her voice trails off.

  “I’m so very sorry for you.”

  “You’re like her, aren’t you?”

  “What do you mean Magarat?”

  “You’re able to control things, take possession. A terrible power you have.”

  “Well, it’s not like I have much of a choice in the matter.” I pause gazing at my daughter who doesn’t know who I am. “Does Eliza show any of these abilities?”

  Magarat does not answer. “Do you mind if I get some rest m’am? I’m dead tired.”

  I nod as the haggard woman leaves me alone with my daughter. Eliza’s immediately concerned. “Where’s Magarat?”

  “She went to get some sleep, sweetheart. Do you want to play?”

  “Sure.”

  I pull out a small doll that I borrowed from one of the neighbors. She eagerly takes the toy and begins talking to it in a language I don’t recognize. I suppose it’s similar to the gibberish I used when trying to escape Troll.

  Theo appears. “How’re you faring?”

  “We’ll manage. What of the prisoners?”

  “They’re locked away. The sooner we dispatch Thresh, the better for all of us.”

  “I’m having trouble with that. It’s one thing to kill her in battle. But to execute her in cold blood – that’s not something I’ve much of a stomach for.”

  “You telling me that this woman who’s stolen your baby, killed most everyone you loved
, and wants to destroy all that is right and clean should be spared? Not to mention that she could conjure more of those things from the lake? Did you fall off a horse and damage your head?”

  “I pity her, Theo. The power’s destroyed her. The same could easily happen to me.”

  He kneels down and tries to pet Eliza’s head. The girl will have none of that and scampers away into a corner. He steps back. “Amy, you are good. Your soul’s good. You’d never go foul like that. Thresh must die and soon, before we’re pickled again.”

  The town square bell rings unexpectedly. “What’s going on?” This can only be bad.

  Theo jolts to the door. “I’ll let you know as soon as I can.”

  Eliza plays with her doll, her voice low, almost as if it is growling. “Eliza, what are you doing?”

  She turns and looks at me with vacant eyes. “They’re coming to town.”

  I open the window to hear shouting and scuffling in the streets. I stop one of the villagers whose dressed in light armor. “What’s the matter?”

  “The dead. They’re rising from the lake.”

  “You mean the soldiers from today’s battle?”

  “No ma’am. All of them.”

  The tradition of Yellow Stone is to bury their dead in the lake. They’ve been doing this presumably since the fall of the ancients. If he was being literal, that means a lot of dead people are approaching the city.

  I’m experiencing a vivid recollection. Here I am alone with Eliza with my city under siege. The prize presumably is us. Perhaps Bets was right to suggest that we’re cursed. Thankfully, Theo arrives. He grabs his staff and says, “We need to get the girl to safety. The bodies are tearing at the fence line.”

  “How’s that possible? I thought the fence was supposed to keep the fog out.”

  “I don’t know why, but they’re doing it. Maybe it has something to do with Thresh being in the city.”

  “She’s here, inside the walls?”

  “They brought her to the jail. I thought you understood that.”

  “I need you to take me, us, there now.”

  We run into the street and find our passage blocked by a bloated, animated body missing part of its head. I barely recognize it as Wenn. It croaks, “Daughter.”

  “Wenn, my brother, what has that witch done to you?” Theo’s face is fish-belly white.

  The body advances. “Need daughter. So sorry.” His clothes are tattered and soaked.

  I fall to my knees sobbing. “Theo, kill him. Release him from this hell.”

  I cover Eliza’s eyes while Theo takes a staff and beats the remainder of Wenn’s head into a mash. Wenn drops with a wet thud.

  More bodies appear in the streets. Some are recently dead from the battle, others are nothing more than slick strands of sinew and bones. Theo knocks them out of our way as we rush to the jail compound. We arrive to find no guards and a dead soldier trying to grab keys and release Thresh from her cell.

  Thresh is so frail. She looks as if she hasn’t eaten in weeks. “So, Amy Marksman. We meet again and flesh to flesh. You look hearty.” She peers over my shoulder. “Eliza sweetheart, are you well?”

  The girl beams and runs to the bars. “Mommy? Why you in a cage?”

  “Those mean people locked me up, honey. Run and hide, now.”

  Before we can react, Eliza bolts down the dark hallway, littered with dozens of cells and passages. Theo yells, “Liza, come back here. We’re good. Please?”

  “Let her hide, Theo. I don’t want her to see what is about to happen.”

  Thresh chuckles. “Amy, face it. You’re going to lose. I’m drawing them to me. I can feel them killing men, women, and children right now, in the gilded city. Delicious. And they’re doing it for me and for you.”

  “Thresh, you’ve no idea how much I’ve grown while you’ve stagnated in your hatred and petulance. You don’t deserve the abilities you have. I pity you. It’s time for you to go.” I feel myself entering the tunnel and I’m on the other side of the bars looking at me. I make sure that Thresh is still conscious and surprised while I force her hands over her nose and mouth. She struggles weakly for air as her vision blurs and turns grey. The last image she sees is of me staring at her with disgust

  Chapter 62: Institute Meets Earth

  A veil has lifted from Yellow Stone. People are happier and colors seem brighter. The wicked smell of the lake has abated.

  This happiness and relief did not emerge immediately after the emancipation. We spent the first few days after the battle disposing of the revered dead, who unfortunately were littered by Thresh across all the streets and walls of the town. Most of the bodies were returned to the lake. I burned Thresh’s body and sent her ashes into cold, empty space via the Raven. Her lover Jonah will rot in jail for the remainder of his days. He’s quite insane, preaching continuously about the fall of the unrighteous and the rise of the damned.

  In these peaceful days, the brown ooze no longer appears, although I know the danger is still there. Without a magnet like Thresh, nothing draws it out of the portal. But the others still watch without eyes hungrily from beyond. I see them when I fly the Raven over the lake when continuing my daily lessons from Fromer. I’ll learn to stop them soon, I hope. Fromer keeps telling me to be patient.

  Once we’re certain the immediate danger is gone, Etch and I travel south and west to the mountain lodge at Yosemite to retrieve our friends. We land both ships in a grassy meadow downhill of the building. I marvel at how quickly the scars of the spring battle with Thresh have healed. Samuel greets us with a bottle of ripe cider. “Where’ve you been?” He’s beaming and a little drunk.

  “Oh Samuel, if you only knew.” I hug him, noticing that his beard’s much longer and that he’s much lighter.

  We walk to the lodge where Grey and Gorian hold Ferris, who’s grown into a curious and mobile toddler. She’s an interesting mix of her parents and would be a great companion to Eliza, if Eliza ever bursts through her shell. There are four copies of Iggy roaming the grounds rather than one now. The only difference is that Iggy’s slightly greyer and moves slowly. Sam greets us with his artificial voice. I swear he’s become more personable – likely a result of much tweaking by Gorian. The last person to greet us is father. He’s aged precipitously while we’ve been away. He seems vacant, lost in his thoughts.

  We sit by a roaring fire, the heat still welcome in the cool summer night in the mountains, discussing the events that occurred and those that might follow. “So, you all will join us at Yellow Stone?” I ask.

  “Sam, what do you think of that?” Gorian asks the lodge.

  “I would miss you terribly. Would you visit me?”

  “Of course Sam. This is as close to a home as I’ve ever had. This will be a cherished holiday spot.”

  “To more serious issues.” Grey sits forward. “You mentioned that the Fuerst chased off an Institute vessel. I’m surprised that you haven’t been bothered further.”

  “Oh, they are coming.” Etch shifts in his chair. “The Institute is being cautious, particularly given our response and the presence of the FRT outpost on the moon. Their resources are spread thin and they do not want to raise suspicion by sending an armada to harmless earth.” He chuckles. “I am unsure whether the FRT knows about the portal. The Yellow Stone villagers think so, but I suspect they were misled by the Institute. The FRT forces probably still avoid earth because of the quarantine and have no knowledge of the richness in their territory. Fear of that doomsday substance is a powerful ally for us.”

  “So, we need to reach Yellow Stone and protect it from encroachment by the two warring factions? Sounds easy.” Gorian’s fidgeting with some mechanical toy she’s built for Ferris.

  “Fromer’s convinced that Amy holds the key to the portal in the lake.” Iggy suggests.

  I clarify. “Actually, Iggy, to be more correct, the lake contains a froth of portals winking in and out of our reality.” I look around nervously considering all I’ve learned
from Fromer.

  “She’s starting to talk like us.” Gorian chortles.

  Samuel walks in with a bundle of logs. “Sounds to me that you intend to use Amy as a gambling chip. They’ll need her to use the holes or whatever you call them in the lake. With no Amy, there be no travel. Amy darling, how’s that make you feel?”

  “Self-important and cheap at the same time,” I laugh. “I guess I’ll be whoring myself to the highest bidder.”

  Grey isn’t smiling. “This is deadly serious folks. Thresh had some scary monsters, dead walkers, and stone-age weapons to do her bidding. The Institute and the FRT have nuclear weapons and lots of well-armed soldiers – not to mention ships. They can take Amy by force if they want to.”

  Etch turns to me. “What do you want my fellow pilot? This is your life we are discussing. You could simply walk into these woods and vanish from our sight. You would have no more worries about threats from beyond.”

  “Etch, I have responsibilities whether I want them or not. My first goes to Eliza. She’s confused and lost. I always had my mother and the xyn to accompany me.” I look at my vacant father. “You too, father.” He mumbles something. “So, I need to help her come back to me and find a way for her to harness her abilities. After that, I’ve only begun to explore the possibilities of the lake for all of us, including those brutes in space.”

  “We will defend you. But I cannot guarantee your safety. I propose that we deal with the Institute and FRT directly. In fact, we should pre-empt them. This will give us bargaining power. And the ability to set the terms to our liking.”

  “What exactly do we plan to offer them?” I’m feeling slightly sick at the thought of being the keeper. “I can see the portals but I can’t begin to show pilots how to navigate them. For that matter, I’d have no idea how to get them back.”

  Etch stretches. “I suggest that the first course of action is for you to propose developing a map. The Institute - and the FRT if they decide to play - will need to work with you to explore these areas. They can send probes to gather information. You provide your visions in bits and the bastards will grow dependent on you.”