But with an unexpected burst of speed, the beast surged forward. Before Mencari could fire a shot, they disappeared into the cave.
He allowed himself to sink slowly to the ground, heaving for breath, and hailed Toriko and briefly described the perpetrator.
“Egra said she’s seen the creature you’re chasing before, but they always disappear,” Toriko said.
“They went into a cave,” he panted. “I’ll transmit the coordinates. If I don’t come out in a few hours, inform Osuto.”
“Can’t you wait for us?”
“No. Stay there with Seigie.”
She nodded, and he closed the channel and headed for the cave’s opening.
A shimmering fungus-like growth he’d never seen before illuminated the cave like moonlight. Mencari continued down the slope, which ended in a fork, and listened intently. A second later, he heard soft footsteps down the left tunnel.
Rounding a bend, he saw a massive wooden door to his left, an equally huge door of something that appeared to be metal to his right, and three spider-shaped creatures ahead, each one twice his size.
Just beyond them, the girl stood. Her hood hid most of her face, except for her ghostly pale skin, a smile that looked sinister in the dim light. With mandible opening and closing ominously, the three spiders advanced on him, creeping forward stealthily, and the girl taunted, “I told you. Leave us alone!”
Giggling, she disappeared through the massive metal doorway, which seemed to open, then close at her command.
The spiders, although huge and grotesque, had little defense against Mencari’s hand-phaser. After they fell, he ran to the metal door and looked for a way to open it. He couldn’t budge it, even when he summoned his power and pounded on the metal with clenched fists. The alloy seemed to absorb the impacts. Frustrated, he looked around and spotted a lever nearby, sticking up from the floor.
He looked at it, uncertain. What if the lever just summoned more creatures, creatures he couldn’t defeat so easily?
But what choice did he have? If he didn’t get those parts back, he and the two women were stuck even longer on this planet.
He pulled the lever, heard a loud creaking, and glanced up to see the wooden door open, not the metal one. He blew out a breath in disappointment.
A blow came from the side, sending him reeling. He smacked hard against the cavern wall and crumpled to the ground. Groaning, he pushed to his knees. A long-armed creature that seemed made of stone lumbered toward him, making the ground quake with every step.
Summoning his defensive barrier, he pushed to his feet. Too late. The creature swung at him, the blow punching through his barrier, flinging him against the far wall.
Panic filled him. He had to do something, and fast. He panted, mentally walling off the pain. Reaching out his hands, energy formed like cool pools of water. The light radiated like two small suns. The color changed from brilliant yellow to blazing orange to deep crimson.
As the beast lurched forward to deliver a finishing blow, Mencari turned, body aching, towards his attacker. The red orbs shot like comets toward the beast. Too slow to dodge the attack, the creature howled as large chunks were blown from its gargantuan chest. It fell back, crashed onto a stalagmite and shattered into pieces.
Mencari heard a creaking and looked in the direction the girl had disappeared. The metal door was open now. She giggled again and taunted him from afar. “Find me, and I’ll give you the parts. I love hide-and-seek. Isn’t this fun?”
He glanced at the creature’s remains, rubbing his side, then forced himself to his feet. “I’d like to give her… fun!” he said annoyed and then hurried through the metal door.
And so continued the game of cat and mouse. He’d get close just in time for her to disappear again, leaving him to fend off beasts or work his way out of some clever trap. Each success brought her chastising giggle, then a renewed challenge to follow her deeper into the caves.
Finally, at the end of a long flight of steps, he found her waiting for him.
“Just give up,” she said on seeing him. “I’m not going to play nice if you keep killing my playmates.” Her energy seemed boundless, while his was rapidly diminishing.
“Look . . . don’t want a fight,” he panted. “Give me my stuff. You’ll never see me again.”
She shook her head and grinned. As he stepped toward her, she dashed through another nearby doorway. The door slammed shut.
He shook his head in disbelief. Killing her playmates! What kind of child am I chasing? I don’t have time for this.
He shouted toward the door, “Look, it’s been . . . fun. But I have an injured friend who needs to go home. Can we call it a draw?”
A brief, faint giggling echoed back. Not bothering with the door she had gone through, he grunted and continued farther down the tunnel, eventually finding another old, crust-covered doorway. A small, hand carved sign read “Allia’s Cavern of Terror. For those that like to die. tm”
A sigh escaped as his annoyance grew. He reached for the rusty handle and wrestled it open. The chamber beyond appeared smaller than the one before, and a dull glow emanated from a partitioned space at the far end. He inched toward the light. A figure that appeared human crouched on the floor, facing partly away from him. He eased toward it, and found it was a mannequin—posed, as if it was eating. A small lantern and club lay on the ground next to it.
He felt a sudden presence behind him, then a hand on his shoulder. Panicked, he spun and twisted the arm, forcing its owner against the wall. It was another cloaked figure, but much taller than the girl.
The man winced in pain and struggled to say, “Wait, please. If Allia knew I was talking to you, there’d be trouble.”
Mencari looked him over. No weapon, and he made no attempt to break free. He looked much like Allia, just without the pale complexion. Instead, his skin was covered in tiny reptilian-like scales. Easing the pressure on the man’s arm, Mencari spoke in a deliberately intimidating tone, “Look, I don’t want to hurt the girl. Or you. I just want my parts back.”
“We can’t give them to you, it was another who took them—”
Mencari’s weariness overwhelmed him, and he squeezed the man’s arm hard. “If she doesn’t have my parts, why was she making me chase her?”
The man rasped back, “She’s fulfilling her duty.”
“What duty?” Mencari said tired and impatiently.
“Please… I am Lu’ri. And you’re at one of her many traps. I’m surprised Allia’s not here to finish you off, as she has so many others. I have been told to…”
Something behind Mencari drew Lu’ri’s attention. He gasped and pointed. “Run!”
Lu'ri broke free and disappeared into a nearby passageway before Mencari could react. Honestly, all Mencari wanted to do was sit down. Rapid clicks echoed against the stony floor behind him. He whirled around and saw a beetle-like creature, nearly as tall as the cave’s ceiling, emerge into the dusty halo of light. Its thick carapace reflected in the dim light and its serrated mandibles twitched as it approached.
Exhaustion burned under his skin. Mencari had already been through a crash, fought mercenaries, tracked down Seigie, chased those thieving kids, fought more than enough creatures in this cave, and chased after this Allia girl. But with no choice, he focused everything he had left. The aura of radiance appeared, then just as rapidly faded. Mencari panted as he struggled to move beyond his inertia. Grunting, he managed only a small but stable ball of energy. As he unleashed it, he crumpled to the ground.
Unable to move, he watched it rip through the creature’s shell. It squealed, guts spewing along with liquid and gas from the wound. Some of the acidic substance coated his arms, and the thick vapors from the beast’s toxic innards clogged the air. He struggled for breath, his lungs burning from the poisoned fumes.
His final thought was a hope that Toriko and Seigie could somehow get safely back to Osuto at the asteroid base. With that, the cave around him dissolved into darkness
.
* * * * *
He felt himself floating, his exhaustion inexplicably gone. A gentle ringing beckoned, but from what direction he couldn’t tell. In the distance, a single-point light began to grow and spiral, and then careened toward him. He reached out to buffer the impact as it washed over him.
The darkness lifted and he found himself lying in a bed, the one in his first apartment, back on his Plutaran assignment, the one before his transfer to the doomed Coalition space station. The ringing from before faded as he looked around, confused and in disbelief.
On his nightstand was a mound of used tissues, piled next to a few throat lozenges and a tall, half-filled glass of water. Just beyond it sat a tray with pills and a tiny oblong container. Thick covers were pulled up to his waist, while his back was propped up by a number of sturdy pillows.
He felt a stinging throb in his arm, and groaned.
“You okay, hon?”
The sweet sound pierced right through him.
Gentle steps approached the door, and it opened. A copper-skinned beauty appeared. “I said, are you okaaaay?”
His eyes doubted, second only to his heart. Still, when he met her loving gaze, he drew a quick breath and held it. He was transfixed. Something inside him lurched alive; a sensation left cold for an eternity suddenly swelled. Trembling like a wounded child, he reached for her. He wanted to say something, any one of countless things left unsaid before she… How? How could this be? His lips opened, but emotion had claimed his voice.
Tears welled in his eyes. She saw and laughed, then chided, “Oh, hon. It’s just a cold. Can’t be that bad, can it?”
He felt a tear streak down his jaw as she took his hand and eased her body to sit next to him. He forced himself to say her name. “Anaka.”
She smiled, and her hand stroked the side of his head. His face, then body tingled with her touch, and he wrapped his arms around her and held tight. Stillness came to his weary mind; warmth filled his broken spirit. All that mattered was held safe in his arms once more, and he would never let anything take her away again.
“Honestly, hon. Your son isn’t this much of a baby.”
He looked into her eyes and could summon only broken words. “Anaka. No. You don’t understand, you—”
“You’re going to be just fine. Before you know it, you’ll be your old self again.”
She released her embrace and gently laid him back against the pillows. “How’s your arm?”
Arm? And again, he felt pain.
Her smile melted when she saw the wound. “Oh my gosh! Haven’t you been using the ointment?”
She pulled away from his grip and grabbed the oblong container from the nightstand. Placing two fingers inside, she scooped a small gob of milky-white salve. The thick substance held its form. He rested his head by her heart. Again she laughed gently. “Your mother warned me of this.”
He winced at first, but the salve soon cooled the irritation. He looked up to her, then at his wound. Again he wrapped his arms around her, and rested his head on her chest. The beat in her chest brought a gentle peace to his longing heart. “That ointment?” he managed. “It’s helping.”
A baby’s cry drifted from the hallway. His eyes grew wide again. Rhyiel!
Anaka’s head tilted toward the hallway. “Well, guess who’s up?”
A second cry, and she called out, “Be right there, sweetie!”
She stood. He reached out and grasped her wrist. With a playful smile, she shook her head. “Honey, you’re going to be just fine. Just relax. You’re a big boy now. You can handle this. I have to take care of my other baby now.”
Reluctant, he released his grip. She blew him a kiss, whispered, “I love you,” and glided from the room.
“Wait,” he pleaded. “Please, wait!”
There was no answer.
Shaking, he fought tears while darkness sprawled from the shadows, engulfing the world around him. He tried to move, to follow her, but his body was too heavy.
A painful twinge caused him to grasp his arm. His fingers touched a thick wetness. His eyes began to make out patterns that slowly took shape around him. He gazed to where Anaka once stood, and saw a dark figure drifting away. He called out weakly, “Wait. Please, wait!”
A familiar male voice answered back: “You’re going to be just fine. Before you know it, you’ll be your old self again. I’ll be back.”
As Lu’ri disappeared around the corner, Mencari struggled to get his bearings. This time, he was able to prop himself on his elbows. Where—?
Then, he remembered. Chasing some tiny cloaked people into a cave. Fighting spiders, a creature made of stone, and some shelled creature. The final blast he let out as he fell and passed out. He stared into darkness, the perfect canvas for his memories. Anaka’s image returned; the beautiful dream replayed in his mind. Tears blinding him, he brought his knees up and placed his arms around them. He could still feel her touch, hear her heartbeat. It was all so . . . real.
Huddled in a tight ball, he cried.
Honey, you’re going to be just fine… I love you.
“I love you too,” he wept.
* * * * *
After what seemed like an eternity, the burn of loss faded to a level he thought he could bear. Wiping his eyes, he sighed, allowing the pain to return to the hollow in his heart. It would wait, he knew, for his next weak moment.
The throbbing in his arm was gone, at least. He pushed to his feet and staggered a few steps, then picked up the lantern and club next to the mannequin. Despite being a prop, the dents and cracks showed the sturdy club was battle weathered and still deadly.
He suddenly realized he had no idea if just minutes or days had passed while he was out. His watch told him two hours had passed. Attempts to raise Toriko were met with static. Even their advanced technology couldn’t transmit this far underground.
“I have to finish this,” he whispered. “And get back to them.”
He headed in the direction Lu’ri had, and found himself in a much larger chamber. A cautious pan of the space with the lantern revealed four doors and a stone altar in the center. Wary of more unpleasant surprises, he edged up to the altar, which held a row of polished squares across the top. Paranoid, he shone the light around the room, checking the area one more time, then ran his fingers across the carved panels. He positioned the light to get a better view and saw an alien rune on each panel.
In curiosity he pressed one of the panels, and the door on the far left thudded open, while the door he came through slammed closed. He cautiously investigated the corridor beyond and found a number of alien skeletons in crouched positions against the far wall, possibly former playmates of Allia’s left to their deaths. Returning to the altar, he pressed another panel. He felt the hairs on his neck stand, as he instinctively dove to the side. A charge of energy zipped past, narrowly missing him.
When he tried the fourth panel, a dull thud from across the chamber made him spin around. Squeals echoed from beyond the newly opened door to the right.
Taking a deep breath, he approached and entered the corridor beyond.
A hissing to one side caused him to flinch and press himself against the opposite wall. Shining the light, he saw another gigantic spider. This one was pulling bloodied fangs from what appeared to be a person-sized cocoon. The cocoon shifted weakly, as if something was trying to break out. He bit back a gasp, realizing that could’ve been his fate too.
The spider’s hiss was followed by a series of angry clicks. Without getting closer, he shined the light, attempting to see the cocoon. He wasn’t sure, but its contents looked humanoid. Could it be the man named Lu’ri? Or the girl? He yelled, hoping to distract the creature, and tried to direct his power into the club.
The creature turned, hissing, and lunged. Mencari’s club connected with it midair. Screeching madly, it slammed violently backward against the far wall. Three of its legs ripped off from the impact; the rest slid down the wall, leaving a shimmering viscous t
rail.
Keeping wary eyes on the creature’s shattered corpse, he made for the cocoon, knelt and began to rip at the webbing.
“I don’t know if you can hear me,” he called out, “but hang on.”
Clawing as rapidly as he could, he reached the punctured and broken body inside. The being wasn’t the girl he was chasing, or the man he’d met before, but instead was similar to one of the creatures he’d fought while chasing Allia. Relief flooded him. From the beginning, the girl named Allia had been an annoyance, a dangerous one.
But he felt a bit happy that he didn’t find her inside that cocoon.
He looked up and around and mumbled, “Now where?” When there was no answer, he shouted, “So you can’t give me a hint?”
No answer came that time either, and, blowing out a frustrated breath, he continued his search.
In the next room was a smaller altar, but atop this one was a baseball-sized sphere. As he approached, its deep-amethyst color glowed, faint at first, then brighter, and it threw out warmth that made the chill of the cave recede. He gingerly picked up the sphere, hefted it.
Strange. Just like one of Seigie’s memory crystals. Maybe she’ll be able to read this?
The small pedestal on which the crystal had rested suddenly receded into the altar’s top. As he tensed, expecting another trap, a doorway opened in the far wall. He cautiously peered through. His sighed response was part relief, part frustration, when he saw he had circled right back to where he had started from.
Anaka’s voice broke into his thoughts. It will all work out . . .
His eyes clouded as his thoughts fell inward.
I could stand here all day and just think about you. But for some reason, I’d expect a lecture if I did.
The sound of pebbles breaking loose and hitting the ground pulled him from his yearnings. He looked down and found a scattering of pebbles at the door’s base, ones that hadn’t been there when he entered.
“Stooges like you never, ever listen.”
He whirled around. The tiger creature and the girl stood on a ledge above him. She held her arms crossed confidently, and her hood still draped down, covering all but her sneer. “And I won’t allow you to go any farther.”
D'mok Revival: The Nukari Invasion Anthology Page 17