A Last Act of Defiance

The smell of sulfur saturated the air. The putrid fumes filled my lungs making it difficult to breath. Every step up the porous, black slope presented the promise of ultimate exhaustion. I refused to wipe my brow for fear that the stinging muddy concoction of ash and sweat would fill my eyes blinding me from the dangers that spewed forth from within the surrounding darkness. Sending the Illume Orb twenty feet or so behind me every few minutes ensured that I would not be surprised by a would-be-assassin, stalking from the shadows preparing to slip one of their 9-inch-long poisoned blades in between the shale-like armor protecting my torso. The bright glowing orb floated over the bodies of those that had already attempted to kill me, serving as a tiresome reminder of things to come. Oddly shaped forms covered in a blue, gooey substance that once gave them life.

It was then that I noticed the pain shooting up from my hands through both of my shoulders and deep into the tissues surrounding the interior organic armor infused within my back and neck. Removing one hand from its grip and watching as blood filled in the deep valley-like impressions in the palm, I realized how hard I had been unconsciously holding onto that weapon. Fear caused all of the chemicals within my body to temporarily remove any figment of sensory synapse. I grimaced as I again grabbed the weapon and telepathically sent the Illume Orb ahead, shedding light into the veil of darkness that lay ahead of me.

I could see a dim, red glow ahead. This had to be the entrance! Had I finally made it to the source? Had I found the other-worldly portal that vomited forth all of this darkness and the creatures within? Ordering the Illume Orb to circle around my body perhaps giving me a stronger sense of protection, I slowly made my way closer to the light. The red glow was soon replaced by an orange halo about 100 feet tall. Peering into the center of the halo presented only the slightest familiarity of what could only be described as a spiral galaxy of blue stars and gases or even Jenari Spices spinning around a bowl of my mother’s breakfast Mune after mixing it with my finger when I was a child. I reached into the storage pouch that laid across my right leg and produced the Mancheen Drone. Pressing the tiny button on its underbelly produced a feint hum as it began to broadcast imagery and atmospherics to my HUD implant. Once all of the diagnostics were complete, the drone launched from my hand and through the halo into the unknown.

At first, nothing. Then the Mancheen’s advanced optics began to make out most of the geography that lay on the other side of this massive portal. A scorched, gouged and dead land covered with black stones many meters tall, each with its own illuminated creamy-blue vegetation which seemed to be the only light source within the seemingly underground world. The atmosphere proved too acidic for me to breath with heavy readings of sulfur and carbon dioxide filling the air. Clacking could be heard in the distance. No doubt the portal dwellers communicating with each other, sounding the alarm letting others know of the yet unidentified disturbance now floating through their territory. I commanded the Mancheen to deploy its cloaking mechanism, one of my newest personal updates to the already unparalleled drone. Microscopic Nano bites formed a reflective skin around the drone. Each one would reflect that which was on the opposite side of the tiny drone’s frame in essence making it invisible to the naked eye. However, it has proven to be a short defensive mechanism for I had not quite mastered the energy output to last more than a few minutes.

Guiding the drone around, I focused its view on the inside section of the portal. The halo portion seemed to be made of a reflective metallic material complete with intricate designs, most likely a written language for which I had never seen before. At the base, five half-spherical domes lined the bottom of the portal, each emitting a strange pulsating orange glow and covered with scratch marks most likely from the creatures that clumsily crossed the threshold into our world. The air around the portal seemed to fluctuate in and out of the opening as if I were staring down the open mouth of a sleeping giant, inhaling … exhaling. These domes seemed to power the portal, linking this dangerous world to my own. Judging by the crudeness of the portal dweller weapons and armor, it would be foolish to assume that they were the ones to create such a magnificent piece of machinery. No. This was definitely the work of a higher intelligence. But why and who?

Regardless, it was time for me to complete the mission that I and those I lost were sent here for. It was time to see if I could close the maw to darkness and prevent further destruction and death. Recalling the Mancheen, and just prior to its cloak depleting, I removed two spherical items from my storage pouch and with a grin tossed them at the base of the halo. These items were created to emit an EMP blast that could bring down an Empires entire energy infrastructure and hoped it would do the trick here. Disable the power source and shutdown the gate. After retreating to gain space between myself and the explosives, I activated the trigger mechanism. Silence. This cannot be happening! I tried again, hitting the button over and over. Nothing.

Sensors within my HUD began to chirp accompanied by a small, blinking light inside of my optical array. It was the motion sensor. Suddenly, loud clacking could be heard just to my left in the distance. The familiar thumping sound of clawed feet grew louder. A deeper and more tribal clacking spewed from the other side of the portal that I had failed to close. Within seconds, a hulking figure crawled through the opening followed by many smaller versions of itself. It’s twisted, gnarled fingers held tight to a large stone weapon. Smoke seemed to pour out of every tiny crack within its black, scaly skin. It's eyes like two tiny suns illuminated the high cheek bones and large brow that formed its face. Unevenly spaced horns protruded from the gigantic forehead the way branches extend from a dead tree, locked in that last act of defiance reaching for the sun. The smell of Sulphur became unbearable. I turned to run only to meet face to face with another dweller. How did I miss the beast? Why did I not follow defensive protocol? How could I be so careless?

Heat, originating from my abdomen, shot up to the base of my throat. Neural override in the form of an overwhelming need to vomit, no doubt with the hopes of releasing the heat building within my chest, soon accompanied the pain. I watched as my warm blood splashed the enemy that stood before me, its mouth smiling wildly, bearing greasy fangs drenched in an oily, acidic saliva. I looked down to see a crude weapon protruding under my armor. As if to mock my defensive gear, the beast yanked up on the weapon breaking through what remained of the lower section of armor and releasing the contents within onto its large, spindly feet. I closed my eyes and began praying for a quick release from the pain shooting throughout my entire body. The prayer would go unanswered. A large hand grabbed me from behind. I knew it was the alpha. It effortlessly lifted me to its mouth, revealing a tendril-like tongue. I felt the warm, slimy appendage as it feverishly licked the blood pouring from my wounds like a starving animal eating its first meal after a long hibernation. I screamed at the beast as my last act of defiance, preparing to do whatever damage I could before I died.

“Jerash." The beasts lopsided lips flopped around the hot tongue as it spoke the word. What an odd thing to say.

"JERASH! Come here boy.” This did not make any sense! Why is the beast calling out Jerash?

“Jerash, leave the boy alone. He had a late night and deserves the rest.”

I opened my eyes and to my astonishment, there stood our family pet, Jerash, licking my face and arms excitedly as if it had been many cycles since he had last seen me. I grabbed ahold of his furry mane, scratching behind his four floppy ears. What a relief. Another nightmare.

“Rowan. I thought he heard you yelling and wanted to make sure that you were ok. Another bad dream?” My mother asked as I sat up pushing Jerash off of me, rubbing my eyes and lifting my shirt to ensure it was just a dream.

“Yes mother." I replied with a sigh of relief. "Just another bad dream."