Mobius (19 page)

“Beautiful but terrifying,” said Allienora.

My smile subsided. “These aliens are giants compared to us.”

“I don’t think we should go inside,” said Thirm. “Couldn’t we detonate the weapon at the surface? This would be less dangerous.”

“It must be detonated inside,” said Rozlyn. “We only have one chance with the weapon.”

“Where do you plan to enter?” asked Orsteen.

Rozlyn zoomed-in on the alien vessel. “There are thirteen openings on the visible side. There’s little difference between each. I’ll choose randomly.”

The opening was no more than a pore on the face of the gargantuan craft. All in the group were silent as the
Fractal Skylark
entered the planet-sized vessel’s gravity field and neared the opening. At last we entered, but were soon confronted by a barrier. It was the color of quicksilver and undulated in a gentle, fluidic fashion.

“What is it?” asked Orsteen.

“Whatever it is, it blocks our way,” I said. “Rozlyn, what does the sensor data show? Is there a way around it?”

My question went unanswered. Rozlyn was in a catatonic state, her eyes wide in an empty gaze.

“What’s wrong with her?” asked Morion.

I tried to grab her, but my arm recoiled from the bite of electricity. “She’s guarded by a force field.”

Allienora stared at the view-panel. “She’s not slowing our course. We’re going to hit the barrier.”

“She’s being influence by them!” shouted Thirm.

“I’ll stop her.” Orsteen flexed his muscles in anticipation of the electrical shock. His fists hit the force field and he crashed backward. “That bit the bone! I hope my sympathetic implants aren’t shorted.”

Allienora helped him up. “If you remove her now, we’ll all die. Do you know how to fly this ship?”

“You’re right,” responded Orsteen. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“We’re out of time, in any case,” I said. “Hold on!”

Surprisingly, the
Fractal Skylark
didn’t crash into the quicksilver barrier with the force we were predicting. Rather, it sank into the fluid-like mass, moving through its depths with a sluggish speed.

Everyone relaxed when Rozlyn became responsive. “Everything’s fine. We’re safe.”

“Why didn’t you respond?” I asked. “And why were you shielded?”

“My mind was busy in calculation. The shield’s a safety precaution while I’m in such a state. Without it, a saboteur could’ve slaughtered me.”

“Your actions were reckless,” I said. “The next time you plan to put us in danger, I think we should talk about it first.”

“While I was interlinked with the sensor matrix, I realized the barrier wasn’t dangerous. It appears to be a containment gate.” Rozlyn paused. “But if you insist, we’ll put our next course of action to a vote.”

I looked to the view-panel just as the
Fractal Skylark
emerged from the quicksilver barrier and saw inside. “My God, it’s beautiful.”

We were confronted by an unlikely inner landscape. A lush alien forest splayed out before us. Enormous plumes of pink, feathery umbrellas, reached high into the air, creating an amazing canopy. Below it, a spongy forest floor was overgrown with spiraling fronds and red prickly bushes. Green vines with amber pods grew unbridled, choking a variety of other strange plant life. Scattered among the wild vegetation were large pillars of technology. Rozlyn scanned the structures and the view-panel showed them to be gravity generators.

Above it all hovered great spheres of artificial light, like a series of miniature suns. They floated in an ominous ashen haze which veiled whatever loomed beyond.

Orsteen moved close to the view-panel. “Are we in a basin, or something of this nature? In the distance, the forest rises up into the mist above.”

Rozlyn reviewed the sensor data. “We’re in some kind of tubular forest channel, nearly fifty kilometers in diameter. The gravity contours with the inner walls, so all surfaces are flat ground.”

Morion’s eyes widened. “I didn’t think it would be so splendid. Maybe we shouldn’t destroy this amazing habitat.”

I held up my fist. “Don’t forget Earth.”

“I’m landing the ship,” said Rozlyn. “We should do an initial survey before we proceed.”

Rozlyn submerged the ship under the forest canopy and landed.

“Is the atmosphere breathable?” asked Allienora.

“It is, but we should remain cautious and use breathers while remaining cloaked. We don’t want to be detected.” Rozlyn sat up from the control chair. “Come. Let’s suit up.”

I put on an environmental suit, which was also a cloak. “This looks like an amazing piece of technology, Rozlyn. Nothing like the old kind.”

“The cloak will also negate the sound of your voice. You’ll need this communicator.” Rozlyn jammed something in my ear and then addressed Thirm. “You’ll be in charge of transporting the weapon.”

Thirm’s face puckered as though he smelled something bad. “I’m not a mule.”

“This isn’t the time to question,” replied Rozlyn. “The weapon’s been equipped with an anti-gravity lift for easy movement and a cloak for concealment.”

“Fine,” said Thirm.

With the black hole weapon, packs of provisions, plasma guns, and anti-gravity belts, the company of six departed the
Fractal Skylark
. We walked out into an atmosphere full of murk and shadows. The occasional shaft of light filtered down through the forest canopy.

“Unsettling,” said Allienora, grabbing my hand.

“Agreed.” I momentarily removed my breather and sampled the air. I smelled many rich and complex odors from the surrounding forest life.

“Activate your cloaks,” said Rozlyn.

I did so and immediately felt a dry static on my face. “I don’t think they’re working. You all look like gray shadows.”

“They have interactive fields,” said Rozlyn, “allowing you to see your fellow travelers.”

Allienora hadn’t activated her cloak. “They’re working fine. I can’t see any of you, though I can hear the crunching of forest detritus below your footsteps.”

I found a sensor device in my pack and pointed it upward. “Beyond the mist, the forest splits into two great channels. As far as these readings show, one channel moves toward the center of the alien vessel, while the other heads somewhere along its outer fringe.”

“Let’s get a closer look at this gravity generator,” said Allienora.

I could see her perfect figure, like a gray silhouette, moving toward it. The rest of us followed her.

The gravity generator was twenty meters high. As we approached, it again became clear that we were out of our element. The surface of the structure seemed to contain a tremendous level of complexity, as if every square centimeter held a microcosm of technology. I scanned the surface and was blown away.

“The micro-structure of the material is like a living organism. Arteries run throughout the material transporting a super-dense plasma filled with an array of base elements. The elements are being used as building blocks. I can detect the atomic reorganization of the elements on the surface of the structure.”

“How are the elements being reorganized?” asked Allienora.

“By a force that can’t be detected by this scan pad.” I looked upward. “This gravity generator is literally being grown. The nano-intelegent matter of our Similacra is nothing compared to this. These aliens can grow a complex and functional machine without lifting a finger.”

“This is priceless technology,” said Morion, removing a scan pad from his pack. “It’s possible this entire planet-sized vessel was grown with this technology.”

Rozlyn commanded silence with a hiss. “There’s movement in the distance. Be still.”

Three figures like tailless monkeys bounded through the forest toward us.

At first, I thought they were foraging wildlife, but as they came closer, I noticed they were covered in protective armor, obviously forged by unnatural means.

“Fascinating,” whispered Rozlyn. “Although strangely proportioned, they have two arms, two legs, and a head. Quite similar to us.”

The large bulge that Rozlyn called a head was also covered with armor. We had no way of knowing what was inside. In the center of the so-called head was a single golden crystal, inlaid into the armor. It stared forth like a fiery eye.

Morion made a small laugh. “Our solar system has been invaded by a race of Cyclops monkeys.”

“Shall I give them a stomp?” grumbled Orsteen. “They’ll squish below my boots.”

“We’d be revealed,” I said. “It’s too soon to risk the mission. Stay still.”

One of the aliens perched itself on a branch and swept its golden eye across the forest landscape. The other two stood nearby, also giving attention to their surroundings. Far-off squawks and howls of unseen beasts heightened the situation. I was getting anxious and began to sweat. My hands thoughtlessly reached for my plasma gun. If the aliens came closer, they’d stumble upon the cloaked ship, which would stop them dead in their tracks.

With my plasma gun in hand, I nervously waited for the aliens’ next move.

During the stillness, brown and jade centipede creatures stirred from the underbrush. With long, grasping mouthparts they munched on fallen fruits and forest debris. A specimen the size of a human arm approached my cloaked leg. With two rows of sticky feet, it climbed upward.

I suppressed the urge to kick it away, for fear the creature would cause a commotion as it tumbled on the ground. The aliens continued inspecting their surroundings. I wondered if they had noticed the centipede’s disappearance as it crawled up the length of my leg and into my cloaking field.

The giant centipede became still, clinging to the length of my leg with its mouthparts at my hip. Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, the centipede began chewing on my environmental suit.

Holy shit!

The centipede spit bile on me. The acidic fluid dissolved one of my pockets and worked its way through my suit. The control node for my cloak was only inches from where the centipede feasted. I prepared to strike it with the butt of my plasma gun—but, before I could act, the centipede fell from my leg and out of the cloaking field. It twisted and writhed, causing a commotion that captured the attention of the three aliens.

The alien on the branch jumped toward me and landed on the centipede. It was only a meter away. I squeezed the grip of my plasma gun. The alien snapped up the centipede with an armored hand and inspected it with its golden eye. In an instant, the armor surrounding the alien’s head shifted into an unseen dimension, revealing its weird alien face. It inspected the centipede with two bulging, emerald eyes, below which dangled a tan snout. Like a tiny elephant trunk, it extended outward, probing and smelling the centipede.

I breathed faster. It still hadn’t seen me. I held up my plasma gun, ready to fire. Everyone else aimed at the other two, which remained nearly ten meters away.

“Don’t fire,” whispered Rozlyn. “We’re not in danger yet. Our cloaks also mask our smell. Their long snouts shouldn’t detect us.”

With its two armored hands, the alien cracked open the centipede, exposing its frothy innards. It continued its examination and then immersed its hand into one of the gory ends, pulling from it my vial of amber narcotic. My heart raced. The centipede had eaten it along with the fabric of my pocket. It was now empty—the lid had apparently dissolved from the centipede’s corrosive bile.

As the alien held up the empty vial, I grew angry. I needed my drug and this alien made me lose it. It would pay. I was ready to gouge out its bulging, emerald eyes and tear its slippery snout from its head.

“I’m going to kill it,” I growled. “It found my vial. Take aim at the other two monkeys.”

“Control yourself, Theron!” cried Allienora. “It’s obvious their armor will protect them. You may be able to kill yours with a shot to the head, but the other two may be impervious to our plasma guns.”

“They’re aware of us,” I said, studying the alien’s reaction to the vial. “They have evidence.”

The alien smelled the vial and then extended its snout toward the forest. It was apparently searching for a similar scent. At one point, I swore its bulging, emerald eyes met my own.

I couldn’t stop thinking about my amber narcotic.
Without it, he’ll torment me. Without it, he’ll twist me to his will. Without it, the Fume will take my sanity.