Beyond the Stars: INEO (11 page)

CHAPTER 7

GRIT

I stood alone on the desolate planet surrounded by the lighted checkerboard of death. Abandoned by the Katarian starship and my friends, I was overcome with fear. Broken. I looked around hopelessly, trying to plan my next move.

I proceeded and was almost at the foot of the mountains when the light pillars altered their coordinates again. I was barely able to step away when one came down on my foot. Before I knew it, the ground exploded. I was sent hurling backwards only to be stopped by a large boulder. I hit the back of my head on the sharp rock on impact.
Ouch!
I smacked down hard. My body was stunned and unable move. I thought I might be badly hurt. Unable to get up, I continued to lean back against the rock for support and caught my breath while I looked up at the menacing ship.

“If you want me so much, then take me!” I threatened the intruders.

My head was throbbing in pain, and I was angry. I didn’t want to live without Gaelan. I remembered what it was like to lose Jack, and I couldn’t relive that kind of sorrow. I surrendered all hope and shut my eyes, unable to move from exhaustion. I wished someone would save me. It seemed hopeless. I lost my will to fight and lay there hoping to die from internal bleeding. Suddenly, a rush of warmth poured through my veins. It must have been adrenaline because it gave me an unexpected boost of strength. I felt odd—overheated despite the cold air.

“Sami, get up, come on. Let’s go.” I heard a man order.

I didn’t budge. I couldn’t.
I know that voice, don’t I?
It sounded familiar. I listened harder over my pounding heart.

“Sami, please, you can’t stay here. You’re not a quitter. Stand up now!” he commanded more forcefully.

I opened my eyes and saw a man’s silhouette hovering above me. Although his face was indistinguishable from the shadow he casted as his body blocked out the light from the alien ship, I recognized his build.
It couldn’t be
—
impossible
—
unless I’m dead.
It was Jack.
Yep, I’m dead.
Jack died over three years ago. He was killed in a tragic accident, like many other Space pioneers before him, by stupid human error. He lived his life as a man who was willing to sacrifice everything for the greater good of humankind. I rubbed the dirt from my eyelashes and lifted my head to let his face come into focus.

“Jack,” I cheered. I was so happy to see him.

“Yes, I’m here. Come, now. You need to live. This isn’t your time. Give me your hand,” he said as a demand.

I reached out my hand, and he grabbed it. With one forceful tug, I was suddenly on my feet.

“Thanks,” I said while I brushed off some sand from my clothes.

There was no answer. Frantically, I searched for him, not seeing anyone. He was gone and so was the warmth I had felt before he appeared. My back got a chill. I was alone, standing in a dark spot between the lighted landmines.

“
Jack!”
I called out desperately as I looked all around.
“Jack, wait.
Shit! Please come back,” I whimpered as I berated myself for taking my eyes off him.

A tear ran down my cheek. I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to tell him everything he’d missed. I wanted to say I love you. But he had disappeared.
This can’t be happening.
Was he really here? Did I just imagine him?
No.
I could swear his hand felt warm and solid. I felt confused and disoriented.
I hope I’m not becoming schizophrenic and imagining people. I must have hit my head too hard.
I rubbed the back of my skull. It had a small bloody gash and was sore to touch. I looked for my friends, hoping I had mistaken them for Jack. There was no one around. I started walking and was almost at the mountain. It was less than twenty feet away with only one remaining light hurdle blocking my path. I spotted the cavernous opening in the hillside. It had to be the entrance to the mine. I knew I would be safe in there.

I was about to take a leap to evade the upcoming beam when, without warning, it changed coordinates in my favor.
Yes,
I thought. It moved out of my way with such perfect timing, it almost seemed courteous and enabled me to move as fast as my body would allow into the safety of the mine. I headed straight into the entrance only to slam directly into our ship’s parked levitron inside. Not only was it hidden under the shadow cast by the mountains above, the abandoned vehicle had camouflaged its exterior paint like a chameleon to blend in with the rocky environment. The driver’s side door was open so I peeked in.

“Noah,” I cheered when I saw his tall body lying on his back underneath the front console tugging on some dangling wires.

“Sami. Oh, thank goodness. You’re okay. I didn’t see you. I thought I was by myself,” he said, as he jumped up from the floor of the levitron and pulled me into his arms. He hugged me with his whole body.

“Noah, where is Zaric and Loic? Are we the only ones left? It got Gaelan. I watched him vaporize into nothing, and I hit my head on a rock,” I cried and started to tremble uncontrollably.

“It’s just us … but hey, don’t worry. The ship didn’t kill or vaporize anyone—it
took
them. I don’t think the others are dead. They’re just aboard that thing.” He pointed to the ship overhead. “I saw Zaric and Loic disappear before the light beam exploded. They were definitely transported.” Noah leaned down into the levitron to retrieve his flashlight. “Let me look at you.” He lifted my chin with his hand and shined the light on my face. “Your eyes look a little glossed over, but your pupils are even. I don’t think you have a brain hemorrhage.”

“Thanks, that’s reassuring,” I remarked. “How do you know so much?”

“I’ve had my share of concussions,” he said, pausing. “I used to get into a lot of fights when I was younger. My boarding school was
poorly
supervised. You have to stay calm, so you don’t increase your blood pressure, and slow your breathing before you hyperventilate.”

I nodded after realizing I was breathing abnormally loud.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I have a plan. I’ll get us off this dump of a planet if it’s the last thing I do. We are the only ones left, which means it’s up to us. I’m trying to fix this levitron. We can use it to rescue them. Here, let me see if it is working yet.” He sat down and touched the starter, but nothing happened.
“Damn,”
he said, striking the dash with his fist.

I trusted Noah. He was intelligent and gutsy. If anyone could get them back, it was him. He never gave up easily. I watched him struggle to pry off the dashboard’s console and toss it aside. A small piece broke off in his hand.

“Hey, careful. We might need that,” I warned.

He shrugged. “It’s only cosmetic.”

“What happened to it? It looks fine,” I said, peering inside the opening at the intact wiring and circuitry.

He paused and opened his mouth like he had a revelation. “Sami, you’re a genius. I’m
so
stupid. I’ve been checking out the relay system, but it isn’t broken. There is another reason it won’t start.”

“Their ship is affecting it,” we said in unison.

“It must be emitting an inhibitory signal incapacitating our power grid,” Noah said with an enlightened expression.

“We have to find a way to block their signal,” I suggested.

“We need to make a force field.” He paused and thought.
“Great,
isn’t this friggin’ fantastic? I knew it was too good to be true,” he mumbled as he got out of the levitron and picked his bag off the ground.

“You lost me.”

I watched him reach inside his knapsack to pull out the glass cylinder he had retrieved from Loic’s ship. He held it up and peered at the opaque blue liquid inside.

“This. This is our way out of here. I had other plans for it, but it looks like we need it now. With one drop, the molecular structure of the levitron shell will be transformed into an impenetrable metal so strong it will be able to resist, well, anything. Actually, anything metallic inside will be altered as well. It will be the safest, most valuable small transit vehicle ever constructed.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Afraid not. You don’t happen to have any industrial strength gloves or an eyedropper on hand because it will also melt off my hand if any gets on my skin.”

I looked at him and shook my head. He gripped the cylinder tightly and tried to unscrew the vial. I held my breath as he struggled with the hazardous container.

“It’s stuck,” he moaned. “Someone sealed it well.” He tried turning it with more force after stopping to wipe his palms over his pant leg as though they were getting clammy.

“Wait, I have an idea.” I reached over and lifted a knife from the tool belt Noah had strapped to his waist. I flicked it open and leaned into the levitron to make a slice into its upholstery. I cut out a six inch square of the leathery fabric from the seat and handed it to Noah. “Try this.”

“Good idea, thanks.”

He wrapped the cloth over the cylinder and turned the lid with all his might. “
Ahh, shit!”
It burns!” he screamed and bent himself over in agony.

“Oh no,
Noah,” I shrieked and covered my mouth, afraid to look at the damage it had caused.

He stood up straight with a smirk on his face. “I’m just kidding. I got you.” He waved his unhurt hand in front of me.

I glowered at him, trying to control my anger. “That is
so
not funny.”

“It kind of is. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I’m feeling nervous. I’m not too keen on the idea of melting off both of my hands. Never mind, I’ll try again.” He tried to open it once more, with a more serious demeanor. “Please let this work. It’s sealed tight.”

I braced myself while my anxiety spiraled out of control. There wasn’t a drop of water in sight to rinse the liquid off in case any got on him, as if it would even help. Maybe I could smother his hands in dirt. Finally, he let out a sigh of relief.

“Yes! I got it,” he said with excitement, as he uncovered the vial and dropped the piece of fabric on the ground. “Here goes nothing.”

“Please be careful,” I warned, watching him fully unscrew the cap and remove the lid. He held the open cylinder above the vehicle’s hood.

Noah’s hand was starting to tremble—maybe from forcing the lid off, maybe out of fear. He took shallow breaths as he slowly tilted the vial and let a pearly blue droplet slide down the inside of the glass and drip down onto the levitron below like a glob of glue. The liquid was so viscous, it seemed to leave the rim of the container and splash down in slow motion. Noah tilted his hand back without delay to prevent letting too much escape.

A bead of sweat dripped off Noah’s brow. “Back up,” he ordered as he screwed the lid back on tightly.

“Nothing’s happening.”

The thick blue droplet appeared to have evaporated or maybe it soaked into the metal of the levitron. Either way, it was gone. Then, something strange happened. The metal started to glow red in the spot where the liquid had landed. Before our eyes, the glowing surface spread out rapidly covering the entire body of the levitron. We stepped back when it started to emit tremendous heat. It looked like a hot piece of steel burning inside a furnace. It got so bright that I had to shield my eyes with my hand.
At least I could get warm.

“Whoa,” I said with disbelief, taking a few more steps back when the vehicle started to smell like smoldering iron.

“It’s working,” Noah said with a smile.

We waited patiently for the fiery metal to cool. Minutes ticked by, and the vehicle slowly returned to the dull color of the surrounding rock. We sat on the ground and rested while steam continued to pour off the smoking vehicle.

“Noah, something unbelievable happened to me out there. I thought I heard and saw Jack … or someone that looked like Jack. He helped me get up. I touched his hand. I could swear it was him. He was here, but he disappeared before I could talk to him,” I said, still wishing he had stuck around.

Noah gave me a concerned look and said, “Boy, you must have hit your head really hard. Or maybe, the ship is affecting your brain, too.” He leaned over and rubbed the top of my head with his right hand. He seemed to be somewhat spooked by my confession. Jack and he were like brothers. He took the news of his death almost as badly as I had.