Avernus: Book One

by Steven Webb

  “Frank, your wife’s on line one.” Randy said standing in the doorway.

  “”Man, I forgot to call her. What time is it? Eight? I wasn’t home in time for dinner. Kelsey’s gonna kill me.”

  “You go home. I’ll finish working. I don’t have anywhere else I need to be.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. Go on.”

  “Thanks Daniel. I’ll be back in early to double check the numbers before we start the maneuver. Randy let her know I’ll give her a call on my phone.”

  “Got it.”

  Once Kelsey heard the news he knew she would forgive him. That didn’t help to clear his conscience though. He felt terrible for letting them all down. Tonight was suppose to be his tutoring session with the twins to help them get ready for their math test. His wife’s ringtone went off as he waited for his car to come around.

  “Hey Darling. Sorry I didn’t make it home.”

  “No worries. We got dinner figured out. Everything alright?”

  “Yeah. More than alright. I can’t say anything right now but once I get home I’ll fill you in. I’m just leaving now. Can you put the twins on?” The car pulled up to the curb and the security guard stepped out. “Thanks.” He climbed in to start the journey home. Lucky traffic was almost nonexistent this late.

  “Hey dad.”

  “Hey pop”

  “Hey guys. Sorry I couldn’t help you study tonight. Something really important came up. I promise I’ll make it up to you this weekend.”

  “Yeah, yeah. We’ve heard that one before.”

  “Ben. I mean it. I will bring you guys to the office if I need to. I really am sorry. When I get home I’ll tell you what happened.”

  “Can you put your mom back on the phone?”

  “Hey Frank.”

  “I can’t believe I let them down.”

  “You didn’t. Their upset but they’ll get over. You just hurry home. I love you.”

  “Love you too. See you in a bit.” He needed something to ease the tension at home. A quick stop for ice cream made him feel a bit better. He managed to make it home before it had time to melt. Everyone was sitting around the TV in Pajamas. “I’m home. And I brought a little I’m sorry treat”.

  Kelsey got up and came to greet him with a kiss. “Aww, how sweet of you.”

  The kids refused to even look away from the screen. He went to their spots on the couch kissed their foreheads and handed them their ice cream. “Listen, I’m really sorry, but they needed me. They found the signal from the Phoenix VII. I needed to do some work to get a rescue plan in place.”

  The frown on the twins faces softened upon hearing the news. “Sorry we were mad at you.” Mia got up and gave her dad a hug. “Ben, don’t be a dick.”

  Ben followed suit. “I guess I forgive you, but this weekend you’re all ours.”

  “You bet.”

  “Honey, listen we’re glad you came home but don’t they need you back tonight.”

  “Probably but you guys are more important to me.”

  “Listen, we’re fine. You go do what you need to do. I’ll take care of the kids tomorrow.”

  “Yeah dad go ahead.” Mia nudged her brother in the side.

  “Yeah go on.”

  “Thanks guys. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

  Frank said goodbye and headed back to work. This time there was no one around to take his car. The parking garage was nearly empty except for the few overnight crew. Inside he found Daniel eating pizza while he worked.

  “What are you doing back?”

  “Well my family figured you guys needed me more than them right now.”

  “Well have some food. I’m guessing you haven’t had a chance to eat yet.”

  “Yes please.” Frank grabbed a slice and started looking over the work diego had managed to cover in the last two hours. He set in continuing the calculations. Security checked in on them throughout the night, bringing around food and coffee in abundance.

  With the arrival of the main workforce, Frank and Daniel were just putting the final touches on their strategy to reach the Phoenix VII. With notes in hand Frank took his familiar place at the front of the control room.

  “Good morning everyone. Now as you have all heard, the distress beacon from the Phoenix VII was detected by a satellite. There is a very good chance everyone is still alive. We need to get contact established as soon as possible. I’ve had Daniel send all of the data to your computers. We need to begin work immediately to get the Deep Space Relay Satellite up and running.” He took control from the main computer and adjusted the front display. A predictive route showed up on one side, and the layout of the Satellite on the other. The keyboards clacked aloud. It was the sound of hope. The curvature on the predictive map slowly changed. The figure of the jet systems turned on the display. It was off to a rendezvous with Venus then on to the ship. This was the moment of truth.

  SOPHIE

  “Now which way was I going again?” Sophie needed to get back on track after spotting a puddle of water. Yesterday a loud explosion echoed through the forest, followed by a billowing cloud of smoke stretching into the sky. The only thing it could be was the ship. In order to keep herself heading in the right direction she used a little trick she discovered while working out the surroundings of the lab. Purple leafy projections, which sporadically grew up out of the dirt, always pointed north.

  At this point she was outside the area she had memorized around the lab. The entire landscape was foreign. “Okay I was heading for the base of the five ribbon trees all growing together.” She scanned the area. “Well I guess I’m just going to trust my instincts.”

  She checked the sky to see how much daylight she had left. The sun was still riding high atop it’s apex. The bright light that occasionally flew threw the sky was there again. It had to be the asteroid that knocked them out of the sky. It was the only thing she could imagine it to be.

  “Fuck you! You fucking piece of shit! This is all your fault!.”

  It helped to think that something tangible landed them here rather than just a string of bad luck. Once she got off this planet it was going to be her mission to destroy that asteroid.

  The ground grew more rocky underfoot. Soon all signs of dirt were gone. A large path of rocks weaved through the forest, devoid of any signs of plant life. It seemed to be some form of river bed. Unfortunately the water had dried up long before she got there. She ventured on. At this point the only thing distracting her from the pain of walking, was knowing she had a chance to get back to the others.

  Little creatures darted ahead of her. Scampering could be heard in the branches high above. For a second she thought she saw a familiar gray color. “No way. It can’t be.” The grey soon became more pronounced. She pressed on knowing what lie just ahead. Another grey shape appeared, followed by another. Definition of fanned out branches confirmed her suspicions. This was the magic forest from before. This time she refused to let it trap her inside the twisting maze. Instead of venturing into the middle she remained along the edge. They seemed to stretch on for miles. At one point she checked the ground just to make sure she was actually moving forward.

  With the sun beating down on her it seemed like a perfect time to rest. The shade from one of the magic trees beckoned her with it’s enticing comfort, and the promise of rest against the trunk. It could only be a short stop. Or at least that’s what she told herself. Sitting down was a mistake. Standing back up hurt too much.

  “Guess I’m just gonna stay here a bit longer.”

  Her weary body sunk in. Her heavy eyes drooped.

  A new surprise greeted the exhausted Sophie. The ground beneath her shook violently. It heaved around, every which way. Sitting upright was virtually impossible. Was this what caused the explosion? If so were the others all right? Without warning, Sophie found herself rapidly rising into the air. The trees are growing again. She had to get off now. By the time the thought entered her mind any hope of escape w
as gone. All around her, the trees shot skyward on the tops of large mounds. The large root system twisted around. A strange yellow gem appeared to be embedded inside the dirt mound. Trying to hold on for dear life she noticed that all the other tree mounds had the same gem.

  Looking down, the roots attached to the base looked almost leg like. In Fact they were legs. The trees were attached to the backs of gargantuan beasts and Sophie found herself atop one of them. Fully emerged and standing fifteen feet in the air, the beast lurched forward. The idea of being thrown off terrified her. Her only recourse was to jump. A few deep breaths settled her mind. She focused on one solid point on the ground and launched herself into the air, narrowly missing one of the tentacle plants. A heard of the tree beasts carried the magical forest on their backs. The forest bowed to the sides making way for the mighty beasts bodies. Underneath their bellies large, circular mouths lined with icicle sized teeth, closed up and retracted inside. The ground they left behind was crumbled and dusty. Heavy prints marked where the legs passed over. The weight so pressing, water rose from the prints.

  Sophie was unsure whether to flee in terror or sit in wonder at the remarkable events unfolding. tiny creatures, whose backs were not much higher than Sophie’s head, weaved between the legs of the large ones. They continued playing around oblivious to Sophie’s presence.

  “Which would be more believable at this point? A magical forest appearing as if from nowhere or that that forest was truly a group of creatures buried in the ground.” She laughed at the notion of trying to explain this to anyone back home.

  The forest gone, now the end of the field was exposed. An overturned boulder fruit brought back the memories of that night she ran away. The scar from her hands digging into the flesh was still apparent. All the feelings of hurt and loss came flooding back. A few tears ran down her dust coated cheek. She was certain to make it back now. This stretch was the final push.

  She headed into the woods, leaving behind the empty field. There was the ribbon tree she had clamored under. Her dried blood still visible on the surface. Seeing the sharp rock laying there on the ground, sent a twinge of pain through her scarred arms. Instinctively she rubbed the raised surfaces. A part of her longed to pick that stone back up and dig in once again. The pain would be the only thing that mattered. She drew closer to it and cupped it in her hand. It was soft and cool with a sharp edge. She stared at it, fighting the urge inside her. Summoning up her new found strength, she hurled the rock away. It clattered through the branches in the distance. The urge still remained but she had won the battle. Sophie needed to get as far away from this spot as she could lest the desire to chase down the rock should appear.

  A small clearing up ahead was littered in old foot prints of both one of the crew and several creatures. The path was covered in broken branches. As she stepped down on one of the piles a metal clang came from under foot. She stepped down again and again came the metal clang. Her boot pushed aside the branches in search of the source. On the ground, slightly rusty but still good, was Rocco’s survival knife.

  “How did this get out here?” Her words fell on the silent trees. “Well Rocco’ll probably want it back.”

  She picked up the blade. There was no where for her to store it. The only option left was to carry it all the way back in her hand. The temptation to carve into her flesh returned. She ran her finger over it’s sharpened edge. This time she couldn’t afford the luxury of throwing away the source of her agony.

  A foul odor hung in the air, growing stronger the further Sophie got from the sight of the knife. The source was right up ahead. She followed it slowly. Caution was key out here. The two graves were dug up. She knew exactly what the source was without actually seeing it. She pivoted to her left. Bits of sinew clung to the bleached bones of Diego and Carl.

  Her stomach became incapable of holding back it’s contents. With her mouth Agape, Sophie unleashed all the food and water she had consumed in the last four hours. The stream flowed off and on like someone playing with a faucet. Her stomach emptied, but for the next few minutes it continued to try and expel what wasn’t there.

  Diego and Carl deserved better than this.

  “What the hell happened here? Diego why? I miss you so much. This isn’t how it was supposed to go.”

  Convinced she could no longer even attempt to vomit, she grabbed one of the branches and pushed the bones through the soft dirt. The open holes awaited their former residents return. The remains fell in with no regard for separating one set from the other. Fighting back the horror of seeing her love and Carl like this, she reburied their bones and put them to rest, hopefully for good this time. The soft dirt barely covered the bodies. Small portions of white poked through. There was not much she could do to remedy that situation.

  “You would be so proud of me.” Sophie sat down next to the stone etched with Diego’s name. “I managed to make a fire by myself. I walked forever. Oh and I caught my own food out there. I almost got crushed by some strange creatures with trees on their backs. And I fought off another who tried to take my stuff from me.”

  She sat in silence awaiting a response that would never come. All the memories were so fresh. His hands wrapped around her. That shy quiet personality of his. It was as if he had been with her all this time. Sitting in misery was only making her feel worse. All those nights cold and alone, all those days trying to get back could not be impeded by this set back. Sophie got up said one final goodbye to Diego and made her way to the cave.

  Knife in hand she stood in the entrance. Everyone was busy hanging around by the fire unable to see her. “I’m back.” Sophie called out.

  The others stopped what they were doing, and once they were able to process what was happening they rushed to meet her. Arms embraced Sophie from all sides. She couldn’t move much less breath.

  “Oh my God you’re alive!” one of the voices cried.

  “We looked everywhere for you. Where were you hiding?” That one was definitely Addison. Her voice was unmistakable above all the others.

  “I almost died trying to find you. You better have one hell of a story.”

  “Aww thanks, Trent. I missed you too.”

  “Seriously, I didn’t think you could survive out there.”

  “Really Taylor?” Sophie weaseled her way out of the group hug. “If you don’t mind I’m really hungry. I may have lost my lunch outside.” She stopped and turned around. “Oh hey Rocco, I thought you might be missing this.” The knife flew into the air and landed in the dirt. “Once I’m done eating I’ll tell you everything that happened, and then I want to know why the knife was out there.”

  The cooked meat was fabulous, juicy, and flavorful. It was better than any fruit or bug she managed to scavenge up on her little journey. There was no little crunchy pieces to try and avoid. “This is amazing. Where did you find this?” She licked her fingers clean and then reached for a second round.

  “Actually, Joseph and Addison caught it.” Nova seemed to be worried about Sophie. It was written all over her face and in her voice.

  “It was really more of a lucky accident. We were trying to catch something a lot smaller.” Joseph added.

  “Well whatever you did you should do it again.” She filled her mouth. “I mean seriously, wow.” Aside from answering her questions, no one seemed to have any intention of interrupting her feast. Halfway through the second chunk of meat, her pace was slowing to a crawl.

  “Here have some water, you look parched.” It was so sweet of Rocco to be concerned for her.

  “Thanks.” The canteen drenched her face, leaving only half the water to actually enter her mouth. Finally feeling satiated, she was ready to recount her journey.

  “Where should I start?” She was having a hard time thinking with her stomach so full. “I guess we’ll go from when I ran away. So I ran until it got dark and then sat under a tree crying all night.” Sophie turned her wrists over making sure to keep the scars hidden. “Once the sun came up, I manage
d to find a boulder fruit, and I have to say it was sooo good. But this meat is definitely better. Though it probably tastes so good because I haven’t eaten a lot. But anyway, I walked through this huge field and that’s when the rainstorm hit. I got lucky and found a tree with a hole in it so I fell asleep there, and when I woke up you’ll never believe what I saw. I mean I hardly did myself. These large trees, yeah they looked like trees, had popped up all over the field. I tried to find my way back but, well you know how well that must have worked out. I ended up getting lost and wandered around. At one point I found a swampy area. I don’t recommend going back there. I ended up climbing up a mountain to try and find the ship, and I actually did. I found the lab and workout room. The lab was a mess. Broken glass everywhere. One of the samples had a yellow film growing on top of it. The only things worth taking were a striker, some alcohol and the coats…”

  “Wait did you say something was growing on one of the samples of dirt?” Taylor seemed solely focused on this one detail.

  “Yeah.” Sophie rubbed her eyes. The fatigue was catching up with her. “It seemed like maybe the bacteria had multiplied but I can only really guess.”

  “Did you smell anything?”

  “A hint of sulphur.” She couldn’t hold herself upright to finish the conversation.

  “If we all joined you could you get us back there?”

  Why did he want to talk about this now? “I tell you what, I’m just going to lay here right now, but yeah I should be able to.” It felt so nice to be back amongst friends. This time she was really hearing their voices and not seeing the mimics. She checked once more just to be sure they were really there. It was a truly calming sight.

  TAYLOR

  “Please tell me you’ve had enough time to rest.” The last two days all Taylor could think about was the bacteria they recovered from Mars. If what Sophie said was true, and he had no reason to doubt her, then the bacteria was adapting rapidly. It was going to be something to behold. Sampling it and running some rudimentary tests would at the very least give him something to do.