by Bob Cooper
“Dad! Mom!” Acey cried out.
They couldn’t hear her. He had dirty blond hair that fell below his collar. His dark skin testified to his long hours of fieldwork in the hot suns. Their surroundings were not familiar to her. She cried out again but no response. She watched intently as her parents’ interactions played out in front of her.
“Bring her in now,” Henry said.
Laura walked in view of the recording devices with another being.
“For the record, I am introducing Tai-Som, governess of the city here on Antares Proper,” she said.
Tai-Som was a humanoid with a large, oval-shaped, bald head. Her arms and legs were long in proportion to the rest of her body. Her feet were bare, with the large toe pointed outward. They resembled the footprints that Raina had found earlier. Tai-Som spoke, but Acey couldn’t hear what she was saying. She wore a plain tunic with a necklace containing an amulet. Acey could see that it was similar to the one Raina wore. As Tai-Som continued to speak, she took off the necklace and held the amulet over her head. She rotated it until the light caught it just right. The back wall lit up with a series of designs, drawings, and schematics that made no sense to Acey. Tai-Som finished talking when her father came into view.
“What Tai-Som has told us is that the secrets to creating clean, pure energy can be obtained from the codices stored in this amulet. It is a gift to us with the agreement that we share our culture and civilization with them.”
Acey studied her father’s movements as he spoke and noted that they were a lot like Dirk’s. He was not quite finished talking when Acey heard her mother scream. Acey’s body stiffened as she saw three men rush and grab her father.
“Turn that damn device off,” one of them shouted.
The scene became totally confused with screams and movements blurring together. The recording continued from a different angle. Clearly, there was another recording device hidden somewhere still recording. Acey could see the fight ensue. Laura and Henry were knocked unconscious along with Tai-Som. Acey called out to them again and again. One of the men entered the picture. He pointed his blaster at them.
“Should I finish them off?” he asked the others.
“No,” came a voice from outside the video.
“Take all the notebooks and recording devices. O’Malley wants this to look like an accident.”
***
Hillary could hear an uproar coming from the village entrance. She rushed out to see what was going on and gasped when she saw O’Malley’s crew with Raina. The villagers surrounded them, making threatening gestures. O’Malley pulled out his blaster.
“No!” Hillary shouted.
Everyone turned and stared at her.
“Well, what do we have here?” he said eyeing Hillary.
“Where’s Dirk?” he demanded.
Hillary didn’t answer him. She stared at Raina. Acey was right. Raina could not be trusted.
“They’re not here,” Hillary replied.
“You don’t mind if we have a look for ourselves,” he said, pushing his way through the crowd.
“Stop!” Hillary ordered walking in front of O’Malley.
O’Malley shoved Hillary aside, and the King, along with a group of villagers, grabbed O’Malley and threw him to the ground. His men aimed their blasters at Hillary. More creatures, including women and children, encircled Hillary.
“No!” O’Malley shouted.
He got up and grabbed Raina by her neck and put his blaster to her head.
“If you don’t tell me where they went, I’ll kill her!” he snarled.
Raina cringed as the steel barrel pressed into her temple.
Hillary stared at Raina, trying to decide her next move. She closed her eyes and tried contacting the Guardians, not knowing whether her telepathic senses could reach that far. She concentrated as hard as she could and told them of her predicament. A loud buzzing sound swirled around her head. It grew louder and louder. The creatures sensed what she was doing and amplified her thoughts to the Guardians. Hillary opened her eyes and smiled at them.
O’Malley pushed Raina to the ground.
“Say goodbye to your friend,” he said, squeezing the trigger.
“Wait!” Hillary yelled.
“They went back to the mountain. To the temple. To find out what happened to Dirk’s son,” Hillary said.
O’Malley eased up on the trigger. As he walked up to Hillary, the creatures formed a circle around her again. He stopped short.
“Tell these things that you are coming with me.”
She turned to the King.
“I must go with them.”
“You are my Queen. I will protect you,” he said, standing beside her.
“I will return. But now I must go with them.”
The King laid both hands on her shoulders.
“We await your return. If you need us, call, and we shall come to your aid.”
Hillary turned to O’Malley.
“I’m ready to go.”
“How touching,” he snarled.
***
Acey was shaking, and the tears streamed down her cheeks when she came back from her trance. Dirk and Aidan were at her side, trying to comfort her.
“They killed them! I saw them!”
“Who?” asked Dirk.
“What did you see?”
“I saw my mother and father. We have to find the City of Antares and the Governess Tai-Som if she is still alive,” Acey said.
She explained in detail her entire experience to Aidan and Dirk.
“They must have destroyed only one recording device. We have to find the other one,” Acey said.
“Can you ask the Guardians where the City of Antares is?” asked Aidan.
“I’ll try.”
Acey closed her eyes, hoping that they would continue to use visual images to communicate. The images started to coalesce in her mind, and she saw a vibrant, thriving city. There were no streets or sidewalks visible. High-speed transit systems without any visible tracks snaked through and in between tall buildings, while totally enclosed pedestrian walkways shuffled the inhabitants back and forth. Then she soared up and above the city. She clutched Dirk’s arm at the sudden sensation of being lifted high into the air. She hovered over the city for a moment, and she could see its boundaries. It was not very big by Earth standards but compact with some very tall buildings.
She continued to rise through the clouds, suddenly blinded by what Acey thought to be sunlight. But, there were no suns in sight. Instead, she saw a layer of material encasing the atmosphere with billions of tiny light emitters. They were similar to the sparkling material they found in the cave. The light grew brighter as she got closer to the upper part of the atmosphere. Then…nothing. Again, she grasped Dirk’s arm as total blackness engulfed her. She looked around in desperation to see something familiar, but she could not see anything.
With a sudden jolt, she burst through the darkness into light again. The dense jungle foliage erupted below as she continued to float upwards. She saw the valley and the river winding through it. The city is underground, she concluded. She looked around for landmarks that could frame her reference to the city. She saw two mountain peaks that the two suns set behind each evening. The entrance to the city sat in the valley between the two peaks.
The visions melted away, and she was again aware of Dirk and Aidan. She explained to them all that she saw. Aidan stood up and looked across the valley towards the setting suns. He could see the mountains as Acey described them. He estimated a good day’s hike to get there.
“First we need to get back to the village and get Hillary and some provisions for this trip,” he said.
As they started down the mountain to the village, Acey closed her eyes and thanked the Guardians for their help. Her acknowledgment came in the form of another vision. She saw Raina, then Hillary, and finally O’Malley and his men.
“Wait!” she gasped.
“O’Malley has them. Hillary
and Raina are here!
Dirk froze in his tracks.
“Where are they?” Aidan asked.
Acey tried hard to make out what she was seeing.
“It looks like they’re coming back here,” she said.
All along Dirk feared O’Malley would find them. Their lives were in jeopardy because of his actions. He knew that he had to get them out of this situation safely. But his mind clouded with the visions that Acey saw of his son and daughter-in-law. He was glad that Acey got a glimpse of them, but he knew the pain she felt witnessing their demise would stay with her forever. He wracked his brain to come up with a plan, but Aidan spoke up.
“Let them come. I have an idea,” he said.
***
O’Malley and his crew pushed up the mountain towards the temple. It was a long hike from the village, and it was getting dark. O’Malley decided to camp for the night in a cave. His men ate and drank, but they only offered water to Raina and Hillary. The campfire burned bright while O’Malley discussed his plans for the next morning.
O’Malley ordered Hillary and Raina moved inside the cave. Tired and hungry, Hillary looked at Raina, trying to decide what was going on between her and O’Malley. If O’Malley was willing to kill her at the village, she must not be of much value to him anymore. Yet, she led him to the village. Raina could feel Hillary eyes on her.
She stared back at Hillary.
“Why are you with him?” Hillary finally blurted out.
“I’m not with him!” Raina shot back.
“Your plan was to meet up with O’Malley all along, wasn’t it?” Hillary replied whispering, so the rest wouldn’t hear.
Raina clearly agitated with Hillary’s comments, maintained her cool for fear O’Malley would hear her.
“Look, our arrangement was purely business. I needed money for the Earther cause, and he needed a favor done. That was it! I had no intention of meeting up with him. Our business was concluded on Earth.”
“That favor cost a man his job, his reputation, and now maybe his life. Maybe all our lives!” Hillary said, gritting her teeth.
“O’Malley is the cause of our predicament, not me!”
“Our predicament?” Hillary sarcastically asked.
“He wants me dead as much as Dirk. I think he had my mother killed because somehow she knew O’Malley killed Dirk’s son and daughter-in-law.”
“What?” Hillary said, not believing what she was hearing.
“That’s right!” Raina replied, with tears welling up in her eyes.
Hillary stared at her, not knowing whether to believe her or not.
“What’s the connection between your mother and Acey’s parents?” she asked.
“I’m not really sure. But I’m convinced somehow they crossed paths.
O’Malley and his men retired, and the campfire burned out. Hillary fell asleep. Raina huddled in the corner thinking about her mother and Acey’s parents.
***
Dirk woke up by the dying embers of the fire they had built. Aidan crawled close to Acey and could see she was deep in thought.
“It’s really dark tonight,” Aidan said, trying to start a conversation.
Acey smiled at him as he put his arm around her. She nestled in and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Yes,” was all she said.
There was a long period of silence. He attempted to draw her into the conversation again.
“But your beauty lights up the night like a million fireflies.”
Acey laughed at his lame attempt at humor.
“We have to find this city, Aidan. The evidence is there to prove Dirk’s innocence.”
“We’ll find it,” he said, gently running his fingers through her hair.
Acey turned her head and looked into his eyes. He smiled back at her. His smile was genuine, not forced like when she first saw him in the Citizen Guard station. It wrinkled his cheeks, and his teeth sparkled through his open lips. Aidan gently kissed her and Acey melted in the security of his arms. He closed his eyes and kissed her again. She sighed as the warmth of the moment enveloped them.
10
Hillary stirred as she heard someone approach the cave while Raina continued to sleep. The suns were breaking over the horizon as O’Malley walked towards them. His hair was all over his face, and he was carrying something. Hillary nudged Raina who sleepily murmured an expletive and turned over. Hillary nudged her harder.
“What?”
Hillary nodded as O’Malley approached. He had a blaster in one hand and a bottle of liquor in the other. Raina looked around for something to use as a weapon. She grabbed a small rock and huddled by Hillary. O’Malley mumbled something as he stood before them. He laughed, and half fell as he attempted to sit down next to them.
“Care to join me?” he said, waving the bottle in front of them.
Hillary and Raina stared at the blaster that he unsteadily aimed at them. He saw the terror in their faces and laughed again, taking another drink.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to use this. At least not yet.”
He lowered the blaster into his lap.
“I’m here on official Academy business,” he said as he pulled out his com link.
He cursed while trying to tune it in and the static crackled loudly.
“I thought you would like to know what’s going on back on Earth. I recorded this yesterday.”
… The reward leading to the capture of Dirk Saunders and those aiding him has been raised to $250,000. Saunders is wanted for the murder of his colleague and Academy Provost, Robert Haskall. He was last seen escaping earth in a star cruiser three days ago.
O’Malley clicked the com link off and looked directly at Raina.
“That’s a lot of money to help out the Earther movement. Think about it,” he snarled.
Raina spat on the ground in front of him.
He pointed his blaster at her.
“BANG!” he shouted, laughing aloud as he got up and staggered away.
Hillary was visibly shaken, and Raina moved closer to comfort her.
“He’s going to kill us,” Hillary said. Up to now, the reality of the situation had not hit her. She always thought they would make it back to Earth with the evidence to vindicate Dirk, and O’Malley would be brought to justice. But now that seemed unlikely.
***
Aidan went down the stairway that led to the ceremonial costumes. He selected several of the more intimidating costumes along with the scariest masks he could find. Dirk watched as Aidan emerged from the opening and laid the costumes on the ground. He walked over and picked up one of the masks, which were carved out of wood and larger than a human’s face. The slits for eyes and the wide-open mouth were horrifying enough without the six miniature carved skulls that dangled on each side.
Acey approached just as Dirk spoke.
“Are you planning a show for our guests?” he snickered.
“One they will never forget! Acey, can you get the first aid kits out of our packs? Look for the bottles of Quadracyanithe. And bring some gauze pads too.”
Acey looked at Dirk, shrugging her shoulders. She got the items Aidan requested and brought them back.
“Can you let us in on your plan?” she asked.
Aidan laid down the tree limbs that he was trimming.
“If we can distract them enough, we can knock them out with the Quadracyanithe. It should last long enough for us to rescue Hillary and Raina.”
“We only have three bottles of this stuff. Is that going to be enough?” Acey asked.
“If we mix it with water and atomize it, it will do the trick,” Aidan replied.
“And how are you going to accomplish that?” asked Dirk.
“With flare shells from our blasters. If we remove the powder and soak it with the Quadracyanithe solution, it should provide the necessary effect when heated.”
Dirk raised his eyebrows and scratched his beard. Acey’s face wrinkled as she tried to think through Aid
an’s plan.
“I know it’s a little bizarre. But I have seen it work, and besides, unless you can think of something better, it’s the only plan we have.”
“Where did you see it work?” Acey questioned.
Aidan looked down at the ground for a long time inserting the tree branches in the costumes. He finally answered her.
“It was a technique used against the Mangurian Legions on Riga Four by Bart Neutrino and the Liberators,” he said sheepishly.
“That was a movie! You mean this was never tried for this real?” Acey asked.
“Uh, not that I know of,” Aidan mumbled.
Both Acey and Aidan looked for some response—some pearls of wisdom from Dirk.
“If it was good enough for Bart Neutrino then I guess it should work for us,” he said.
Acey shook her head and helped Aidan fashion the branches into the costumes.
***
O’Malley and his crew broke camp and continued towards the temple. About halfway up, the now-familiar voices came into Hillary’s head. The Guardians were communicating, but it was Acey’s voice Hillary heard.
“Hillary, we are at the temple and have a plan to free you from O’Malley. You cannot come up here before dusk, or the effect of the plan will be minimized. Do what you have to slow them down.”
It was late afternoon, and Hillary figured they would reach the temple in about three hours. That would put them at the cave two hours before it got dark. She acknowledged receipt of the message and tried to think of a way to delay O’Malley. Opportunity presented itself when the creature’s aircraft came into sight.
“They’re looking for me. They are here to rescue their Queen!” Hillary said.
O’Malley ordered them off the trail and into the bush for cover. He muttered a curse as he cranked up the power level on his blaster.
“If that thing doesn’t leave soon, I’ll blast it out of the sky,” he said, gritting his teeth.
The ship made sweeps over the entire trail forcing the crew to run for cover several times. Hillary convinced O’Malley that shooting the craft down would send the entire village looking for them. He believed her, and they stayed hidden until dusk. Then they continued on the last few miles to the temple.