The Excisionists: Book 1

by Rebecca Jensen

  He nodded. “Me too.”

  “Do you think we could find out more about them in here or are we going to have to wait until we get out?”

  His tail flicked as he stood next to me. “I think we could try to hack the system. It’s probably linked to the one used by the compound which might include their personal entries.”

  I was intrigued. “How much do you know about hacking?”

  He shrugged. “More than most I guess.”

  Excitement fluttered inside my chest. “A hacker too, huh? You’re so mysterious. What else are you hiding?

  His lips curled upwards. “Nothing too devious.”

  I pushed his shoulder. “Yeah right.”

  We were interrupted by a loud crack and immediately turned our attention to the blast of light the erupted from the top of the rusty tower. A loud off-key toll rang out and shook the ground. Exposed gears spun into action and a spiral of clouds reached downwards from the gray sky and touched the top of ClokWorx. The wind kicked up and the waves churned. Violent weather changes became so extreme that we all ran inside the ship for safety. I was afraid the ship could be pushed off the plateau into the swirling water but Amber rapidly engaged spikes from the landing gear to keep us stable. Outside the storm raged, and we watched nervously for the members of our group to return. Land masses that were once separate pieces shifted together and pushed the water backwards. Finally, the clouds parted, and a brilliant sun beat down on the rapidly changing planet. Deep rifts opened in the floor of the ocean. Whirlpools formed as water drained into the slits that led deep into the core of Zerkola.

  Barnacles clung to the exposed lower levels of the tower. Moss and seaweed littered the sopping ground and mud stuck to the crawler as it chugged toward us. The bubble cockpit had been partially obscured by mud and debris. We couldn’t see who was inside, so Amber flew the ship and hovered directly above it. We ran to the bay and impatiently waited for Amber to open the door. A ramp extended to the mushy seabed and the crawler pulled itself up inside the belly of the ship. We could finally see all three of our comrades safely inside the vehicle. It was reassuring to see them together and seemingly upbeat. We congratulated them on their successful quest and couldn’t wait to learn about what they had done.

  Before we could get into the conversation we were interrupted by the doctor and directed on where to go for the next part of our quest. She instructed Amber where to fly the ship to and how to find and repair the crystal gardens. She’d already given instructions to other members of the Crypt that would be assisting her with the gardens and she told us they’d be waiting there for us with the cargo boxes of crystals. We strapped in to our seats to prepare for the flight. I sat next to Zuri and listened in awe as she described the journey into the dark tower.

  “What was it like in there?”

  “Well, it was different than I thought. We started toward ClokWorx thinking the water would be clear, but instead, it was filled with sucking jellyfish and plant debris that stuck to the cockpit. Then there were the vents of cloudy material that made it hard for Crispin to breathe. He had to figure out the maze between the vents and get past them all before he made it to the tower.”

  “You got there first?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. The crawler has some features that let us electrify the exterior and kept most of the stuff out of our way. Our biggest problem with getting there was actually hooking the crawler up to something so it wouldn’t float away. Dr. Sothy decided it would be best to take it inside the tower and get out after it was secure.”

  “Then what happened?”

  She took a deep breath. “It was pretty intense. The inside of the tower was a maze of broken gears, steel beams, and a complicated latticework of electrical circuits. We had to stay away from the jellyfish and electric eels that had made nests inside pockets of relatively calm water inside the tower. Then there were the Eidolons. They were these strange floating phantasms that chilled the air and sucked away our energy. It was so creepy. One time, the biggest one there drilled a hole in my skull in two seconds and I fell into the water totally paralyzed. Crispin had to save me. And then, I had to keep them distracted by jumping from beam to beam while tossing decoys to give the doctor time to repair the circuits so she wouldn’t be a victim too.”

  “Well what was Crisping doing the whole time you were keeping everyone safe?”

  “Um, he was collecting crystal shards, resetting gears that had been knocked to the seafloor or were bent out of place, and making replacements for connections that were missing for the circuitry. When that was all done and everything was in place, the Eidolons faded into the tower and the whole thing started sparking.”

  I was fascinated and fidgety despite this being nothing more than a recounting of the events. “Wow, how’d you fix that?”

  She chuckled. “We didn’t at first. Every one of us were shocked at least a dozen times before we figured out the timing. We had to take turns hopping from one part of the inside to another before the sparks would form at one location or another. Finally, we reached the top and that’s when things got weird.”

  I was on the edge of my seat. “Why? What happened?”

  “The inside started flowing like…like some kind of super thick liquid and then we got flickers that were showing scenes from times past. There were ghosts of people building the tower, others who were visiting after it was dedicated, and the weirdest part was a portal into our world that showed Genesis and Alchemy talking with a cloaked figure and our parents were there too. It only lasted for a few seconds before they looked at me and the portal disappeared. I really don’t think I was supposed to see what I did.”

  The thought of something going on behind the scenes with our parents was disturbing. “Do you think it was real?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe. I kind of hope not though. I guess it could have been before now too like when they were being told about the game.”

  I shook my head. “Possibly, but why would there be someone in a cloak with them?”

  “I’m not sure. I guess we’ll have to see what we can find out when we get out of here.”

  “Yeah. Anyway, go on about ClokWorx. You were saying the tower became fluid and then what?”

  “Oh, uh after that we had to reassemble the big crystal. It was inside a sphere of fluid that somehow held together despite being uncontained. I tested the fluid first before we sent anyone into it and I found out it was a mixture of acids and caustic chemicals. Luckily, I always carry some chemicals with me and I mixed up some strong bases to neutralize the acids along with making some containment spheres to suck up the toxins. Crispin had to get into the fluid and then we could hand him the crystal. He pieced it together the shards to get the large piece connected to the top that was hooked to the tower above it. As soon as it was in place the sphere started boiling inside and Crispin nearly didn’t make it out. The ghosts came back and turned into solid beings that we had to kill while the tower creaked back to life.”

  “Wow. That’s crazy.”

  “Yeah, and the whole time the tower and the land shook. I can’t tell you how many times I almost slipped. And then the light that came from the top made lightning shoot from the crystal through the top that followed behind and raced us down as we dropped from level to level. When we finally got back into the crawler, we were surrounded by the jellyfish again and we had to get back to the ship as quick as we could so we wouldn’t get sucked into the whirlpools into the interior of the planet.”

  “I’m impressed you didn’t have to respawn.”

  “Um, well actually we did a few times, but we figured it out pretty quick. And since at least one of us was still working on the tower we didn’t have to start the entire thing over every time someone died. It was pretty cool to work together and use or skills to get it done though.”

  “That’s nice. I’m glad you got to go.” I was secretly a little jealous that they’d been the ones who’d gone to the tower and hoped I’d get to go back there a
nd check it out for myself.

  She grinned. “Thanks. Me too.”

  Amber turned her head back towards us. “Hey, we’re almost there. Be ready to disembark.”

  I was pumped from the story and even more excited that we were nearing the end of our quest. When I got out of the Vanya and inspected the gardens, they were more fantastic than I’d imagined despite the damaged crystals. The entire area appeared to be shards of colorless glass inside long rectangular rows that formed a wandering maze. It was waterlogged and covered in barnacles.

  Dr. Sothy’s eyes conveyed a deep sadness as she surveyed the area. “This will take work to restore.”

  Jinx was angry. “We don’t have time for this. What’s the easiest way to get this fixed?”

  I glared at her. “Settle down. I’m sure we have plenty of time.”

  Edan pushed his way to the front. His left hand had changed from something resembling a scorpion to a pinching metallic robotic arm. He ground the barnacles off the clear rocks as quickly as he could. Mica jumped in to help and pulled out items he mixed together to form a potion that dissolved the organic material without damage to the precious minerals. I did what I could and pulled out my battle axe to flick them off one by one. Each of us found some way to help and some time later, we had removed the barnacles but left the carcasses on the ground. Silvery sweeper bots dispatched from somewhere and made short work of the garbage on the ground. By the time we had finished the heat from the sun had dried out most of the crystal beds and Dr. Sothy was ready for step two.

  “Each of you take a crystal and walk around the garden. You will hear a chiming when you get close to the correct bed and then the base will light up where you should connect the crystal. When they are all attached, we can heal them.”

  The next few hours were spent finding the correct location for the seemingly endless boxes of crystals. A pattern emerged early on which made it easier to find the right area to take the crystals based on their sizes. When the last crystal was placed, Dr. Sothy handed us each a crystal harmonizer. Its spiral shape reminded me of the crystals, but they were made from gold and reverberated when we held them. She had us link up in a circle by holding the harmonizer in our right hand and holding the tip of the harmonizer held by the person to our left. When they were all connected, they heated up and gave off a soft melodious ringing. I closed my eyes and felt the connection to the crystals once again. They melded together with the energy from the harmonizers as they liquified and reformed with their base. When the last of the crystals were healed, the harmonizers stopped ringing and their temperature dropped rapidly.

  I opened my eyes to see an amazing sight. The spiral crystals twisted together as rosettes emerged from their tips. Their colors shifted every few seconds and covered the entire spectrum of the rainbow. Light shone through them from the sun when they became clear casting rainbows in every direction. The crystals chimed and rang with a soft melody of something I’d heard as a child. The feelings it evoked were strong and I wanted to stay there forever. Wes broke my focus on the garden with his charcoal talons tapping on my shoulder.

  “This is beautiful. I want to stay here.”

  He nodded. “It’s nice, but we need to go.”

  “Can’t we be here for just a few more minutes?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  He put his arm around my waist and pulled me away from the crystalline light show that captivated me. When we reached the doorway into the Crypt, I turned to see it one last time. Wes gave me only a few seconds before he guided me inside. Immediately when the door closed, the overwhelming draw dissipated.

  I looked up at Wes. “Why do those crystals affect me so much? They don’t seem to have an effect on you at all. Why is that?”

  Dr. Sothy answered. “Your genetic makeup causes you to be drawn to that particular energy source. Wes on the other hand, is drawn to darker things.”

  “Like what?”

  She walked toward the meeting room as she spoke. “You’ll see. For now, we need to get to the meeting room. But, I want you all to realize something. Each of you have a particular weakness that will be used against you to try to draw you away from the battle. Your partner was specifically chosen to protect you from this, and it’s expected you will do the same for them in return.”

  I looked over at Wes then back at Dr. Sothy. “What partners are you talking about?”

  She pointed to Wes. “He’s yours. Several of you have already paired up. The others must determine who they are to pair with.”

  We looked around the room to see who had paired with someone and who else was left as we tried to figure out why we’d need a partner in the first place. I didn’t know who’d want to pair with Jinx but was glad it wasn’t me. We waited for only a few minutes before the council convened. This time when Dr. Atlas entered, his demeanor had changed. He was smiling.

  I leaned over to Wes and whispered into his ear. “That’s weird.”

  He nodded but didn’t respond.

  Dr. Atlas’s dark eyes rested on Jinx who remained motionless as if his gaze had turned her to stone. “My sister, approach.”

  A single tear rolled down her cheek, but she didn’t move.

  His expression was less jovial. “Approach at once.”

  She dropped to her knees and reached her hand out toward him. “Elio…our father is waiting for your return.”

  His smile completely faded away as confusion entered his eyes. He stood up and walked to the edge of the stage. “Bring her to me.”

  Black clad guards grabbed her arms and drug her to the front. Dr. Atlas dropped to his knees and touched her cheek. “Do I know you sister?”

  She touched his hand. “Elio, it’s me. It’s Ariocha.”

  “No, it can’t be…”

  “I’ve come for you, to bring you back.”

  He shook his head and his smile returned. “It’s too late for that, but you can stay with me here forever. Let go. Feel the tranquility that comes from within. We are free in here and have many important tasks to attend to. I could really use your help.”

  She choked back a sob. “I…I can’t. I need you to come with me.”

  He stood up and addressed us as the confident ruler he’d been for years. “Thank you for bringing her here to me and keeping her safe. This next task is not timed. There are many entities who have come to destroy Zerkola. You must each wear a sheath and fight them. Then, once they are all removed, you must fully restore the planet’s atmosphere and remove the contamination they bring that prevents us from reclaiming the land.”

  I watched Ariocha drop her head and give into despair. I leaned close to Wes so only he could hear me. “Should we leave her?”

  He nodded.

  Zuri was always logical in her approach. “Where do you keep the sheaths, and is there something in particular that can be used to remove contamination? Also, do we know what the contamination is caused by?”

  He smirked at her as if she amused him on some level. “Inquisitive, aren’t you. We keep the suits in the decontamination chamber. Your map will show you where this area is located. The contamination is something that was brought here by the Oroans. They serve the Eydis. You are tasked with infiltrating their camps and discover the source along with the antidote.” He turned to his guards and eyed his little sister. “Take her to my chambers. Dr. Sothy you too will accompany me.”

  Zuri couldn’t help herself because of her overly analytical mind. “One last question, why were we allowed to enter the Crypt if the planet is contaminated? Wouldn’t we have brought it inside with us?”

  He shook his head. “No. The contamination occurs only when one is in direct contact with the Oroans and there are protective measures at every entry point into this compound. Also, our physical makeup allows us to withstand the contamination, it’s the Gentorix we are trying to protect. They will not be entering the Crypt until after any residual contamination has been cleared.”

  “Gentorix?”

&
nbsp; “Yes. They are a species with a wealth of knowledge, solutions to our current physical deterioration, and the promise interplanetary peace. They are unable to arrive until we are successful in ridding our planet of the substance that causes them physical harm.”

  Suddenly Edan’s legs collapsed. “Oh, this sucks! What now?”

  He spread his palms out. “This is exactly what I’m referring to. Take him to the medical wing. Any others who fall ill must choose between allowing adaptation to the technological upgrades offered by the Gentorix or remain as they are with permanent disability.”

  His eyes widened. “What? I don’t understand what you mean.”