The Acranex

The Acranex

By: Steven Dean

Ryan’s breath escaped him in a rush as the ground beneath his feet gave way. He tumbled into a dark sloping tunnel, his sense of direction confounded. Gritting his teeth, he tried to brace himself for the impact with the ground somewhere below. Besides the debris that entered the tunnel with him, Ryan noticed that the walls of the tunnel were perfectly smooth and seemed designed to increase his speed as he fell through the eternal darkness.

Images raced through Ryan’s mind. Laura, sweet lovely Laura, smiling at him with tears streaking down her face. The pain of the moment was still raw. Spoken words lingered in his mind. “I’ll be back. I just can’t turn down this opportunity. It’s a good job.” The words had felt weak and hollow even as he spoke them.

“Go then. Leave.” Laura had stared at him intently for a moment longer, and then she had turned her back, looking toward some far away horizon that wasn’t there.

Ryan swallowed hard; he’d never see her again, he thought as he continued his tumble into the black void. He’d never see her again because he had taken a job in the mines of Mars instead of staying on Earth and marrying her.

The tunnel suddenly curved sharply upward and Ryan was ejected into a dark void. He landed, not nearly as hard as he thought he would, but still hard enough to rattle his tailbone. Rolling onto his back, he closed his eyes. His chest rose with slow deep breaths as he tried to regain some sense of control, some sense of awareness.

Ryan took one last deep breath before sitting up and opening his eyes. He turned his head, trying to make out his surroundings. There seemed to be some type of ghostly illumination coming from every direction. Suddenly, before he could begin to understand the dim shapes clustered around him in the darkness, the room was flooded with a brilliant white glare. He closed his eyes against the stinging light and lifted his hands to shield his face. He squinted from behind his hands, trying to make out the source of the glare. As his eyes adjusted, it seemed to him that the walls themselves were exuding the light. The light grew softer and Ryan’s surroundings came into focus.

As he got to his feet, he noticed the spot he had landed on. There was a large indentation that was filling itself in before his startled eyes. He leaned forward and pressed his hand against the spot. It was solid, completely solid. He shook his head, wondering if he had landed harder than he thought.

Ryan looked around. He was in some type of cavern, the walls of which appeared to be completely smooth, as if someone had meticulously gone over them with a carving laser. There were no openings that he could see; the wall just continued around him, forming an irregular circle. He needed to find some opening or hatch that might lead back to the mines above.

Ryan walked up to the nearest wall and ran his hand over it. The wall felt even smoother than it looked. Rock that felt like velvet. How strange, Ryan thought. He followed its course, hoping to find some type of hidden doorway, but after making two complete circuits of the cavern, he gave up. Dropping to the floor, he closed his eyes, and put his arms around his drawn up knees, hugging himself.

K.L.E.R. waited until the being was over the tunnel and then dissolved the hatch. The being fell precisely down the center of the opening and was propelled toward the proper holding area. When the being reached its destination, the impact caused a defect in the structure of the plazfoam flooring. K.L.E.R. immediately repaired it and then began to scan the being’s vital functions to be sure it hadn’t been damaged in any way.

K.L.E.R. discovered a serious defect in the being’s subatomic cell structure. This defect would cause the being’s physical body to degrade and slowly decompose. K.L.E.R. increased the power of the scan to determine the cause of the defect. The sub-nucleonic protomatter indicated some ancient mutation. Such a mutation K.L.E.R. concluded, must have affected the being’s entire species.

For this being to be useful, K.L.E.R. would have to correct the defect.

Ryan leaned back against the cavern wall. He didn’t know what to do. He stared vacantly down at his hands, turning them over and over. A realization was slowly dawning on him. He hadn’t registered it before, but when he had first gotten up after crashing into the cavern, he had felt a few cuts and scrapes on his hands and arms. Also, a decent size gash on his face.

He raised his hands and ran them over his face. He expected to wince when his hand went over the gash on his temple, but it was gone. All of his cuts were gone. Ryan stared back down at his hands, uncomprehending.

Suddenly, a loud crashing sound filled the cavern. Ryan leaped to his feet, looking for the source of the noise. The sound reverberated off the walls as he walked toward the center of the cavern. A black shadow had appeared there. As he got closer, he saw a circular hole in the ground.

Water was shooting into the hole from two symmetrical openings in its sides. Ryan’s throat clenched. His tongue tore itself away from the bottom of his suddenly parched mouth, running over his dry gritty teeth. A thirst, both primal and irresistible, gripped him.

The hole was about seven feet deep and had a diameter of about four feet. Swinging his feet over the edge, he dropped to the bottom, a foot of water splashing up around him. Kneeling down, he arched his head back so the water would spout directly into his mouth. He drank greedily, the water rushing into him.

Once saturated, he closed his eyes and let the water splash onto his face. He turned his head from side to side, relishing the revitalizing water.

Questions entered his mind. Where did this hole come from? Why was there water here? Who had put it here? Was it a trap? That’s what it was. Ryan was convinced that he had just taken the bait.

As if to confirm his suspicions, the bottom of the hole started to descend. Ryan jumped up, trying to grab the rim of the hole. The slick metal-like lip glided out of his hands and he dropped back into the hole. The water was now up to his knees. He was going to drown. But why? Why would someone first heal him and then drown him? This didn’t make sense.

The water stopped.

Ryan stood still, listening; Complete silence. A moment passed. Then another. A sharp pop filled his ears, a sound like a cork flying off a bottle, and then the water started again.

Only it wasn’t water. Ryan caught some of it in his hands. The stuff was gray, slimy, and had a metallic shine. He gasped. The stuff was evaporating. His hands began to tingle, as if they had fallen asleep. Ryan’s eyes widened as he realized the stuff hadn’t evaporated, it had been absorbed into his skin.

The light from above faded as a slice of metal extended itself from one side of the hole to the other, sealing Ryan in darkness. He shrieked in terror as the gray slime continued to shoot over him, filling the hole and covering him. His entire being began to tingle. His whole body was falling asleep. He was being poisoned; drowned in some type of paralyzing slime. As his brain was numbed, Ryan knew he had reached the last moment of his life. Sinking to the bottom of the hole, he closed his eyes, and let the darkness take him.

K.L.E.R. couldn’t communicate the need for the being to enter the biotube. The being’s language couldn’t be deciphered until it did. Nor could K.L.E.R. correct the defect without it. K.L.E.R. needed to lure the being there somehow. The scan’s frequency changed to accommodate K.L.E.R.’s search for biological needs. The compound of H2O seemed to be vital to the being’s survival. K.L.E.R. began to produce the compound and pump it into the biotube. The being noticed the sound and began to move toward the biotube. K.L.E.R. slowly extracted vital amounts of H2O from the being’s body, increasing the need for the compound. The being responded to the stimulus and lowered itself into the biotube. K.L.E.R. lowered the bottom of the biotube to allow sufficient area to completely encapsulate the being. Once that was accomplished, K.L.E.R. stopped the flow of H2O and pumped out the morphogenic compounds necessary to correct the being’s biological defect and decipher it’s linguistical codes.

Ryan floated in space. He was made of nothing and weighed nothing. Any slight movement caused him to hurl in unknown directions, at immense velocities. He moved in and out of consciousness.

Mom stared down at him from her desk. She pushed the keyboard panel back in and reached to pick him up. Her face faded away.

Blackness.

Silent whispers in the dark.

Father was standing in front of him, wearing his full dress uniform. Medals gleamed on each breast pocket, his name stenciled in white letters on black plasteel; Gen. T. Ruger. “Son, “ he said, shaking the report card in his hand, “I know you can do better than this. You’re very bright. You just aren’t applying yourself.”

Ryan’s words floated from his lips, “I’m . . . sorry . . . Dad.”

A black shadow covered his father’s face, creating an evil scowl and then he too, was gone.

Silence stretching into the darkness.

A bright flash.

Ripples; currents of sound.

Gravel crunching under his feet. Pebbles sliding down the embankment to his right. Ryan looked up. Will was smiling at him. “Don’t worry little bro, we’ll be home before Dad finds out.”

“But, Will, where are we going that’s so special? Is it worth getting busted?”

“I told you, it’s a surprise.” Will chided him with the usual look of mock fear and mystery.

Ryan looked back down. He kicked some gravel over the edge and watched the stones tumble down. Sunlight glimmered off something and Ryan stepped closer to the edge.

Gravel flew in a spray from behind him and air rushed around him in a concentrated hurricane. Will screamed, “Run!”

Two hands wedged themselves between his shoulder blades and shoved him. Ryan went head first over the edge. He watched as shrubs, branches, rocks, and garbage flew by beneath him. Then he hit earth with a jolt and rolled down into the thick underbrush at the bottom of the embankment.

“Help! Someone heellll--,” Will screeched from above. Then hurricane winds whipped wildly around and an engine roared. A black silhouette flew overhead and disappeared.

Ryan had to get help. He moved and lightning bolts shot through his shattered knee. The undergrowth surrounding him turned from green to gray to a smothering black.

The substance enveloping him churned and liquid ghosts swam through him.

“Swarchername?” a voice boomed from the void, “Swarchername? Kanchuswarchername?”

Where am I? What’s happening to me? Ryan thought, confused.

Silence.

Invisible hands tugged at him, turning him in circles.

Everything descended further into darkness.

A black void.

Ryan put the ring on Laura’s finger. “I love you,” he said.

“I love you too,” she said, pulling him up off his knees and smothering him with kisses. “Ryan, I didn’t think you’d ever ask me!”

Ryan ran his hand through her golden blond hair, unsure of what else to say. Certainly not that he didn’t intend to marry her for several years still. He wanted a long engagement; he wasn’t ready to be married.

He pulled her close, not wanting to look her in the eye.

Her lips brushed over his ear and her sweet scent filled his nostrils.

“Can you understand me?”

Ryan closed his eyes. “Understand what, Honey?”

“I believe this is the proper linguistic code, “ Laura’s voice said.

“What?” Ryan leaned back, puzzled, and opened his eyes.

Everything remained dark though, and he couldn’t see Laura.

“I wish to communicate with you. Can you understand me?” Laura’s voice said, echoing from the void.

Ryan opened his mouth to respond and a slimy substance rushed in. He gagged, closing his mouth, and shaking his head. The slimy substance seemed to fade away within him, leaving his throat slightly numb.

“Do you understand? Please respond,” Laura’s voice repeated.

How can I answer you? Ryan thought.

“Yes, this is the correct linguistical code. Good,” Laura’s voice sounded pleased.

Who are you?

“I am,” there was a pause, “the best translation would be K.L.E.R. I am repairing you in preparation for your mission. Please do not be frightened.”

Mission? What mission? And what do you mean repairing?

“I am sending you to find Resiol. You will come to understand. I have placed the knowledge within you. The repair was made to prevent the unnatural decaying process your body was suffering from.”

Decaying? Ryan didn’t understand what it meant.

“I believe you call it aging,” K.L.E.R. said with Laura’s voice.

You mean, I’m not going to get old? Ryan thought, unbelievingly.

“Yes. I interpret that to mean you will not decay and discorporate, losing your corporeal body, which is necessary for your mission.”

Not decay. Not lose my corporeal body. Is this thing telling me that I’m immortal? How is that possible? The best scientists of this age had only managed to extend the average human life span to 127. Could it be? Am I really immortal?

“To an extent. I have increased your body’s ability to repair itself and fight foreign organisms; however, these abilities are not without limit. If you were to have . . . more than half of your mass dismembered, you would discorporate.”

If I’m never hurt, though, I could live forever?

“That is an illogical assumption. Nothing lives forever. Eventually the universe will end and you will die, along with everything else. Then the process will begin again.”

Yes, I understand. Equations and theories of universal momentum flashed through Ryan’s mind. The sensation left him slightly disoriented.

“The knowledge is beginning to surface. That is excellent.”

Before Ryan thought of another question, he felt the thing’s attention leave him. A sucking sound began all around him and everything became brighter. The gray slime slicked softly away from his body and gravity took hold of him once again.

The biotube, Ryan knew what it was now, emptied, and the hatch clicked into the open position. The biodisc, he was standing on, raised to ground level and he stepped onto the floor of the cavern. He looked around, searching for the proper place, and finding a slight shadow at the foot of one wall, he began walking toward it.

When he reached it, he placed his palm on the wall and slowly turned his hand toward three o’clock. The wall shimmered. Solid mass became separate spheres, bundles of photons, and dispersed.

Beyond the cavern was the substation created by the Resioleans. A golden orb, floating within an oval of blue electric fire, contained K.L.E.R.’s intelligence and sentience. In a way Ryan was just beginning to comprehend, K.L.E.R. was as much a living being as he was.

Ryan stared at the black rectangle against the wall. It was about seven feet tall and four feet wide. The rectangle wasn’t merely black, it was empty, devoid of substance. The knowledge was within him, but it didn’t translate exactly into his thoughts. He felt, more than understood, what it was. He looked at K.L.E.R. and waited.

The electric blue flames parted, allowing the golden orb to float out. Then the flames flickered and darkened to a cement gray. Flashes of golden brilliance pulsed out of the orb.

Ryan turned back to the black rectangle, the Acranex, the portal to the multiple universes, dimensions, and the very fabric of space-time.

A golden bolt of energy struck the Acranex. The orb began to spin, waves of golden energy forming around it, rippling, shooting forth in another bolt of energy, and then another.

It paused, then flew toward Ryan, circling him. A golden blanket surrounded him, pressing in on him. Ryan’s skin began to tingle, goose bumps rising all over his body. Then the orb moved away and returned to firing bolts into the Acranex.

Ryan looked down at himself. Every hair on his body was standing straight up and his skin was glowing with golden energy. He thought he must look like he was sweating fire. He closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and pulled the golden energy, now a part of his essence, inward. When he opened his eyes, the golden fire had left his skin, but he knew he could draw it out whenever he needed to.

Ryan looked back toward the golden orb, still shooting bolts of energy at the Acranex. An understanding dawned within him. The amount of energy K.L.E.R. was expending was not inexhaustible. For some reason Ryan did not quite get, K.L.E.R. was determined to sacrifice himself. “Stop, K.L.E.R. I can make it the rest of the way on my own. I understand what needs to be done. You can wait, till I return.”

The orb bobbed in the air, its golden brilliance dimmed to a dull yellow, then it began spinning again, preparing a bolt. Ryan stepped between the orb and the Acranex. When the orb shifted, Ryan placed himself between them again.

Laura’s quiet pain-filled voice begged, “Let me end here. I have waited long enough. I have fulfilled my purpose.”

“No. You have to help me. You have to protect the Acranex. Isn’t it true . . .,” Ryan paused, letting the knowledge spill into his brain, “Isn’t it true that if the portal to the Acranex on this site is destroyed, I will be lost among the worlds?”

“Yes, that is true.”

“I need you to help me. I’m going to find your creators and send them back for you, but I need you to protect the Acranex so I can return. I need you to leave the door open to my world, so I can return to Laura. You know what she means to me.”

Thunder echoed from far away. Ryan turned to look at the Acranex. Lightning bolts were crisscrossing its surface. Jagged bolts of red, white, blue, yellow, aqua, all the colors of the spectrum and beyond. The spectacle mesmerized him.

“Go. It’s time,” Laura’s voice, stronger with purpose, said, “Enter.”

Ryan looked back at the golden orb, watched it slowly spin. He nodded to it and it retreated back into its body of electrical flames. The gray flames brightened to blue once again.

Ryan turned and walked up to the Acranex. He held his hands out, an inch from its surface, pondering the possibilities contained within. Through his mind raced the knowledge that a step forward would move him into the future, a step back the past, and to either side another dimension. Standing at the threshold, he looked back at all things past, turned slowly to what lay ahead, then took the first step, leaving behind all he loved. He entered the Acranex, stepped to the right, and began his journey.