Part XII

His breath came in huge gulps, sucking in the stale rotten air from the lower levels as he tried to gather his composure. Each tile covering the dimly lit floor had been hand crafted to depict a different symbol or scene that Etian did not recognize but as the days, hours and minutes passed his brain slowly began to try and make some sense of them. He lay motionless. Studying the tile closest he committed it to memory wanting to describe it in full detail to Anu’Lian later if they both survived.

Across the sea of blood-stained flooring three creatures stood together caught up in tense conversation pausing only briefly to look over Etian before returning to their argument. He could not understand any of the words they used but he knew the looks they gave were to size him up for some kind of combat.

‘Auglshah bibv nglooozzss.’ One of the three shouted pointing towards Etian.

Two large humanoids covered in crudely fashioned armor shuffled through the dust and drops of blood gathering him between them before carrying him back to the prison level. Draped over one of the large men Etian could see through the small viewing slats cut into the doors of each cell. He counted at least twenty-five sets of eyes before the guard tossed him to the floor of his own cell slamming the door shut behind.

Anu’Lian let out a long sigh watching as Etian rolled from the floor to the bunch of straw and mud he called a bed.

‘I see they let you live another day.’ He said sitting up to look over Etian’s wounds.

‘They are testing me for… something.’ Etian replied exhaling loudly. ‘We should discuss the tile while it is fresh in my mind.’

Anu’Lian watched him draw every detail he could remember into the dirt covering the cell floor and then they sat in silence for a long time while he considered what it could mean.

When Etian felt he could wait no longer he broke the silence between them. ‘What do you think it means?’

Anu’Lian slowly opened his eyes and began to explain. ‘The tile is made up of three main symbols. The first symbol is the blue star.’

Etian interrupted him. ‘Do you mean the circle with the small splashing wave in it?’

Anu’Lian nodded and continued. ‘The second symbol is that of… destiny is the best word I know to describe it, a crossing of paths or ways; a union of opposing sides possibly. This is represented with the overlapping triangles. The third symbol is most perplexing.’

‘You do not know this one?’ Etian pondered aloud, his head tilted in question.

‘I recognize it is in the pattern of a symbol but it is not one I know. I do not speak these creatures language nor understand their script. They have never taken me to one such a room as you speak but I believe it is not of their invention and actually one of our creations.’ Anu’Lian answered coldly.

He cleared his throat before continuing. ‘Your uncle may have only known wanderers but the builders are just as strong and wise as any of those who seek to understand the depths of our world through the eyes of journey and knowledge. Our creations have powered this system for centuries and have upheld the fragment of reality you all believe to be so important.’

‘What would a floor like this be used for? What is the purpose of carving all of the tiles?’ Etian asked through the dim light of the cell.

‘We are not to give details of such things to outsiders… but under the circumstances I see no reason to keep our secrets any longer.  The same silver metal that is broken into tiny slivers beneath your skin can be used in ways you have never imagined. Right now it flows through your veins pooling at the connection tips awaiting something new to bond with and I do mean waiting. It may not be able to speak but it does have a presence.’ Anu’Lian bowed his head as he paused to take a breath.

‘I believe this room is made from a solid block of Allon. I… thought it was just legend… but I believe you have been taken these few days to the room of telling. What that means is if I am right we are somewhere very few people know exist; a place as old as the life on our planet.’ Anu’Lian finished speaking and closed his eyes to think.

‘Where are we then, Anu’Lian?’ Etian cautiously asked.

‘You have spoken of the events at Genoha.’ He began. ‘Genoha serves as a pivot point of sorts for many different energies flowing through our world and I believe we are at the polar opposite. Try not to see it all as good or evil but as two necessary sides constantly pushing against each other to maintain the required motion for life.’

‘What of the last symbol?’ Etian posed to Anu’Lian.

‘A large disc encompassing a man wielding two blades with three distinct markings covering his face set center in the tile larger than the others; is this what you saw exactly?’ Anu’Lian replied and awaited his answer.

‘Yes, exactly what I saw. I know it.’

‘The message I decode from this… It is you, Etian. I see you standing atop our world on a course for the blue star.’ Anu’Lian said concentrating on the image in his mind.

‘Why would anything related to me be down here? Why is that the tile I would find? This is all leaning towards some kind of lunacy.’ He declared as frustration began to show on his orange skin.

‘The room is made to show you what you need to see. Each viewer sees something different. That is why you see them arguing each day. They are trying to predict something.’ Anu’Lian said soothing the scruffy beard covering his chin.

‘What does it mean?’

‘I can only interoperate the visuals. I cannot do anything more.’ Anu’Lian lay back onto his make-shift sleeping pad. ‘We need to rest. They will return soon.’

Etian nodded and tried to sleep but thoughts raced through his mind in wonderment at all he had heard.

Outside of the cell door, down the hall and across the way through another of the slats Tosh whispered to Talin. ‘That was him. I know it.’

‘Be quiet, boy. Piet will find him if he is here. Just be glad they have left us alone in this cage so far. If that is Etian I worry we will not get to him in time.’ Talin responded sitting up to survey the passage through the small opening.

He watched as Tosh eagerly devoured the bread scraps the beasts had thrown in for the two of them and suppressed a slight chuckle at the grumbling in his own stomach. He focused his mind on the task at hand and quieted the emptiness inside his gut as he channeled warming energy out through his extremities. Talin peered through the darkness of the hall wondering who else might be locked up down here in this dungeon of death and dampness. From around the corner Piet stalked between the slivers of light cast by torches from above slinking through the shadows towards the holding cell.

‘He is here.’ Piet whispered through the slat. ‘He is on a level below us under heavy guard.’

‘I knew it! I saw him earlier!’ Tosh exclaimed before Talin could quiet him with a glare.

‘Sorry.’ He said apologizing before Talin responded to Piet. ‘We need our weapons and a plan.’

‘Give me until the next guard change.’ He replied disappearing around the corner once more.

Tosh gently unwrapped the torn sleeve covering the large gash on his right arm and thought back to the day previous when the three of them came bursting through the teleport pad. He recalled the slow white and green flux of energy that surrounded him like millions of twinkling stars as he stretched through time and space. He burst through the other side into a large room of fighting men, massive barbed clubs swinging at Talin and Piet as he stumbled to clear his eyes of the cascading dots that clouded his vision. The barb tore through his arm so easily and retracted back into the abdomen of what looked like a club before he fell, Talin rushing in to protect him as Piet smashed through the barricade of flesh and armor into the dank prison surrounding them. The cut in his pale skin burned as he drained some of the fluid from it and wrapped it tightly again.

‘Get some rest while Piet works.’ Talin commanded Tosh before lying back onto the bundle of old rags beneath him.

Within moments Tosh drifted off to slumber as Talin watched over them preparing for the fight to come. He closed his eyes and concentrated on rebuilding the layout of the many different passages they had been brought down visualizing each guard post and choke-point.

Part XI

Lyla awoke blinking the sleep from her eyes as she found herself fastened securely in a large seat on the massive airship Talin and his companions had arrived with just hours earlier.

‘Try to move as little as possible.’ Shari said placing a cool towel onto Lyla’s forehead. ‘They got you pretty good.’

As she lay there silently watching the strange girl care for her she began to feel a throbbing pain in her legs and a grimace washed over her delicate features.

‘I know it hurts, dear.’ Shari said resting her head onto Nhari’s shoulder as her sister continued. ‘We must put her out again, Shari.’

Shari frowned before nodding and bringing up her left hand to gently soothe the side of Lyla’s face. ‘Sleep now.’

She tried to fight against the overwhelming compulsion to drift off into sleep but in the end it was too strong and the darkness took her.

As the twins stood watching Lyla go back to stillness they turned in unison and quickly returned to a large plush swiveling chair near Sumas. His massive thick fingers gracefully manipulated the various controls for the airship as he maintained a heading towards their destination.

‘I will need your help with the… subject when we arrive, girls.’ He said without looking up from the display. ‘We land in ten.’

They both nodded as Shari subconsciously twirled a silver-white locket of hair between her pale fingers. She watched as the tree tops rushed along below the triangular airship as Sumas called out to begin the final approach. Leaning over the edge of the chair she could see a large empty clearing in the ground cover slowly opening as two large doors slid apart revealing the passage beneath. Once inside the large hexagonal passage Sumas guided the airship straight down past massive Allon beams that checkered the chamber gradually decelerating before setting them down atop a landing pad and switching the craft off.

Nhari stood dragging Shari in her wake as the pair hustled off of the ship towards one of the many stations assembled around the room and withdrew a large flat metallic slab. With a brief combination of buttons on the keypad a low bass sound began to emit from the device as it rose and stabilized floating a few feet off the ground. The girls easily pushed it to the airship and secured the snout-faced corpse before relocating it to a laboratory down the western passage away from the landing pad.

Sumas still sat at the controls of the airship watching as the girls disappeared around a corner when he heard the final hiss of the compression chamber give way. The massive triangular ship shuddered beneath his girth as Sumas climbed from the control seat and onto the dense stone floor of the expansive landing bay.

‘Welcome, Sumas. Facility schedule resumed. Structure restored briefly.’ A voice echoed from above him.

‘Yes and bring the heat up.’ He replied withdrawing the cloak from around his shoulders before placing it on the side of the airship. ‘Illumination as well, Control.’

Instantly an array of blue crystal began to warm and fill the room with light as the temperature slowly rose to a more comfortable level.  Sumas made a quick pace away from the ship on his long bulging legs bolstered by the metal framework and tubing that covered the colossal exoskeleton supporting him. His mind raced with thoughts of the corpse the twin girls had escorted from the room and the many questions it could present.

‘Greetings, Sumas.’ An icy voice split through his day dreaming cutting his ego to the core.

He did not need to see through the darkness to know who spoke but still he looked deeply into the inky black of the hallway trying to perceive a form. Sumas tried to hold his tongue but the compulsion was too great and suddenly he realized he was on his knees bowing to the floor before he could stop himself.

‘We have much to discuss.’ The sickly sweet sound interrupted his thoughts once more.

‘There is something wrong.’ Shari said closing her eyes to concentrate as her sister looked at her blankly.

‘There are many things wrong, sister.’ Nhari replied touching her forehead to Shari’s. ‘What ails you this minute?’

Shari let out a low gasp shifting her head quickly to the left and then the right before going into a violent shaking motion as if trying to escape something or someone. Beside her Nhari held her breath for what felt an eternity all the while feeling bits and pieces of her sister’s fear flowing between the hands they constantly held clasped. Her eyes went wide in wonder as the images flooding Shari’s mind were transferred to her own.

‘He is here?’ She said between gasps for air as she watched Shari nod in agreement.

‘Cont…’ She began but her voice trailed off as if hoarse before Shari finished for her. ‘Control lock down table one. Initialize viewer main panel.’

The girls stepped back from the polished metal slab as a dense green crystal shield came down from the ceiling to surround it. They watched as the northern wall began to change and a large image detailing the layout of the complex was drawn on it revealing the location of Sumas and the one they feared beyond anything else they had ever known.

‘There.’ Nhari said pointing at the two icons as Shari gathered her composure.

With their hands still joined together the girls moved as if one and quickly made a pace for the exit of the room. The sound of air escaping the mechanisms manipulating the door was the only thing they could hear as the darkness of the passage opened up before them. Nhari instinctively began to squint to clear the shadows before relaxing and waiting for her sister to work out what lay unseen. Shari already had her eyes closed feeling outwards toward the empty space comprising the passage before leading her sister into the unknown. From ahead they heard a deep guttural sound escape Sumas as his bulging form collapsed against the floor.

‘Sumas.’ They both whispered in unison carefully moving closer as they surveyed the darkness for the intruder.

‘How long was I gone?’ He raggedly asked pushing himself to his feet.

‘You never left.’ They answered as confusion cloudy their pretty features.

‘The maker…’ Sumas began seeing them both visibly tremble at his words. ‘I was somewhere else. Something bad…’ His eyes suddenly rolled back in his head as darkness took him.

‘Sumas?! Sumas?!’ Shari pleaded shaking his massive form the best she could. ‘Nhari what is happening?’ She began again but the look on her sister’s face silenced her. ‘What? Nha…’

The eerie silence covering the chamber hung over them like thick chains as she tugged at her sister trying to bring her back to the present.

‘Disturbance to electro-magnetic shields – Danger – All occupants seek cover.’ Echoed through the passage as red crystal indicators began to strobe.

The ground beneath the girls began to tremble violently as the first waves of impact rocked through the station sending them both hurling through the air while Sumas tumbled lifeless like a rag doll. The polished silver Allon beams creaked under the strain of the rippling forces tearing through the layers of rock and dirt surrounding the complex and began to splinter into beautiful silver shards as they collapsed. Shari gripped her sister’s hand so tightly she could barely feel her pale fingers as they ricocheted off broken metal and stone and began to scream in fear as panic overtook her. With one last quake the trio was thrown into a large chamber as it crumbled around them gradually going quiet until sand showering down in streams off the side of the broken stone was the only sound.

Shari was not sure how long she had been unconscious when her sister woke her but that quickly faded from her mind as she realized the terrible destruction she had witnessed had not been a dream.

‘Wha… What happened?’ She said raising a hand to rub her temples.

‘Begin again so Shari can hear.’ Nhari instructed while gently squeezing her sister’s fingers between her own.

Sumas let out an obvious grunt and began to recount his encounter once again.

‘I watched the two of you leave for observation with the body. I made sure the ship was locked down and refueling and then I headed towards control. The next thing I remember I was… somewhere else is all I know and… he was there.’ His words began to falter briefly before regaining his composure. ‘He said he wanted to help and that he had been… watching us all along.’

The girls visibly shook at the realization of his words but Sumas continued before they could interrupt.

‘No. There is no time for argument. This.’ He began before pointing at the debris surrounding them. ‘This is all caused by the orb. It is no longer orbiting our little planet. It has landed or I guess I should say crashed but the objective is the same. The orb is down and so is whatever is inside of it.’ His words trailed off in silence as the girls contemplated all of the things to come.

‘First, he has the capability to teleport matter from one destination to another and second did he show you that too?’ Shari asked with one eyebrow raised.

‘I was somewhere else that much I am sure of. He only showed me the projected impact site according to his calculations.’ Sumas replied slumping forward as he moved his neck side to side trying to stretch it out.

‘Then he has another play, Sumas.’ Nhari said coldly.

Shari gasped suddenly bringing her free hand up to cover her mouth as tears began to well up in her eyes.

‘What?’ Sumas asked her.

‘Lyla.’ Nhari said in a low voice.

Sumas stood from the broken stone and began to adjust the valves covering the control box at his hip bolstering the liquids coursing through the many tubes connected to his exoskeleton. With a guttural roar he began to push away the busted rock and Allon clearing a path towards the exit of the room. As time passed the complex remained still save for a few small aftershocks and Sumas pushed through layers of fallen rock back towards the main landing bay of the massive underground complex as the girls followed behind his hulking form watching for broken bits of razor sharp Allon.

Lyla was perfectly still as she lay in the floor of the airship she had arrived on listening to the sounds of rocks settling in the darkness all around her. Far above her she could see a crack in the ceiling where the massive doors that usually sealed the shaft had been dislodged in the tremendous shaking that had awoken her before everything came rushing down. A large silver beam of Allon lay across the airship effectively pinning Lyla in place as she gathered the strength to try and push to freedom. She grunted loudly pressing her palms against the Allon surface using all of her might to try and kick out from underneath the toppled column.  Between the silver pathways tracing along her palms and the metallic beam a small light began to emit as she pressed harder and harder trying to break free. Energy began to cascade through her fingertips in waves as the massive beam began to change in composition right before her eyes as if under her command.

The colossal support that had once held up hundreds of tons of stone and steel became what seemed to Lyla a metallic liquid that parted between her hands and fell to either side of the ship in a loud splash of reflecting chrome before solidifying as it crashed against the floor. She sat quietly wondering in disbelief at what had just happened when she heard the first sounds of her would-be rescuers and began to notice the rocks trembling from the northern passage.

‘Are you alive in there?’ She could barely make the words through the fallen debris.

‘Yes but it is a mess in here.’ Lyla called back to them as she saw the last pile of rock give way and an opening clear as Sumas stepped through it.

Lyla sat patiently waiting as instructed by Shari as the girls carefully walked a path through the fallen rock and metal fragments that cluttered the devastated landing pad while Sumas began to survey the airship.

‘Do you hurt anywhere?’ Shari asked while gently checking her injuries. ‘You seem to be in working condition.’

‘What happened?’ Lyla asked standing gingerly among the rubble.

‘The red orb is not what we believed and has crashed into the planet.’ Nhari said flatly as Lyla’s eyes went wide. ‘I also find it very unsettling.’

‘Repairing this will take time we do not have.’ Sumas sighed pointing towards the smashed parts of the airship. ‘The four of us will have to make due in one of the pods. Gather up what you can girls. We need to get out from under these broken ceilings with haste.’