Awoken (3 page)

Jad laughed and shook his head. “Those fools go soft in the head from their addiction, and their crazy dreams ruin the ancient tales. I’m the oldest living Awoken in these parts. Everyone else is too young to know, but I’ll tell you the real story. From my early cycles I remember a fellow called the Traveler. He came through my town a few times before the place was torn down by Sleepers. He was a storyteller and a very old Awoken with a single piercing blue ocular plate. The other half of his face was covered in a strange mask. The Traveler roamed all about the edge lands carrying a talking pack, trading his stories for supplies and rides. My favorite story he told was of the Destroyer—an Awoken, the very first Awoken. He was a hero, not some monster like Eol. A great leader and peacekeeper until—“

“We are rapidly approaching the exchange point!” Kiri yelled down, interrupting Jad’s tale.

“Yes, we know you fly fast!” Bota yelled back. “Slow us down so we can arrive in formation with the Captain.” He turned to Oa and Jad. “Alright, story time is over. Let’s see if our luck holds through this new cycle. You’re one of us now Oa, so have your gear ready. Interactions with Eol can end badly.”

“We will finish that story some other time,” Jad said apologetically to Oa.

The Reaper slowed down and began to descend. Jad looked out over the deck’s edge to see where they were heading. He cursed, muttering to himself, “The Void has moved again.” He turned and shouted to Bota, “The old exchange zone is gone. The Void is advancing farther.” Intrigued, Oa poked his head out of the hold to see that they were flying toward the end of a steep ravine. The walls of the gorge sloped down into a flat field of rock that led to the familiar dark abyss.

“Are you sure?” Bota shouted back to Jad. The old medic nodded, and Bota sighed. “Then we need to track the Void’s movement. Ever since Eol started walking, the Void has been following, eating away at our land. It must stop.”

Only Oa heard Jad’s muttered response. “We would have better luck trying to fold the world.”

The Marauder dropships landed on a wide flat area of the canyon just shy of the Void’s edge. Oa glanced around and counted six of the rusty Mark IV Reapers in total, all facing the black abyss. Bota got out and began walking toward the Void to meet up with a dozen Marauders who were starting to group together. Halting his stride momentarily, Bota turned and yelled back, “Stay in the ship and keep the engines hot in case we need to run off.”

“If we can,” muttered Jad. “Eol can chase us himself now.”

Kiri gave an affirmative signal with her hand. Once Bota saw it through the cockpit window, he turned and jogged over to the group standing around a case, hands ready on their weapons. Bota took his place to the right of the Captain, whom Oa recognized as the same leader from the village.

For a moment, nothing happened as the armed Awoken stood facing the Void. Oa was about to turn and ask Jad what was going on when two figures emerged from the darkness, stepping out of abyss to stand in reality. An oily dark sheen seemed to trail behind them with every move they made. They wore long black high collared coats, with boots and gloves to match. An eerie breathing apparatus concealed their face. Twin black conduits snaked out from the bottom of the apparatus and connected up to a round viewport in the center of the mask. A metal helmet with a narrow brim sat atop their heads. Oa could see no part of their bodies, only an evil crimson glow that poured out of their viewport. It looked like an eye.

A third entity emerged, clothed in many folds of tattered cloth that wrapped around its body like a shroud. The ends of the numerous rags trailed down around its ankles. The lower half of the figure’s face was covered by the wrappings, and on its head lay the smoky remains of a strange wild creature. The bottom jaw had been torn away leaving the top jaw draped over the figures head like a cowl. The carcass's dead, black eyes cast a fierce look. Two vicious slits of a deep glowing red seethed from beneath the shadow of the dead creature. The eyes of Eol.

The ominous Void dwellers walked up to the group of Marauders. The shrouded one stepped forward, standing tall and menacing in front of the Awoken. Oa wished he was close enough to hear. He saw the Captain motion toward a case another Marauder was carrying. Oa jolted as he heard a strange voice all around him. The voice was smooth and calm, yet rather unsettling.

“You have brought me an abundance, and I am very grateful. That is why it pains me to inform you that I require something more.” The Captain must have replied because the voice continued. “There is something strange among you, an anomaly.”

Bota glanced back in their direction, then stepped in close to the Captain, leaning over to whisper something.

It must be me. I’m the anomaly
, Oa realized looking down at his covered chest. The Captain turned and said something to the shrouded figure. Oa waited.

A moment later the voice snarled. “Lying to me will only bring chaos. You force me to restore order!”

Oa jumped slightly as he witnessed the shrouded monster move with unnatural speed. The Marauders jumped back in shock. The crimson eyed figure stood with his arm extended, a solid black staff held straight out before him. The weapon was protruding through the head of the Marauder standing to the left of the Captain. The Marauder’s body stood stiff for a moment before dissolving away completely. The case he had been carrying fell to the ground with a clatter that Oa heard faintly.

The Captain stepped forward and gestured frantically toward Oa and the dropship he was in. The voice laughed and taunted the Marauders, “So much for your honor, Captain. Consider our treaty broken, as you have failed to uphold it. If it’s any consolation, I was never going to abide by any rules, even those of my own making. Your use to me is at an end, but you have my gratitude for finding him.”

The Marauders responded quickly, drawing their weapons. The two Void minions sprang forward into the Marauder midst. Oa had trouble seeing what was occuring in the confusion. Fists flew and shots were fired; rays and sparks of energy arced across the landscape. The two black warriors were overwhelmed. Oa glimpsed Bota firing into one of them. The wraith dispersed into a cloud of smoke as the energy beam ripped through it. The Marauders took a few steps back, their numbers dwindled. Oa could still see the Captain and Bota. They stood back, warily eying the shrouded figure.

Eol had not moved. He stood, still pointing his staff at the Marauders. Out of the Void more soldiers emerged. They began marching toward the Marauders, glowing red viewports glinting in the dying green light. Overhead, the cycle burned a poisonous green as rivers of energy flowed into the Void. Bota snatched the case from the ground, carrying it under one arm as he followed the Marauders in a full retreat. Oa now assumed the case contained soul embers.

As they ran back toward their Reapers, the Marauders turned and fired their weapons back at the soldiers in an attempt to slow the march of the deadly wraiths. The dark warriors reached into their coats and, in unison, pulled out compact streamlined pistols; similar to the ones Oa had seen the Marauders wield. The soldiers pointed their weapons at the Awoken and fired. Instead of noise, the air was filled with a deafening silence as black beams streaked out from the weapons, leaving behind an oily sheen in the air. The Marauders dodged and continued to run. Some of them fell and dissolved as they were ripped apart by the Void weapons. Oa saw Bota dive down behind a protruding rock and fire his weapon, obliterating several of Eol’s minions. The Lieutenant jumped to his feet with explosive speed and darted the last few steps to his ship.

“Get us out of here!” Bota yelled up to Kiri, as he bounded on board and tossed the crate to Jad. Jad immediately began strapping the metal box to the deck with gear from a compartment in the floor that Oa had not seen earlier. Kiri piloted her craft up into the air, joining other Marauder vessels in retreat. Eol’s soldiers never slowed their assault. After finishing off the stragglers on the ground, they redirected their attacks toward the fleeing Reapers.

Bota and the other Marauders returned fire from decks of their ships, but their weapons hardly made a dent in the ranks below. Oa watched as the nearest Reaper crashed down. It exploded on impact, sending a flash of light and sound rocketing up towards him. He stumbled back and then fell to the floor of the ship. He tried to get up but the ship began to shake from the impact of multiple hits. Oa watched as Void beams tore through the floor, leaving holes as they ripped the vessel apart.

Oa was puzzled. Why wasn't the whole ship dissolving like the other Awoken?
Maybe it has to be alive,
he reasoned. Whatever the cause, he was happy the ship was not disappearing out from under them.

Then he heard the engine stutter as Kiri yelled, “We can’t sustain altitude! The engine’s losing power!” The Mark IV shook then dropped for what felt like an eternity. Kiri cursed loudly above; and the engines kicked back on but in reverse, jolting the damaged craft up and backwards.

Oa grabbed one of the handholds he had seen earlier, but Jad was thrown from his place in the back where he had just finished strapping down the wounded Marauder and the case of soul embers. Bota lunged forward and tried to grab hold of Jad, but he was too late. As Jad flew out of the front of the hold Oa acted on pure instinct. He dove to the edge of the platform and tried to grab hold of Jad, but missed. Oa’s silver sphere rocketed over his shoulder and struck Jad in the chest, holding him suspended in midair. Then, as if following Oa’s will, the sphere began to charge back toward him pulling Jad along. Oa had no idea what he was doing. All he knew was that it felt natural, and there was no time to think further because Jad was being hauled rapidly toward him. Oa flipped over and pointed his hand at the back of the hold. Jad and the sphere came flying over the edge together and smashed up against the grate at the back. Oa laid on the edge of the platform as the sphere dropped off of Jad and flew back to his hand. Oa laughed aloud, at the thrill of what he had just done. Then he looked at the two stunned Marauders before him.

“You’re incredible! Thank you!” Jad exclaimed.

“We’re not safe yet!” Bota barked, quelling the excitement. “It appears we’re at war. Quick, Oa! Use that mystical power stuff you got there to fix this engine. We have to save the rest of … .”

Bota’s words trailed off, and his head snapped back toward the Void. Oa heard a poisonous whisper. “Bota, you can redeem yourself in my sight. You can succeed where your cowardly leader has failed. Bring the anomaly to me, and you will be forgiven. Your ember offerings will bring peace again. Your sacrifices will grant you life.”

Oa looked to see if Jad had heard Eol’s voice, but Jad seemed unaware. Oa stared at Bota and noticed he was looking at him. Their gazes locked. Oa looked away not wanting to give away his mysterious knowledge of the message, which was clearly intended for only Bota to hear.

Oa felt the rush of imminent danger. His mind rapidly concocted a crazy plan. He stood up and replied loud enough for everyone in the ship to hear. “I am not fixing anything. You will fly just fine if you have a little less weight right?”

Kiri shouted back, “Yeah, but we got nothing else to chuck off; and if someone tosses poor Coop out the front, I will crash us all.”

“That’s not the plan,” Oa responded. “This is where we part ways,” he said as he took a step back standing right on the edge of the platform.

“Wait!” Bota shouted as he fired his boltspitter down at their attackers. “We stood up for you back there because you saved Coop, and now you also saved Jad. You aren’t a Sleeper or some old coward hiding in ruins. You belong with us, fighting to stay free. We protected you as one of our own, now act like it!” Bota’s words sounded convincing and sincere.

Oa realized that no one else on the ship had heard what had taken place below. He stared intently at Bota for a moment. The Lieutenant’s true intentions were still unknown. Was he really ready to resist Eol? Or was he simply planning to turn Oa over and renew the Marauder’s servitude to the monster?

“You can still save your crew from my wrath,” Eol’s voice hissed again in Oa’s head. He watched as Bota stopped firing his weapon. The Marauder looked over at the metal case strapped to the deck, then he looked down below. Eol stood amid the horde of Void warriors. Bota nodded, then slowly turned and looked at Oa. The light of the battle glinted ominously across his goggles.

Oa had seen and heard enough. He made his decision and spoke, “I’m sorry, but I don’t belong here. You just see me as a tool to help you keep Eol satiated. I don’t understand the interest in me, and I don’t want to find out. I’ll find my own way.”

“Why don’t you stay? You haven’t heard Bota’s singing voice,” Jad said mocking Oa’s sudden dramatic tone. Jad was unaware of Eol’s concealed message to Bota.

“Never going to hear it,” Oa retorted. “Our paths shouldn’t cross again.”

He tried to will himself to take a step back; but to his embarrassment, he couldn’t. His feet would not obey the lunacy his mind commanded.

Bota was pleased. His voice held the satisfaction of victory as he spoke. “Stop being melodramatic and fix this engine. You won’t leave unless—”

Just then, the engine coughed, rocking the vessel ever so slightly. Oa lost his balance and fell, plummeting out of the dropship.

Episode 03 - Friend

Oa was filled with a paralyzing thrill as he fell. His wild idea came rushing back to him all at once. He frantically flailed out, trying to spin around and orient himself toward the ground. The movement only sent him into a tumble. He spread his limbs out, flattening to reduce the spinning. Luckily he had not lost hold of the little silver sphere. Oa stuck out his hand, reaching toward the jagged stone far below. The rune covered orb launched from his hand. He tried to direct it downwards, but his world was still a wheeling plunge of confusion. Oa forced the fear and stress of the situation down. He only had one option and so he focused on his difficult task. Out of the corner of his visual receptors, Oa thought he caught a glimpse of a figure rocketing up toward him but he soon lost sight of the object.

I can’t be distracted
, Oa thought in frustration as he refocused on his highest priority—not dying. He finally oriented himself so that he was facing straight down. The metal sphere shot below into the rock. Upon its impact, Oa immediately began to push with his mind. He felt a strain throughout his body, and his fall began to slow.

This is going to work,
Oa thought excitedly. Then to his dismay, he realized he was far too close to the ground and was still falling too fast. He strained, exerting all the will his mind contained, to try and arrest his descent. It wasn’t going to work. Suddenly, Oa felt himself snatched out of the air as the arm of an Awoken caught him around the waist. They coasted down into the deep canyon below. Landing lightly on his feet, Oa’s rescuer dumped him onto the ground. Oa was shaking slightly as he quickly glanced up into the sky, but he saw no sign of any Mark IV Reapers. Above the gorge, the roar of engines faded quickly. Oa spotted his silver metal sphere a short ways ahead on the stony ground. With his mind, he called the little object back to his hand. In response, the sphere came rolling to him but stopped at his feet instead of returning into his hand as it had done previously. Annoyed, Oa bent down and picked it up.

“That’s the most innovative way to hit the ground I’ve ever witnessed. Don’t you agree, Fred?” the cultured and slightly quirky male voice of Oa’s rescuer exclaimed.

“Indubitably,” a monotone voice responded.

“Aha! I do enjoy that word. When is the last time you used it?” the Stranger inquired.

Oa turned to look at the absurd conversation going on behind him. He saw that his rescuer was indeed an Awoken, tall of stature and lean. He wore a random assortment of sturdy looking cloths held together by buckles and straps. There were numerous tears and signs of age in the material. His left arm was uncovered, revealing the faded alloys of the metallic appendage. His right arm was heavily bandaged, and it ended in a stump where his hand should have been. The right leg was also covered completely in a pant leg held tightly by a bandage around the knee. The hood of his cloak covered the Awoken’s head. Oa looked at the Awoken’s face, the slanted arrangement of his facial plates made the him appear sharp and slightly imposing. Two features caught Oa’s attention: the Awoken’s right ocular plate glowed with a piercing blue light, and the left half of his face was covered by a mechanized mask. Oa could see a flickering blue light through the slits in the mask. Connected to the bottom of the mask was a microbur cylinder like the ones Oa had seen on Jad’s chest.

Could it be the Traveler?
he thought to himself.

“Who are you?” Oa asked, daring to hope that he had just bumped into the Awoken from Jad’s story.

“My name is Ohm. And this is my loyal friend Fred,” Ohm said, turning around to show Oa a metallic pack. The pack held a hefty looking tank of clear liquid.

“Greetings,” the pack said. Oa recognized the monotone voice he had heard earlier. The blue panels on either side of the tank glowed brighter as the pack spoke.

“You’re the Traveler!” Oa blurted excitedly.

“I am a traveler, yes. Fred and I have been tracking you since you were just a shooting meteor across the sky. We had to see you. No one has woken up in a very long time. I apologize for the discomposure of our meeting,” Ohm explained, his voice cheerful and welcoming.

“Wait...what do you want?” Oa asked, warily curbing his excitement. “So far, everyone I have met seems to have motives I can’t completely figure out.”

“Well, allow me to change that,” Ohm offered pleasantly, “Fred and I just wanted to prevent you from hitting the ground. Now that we have accomplished our task, I’m curious to discover what your immediate and long term goals are.” The old Awoken arched back, stretching out his old joints nonchalantly.

“I don’t have any plans. I don’t even know what I’m doing right now,” Oa said wearily as he sat down on a lump of rock protruding from the canyon floor.

“Ah, so you were hoping to hit the ground. Let us both offer our most humble apo—”

“No, I was trying to escape. I was going to use this silly thing to stop my fall,” Oa said, interrupting Ohm’s comically reverent apology. He waved the silver sphere for Ohm to see before he put it back in the bag at his side.

“Oh! Well then, it all worked out fantastically! The decision is yours, but you are welcome to come wandering with us,” Ohm offered. “Fred can be ludicrously dull, but I have been known to say some interesting things from time to time.”

Oa considered the offer for a moment. He was puzzled at the coincidence of meeting the Traveler from Jad’s tale. He needed to be cautious and shrewd, but deep down he also wanted to simply meet someone he could trust. A kind old wanderer seemed close enough. Ohm turned and looked at the sky. The leading trails of light had passed leaving behind only a few weak winding streams.

“Another cycle fades. I wonder how many more are left,” Ohm said quietly. He turned back to look at Oa. “You should resolve your direction sooner rather than later. Indecision is a luxury you don’t have time for, with the world ending and all.”

“The world’s ending?! I just got here!” Oa protested in shock as his face plates flashed.

“It’s unfortunate, but that’s the word going around, isn’t it Fred?” Ohm replied in a self- assured tone.

Fred’s reply was monotone, yet it still managed to convey a sense of mockery. “You seem to have forgotten that we have not spoken to, or overheard conversation from anyone in over three million—”

“Ignore him. He exists solely to contradict me,” Ohm interrupted with a dismissive wave of his good hand. He noticed Oa staring at the ground dejectedly. “What’s wrong?”

Oa’s shoulders slumped. “I woke up eager to explore and learn. But it seems everything is broken, and I’m surrounded by death. I have no idea what I’m doing here. Is this place supposed to be so …?” he let his words trail off into silence as he looked for a word to describe his first few cycles. All of the vague emotions he had experienced while healing now began to bubble to the surface of his mind; a primordial inferno of ideals waiting to be imprinted on his spirit.

Ohm sat down next to him. “The way I see it, you should consider yourself fortunate. You haven’t yet made the mistake of asking Fred what he finds most interesting about the layering of soil.” The old wanderer chuckled at his own joke, then grew more serious. “Living is like a journey, and journeys are a total mess of possibilities. It is impossible to predict exactly how things will turn out. It can be tiring carrying around too many grand expectations.”

“Well, I thought I could help,” Oa replied in frustration, “but then stuff got crazy,” he paused, thinking before he continued. “I just need to figure this place out. There are things I need to understand. Then I am going to do something about all this.”

Ohm took a moment before giving a response. “All begin their journey hoping for happier and more meaningful endings than they receive. Only a select few can hold onto that hope through the duration of the voyage, all the way to the end. Perhaps it’s something unique in their programming.”

In the following silence, Ohm’s hand involuntarily drifted to his chest. His fingers brushed an unseen object hidden beneath his cloak. He quickly snapped out of his momentary daze and stood up.

“Total waste of effort in my opinion; but you seem to be that way Oa, so there is no helping it. I’ve always been curious about Awoken like you,” Ohm said casually. He turned and started to walk further into the canyon.

Ohm’s words piqued Oa’s interest. The backhanded compliment lifted his spirits. Ohm was so very different from the other Awoken Oa had met.
If he also senses this inner drive I have, then maybe I am not just delusional,
he thought to himself with newfound determination. He made his decision and stood up to follow Ohm, speaking resolutely to himself. “Alright then. I will walk with this Traveler and learn as much as I can. I don’t care if I’m at the end of this world’s story. I will find a way to make a new story.”

Ohm stayed silent as Oa walked up to join him at a fork in the desolate gorge. “Alright, I’m coming. It seems my time is precious, so this better not be boring,” Oa teased.

“I am glad you are joining us! You have yet to disappoint me. Let us begin by going …” Ohm paused for a long time. Oa grew impatient at having hurried his big decision only to wait on the ancient Awoken to make a seemingly simple one.

Ohm waited until Oa started to pace about in agitation, swinging his arms and glancing around in boredom. Ohm chuckled to himself and decided he had tested Oa’s patience enough.

“That way!” Ohm exclaimed confidently as he quickly pointed to his left with a speed that implied a random decision. Oa perked up in excitement, rushing to follow Ohm as the old Awoken strode off.

Oa and Ohm followed the canyon, ignoring any smaller offshoot ravines they passed as they ventured further into the labyrinth of rock. There was silence for a while as they walked in the dim twilight of the sky’s cycle. Oa looked around in wonder at the stones around him. They were huge and faceted as if the canyon had been cut out of the stone by some ancient tool. The sides of the rock had bright veins of unknown minerals that shimmered, casting a soft light.

After some time, Ohm spoke up. “So, how do you use that shiny ball?”

Oa fished the metal sphere out of his satchel and handed it to Ohm as he responded, “I don’t know. It seems to go wherever I direct it, and it can attach to anything I want it to. But it’s difficult, especially when I’m falling out of the sky.”

“Understandable,” Ohm replied as he turned the sphere over in his hand, studying it closely. He tossed it into the air a few times. “You just need to fiddle with it, so the next time you fall out the sky you can … hold on just a weeble! What was your actual plan?” He looked quizzically at Oa.

“I don’t know really. I thought I could maybe launch it so hard at the ground that I would slow down and land lightly on my feet or something,” Oa admitted, laughing nervously at the absurdity of the idea.

“Well that’s inventive, but nevertheless I still had to save you. I believe it’s time for some much needed practice,” Ohm replied jovially. “So how about this? I will throw this gadget as far as I can and then you will try to catch it.” Oa shrugged and nodded in agreement. “Good. We start now,” Ohm commanded.

Oa watched as Ohm wound his arm up once and threw the orb. His arm moved in a blur. Oa thought he had never seen anyone move as fast, but then he remembered Eol.
That would be a close match. Maybe I can move that fast,
he wondered as he watched the little sphere sail farther than he thought possible. Oa took off after it, running as fast as he could.
I am fast!
he thought happily. He quickly realized there was no way he was going to catch the sphere, though. He reached out his hand and focused on the little orb, willing it to return to his hand. The sphere started to curve from its flight path. Then the young Awoken tripped on a rock and sprawled out on his face, hand still outstretched as the silver orb rolled back to him.

“That’s almost the idea,” Ohm teased. He pondered something briefly. “I think I’m gonna name that gizmo. How does Seeker sound?”

Oa got back up considering the name.

“I know it’s not terribly clever,” Ohm admitted, “but it seems to fit.”

“Seeker works fine,” Oa said, pleased by idea. “Do you name everything?”

“No. Fred picked his own name,” Ohm said. “Now let’s try again.”

Oa levitated the sphere over to Ohm, and they repeated the exercise numerous times. At first, Oa tried to overtake Seeker with speed; but as fast as he was, he was never faster than Ohm’s throw. Oa revised his strategy, slowly shifting his focus from physical to mental strength. He gradually decreased the distance he ran until he was able to call Seeker back to his hand from wherever Ohm threw it. Three cycles passed during this training. Ohm watched Oa with growing surprise. He had seen Oa express the impatience and inexperience common in any Awoken so young, but something about working with Seeker made him different. The drive to bond with the strange silver orb separated the young Awoken from any concept of time or boredom.

“You are unique, Oa. I did not think you would pursue this so relentlessly,” Ohm said breaking the silence and halting the lesson.

Oa returned from the intense focus he was in with a delighted laugh. “I got it, though. See, now when you throw it, I don’t even have to move.”

“Yes, your control is much more refined, not just an instinctive accident,” Ohm congratulated. “Let us begin another lesson.” He decided to keep silent about the unusual amount of time they had just spent on one exercise.

Ohm instructed Oa levitate Seeker and learn to control its movements in the air while Ohm tried to grab it. As he had before, Oa focused on the task until he had completed it, completely unaware as a whole cycle flew by. Ohm’s final test was a game of chase. He launched from the ground on a geyser of liquid jetting from his pack. Oa was curious as to how the pack worked, but he was more focused on his mentor’s test. He sent Seeker flying after Ohm. The old wanderer was quick and surprisingly acrobatic in the air. Oa had mastered his control of Seeker; and before another cycle passed, he had nailed Ohm in the shoulder. Ohm landed roughly from the impact and jogged back toward Oa.