by West, Kyle
We ran up the stairwell, bursting onto the second landing. A few rooms down was an open door, flanked by two Praetorians. As we ran toward it, Augustus stepped into the hallway. He nodded toward the door, stepping back into the room.
We entered, finding Ashton lying, bloodied and bruised, in a hospital bed. He was wrapped head to toe in bandages. His eyes were closed, his breathing shallow. There was so little life in him – his pallor was deathly, and if he ever came awake, it definitely wouldn’t be as the same man.
He came alone aboard Orion,” Augustus said. “From what little I could get out of him, he had only survived because he was well on his way to the hangar. Other than that, he’s said nothing.”
Makara stepped up to the bedside, taking Ashton’s hand.
“Ashton. You there?”
There was no response. If it weren’t for his breathing, I wouldn’t have thought he was alive. It was unsettling to see Ashton, usually so full of life and spirit, without movement. This man, who had given me so much advice and wisdom, who had married me to Anna...
He was slipping away, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Suddenly, Ashton’s hand tightened on Makara’s. Without opening his eyes, he rasped:
“It came from space,” he said. “Not Earth.”
“What came from space?” Makara asked.
I had no idea what Ashton was talking about. If he was talking about the xenovirus, about Ragnarok, then that much was obvious. From everyone’s faces, it seemed like they were thinking the same thing as I was.
Until I realized what he was talking about.
“He’s talking about Skyhome,” I said. “Whatever ended it came from space, not Earth. So it couldn’t have been the Radaskim...”
“No.”
It must have taken almost all of Ashton’s strength to make that emphatic answer. He was silent for a long, terrible moment, before he spoke again.
“They came from space. They...they attacked Skyhome.”
Ashton’s eyes opened, so thinly that it was like looking into slits.
“See...” he said, lips now trembling. “See for yourself. Look...look to the stars...”
With that, Ashton breathed his last, and went completely still. Every muscle went slack, and I felt desperation clench my chest. He couldn’t be dead. An emptiness permeated my soul – an emptiness that could only be caused when someone close to you was taken away, forever.
It was an emptiness I had grown to know too well.
“No...” Anna said.
This time, I knew Ashton really was dead. There was no denying that fact.
Makara squeezed the doctor’s hands, her arm shaking. She placed two fingers at the base of Ashton’s neck, as if to be sure. She waited for a long time. Then, her face softened, and she shook her head.
“He’s gone,” she said.
We all stood still, not knowing what to do next. After all the fighting, this was our first loss. It was amazing that everyone had made it this far. And it had come from something over which we had no control, something...
“What do you think was up there?” I asked.
Everyone looked at me, but didn’t answer.
“Let’s...let’s bury Ashton first, alright?” Makara asked, looking up. “Then we can talk about it.”
A tear had coursed down her face. She cleared her throat.
“Who will help me carry him?”
Everyone stepped forward, Augustus included, bearing Ashton’s weight from the room. As we walked down the steps of the stairwell, out into the lobby, and into the night-covered streets, I had no idea where we were going. We were carrying him back to the ship, but to go where?
After ten minutes of silence, disrupted only by the Praetorians marching around us, we made it back to Central Square. We carried Ashton on board the ship. Augustus followed us up, taking with him several of the Praetorians, while telling Maxillo to stay behind.
When the blast door shut, we just stood there. Julian went to get the gurney, which of late had been used more to carry the dead than the living. Once it was wheeled into the wardroom, we laid Ashton there.
“Ashton wanted to learn more about the Elekai Xenolith,” I said. “Maybe...maybe we should bring him there.”
“His memory could join the Elekai,” Anna said. “Maybe he can discover their secrets after all.”
Another thought entered my head: maybe he wasn’t dead. Maybe the ichor of the lake could heal him.
I didn’t share that with anyone else, and I had no idea if anyone else was thinking it. It was a small hope, and probably pointless. Even if there was no way for that to happen, Ashton would be buried somewhere that had filled him with wonder.
It was the best we could do for him.
***
Once we landed, we made our way down to the ichor lake. Askal and a few of his dragons were there to greet us. We stopped along the shoreline, holding Ashton’s limp form, and it seemed Askal read our intent.
Can we save him?
No, Elekim, Askal thought. But his memory can join the Elekai. Bear him to the pool.
I sighed. “Askal says he can’t be saved. But his memory can join the Elekai, and he can live on that way.”
Maybe he would say hello to the Wanderer for me.
We walked forward until we stood in the pink ichor. Slowly, we lowered Ashton’s frail body into the lake.
We stepped away, watching him float toward the center of the cavern. In due time, he sank beneath the surface, his face placid and serene.
A weight lifted from my shoulders. I knew we had done the right thing.
“He said to look to the stars,” Samuel said. “He might have meant in the literal sense, to see what had ended Skyhome. But perhaps he was being metaphorical as well.”
“I just want to know what happened,” Anna said. “What destroyed Skyhome?”
I looked at Askal; the intensity of his eyes told me he had something to say.
What’s wrong, Askal?
They are here.
Who?
The second comers. Unforeseen. But I feel their hatred from above. They mean to end us before we can end them.
Who has come?
Askal’s mind went silent, for a long time, before he answered.
The Radaskim. Xenofall is here.
A chill passed over me. Quietus had said Xenofall wasn’t to come for another four hundred years. We still had time.
Didn’t we?
How have they come so soon? I asked, dreading the answer.
After Ragnarok, she kept some in reserve, dormant. Now, they sense their master’s need. Askala has called the rest of her children to Earth.
Everyone watched me, knowing from my whitened eyes that I was communicating with Askal.
“What is it?” Makara asked. “What’s he saying?”
“He’s saying the Radaskim ended Skyhome,” I said. “Not from Earth, but from space.”
“What do you mean?” Samuel asked.
“Askala...she kept some monsters somewhere in space, dormant. Close by, so when she was ready, she could call them down to deal the final blow.”
“So – what?” Makara asked. “We’re going to be fighting monsters from space, now?”
Apparently.
I turned back to Askal. How long?
Askal’s eyes burned into me, and from that gaze, I knew the answer.
They were already here.
We need you, Elekim, Askal said. Are you ready to accept your fate?
Until now, I wasn’t. I’d wanted to be me, at least for a little while longer. Perhaps I was Elekim in name, but I needed to fully accept my responsibility if the Elekai were to have a chance.
“I’m going into the pool,” I said.
No one said anything, understanding my intent. My mind reeled from all the changes in the past few days. The Wanderer’s death. My marriage to Anna. And now, Ashton’s death.
The Elekai needed a fully-fledged leader.
&n
bsp; I turned to face Anna.
“Your eyes,” she said.
I brushed a strand of hair from her face. “I know. Soon, they’ll be that way forever.”
She looked at me a long moment before answering. “I knew what this meant, to marry you. I did, anyway. Because I love you, Alex.”
“I’ll always love you, Anna. Nothing will change about that, no matter what happens in there. I promise.”
She nodded, but I couldn’t tell what she was really thinking. It was time to accept my role in full. The Elekai needed a strong leader to survive the coming storm.
I kissed her, let go of her hand, and faced the pool. I waded in, the ichor wrapping around in embrace. I continued to walk, facing almost no resistance, even when the ichor reached my chest.
Soon, my head was submerged. I opened my eyes, waiting.
A Voice then spoke, not quite his, but deeply familiar.
Are you ready?
I am.
Then step forward.
I continued to walk, my vision fading to black. I walked until there was nothing but stillness – no senses – only my consciousness entering a dark void.
***
Time was absent as I swam through vivid images, absorbing the history of the Elekai. Dreams of fallen worlds and the stories of a thousand races flowed through my mind. I didn’t speak; I could only stand, mesmerized, as a thousand histories became my own.
And then, at the end of it all, came the prophecy from the Voice, the one the Wanderer had said was as deep as energy.
Though a thousand worlds will fall, one will remain.
But would it be ours?
In time, the images ceased, and all that was left was the void. Stars appeared, studding the cosmos, thicker than seemed possible.
The Universe is in your hands, Elekim, the Voice said. The Secrets of Creation lie within, Guardian of the Stars. The spirits of a thousand worlds fly with you. You are never alone, because even in darkness, the stars still shine.
The starry black void slowly reverted to the pink shimmering of the ichorous pool.
I paused a moment, collecting my thoughts. I felt no different than before. I still had no idea what came next.
One thing was certain; when I returned to that shoreline, I wouldn’t be my former self. While that part of me remained, there was also this new part, given to me by the Voice and its visions.
When I returned, I would do so as Elekim.
About the Author
Kyle West is the author of The Wasteland Chronicles. From a young age, he has been a voracious reader of sci-fi and fantasy. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Professional Writing. He writes full-time and resides in the bustling metropolis of Oklahoma City.
Find out immediately when his next book is released by signing up for The Wasteland Chronicles Mailing List. Be sure to follow him on Facebook for updates, book giveaways, and general shenanigans. Xenofall, the final installment of The Wasteland Chronicles, will be released this summer.
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kylewestwriter[at]gmail[dot]com
Glossary
10,000, The: This refers to the 10,000 citizens who were selected in 2029 to enter Bunker One. This group included the best America had to offer, people who were masters in the fields of science, engineering, medicine, and security. President Garland and all the U.S. Congress, as well as essential staff and their families, were chosen.
Alpha: “Alpha” is the title given to the recognized head of the Raiders. In the beginning, it was merely a titular role that only had as much power as the Alpha was able to enforce. But as Raider Bluff grew in size and complexity, the Alpha took on a more meaningful role. Typically, Alphas do not remain so for long – they are assassinated by rivals who rise to take their place. In some years, there can be as many as four Alphas – though powerful Alphas, like Char, can reign for many years.
Askala: Askala has two meanings – one is the name of the Radaskim Xenomind dwelling in Ragnarok Crater, while the other form refers to the dragons the xenovirus spawns. While Askala and xenodragon (or just dragon) are interchangeable, the Askala themselves (at least the Elekai Askala) refer to themselves as Askala.
Batts: Batts, or batteries, are the currency of the Wasteland and the Empire. They are accepted anywhere that the Empire’s caravans reach. It is unknown how batteries were first seen as currency, but it is rumored that Augustus himself instigated the policy. Using them as currency makes sense: batteries are small, portable, and durable, and have the intrinsic quality of being useful. Rechargeable batteries (called “chargers”) are even more prized, and solar batteries (called “solars,” or “sols”) are the most useful and prized of all.
Behemoth: The Behemoth is a great monstrosity in the Wasteland – a giant creature, either humanoid or reptilian, or sometimes a mixture of the two, that can reach heights of ten feet or greater. They are bipedal, powerful, and can keep pace with a moving vehicle. All but the most powerful of guns are useless against the Behemoth’s armored hide.
Black Reapers, The: The Black Reapers are a powerful, violent gang, based in Los Angeles. They are led by Warlord Carin Black. They keep thousands of slaves, using them to serve their post-apocalyptic empire. They usurped the Lost Angels in 2055, and have been ruling there ever since.
Black Files, The: The Black Files are the mysterious collected research on the xenovirus, located in Bunker One. They were authored principally by Dr. Cornelius Ashton, Chief Scientist of Bunker One.
Blights: Blights are infestations of xenofungus and the xenolife they support. They are typically small, but the bigger ones can cover large tracts of land. As a general rule of thumb, the larger the Blight, the more complicated and dangerous the ecosystem it maintains. The largest known Blight is the Great Blight – which covers a large portion of the central United States. Its center is Ragnarok Crater.
Boundless, The: The Boundless is an incredibly dry part of the Wasteland, ravaged by canyons and dust storms, situated in what used to be Arizona and New Mexico. Very little can survive in the Boundless, and no one is known to have ever crossed it.
Bunker 40: Bunker 40 is located on the outer fringes of the Great Blight in Arizona. It is hidden beneath a top secret research facility, a vestige of the Old World. Many aircraft were stationed at Bunker 40 before it fell, sometime in the late 2050s.
Bunker 108: Bunker 108 is located in the San Bernardino Mountains about one hundred miles east of Los Angeles. It is the birthplace of Alex Keener.
Bunker 114: Bunker 114 is a medical research installation built about fifty miles northwest of Bunker 108. Built beneath Cold Mountain, Bunker 114 is small. After the fall of Bunker One, Bunker 114, like Bunker 108 to the southeast, became a main center of xenoviral research. An outbreak of the human strain of the xenovirus caused the Bunker to fall in 2060. Bunker 108’s fall followed soon thereafter.
Bunker One: Bunker One was the main headquarters of the Post-Ragnarok United States government. It fell in 2048 to a swarm of crawlers that overran its defenses. Bunker One had berths for ten thousand people, making it many times over the most populous Bunker. Its inhabitants included President Garland, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, essential government staff, and security forces, along with the skilled people needed to maintain it. Also, dozens of brilliant scientists and specialists lived and worked there, including engineers, doctors, and technicians. The very wealthy were also allowed berths for helping to finance the Bunker Program. Bunker One is the location of the Black Files, authored by Dr. Cornelius Ashton.
Bunker Six: Bunker Six is a large installation located north of Bunker One, within driving distance. It houses the S-Class spaceships constructed during the Dark Decade – including Gilgamesh, the capital ship, and three smaller cruisers – Odin, Perseus, and Orion. While Gilgamesh and Odin are under Cornelius Ashton’s care, Perseus and Orion are still locked
inside the fallen Bunker.
Bunker Program, The: The United States and Canadian governments pooled resources to establish 144 Bunkers in Twelve Sectors throughout their territory. The Bunkers were the backup in case the Guardian Missions failed. When the Guardian Missions did fail, the Bunker Program kicked into full gear. The Bunkers were designed to save all critical government personnel and citizenry, along with anyone who could provide the finances to construct them. The Bunkers were designed to last indefinitely, using hydroponics to grow food. The Bunkers ran on fusion power, which had been made efficient by the early 2020s. The plan was that, when the dust settled, Bunker residents could reemerge and rebuild. Most Bunkers fell, however, for various reasons – including critical systems failures, mutinies, and attacks by outsiders (see Wastelanders). By the year 2060, only four Bunkers were left.
Chaos Years, The: The Chaos Years refer to the ten years following the impact of Ragnarok. These dark years signified the great die-off of most forms of life, including humans. Most deaths occurred due to starvation. With mass global cooling, crops could not grow in climates too far from the tropics. What crops would grow produced a yield far too small to feed the population that existed. This led to a period of violence unknown in all of human history. The Chaos Years signify the complete breakdown of the Old World’s remaining infrastructures – including food production, economies, power grids, and the industrial complex – all of which led to the deaths of billions of people.
Coleseo Imperio: El Coleseo Imperio, translated as the Imperial Coliseum, is a circular, three-tiered stone arena rising from the center of the city of Nova Roma, the capital of the Nova Roman Empire. It is used to host gladiatorial games in the tradition of ancient Rome, and serves as the chief sport of the Empire. Slaves and convicts are forced to fight in death matches, which serves the dual purpose of entertaining the masses while getting rid of prisoners and slaves who would otherwise be, in the Empire’s eyes, liabilities. Ritual sacrifices routinely take place on the arena floor.