by Brad Stucki
Hesitation.
Something is definitely not right.
Again he looked around. Still no depth, no sense of distance. A no-place.
Should I worry? I don’t think so. There’s no threat.
Amazing! Threat. Another concept I just know.
He shook his head.
At least it's warm.
“Who is that?” Someone is here but I can’t see.
“Where are you?”
“Wait! I hear you. What do you want?”
“Come on! Talk to me.”
There was no answer.
A dark spot appeared at a point directly in front of his eyes. It was the first contrasting thing he’d seen since coming to this . . . place. Is it a spot on a wall or an opening far away? He felt himself moving towards it and noted it started looming larger. He realized he was moving at a high rate of speed!
Javin started to turn, but it was too late. He was engulfed!
He was floating again in black. Wait. There were dim points of light streaking by. Awkwardly he turned, flailing just a bit, but noting the continued movement. I’m traveling fast!
Where?
Why?
Chapter 3
Javin awoke, eyes flickering. He tried to move. Something was pinning him down and no amount of straining would allow him to move so much as a finger. He lay in stillness. The area was dark, misty, damp. Then a faint light began to grow off to his right, illuminating to a blue-green. The mist began to strain down as the light grew brighter, gradually rising higher. The temperature rose too, though not overly hot. Air thickened and Javin labored to breath. He still couldn’t move, as though held by an oppressive weight.
His surroundings grew lighter, the mist continuing to strain lower, distilling into the ground and leaving Javin covered in a damp sheen. He squinted against the light.
High above, dense clouds obscured the light source, though amplified by water molecules in a prism effect it cast brilliant light all around, eliminating shadows.
SNAP!
Javin felt the binding give way from inside. He lurched to his feet, staggering in a chest-high growth of thick blue-green grass. It now was as light as a bright summer day high on a mountain. He stopped. How did he know this? There was a picture in his mind. There was understanding, a frame of reference. He looked around, saw a dense jungle, incredibly tall trees, clouds swirling through their tops.
He was naked.
This is wrong!
What’s normal? He concentrated. Nothing surfaced. Blank. Wait!
He’d just come from . . . white. It faded from his memory. No amount of coaxing brought it back.
Javin started walking. Javin? It was his name. Javin Cox. No memories surfaced with it. Again, it was only a frame of reference.
He stumbled from the grass to a vague path. It led into a clearing ringed by thick trees. Bushes grew between the trees, pushing up against and filling in. The clear ground was a mulchy grass and fallen leaves. Even under the trees the light was bright. “Water crystals in the air are refracting the light,” he said aloud. How do I know this?
Javin looked around then sat against a mossy tree trunk, fear growing to panic. He realized he was far from home.
Home? The concept registered but no place came to memory.
My memories! They’re gone. How did he know he had memories? He just knew.
The tree trunk was cool. Tilting his head back and closing his eyes, he tried to relax, letting his senses drift, thinking of nothing, only letting brief snatches of thought, impressions, tiny pieces of memory flow, trying to put them into some semblance of understanding.
Flashes of memory came and went.
Trouble! Lots of it. He’d made a decision. Blinding light. Voices. They were talking about him. He was supposed to do something. They’d never said what. Movement . . .
And waking up here!
It was all a jumble no matter how hard he focused.
Javin Cox! That’s my name. But there’s nothing to go with it. I’m somebody! I’ve got a life! Still no memories would come.
They’re blocked.
Javin knew this. It didn’t help. Anger flashed.
Wait! I’ve got to stay calm.
He pushed down anger, apprehension, breathed deep, closing his eyes to find his center. How did he know to do that? Don’t question. Just do.
He opened his eyes, scanning the surroundings with full awareness. Stop!
Eyes! Staring straight back from the far side of the clearing. Brilliant blue orbs were attached to a stocky four-legged reptile about the same height as Javin. It was muscular with a splotchy green and brown hide and a curved, sinuous neck ending in a diamond-shaped head. A tail curled back into the bush, and stout legs ended in . . . claws!
The glistening blue eyes entranced. A tongue darted out revealing pointed teeth.
That’s no herbivore! Disgust colored fear as he knew the terminology but not the memory references.
Javin tried a slow movement -- and couldn’t!
Not again! What’s happening with my body?
He tried to tense his muscles. They didn’t respond. He sat, staring back into the deepening blue eyes. His body remained limp, relaxed, not hearing the messages his brain was sending.
It's the eyes! I can’t break contact. Javin realized he couldn’t even blink.
The beast crept forward slow and steady, head level, eyes fixed. A low guttural sound was forced through its long neck.
Sweat trickled down Javin’s face. He concentrated, focusing every faculty. His body remained slack, eyes starting to hurt.
This isn’t going to be pretty.
There might be a chance. When the beast went to take a bite it’d have to break eye contact. Maybe he could get away with whatever parts of his body he had left over. Then Javin remembered the claws and realized it wasn’t likely he’d get the chance.
The beast moved closer, step by step. I’ll only get one shot at this.
A sound came from above, a heavy rustling of leaves, then a snap!
What was that?
It physically hurt that he couldn’t look. Javin’s nerves were strained to the limit. The beast was almost in reach.
What would it grab first? A leg? An arm? Maybe the neck. If so . . .
Steady . . . Javin tried to focus on the right muscles so when, or if, released, he’d be ready for the slashing movement.
Suddenly a branch landed square across the beast’s snout. It snorted in surprise, shook its head and reared back with a deep-throated bellow.
Javin blinked. He could move! He turned from under the tree and jumped for the nearest branch, swinging up just as he heard the beast howl again from behind. A tremor shook the tree as its claws raked the bole where Javin had just been.
He pulled himself up with panicked agility, moving farther into the tree and praying the beast couldn’t climb. The reptile continued to pound its forelegs against the tree, scraping gashes in the trunk as it bugled.
It was mad! But at least it was still hungry.
Javin climbed to a wide limb and stood bending over, sucking in deep breaths, resting his hand against the thick trunk for balance.
That was close!
He rubbed his eyes and peered down. The beast was ambling back into the jungle. Its mottled green hide blended quickly with the dense cover. It’s good that thing doesn’t have more patience. Probably doesn’t need any. Not much would ever get away. Then he remembered how he got away. The branch had come from this tree!
Javin straightened, eyes darting. They settled on anot
her pair of eyes.
Not again!
These eyes were red with black pupils staring back from a few steps away. They were attached to a humanoid form with sleek green-brown scaly skin without any hair. It wore a loin cloth and a small scrip made of green mottled leather draped over one shoulder. Its head was smooth and human-like with a ridged bone crest front to back over the crown. Taller than Javin by a bit, it had sinewy muscles, slender fingers, and its head canted to one side. The eyes reflected intelligence, studying him in what he hoped was a non-threatening way.
Javin slowly raised a hand. “Look, friend, I think I owe you thanks. You threw that branch?”
The being continued staring, head moving in small jerks as if trying to decide what manner of creature Javin was.
Then its body moved slightly . . . and Javin gaped. The being seemed to disappear from view, leaving a faint outline with only its loin cloth and scrip visible.
“Hold on. I didn’t mean to make you nervous. I was hoping you could help. After all, you saved me from being dinner.” Javin spread his hands out low hoping to show he meant no harm.
The being crouched at Javin’s movement. It was barely discernable. Then it sprang, booming out a throaty "Whoooot!"
Javin nearly fell, going to a defensive stance as it bounded past, barely touching him and moving through the canopy like it was flat ground. It blended into the foliage so fast he lost sight of it only a few paces away. He could hear it moving further out into the jungle.
He waited. It didn’t return, though it could easily come up again.
Chameleon! The word and its meaning sprung into his mind.
“Ahhrr!” He clenched his fist, tempted to pound it against the trunk.
Instead he sat. “Now what?” He took a few deep cleansing breaths, this time keeping his eyes open.
He needed a plan. He needed food and water. There was no telling how long he was going to be here. Wherever here was.
Chapter 4
Days later Javin paused, staring at the solid wall of foliage barring his way. He edged closer using his hands to gently separate the branches and peered through. Nothing immediately caused alarm. Then his eyes grew wide at what he saw. It wasn’t the small clearing he’d come to expect. Instead it was a broad chasm, the far side hazy with distance. He stepped through and stood on the edge of a precipice. It was deep; almost as deep as it was wide, with sheer cliffs and green growth dotting the sides. His breath caught in his throat. At the bottom lay a city. It was overgrown with jungle. No one moved about. He could pick out roads, smaller blocky buildings, and at the center, five giant pyramids. Four pyramids sat at each corner point with the largest, half again larger than the others, sat in the center of the ruins. The rest of the city seemed oriented around that central square. This is what Javin had been searching for! A place he might find some answers.
To his left he noticed a path that lead down. All other directions were overgrown with the thick foilage. The mist overhead still obscured what might be the sun. It was a brighter patch in the wispy covering, moving along a set path until setting at night. It must be the sun, if indeed he was on a planet and not some artificial construct.
Javin was amazed he knew these principles. He’d been aware and surviving in this environment for some time using knowledge he didn’t know he possessed – until he used it, or it popped into his mind. It didn’t make sense. How did he know?
He’d found water in small pools condensed out of the air during the cool of the night. When the sun rose, he’d slake his thirst. Larger pools would last throughout the day, though he’d learned not to approach them casually. Other animals used them too, and he didn’t want to chance running into another of the big lizards.
There was plenty of vegetation he could eat. He'd watched what other animals had eaten and guessed they were safe. Small animals he'd trapped for protein. He ate the meat raw. Starting a fire was impossible with everything so damp. And that’s another thing that irked. He’d known about fire. Even how to start one. Little good it did.
The skins of those small animals he’d fashioned into a rude loin cloth and a small pouch to sling over his shoulder. He filled it with food and tools he’d made out of wood and rock.
He hadn’t really needed the loin cloth. The air was warm enough day and night. For all he knew, he’d always been naked.
Right.
Early on Javin had decided to follow the path of the sun -- or whatever it was. He’d traveled pretty far and if he were in a sealed chamber, it’d have to be awfully big, especially now after seeing the chasm and the city at the bottom.
Now a new thing nagged at him. The pyramid shapes were familiar, like he’d seen them or something like them before. Maybe he'd already been here -- then knew he hadn't. He didn’t know how. Just that he knew. Javin grit his teeth.
How long would it take to reach the valley floor? It depended on the path. Probably take him at least the rest of the day. Then it looked like it would take several hours to walk in to the central plaza from the edge of the city. Javin lifted a hand to shade his eyes from the glare overhead. It was just past mid-morning.
He needed answers and this was a place he might find some.
Better get started.
Javin took a deep breath and turned down the path.
It did take the rest of the day to walk down the ridge then the next morning, after spending his usual night in a tree, he followed the road to the central pyramid. His sense of great age was confirmed as he passed through the buildings. The jungle had claimed more than he’d seen from the ridge. Thick vines wrapped in and around cracks in the stone. Bushes pushed up through breaks in the road which was made of an incredibly hard paving material. Kneeling, he examined broken shards, hefting them. They were light, but from the texture, dense and strong, obviously long lasting.
He took the time to go through several of the smaller buildings. There were no doors, just openings where a door would have hung, and window openings with no coverings. They were building shells with no clues left of the former inhabitants; no chairs, tables, not even a shard of pottery saying anyone had ever lived there.
Construction without wood, such an abundant natural resource, was extremely advanced, especially seeing the architecture up close. It was as if some power had softened the stone into a moldable state, then put it in place and bonded it together, hardening it into the finished product. Pale colors had even been annealed into the stone that hadn't dimmed with age. Javin thought at first it must be concrete poured into place. Upon closer examination, realized it was all built from solid stone. Nothing else it could be. Where did the stone come from, the cliff face? It didn’t appear to be as easily available as wood. And how did they put it into place so precisely, having it last all this time?
He didn't know how he knew to look for these things just that the knowledge was there, like it was a part of him. Try as he might, he couldn't force anything else out.
Then again, where were the inhabitants? Why was the city empty?
The answers weren't readily apparent. Javin continued to the central square he'd seen from the ridge above. The four smaller pyramids ringed the plaza, each on a corner with a peaked top. The centerpiece was the giant pyramid, half the size of the others. Its peak was flattened off, with another building constructed at the top. The familiar shapes nagged at him.
The base spread wide, leaving a broad road traversing around all four sides, with the front being widened into an open plaza Javin supposed was used for gatherings. A narrow set of stairs led from the base of the central pyramid up to the building at the top. That was the only place he could make out openings.
It had the feeling of a temple -- something used for a special purpose. The people probably gathered around the plaza while the priest-chief-prophet addressed them from the heights above and conducted ceremonies in the building at the top.
Javin was tired, but the mystery pushed him on.
The steps were narrow and steep. It took
several rest stops before he reached the apex where the building beckoned. Catch basins of water ringed the landing where he quenched his thirst. The day was nearly over. Still, he didn’t want to abandon his search. It should be safe enough here for the night. Besides, the building didn’t look that big.
The investigation began. The structure stretched about three times as high as he was tall. He walked around, measuring about one hundred paces to a side. There were no other openings other than stark, open doorways front and back entering into narrow hallways. Javin took a few steps inside the dark and was surprised to find it dimly lit from an unseen source. He moved further in and examined the walls and ceiling. There was no indication of where the light came from. It wasn't natural. The air just seemed to be illuminated in a subtle glow.
At the end of the entryway, about ten paces inside and three wide, there were five different corridors running every which way. It reminded Javin of a maze, though the building was small enough he didn't think he'd get lost for long.
He decided to explore. This building was probably the most important in the city. If there were any answers chances are they'd be here.
Javin picked a corridor at random and wound around through the corridors, coming to several dead ends and had to backtrack before being able to proceed again. Finally, after many tries, he noticed a pattern. Each time he took a left intersection he would eventually run against a dead end, no matter how many right turns he took previous or after. Javin experimented, choosing the right most passage at each intersection. Sometimes the halls seemed to wrap around the inside of the entire building then it would double back onto an intersection where, again, he chose the right-most passage. There were no more dead ends.
The eerie nature of the light kept him from realizing how long he’d been moving through the maze. It seemed a long while from the way his legs felt.
Javin finally rounded the shortest corridor so far which opened into a large inner chamber. It was brightly lit compared to the dim passageways.
He took a cautious glance into the room. It was at least thirty paces on a side. There were three levels that moved down in equal steps to the lowest portion in the sunken center. Scattered about in seemingly random fashion were large rectangular slabs of stone in different heights and sizes, some on end others on their side or flush with the chamber floor like a scattered seating area. In the low center tier was a free-standing stone arch a little higher than he was tall and just the right width to be a doorway.