by Elin Wyn
“I can’t tell if it’s on purpose or just random.” I turned to see Sylor standing close by.
“I thought I ordered you to get some rest,” I said.
He shrugged. “You never said how much,” he returned. “So, do you think it’s deliberate?”
“I don’t know.” I answered. “It seems as if the dead here, Malvor, and Duvest were all the result of either falling into the crater or having something fall on them. Even though it looked like someone was beaten to death in Malvor, I’m not sure it was entirely malicious.”
“Really?”
“Think about it. All of this damage looks almost incidental, even accidental in nature. I’m wondering how we can be sure if whatever this is is doing it on purpose,” I said. “We still need samples from each hole. If you’re up for it, grab your gear and get some.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” He snapped me a salute, his way of being sarcastic, and jogged away to where our gear had been stored.
I wondered if I was right.
Was this all accidental or was it on purpose? Was this a sentient being, or beings, trying to scare us away, or trying to hurt us?
I needed to talk to Annie, see what she thought. I called her building and I was transferred to her lab.
No answer.
A feeling gnawed at me. Almost as if it was a warrior’s instinct.
There was something wrong with Annie.
I tried again to call her. No answer again.
I could feel an instinct telling me there was something wrong with my mate.
I couldn’t explain it.
I just knew.
I called the building and this time asked if she was there. The person that answered didn’t know, so they transferred me to another line in Annie’s lab. A woman answered.
“Yes?”
“Hello. Is Annie Parker currently available?” I asked.
“She’s not here,” was the reply.
“Can you tell me where she might be? If you know, of course.”
The woman on the line blew air into the receiver. “I have no idea where she is,” she said. The tone of her voice told me that she didn’t want to be bothered. “All I know is that she grabbed some intern, some equipment, and left. Damn woman, shirking her duties around here,” she finished as if she were talking to herself and forgot she was on the line with me.
“Uh, thank you, ma’am. I appreciate it.” I hung up. What could she possibly be working on? Why would she need…
Oh, skrell.
There was only one reason why she needed to leave the lab and take equipment with her.
She was going to ground zero. She was heading back to the original crater, and she had gotten someone to go with her.
Of all the asinine, impulsive…she was going to get hurt. Something terrible popped into my head as I thought of her actions.
What if the small craters were created by small creatures? That would mean the big one, the one that went down nearly half a mile or more…what made that one?
I had to get to her, and fast. “Sylor!” I yelled. Time for him to step up.
Annie needed me.
Annie
Lennox hadn’t stopped gawking at the pieces of the Xathi ship, which was fine with me. It gave me the chance to do my work in peace. I took samples of the earth from around the ship fragments where I’d found the liquid residue. It was likely that it was the same toxic substance Leena detected when she’d looked at the samples.
She didn’t have very much information on it, so at least these samples could help further her research if they didn’t prove useful to mine.
I recalled something Dr. Parr said when I was in her practice. She told me to contact a woman called Jeneva if I wanted to find out more about strange things happening on the planet. I’d been in such a rush since then that I’d completely forgotten. Perhaps I should’ve talked to her before charging out here, but so much was happening, and so quickly, I’d forgotten.
Oh, well. I was already here. Not much I could do about that now.
“It’s time to set up the climbing equipment,” I called to Lennox. He popped out from behind a piece of the Xathi ship that was almost the size of my house.
Lennox didn’t do very much to help me set up. I tied all the knots and secured the anchor. I clipped myself into the harness and showed Lennox what to look for if something were to go wrong.
“Are you sure you understand everything?” I asked him for the third time.
“Yes,” Lennox insisted. “It’s not that complicated. You’re acting like you’re expecting something to go wrong.”
“I just like to know that the stranger I’ve entrusted with my life is up to the job,” I replied.
“I’m a Ph.D. candidate, I can handle a few ropes,” Lennox insisted. “If you’re so worried about working with a stranger, why are you working with me?”
“Less cheek, please,” I scolded. “Dr. Hines knows you’re with me. If anything happens to me, she’ll know you had something to do with it. So, if saving my life isn’t enough of a motivator, think about saving your internship.”
Lennox actually paled at the prospect.
“Yes, ma’am,” he murmured.
“That’s much better.” I never thought I’d be the one to bully an intern. I’d feel guiltier if my life wasn’t on the line.
“Are those night vision goggles?” Lennox asked, nodding to my bag.
“Yes.” I grabbed them and put them in place on my forehead.
“Can’t you just use a flashlight?” he asked.
“If I could use a flashlight, don’t you think I’d be using a flashlight?” I retorted.
“Right. But why can’t you?” he asked.
“I need you to stop with the questions,” I sighed as I clipped the rope to my harness.
“I’m an intern. I’m supposed to ask questions,” Lennox replied.
“Not when I’m lowering myself backward into a bottomless abyss.” I leaned back, doing everything in my power not to look over my shoulder. Before I started lowering myself, I looked at Lennox.
“This is going to sound weird, but please don’t question it. Once I start going down, do not talk to me. No questions, no wonderings. Don’t even talk to yourself. If you have an urge to shine a light down into the hole, resist the urge. If you’re worried about me, do not call for me. If something is wrong, you will know. Most importantly, I don’t know how long I’ll be down there. So, if you get bored and decide to walk away, you better hope I don’t find out about it. I won’t throw you into the abyss, but I know someone who will. Got it?”
Lennox opened his mouth to speak but then quickly snapped it closed. He nodded vigorously. He’d already been pale, now he looked positively translucent.
“Good lad,” I nodded. I took a deep, shuddering breath before taking my first steps down into the crater. I took one or two more samples from the areas Karzin and I’d already covered, but I soon moved farther down.
The light disappeared quickly. I switched on the night vision goggles. I’d never used the gear before and could’ve been using them incorrectly, but I could see well enough, so it would have to do. Now that I was suspended in total darkness and perfect silence, I felt safer.
Last time, nothing happened to us until Karzin turned on the light. That might’ve simply been a coincidence, but I wasn’t prepared to take that chance. Whatever was down here didn’t seem to care when Karzin dropped his glowstick.
Or maybe it was just earth. There was so much I didn’t know stacked before me like a mountain. But not a mountain of solid earth, it was a mountain of sand. Every time I tried to get a foothold, I slipped farther down.
My head felt clumsy and heavy as I looked around with the night vision goggles. My neck began to ache. If Dr. Parr knew I was down here before my back was healed, she’d kill me. No, Dr. Parr was too kind for that. She’d probably tell me she was very disappointed in me, which would be worse.
Hell, if Karzin knew I was down here,
he’d be furious. He’d probably shoot something.
My mind began to wander, thinking of the various ways I could distract him from being angry. Maybe I’d run my hands down his sides, explore the broad planes of his chest. Maybe I’d be brave, kiss my way down his belly.
Even go further.
And he’d forget all about being mad at me for being down here.
With a shake of my head, I tried to clear my thoughts and focus. My thoughts were racing out of control. I couldn’t put a stop to them. My heart rate was picking up as I sunk lower and lower. I needed to get ahold of myself. I couldn’t work properly if I let thoughts of Karzin distract me.
I reached out and touched the side of the crater. To my surprise, the earth felt damp and cool to the touch. I paused to fill a few vials with samples. When my tiny scooper broke the earth, the air around me filled with a familiar, almost comforting, smell. It smelled just like soil after a week of rain.
As lush as this planet’s natural forests were, we didn’t get much rain. Like desert plants, our jungle plants had evolved to retain water. Their roots ran deep to siphon water from the streams that flowed through the forest. Those streams were the result of natural wells deep below the surface of the earth. Perhaps I was near one of them now. Hopefully not very close, I wouldn’t want a well to burst on top of me while I was down here, unable to escape anything.
I clamped my lips together as I tried not to laugh at the image that suddenly popped into my head. I thought of poor Lennox, returning to the office to tell Dr. Hines that I died in the field while rappelling down into a crater. Then I imagined her asking how it happened only to hear that, of all things, I’d drowned.
Something must’ve been seriously wrong with me if I found that funny. It had to be nerves.
Get yourself together, I scolded myself. I lowered myself down another twenty feet. Above me, the light of the sky looked so far away. I decided I didn’t want to know the exact distance I’d traveled.
I fought the urge to hum to myself like I often did when I worked alone. Instead, I focused on my breathing to keep my heart rate slow and steady. I took a deep inhale through my nose. The cloying, damp smell grew more intense.
If I closed my eyes and relied only on my sense of smell, I would think I was standing in the middle of the jungle. The smell was so earthy, but it was more than that. I could smell greenery and moss. Perhaps, I actually had found one of the wells. I didn’t know why there would be one in a barren desert.
I took more samples, hoping that I would get even a tiny bit of whatever was causing that mossy, green smell. As I collected my samples, I thought about Karzin. I wondered if he was back from Einhiv yet. I hoped the damage wasn’t too bad.
As I hung suspended above endless black, I realized that I missed him. I wanted him here with me and not just because I was starting to feel nervous about being down here alone. Even if he couldn’t joke and laugh with me, I wanted him here.
I’d kiss him when I saw him next. He’d surprised me with that kiss in the mess hall. I wanted to repay him in kind.
I felt something vibrate through my rope. Dragging my thoughts away from Karzin, I looked up. The night vision goggles made it impossible to get a good look at what was happening above me. I took a deep breath and told myself Lennox accidentally bumped the anchor or twanged the rope. I was fine.
Everything was fine.
It was time for me to head back up. I had plenty of samples to examine when I returned to my lab. If I asked Karzin, I bet he would take me back to the Aurora so I could use the lab there.
If I was being honest with myself, I was starting to feel afraid. I didn’t want to be down in this dark pit anymore. I wanted to be wherever Karzin was. When I thought of safety, I thought of him. I’d ask him to dinner when I got back to General Rouhr’s main office.
I began the slow process of working my way up the rope. Suddenly, I felt a stinging pain in my ankle. I barely had time to process it when I felt a slash on the back of my leg. It felt like I was being beaten with a whip of stinging nettles.
“Lennox!” I screamed. “Pull me up!”
I was so far down I wasn’t sure if he could hear me.
I kicked my leg, trying to free myself. I came into contact with something solid and moving. I pulled up with all my might, trying to get back to daylight, as if the rays of the sun would save me.
For a moment, I felt nothing. I let myself believe that I’d fought off whatever it was that had whipped me.
Then I felt it again. It came up from below.
Something ropey and slightly damp wrapped around my ankle.
I kicked and kicked but couldn’t shake it a second time.
I looked up with horror as I realized I was being pulled down, away from the light.
Karzin
I had to get to Annie.
That was the only thought in my head.
Rokul knew how to take and bag samples, Sylor knew what to look for, and Iq’her and Takar would follow orders. They were going to be fine.
Even with the help of the A.I. Fen was unable to open a rift for me. They were slammed moving refugees. I raced to find Tona.
“I need a shuttle, a fast one,” I said when I found him. When he looked at me questioningly, I lied and told him that Annie had called for help at the original crater.
He took me to a small garage two blocks away and opened it. Inside were two small shuttles, each of them painted to represent the Einhiv security force. He quickly powered one up for me.
“Thank you,” I said as I jumped in.
“Just make sure I get it back,” he said, then quickly added, “in one piece!” I gave him a quick salute and took off. The controls were simple, and I had the shuttle racing across the countryside towards the Aurora and the original crater as fast as it would go.
All I could think of, because of the small tunnels we had found, was that Annie was in more trouble than she could possibly handle and that I would be too late.
I pushed the little shuttle to its limits. Everything flew by me in a blur of greens and browns, then just brown as I flew over the desert. I was nearly in a full panic by the time I flew over the Aurora.
All I could imagine was Annie, dying or dead, and I hadn’t been there to protect her.
There it was. The crater that had started it all, and a shuttle parked a few yards away from it. I didn’t see Annie, but I saw someone else standing there, struggling with her guide line. The intern. I set the shuttle down in a hurry and rushed out.
“Help us,” the thin young man yelled as I ran over. I was about to ask what was wrong, when I heard Annie scream and saw her line move erratically.
Instinct took over where thought would have slowed me down. I attached my own rappel line to the anchor they used, tied my rope off, and dove.
As I fell, I saw Annie kicking at something as she was being swung and bounced around against the crater walls.
I utilized my brake, stopped falling, and ran on the wall of the crater over to her. Something tripped me and I sort of ‘fell’ and stumbled my way to her. I was able to regain my awkward balance just before I crashed into her.
“Karzin! Something has my leg.” She was terrified and nearly hysterical.
I looked down, but it was too dark here, her head was the only thing in the light, and the shadows were growing.
I nodded to her and pulled out my knife as I dropped another couple of feet into the darkness. I felt around, found her leg, and dragged my hand down her leg.
Nothing. I had grabbed the wrong leg. I reached for the other one and found something was wrapped around her calf and ankle. I couldn’t cut there or else I would cut her, so I dropped down another foot and started cutting whatever it was that was holding her.
Whatever it was, it was hard, almost scaly. Not scaly like a Skotan, or what the humans called snakes, but it felt as if there were pieces of the thing on top of itself. It was almost like a tentacle, or a root, or maybe even a vine, but thick an
d very tough to cut through.
“HURRY!” I heard her yell from above me. Something slapped me in the back, but I wouldn’t stop. I continued to cut and saw at the thing. The more I sawed through whatever this tentacle was, the more I was being battered by another one or two on my back and legs.
I finally cut through it, felt something on my hands as I did, and climbed up a bit. Another, smaller tentacle had wrapped itself into Annie’s gear and was shaking her. I grabbed her in order to stabilize her and something hit me hard in the back of the head. All I could see for a few precious seconds were stars and tiny explosions of light. I blinked them away as I struggled to steady Annie enough for me to cut the tentacle from her gear.
I grabbed it, found a part of it that wasn’t in her gear or on her, and cut, stabbed, and sawed through that one, as well. It didn’t take as long this time, it didn’t feel as thick. As I finished cutting it off, all of the tentacles fell away from us. We were in total darkness and silence, the only sounds were our own labored breathing, then suddenly it wasn’t.
Rocks were falling and tumbling down below us as something was smacking into the crater walls, and it was getting closer. “It’s climbing towards us,” I whispered in wonder.
I grabbed Annie and pulled her up behind me. She had gotten her wits together enough to climb and we did, as fast as we could, as the sounds below us got louder, closer, and more menacing. We made it to the part of the crater that still had light, which gave us hope and energy, helping us to climb even faster.
Something hit my leg, tried to wrap around me, but I kicked at it and propelled myself to the side, away from it. I climbed further, then swung myself back over towards Annie as I saw something coming out of the darkness to grab her. As I swung by, I cut at it with my knife and it pulled away, no sound other than our own desperate scrambling and the boy above us screaming for us to hurry.