Iástron

by James C. Dunn

  The new compartment allowed for a limited view out into the depths of space; the reinforced windows, several metres thick, meant the three would at least see the pale light of the sun through the endless blanket of stars. It was all so beautiful. Anna crawled across the floor and caught her breath before she could speak. It was . . . unbelievable. She had made it. She pictured her fellow students, back at the Institute, studying so that they could travel out among the stars. But she was already there.

  Jon, however, did not seem so ecstatic. In fact, if anything, he looked panicked. And very quickly it dawned on her just why. It was Gílana who said it first.

  ‘The sun is so far away,’ she said softly.

  ‘She’s right,’ Jon said. He shot her an alarming look. ‘We’re so far away. I think we’ve made a mistake.’

  ‘We have to give ourselves up,’ Gílana said.

  ‘No chance! Do you have any idea what’d happen if we were caught? You two are the “great general’s” nieces! You’ll get off lightly. It’s me that’d get it full throttle!’

  ‘I don’t care! You both wanted to run away from everything. I didn’t want to be here!’

  Jon punched the hull’s metal interior. ‘I saved your life!’

  ‘You deserve whatever comes to you,’ Gílana shouted, falling to the floor, sobbing. ‘I didn’t ask for this!’ Without warning she doubled up on her knees, coughing and spluttering, and vomit poured across the grated floor.

  With some effort Anna picked herself up and walked to the other side of the compartment, and resting against the wall held her head in her hands. Jon simply looked out of the window, deadened. Just like the other two: now fearful, not only for their futures, but their very lives.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  ‘YES, YES, YES!’ Araman Alwar cried as he hastened along the narrow corridors of Erebus Station. He dodged two passing science officers and yelled his apology without stopping, the message from Commander Lesper still ringing in his ears. He reached Justus’ door and forced the door open. ‘Knock, knock!’

  His face flushed deeply as he stood in the opening. Antal Justus cursed and Avéne Ketrass, lay undressed in the bed beside him, threw a pillow in his direction. Araman ducked the flying sack of feathers and spun, slamming the door behind him.

  ‘Well that’s interesting,’ he said with a smile as the two emerged from the room several minutes later. Justus caught his eye and grinned.

  ‘Oh, of course,’ Ketrass replied, tying her hair into a bun at the back. ‘Not at all embarrassing! Perhaps you’ll try the knock-and-wait method next time.’

  ‘Trust me, there’ll be no next time,’ he said. ‘I’ll stay down in my workshop and go down to Section Six myself when Lesper calls again.’

  Ketrass’ attention left her hair and fixed upon Araman. ‘Now’s not the time to joke,’ she said.

  ‘I’m not joking. I received a message from Commander Lesper and came straight here. He wants us to meet him.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘All three of us.’

  ‘Okay. Where?’

  Araman took a deep breath and steadied himself. ‘Just as I said: Section Six.’

  * * *

  ‘Five years!’ shouted Ketrass. ‘Five bloody years!’

  ‘Err, ten here,’ Araman said.

  ‘I don’t care,’ she said, leading the way down a series of ladder-wells descending into the depths of the station. ‘It’s about time I got to see what’s down here. I’ve worked hard enough!’

  ‘Yes, and you’re not the only one, Avéne.’

  ‘Fair enough. We’ve worked hard enough.’

  ‘I still don’t understand, though. Why now?’ He looked back at Justus. ‘That decides it: either they’ve found something or they’re shutting down the operation entirely!’

  ‘They wouldn’t do that,’ Justus said. ‘Would they?’

  Araman observed the disappointment in his eyes. It had been only three days since their first meeting, but he liked the new company. Sure, Antal Justus was no match for the old captain, but he was happy with the replacement all the same. Justus had visited him twice in the last three days. At first they had spoken only of Erebus, but later he had enlightened the new captain on how to approach Professor Xerin Kramer when he would eventually meet him. Cut off from the Systems for so long, Araman had been keen to hear news of the escalating conflict with the Dishan Alliance and the Alignment.

  According to Justus darkness and war had continued to creep back into the Systems in the last decade, and because no one on the station was allowed news of the outside world through any means other than Commander Lesper or Professor Kramer, word of what had been happening between the Dishan and those in opposition to its regime had gone unheard for a long time. Araman had felt very much in the dark for so long now, and if not for the frequent visits from the old captain, and now Justus, he thought he might have gone mad.

  ‘Five bloody years,’ Ketrass muttered, in the lead as they passed through sets of darkened doors, entering various vaults secured inside and out by the sternest-looking guards Araman had laid eyes upon. Currently they all bore typical Titanese coilbolts, which he assumed were now standard among the Alignment, but very soon they would each possess the same coiled weapons as the one he had presented the Captain with. As the three approached, he watched their hands move to the hilts of the coils; old, gloved, undaunted hands. The elite station soldiers were down around Section Six, but for what reason he could only hope he was about to find out.

  They continued lower, the light ebbing away, replaced by the growing feeling of despair. It was very much as it had been when he had first witnessed the brink of the Black Labyrinth; by his reckoning they couldn’t have been too far from the same depth on this side of the station. They reached the end of the lowest tunnel and Araman turned sharply. He stared at the two before him, and concentrated on Justus.

  ‘One moment,’ he said. ‘Have you told him, Avéne?’

  ‘Told me what?’ Justus asked.

  ‘Oh,’ she said. ‘I thought you would.’

  ‘Tell me what?’

  Araman cleared his throat. ‘Why would I? We should do it now, don’t you think?’

  ‘Tell me wha—’

  ‘Shhh!’ they said together.

  ‘Just do it,’ she said.

  ‘Oh, fine.’ Araman looked to Justus. ‘You see, Antal. Professor Kramer. He isn’t exactly what you’d call . . . correct.’

  ‘Correct?’ Ketrass said, laughing.

  ‘Shhh! Yes, correct’s the word I meant. You see, Antal, this place. It does things to you. Xerin Kramer wasn’t exactly normal anyway, by today’s standards at least, but he’s—’

  ‘What are you doing out here?’ The heavy, reinforced hatch groaned open behind them and Lesper stood in the doorway.

  ‘We were—’ Ketrass began.

  ‘Never mind! Come on, get inside here. Come on!’

  The three locked eyes in anticipation and followed the Commander within. What waited inside, however, none would have guessed. Deep below the surface of the station and the black asteroid, and submerged in the cold air which ebbed away at a man’s dark thoughts, Section Six was one enormous, solitary room. Large and lacking any proper light, the obscure darkness seemed intensified ten-fold.

  Lesper walked around a blinking metal panel and stopped beside another man, stood with his back to them, a long, dark lab coat draped over his shoulders. The man turned slowly and without a word. Ketrass, who worked closely with Xerin Kramer on occasion, stayed where she was. Araman, however, led Justus forward.

  Professor Kramer eyed Justus as they approached. Araman had meant to warn him not to stare at Kramer’s facial covering: a metal half mask he loathed anybody looking at. Covering almost half of the professor’s face was a rigid plate of black metal, fashioned with sinister carvings and fastened to his head by steel screws drilled into the left portion of his jaw, cheek, and forehead. But Justus did not seem at all disturbed. In fact h
e seemed grimmer than he had thus far.

  Upon seeing the three visitors Kramer’s mouth hung open, revealing a lower set of uneven teeth, surrounded by a neatly-trimmed beard of white and black hair, and a pale face which rivalled Justus himself. Araman had always looked up to Kramer in a strange way; he was candid, and while maybe not always diplomatic it was clear he cared about what they were doing here.

  ‘Professor,’ Araman said, ‘this is Captain Antal Jus—’

  ‘Yes I am well aware of who he is, thank you, Alwar,’ Kramer snapped, and he looked intensely at Justus, searching out any worth in the man. To Araman’s surprise Justus did the same, not speaking a word, simply staring.

  ‘I’ve heard a great deal about you, Antal,’ Kramer said at last, and Araman watched his gaze flicker, just for a second, towards Ketrass.

  ‘I’m honoured by your attention,’ Justus replied.

  ‘I can see myself in you, Captain,’ he said. ‘You are, unlike others, not self-interested. You’re shrouded in doubt, in allure.’ He glanced in Araman’s direction. ‘That is of course the principal reason for mine and the Commander’s choice to invite you here. You are, let us say, indispensable-yet-unmissed.’

  ‘Oh, I’m pretty sure I’m missed,’ Justus retorted, parrying the professor’s underhand jab.

  A smirk issued from the visible corner of Kramer’s mouth. ‘Perhaps. But not by anyone who matters.’

  ‘Did you invite us down here for a chat, Professor, or is there something you want us to see?’

  Kramer ignored him and turned to Araman and Ketrass. ‘We called you down here because the wheel of providence has been set in motion. Something has happened which cannot be ignored, nor held secret. There is no turning back from what we are about to show you.’

  The three visitors remained silent.

  ‘You have to be sure,’ Lesper said. ‘Each of you must be certain you wish to know this revelation. If you aren’t then leave now and never speak of coming here to anyone, ever.’

  No one moved.

  ‘Good, then let’s get on with it,’ Kramer said.

  Lesper nodded and marched over to a control panel set in the darkest portion of the room. Reducing all light to the slightest shimmer he revealed an armoured row of metal hatches, all along the far wall and embedded into the black rock from which Section Six was deliberately carved. Araman counted sixteen hatches.

  ‘What are they?’ Ketrass asked.

  Kramer smirked. ‘Not the question you should be asking, Avéne my dear.’

  ‘What’s inside?’ Justus said.

  Kramer nodded, contented, then he pushed down a lever and the first metal hatch was raised. Behind was a clear screen, and behind that: darkness. Araman stepped forward; his breathing deepened and his heart thudded against his ribs.

  It was a pen.

  An enclosure.

  A cage.

  Something was in there; he could feel it. Justus and Ketrass moved to his side and the three gazed within. They could make out in the murky light something contained: a large form which they all felt staring back.

  Lesper paced nearby. ‘What you are about to witness will change the way you see . . . everything.’

  ‘What is it?’ Ketrass whispered.

  He glanced at her. ‘Look away if you don’t want to see.’

  No one looked away.

  ‘Don’t blink if you wish to see it properly,’ Kramer said. ‘Light is harmful to it. We can only turn it on for a fraction of a second.’

  Araman braced himself and Kramer flicked the switch. Light burst on and then off, and all three fell back at the sight before them, and covered their ears from the blood-curdling hiss the likes of which no human or creature thus far witnessed could even dream of making. Ketrass fell to her knees and Araman froze. The creature within, which was large and lean and bearing bone as black as the rock of Erebus itself, was a horned demon. A tight fence of teeth packed into a pointed snout, while many chilling spikes protruded from its head.

  Araman looked across and saw both Kramer and Lesper smirking at their reaction. The others said nothing, and Ketrass held onto Justus, dragging herself up in a stunned silence.

  ‘Where did it come from?’ Justus asked.

  Lesper breathed in. ‘The creature you just witnessed we found within the Black Labyrinth three months ago. It is a species unimaginable. Dark and . . . and . . . well, we are still adjusting ourselves.’

  Suddenly Araman wanted to get out of Section Six, immediately. Out of Section Six and away from the black-rock moon. Things on Erebus were more sinister than he could ever have imagined.

  ‘Speak of this to no one other than the Professor and myself,’ Lesper said quietly as the metal hatch closed again, sealing the creature within.

  ‘So the light actually harms it?’ Justus asked.

  ‘That’s what we said,’ Kramer replied.

  ‘And that’s where the need for coils comes in?’

  ‘Yes. Anything else you want to know?’

  ‘How many do you have?’ Araman asked.

  ‘We journeyed into the Labyrinth,’ Kramer said. ‘But not far. We brought fifteen of them back with us.

  ‘F . . . Fifteen?!’ Ketrass stammered.

  ‘Yes, fifteen. All were in a kind of hibernated state; it was only after moving them that they began to show awareness, movement, and unparalleled hostility.’

  ‘And neither of us thought it necessary to return until we know what we’re dealing with,’ Lesper added.

  ‘What about that one?’ Ketrass pointed to the cage at the far end.

  ‘Which one?’

  ‘The sixteenth cage.’

  Above the enclosure was imprinted a word and a number:

  SUBJECT 16

  Lesper hesitated again. ‘Oh, that.’

  ‘You said you brought fifteen of them back with you. But there’re sixteen cages. So what’s in that one?’

  Lesper hesitated, and Kramer stepped forward. ‘You don’t need to know.’

  ‘You called us down here,’ Justus said. ‘You wanted to show us your little project. So show us.’

  ‘No.’ Kramer cleared his throat. ‘I don’t think so. You three have important roles within the station. All of you need to know about this because very soon you may be called upon. But I still decide what you need to know.’

  Ketrass bowed her head; shaking and cold she continued to clutch Justus’ arm. ‘P . . . Professor,’ she said. ‘You’ve had them for three months. You’ve had ample time to begin studying the species. What do you think it is?’

  ‘I’m afraid,’ Kramer said, ‘we still don’t know. But we call it the Beast.’

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  ‘HOLD IT THERE!’

  Adra Dimal stopped moving, kept her head down, and grasped the firearm beneath her coat. The large Rotavarian at the head of the Kondogopan checkpoint, now inspecting everyone leaving and entering the capital city, waved her over. Releasing her blaster she left the queue of men and women and approached the border guard.

  ‘Is it true?’ she asked him. ‘Kondogopas is liberated?’

  The Rotavarian nodded, a portable data device resting in his hand. ‘So it seems. There are sixteen out there still up for grabs, though. That’s where I come in. Business in Kondogopas?’

  ‘Pleasure.’

  ‘What pleasure?’

  ‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’

  ‘It’s my job to know.’

  ‘Looking out for Crilshan agents?’

  ‘Looking out for any sort of threat, ma’am.’

  ‘Less of the ma’am, please.’

  ‘Paperwork?’ he asked.

  ‘I have none. Dastardly Crilshans took them all. The swine!’ She hid her smirk.

  ‘World of origin?’ He tapped his finger on the screen several times.

  ‘Earth,’ she lied.

  ‘Earth? What are you doing all the way out here?’

  ‘Sightseeing. I’m stranded. Do you know of a way off wo
rld?’

  ‘With those Crilshan turrets they have in Kulikovo I wouldn’t suggest risking it.’

  ‘Gotcha’.’

  ‘Well,’ he said, placing his device away, ‘from what I can see you do not qualify for entry into Kondogopas at this time.’

  ‘What?’ she shouted.

  ‘You must remain here, ma’am.’

  ‘Isn’t there some sort of arrangement we could come to?’

  ‘I’m afraid not.’

  Dimal smiled, coy and bereaved. ‘I’d do anything, sir. Anything.’

  He looked her up and down, the sweat dripping down his forehead. ‘I suppose you could . . . maybe . . . help me out.’

  ‘Lead on.’

  He escorted her to a nearby tent. It was empty but for stores of armour, uniforms, and food rations. The Rotavarian zipped up the entryway and turned. Dimal remained where she was, coat covering her body. He moved slowly towards her and took her wrist, spinning her into a shelving display. She moaned and laughed, and he moved to pull her coat from her.

  ‘Do I get to see what’s under here?’

  ‘I thought you’d never ask.’

  He pulled her coat away, revealing her blaster as she flicked it on to stun and pulled the trigger.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  ‘GILAXIAD! GILAXIAD! GILAXIAD!’

  Anna recoiled. She leapt up. Her heart thumped, that terrifying word filling her mind as though somebody had been screaming it into her ear as she slept. The orb burned before her and the pale man stood watching. Always watching. She had hoped the nightmares would stop once she had left the bubble of her old home.

  How wrong she had been.

  Jon snored beside her. It was nice not having to tie themselves down to rest, and the exhausted traveller glanced out at the stunning view of space, before lying back down, stomach rumbling, and drifting back off. This time, however, she slept a calm, dreamless sleep, unknowing of the fact it would be the last one she would have for a very long time.

  Jon woke her the following morning; or at least what felt like morning in space. She yawned widely and sat up, grinning. But Jon looked petrified. He was pale and beset with dread.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, glancing around to see Gílana stirring beside her.