Subterranean (24 page)

“It would make more sense if we knew what teams we were being divided into.” Radovan crossed his arms, the others nodding in consensus at his inquiry, and then turning to Flynn.

“I will go up to the ship,” he said, his voice charged with unfaltering confidence, “along with Radovan for technical support, and Rolan for security.” Everyone began to murmur at the decision, striking uncertainty into the air. Lisa, whose gaze was frozen upon him, finally spoke with a hand placed on her chest.

“I’m going with you, Flynn.” Her demand hushed the others and drew their attention.

“Lisa, you can’t.” He felt the pain of his own denial. “It’s too dangerous.”

“And down here is safe?”

“Safer than where we’re going.”

“Which is why I’m going with you.” She held her arms together in plea.

“Lisa, we need someone to be with Vale and Rasina to help us coordinate.”

“I don’t know how to use the computers here.”

“Lisa, please…”

She swung her head away. “What if you don’t come back?” Her voice was barely audible from restrained emotion.

After a long pause, he approached her with soft steps and embraced her, resting a chin on her shoulder. “I
am
coming back.” He whispered in her ear. “Trust me.”

The others hung on her response almost as much as he did, hoping she would realize that Flynn needed to know she was safe. The darkness of fear swept over her and threatened to cloud her judgment, compelling her to grasp at the only thing she knew kept her calm: his presence. But through sheer will in the dark mists, she forced herself to sit still, close her eyes, and accept his words from a distance.

“Okay…” She finally said, her words trembling with emotion. She touched his hand, shawled around her arm affectionately. “But you’d better come back.”

“This sounds familiar.” He saw her other hand trickle away from her chest, revealing her teardrop pendant. “Should I be taking that with me, as well?”

Her mouth curled in a subdued smile. “No…” She looked up at him, a slight hint of courage remained in her eyes, buried behind all of the fear, struggling against impossible forces. “I’ll be waiting for you…” she hid her slight chuckle from his view, “…again.”

“And I’ll be back, again.” He slid away from her and faced the others. Everyone looked on at him expectantly, awaiting his guidance and commands, something that made him feel proud and horrified at the same time. “Does everyone agree with the teams?”

Rolan, Vale, and Rasina all looked at each other and nodded. Radovan stood a meter away from them, his arms crossed. “It sounds appropriate.”

“Good.” He exhaled in relief. “So, Radovan, Rolan, and I will infiltrate the ship and shut down its shields. Once we do that, Vale, Rasina, and Lisa will fire the cannon at the ship and destroy it.”

Rolan tipped his head to one side. “Are we certain the blast from the cannon will be sufficient to destroy the vessel?”

“Yes, Radovan has performed the calculations and run the simulations.” He smiled. “It will work.”

“I hope so.” Rolan said with a hint of doubt.

“That’s all I can ask for.” He wavered for a moment, and then swallowed. “Well, I guess we’ll be going now.” He started towards the ships. “Make sure you have everything you need.”

He saw Rolan and Rasina embrace each other, whispering words of love and farewell, something that made him cringe inside. Farewells were such a dreadful notion to him; they only evoked sorrow and the belief that a relationship had indeed come to a close. Truly detestable notions, in his mind. Yet, he was urged by some ineffable force to reveal a secret that he’d originally planned to take to the grave.

He looked on at the group preparing themselves for the final battle: Rolan and Rasina hugging, Radovan fiddling with the ship’s systems, Vale clicking gear and weapons into place, Lisa sitting lonely at the far wall, and thought to himself… he had to tell someone, lest it would remain a mystery, like some hideous government cover-up. With his heart shielded against sway, ensconced in a bulwark of logic and reason, he approached Vale.

Why her?
He asked himself.

Well, he didn’t quite know the answer. Maybe he thought if she knew the source of all his misgivings, she would forgive him for his transgressions, as if desperation needed an excuse. Perhaps, he speculated, it was a final show of trust among true friends before the possible end. In truth, it was impossible to say for certain the cause of his choice; he hardly ever explored the rationale behind his intuition, for that very process itself eliminated it. Nevertheless, he resolved to free himself at last from the chains of regret and tell Vale of his greatest fault.

“What is it, Flynn?” Vale set herself on a container, watching him with a thousand guesses circling in her mind as he fumbled around to reveal a thought, stretched uneasily to the forefront of his mind by necessity.

“I… wanted to tell you something.”

“Such as?” She propped her chin up by her hand.

“It’s about my sister.” His palm warmed the photograph in his hand. “I left her.”

“You… left her?” Vale appeared surprised and confused.

“In the city.” His eyes danced around her silhouette, periodically making and breaking eye contact as his anxiety allowed. “I had an argument with her over…” he grunted a sardonic laugh, “…over leaving her so many times. I’d leave her to be alone in the city for months while I ran off to some old boneyard halfway across the world. She hated that. She hated it when I left.”

He continued, recalling the events in vivid detail. “I stormed out of the house in anger, frustrated by her constant plays of guilt.” He sighed, summoning up the strength to keep his composure. “I remembered wishing she was gone… so I didn’t have to worry about her every time I left. I remember standing in the middle of the city when the Ravagers attacked. I remember barely surviving the explosions and the soldiers.” His head lowered in somber anamnesis. “And I remember running to the evacuation ships without a second thought. I didn’t even think about saving her until I had already boarded and it was too late.”

A protracted revolution of sympathy turned, as Vale was unwilling to break the appropriately soothing silence. Venturing forth despite her better judgment, she made an attempt to console him. “You were afraid. A Ravager invasion has that effect, Flynn.” She reached further. “You said it yourself: you thought about her afterwards. And you have spoken of her many times here, to me and others. You cannot say you did not care for her.”

“But I just left her, Vale!” The rage of regret surged through his face and wrung around his neck. “I didn’t even try to go back and see if she was okay!”

“There was an invasion, Flynn. You were in no position to assist.” She considered her next words carefully. “Flynn,” she said, “you cannot blame yourself for what happened. The Ravagers are far more at fault than you.”

“It doesn’t feel that way…” He said, bitterly unconvinced.

“Flynn,” Vale pushed herself off the crate, “you have made many mistakes so far, some of which have had… significant consequences.” She clutched at his chin like a precious gem with her lithe green fingers and tilted it up at her, staring into his eyes that were magnified by the glistening tears of regret. “But know that what you do now is
not
one of them. Even your sister would agree with that, I believe. You can ask her yourself once you save her.”

He reached for her hand affectionately and closed it in his grasp. He mustered a couple words, tears flowing from his fluttering eyes as he held her hand against his forehead.

“…Thank you.”

Chapter 22

Departure

“Are we ready?” Radovan sat in the cockpit of the spaceship, gripping onto the railing and tapping a foot impatiently. “The Ravagers are not going to destroy themselves.”

“Was that a joke, Radovan?” Flynn asked with a smile plastered across his face.

“On occasion I attempt humor.” He rolled his eyes to the back of his head thoughtfully. “I sometimes find it calming.”

“Good.” Flynn wrapped his hands around a rung of the ladder. “I don’t have enough jokes to cover the ride there and back.”

“Not to worry.” Rolan released his hold from Rasina and joined in next to him. “Perhaps we will be shot down before you are rendered uninteresting.”

“A single ship against a fleet?” He dressed his fear with cynicism and whimsy. “I might not even get to the punch line.”

“Do you see this human?” Rolan slammed a fist against the side of the hull, rematerializing himself as the same alien Flynn had dinner with days ago. “He is funny! The Ravagers do not stand a chance against his comedic genius! Haha!”

“How do they joke about something so serious?” Lisa knitted her worried brows together. “They could die.”

“It is a coping mechanism.” Vale said, snapping a panel of her rifle back into place. “Rolan tells his best jokes when he faces certain death.”

Lisa flashed her gaze at Vale. “What?”

She smiled in response, suppressing laughter with a bite of her tongue. “I am joking.”

“Oh, right…” Her face eased, reposed by the flowing halcyon environment.

“Flynn,” Rolan said, furtively holding an object behind him, “I have something for you.” His arms swerved from the cover of his back and extended a lonely wooden stick sitting modestly in his hands. “I believe this is yours.”

A warm feeling bloomed in Flynn’s chest. He couldn’t defy the elated smile overcoming his face as he reached out to the stick, draping his fingers over the dry piece of wood. It was marked by cuts and dents that told the story of something ancient, an echo of a time long past, a time where trees once bedecked the surface of the desolate Subterranean home world. Taking it in his hands, he coddled it, gently brushing his fingers along its rough surface.

It seemed so fragile now.

“Hmm,” he said, remembering himself once leaning on its sturdy frame for support in the shifting desert sands, “an old friend.”

It was then that he suddenly noticed a familiar symbol on the stick. It must’ve been there all along, he thought, but he didn’t actually detect it until now. Etched modestly into the bark was a motif of the sun, perhaps the simplest representation of it he’d seen thus far, alongside some writing in the native Subterranean language. The crude drawing seemed to entrance him and had an alien effect unlike any hieroglyphic he’d ever seen back on Earth.

“I promise not to shoot you this time.” The corner of Rolan’s mouth tensed, fighting the laughter that spread within him.

“That’s comforting.” He sighed cheerfully and squeezed the artifact in his hands, replacing it in a strap on his back for the time being. “But, seriously Rolan,” he took his friend by the arms, “thank you.”

Rolan yanked him close and constricted him in a friendly embrace. “Thank
you
, my friend.” He managed to say in a strained voice before he went silent.

“Now, then.” Vale said once the maudlin moment had passed. “Shall we go defeat the Ravagers, or would you prefer to stand around hugging everyone for a while longer?”

“Alright, Vale.” Flynn crossed his arms. “But you owe me a hug when I get back.”

Slightly taken aback, she waltzed her eyes around the room and spoke quietly. “I... look forward to it.”

“This is quite entertaining,” Radovan blared sarcastically from the cockpit, “but we really must be going.”

“Come on, Radovan,” Flynn swung around to look at him, an eyebrow raised, “don’t you at least want to say goodbye to everyone while you still can?”

“I fail to see the point, aside from rousing emotional vulnerability,” he cringed with a sour taste in his mouth, “something I sincerely despise.”

“Alright,” he fastened himself on the ladder and began to climb, “away we go, then.”

“Flynn,” Lisa climbed up halfway to meet him, “I love you.” She proved her assertion with a forceful tongue in his mouth. “More than anything in the world.”

Flynn drifted away from her lips with a smile. Slowly, he reopened his eyes. “I think you mean ‘galaxy.’”

“More like ‘universe.’” She grinned back at him.

“If only you knew how much I love you…” he charted his fingers from her temple to her chin, “…but there isn’t enough time for that.” His grin turned wicked underneath his devilish eyes.

“I’ll be waiting.” She muttered, her countenance melting to somberness as the words left her lips. Although it was her smile that faded, the words stung him more intensely than they did her; they’ve been a blight upon his ears for too long.

“I’ll be back before you know it…” He muttered in response, sliding his fingers away from hers as he climbed into the cockpit.

“Radovan,” she clambered up quickly behind Flynn and dropped inside the spacious cabin, “wait.” She devoured him in her arms, gripping so tightly it pained even his hulking figure.

“What are you doing?” He wrenched around, flustered by her actions.

“I believe she is hugging you.” Rolan sat in the pilot’s seat with a smile. “You should probably reciprocate her actions.” He froze for a moment in thought. “Not as tightly, though, you might cause bodily harm.”

Tenderly, Radovan placed his arms around her, holding on with a puzzled look. “Why are you doing this?” He tipped his chin down to her.

She looked up, staring into his eyes that faltered upon contact. “I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

“Oh,” his tangled words gradually unmeshed themselves, “I… thank you.” He massaged her back compassionately and drew a deep breath, mustering the courage to make eye contact with her. “Neither could I.”

“Flynn!” Vale cried out from the hangar floor, sending him scrambling to her aid.

“What? What?” He stared down at her from the cockpit. “What’s happening?”

“Nothing.” She said, crossing her arms. “And that is the problem.”

“Alright, Vale,” he crunched his expression, “we’re going.” He swiveled around to leave when he heard footsteps climbing up the ladder. “What the?”

Rasina appeared and gave a tentative smile. “I wish to say farewell to my mate, please.”

“Alright,” he waved her by, “go ahead.”

They met each other amorously and began whispering in their native language to each other, tracing all sorts of weird motions around their respective faces as they did so. “Be safe, my beloved.” She held two fingers on both of his temples and waited for him to do the same.

“You, as well, my beloved.” He followed her lead, and then smiled when she procured a collection of plants from her pocket.

“I took some from the house.” She set them in his open hands. “May Lunnak oversee your journey and favor your actions.”

“May he favor us all.” He said in a strangely ominous tone, and then jumped in fright at Vale’s yelling.

“Rolan!” She shouted from below. “I would like to sleep before the night is over!”

“Ah,” he crept up over the side of the ship, “the Subterraneans will be magnificent under your leadership!”

“Rolan!” She quibbled back at him, her face flooding with blush. “I do not intend on ruling alone.”

“Of course not.” He smiled. “Where would you be without me?”

“I would rather not say.” She shuddered at the thought, the submergence of her head spurring Rolan to action.

Leaping over and sliding down the railing of the ladder, he approached her and ensconced her in his arms. “It is okay, Vale.” He said softly. “Make sure they build a statue of me if I do not return.”

Her saddened face abruptly turned to friendly spite. “Nothing could possibly represent that ego of yours.”

“Perhaps,” he dominated her head in his hands and beamed at her, “but remember,” he reassured her, “I will always be there for you… in flesh, or in stone, or in memory, as a friend.”

“And I, as well, Rolan.” She detached his hand from her face and brought it down to rest at her legs. “Now,” she gazed up at the ship, “shall we defeat the Ravagers?”

“Yes,” his view coalesced with hers on the ship, “but I believe Flynn wanted to give a speech.”

“What?” A brusque grunt came from inside the cabin and Flynn popped his head out. “What are you talking about?” He rushed the words out nervously.

“You cannot expect us to embark on such a dangerous mission without a speech, can you?”

“Get in here, Rolan.” He disappeared back inside, with Rasina and Lisa climbing down carefully afterwards. “If I give a speech, we’ll all surely be doomed.”

“In the retelling of this story, you give a speech.” He ascended inside and slumped into the pilot’s seat. “And the Ravagers are ten feet tall!”

“What are you doing?” Flynn stood stumped.

He surveyed the area around him, and then fixed on Flynn with a conclusion. “Sitting in a chair.”

“That’s the pilot’s chair.” Flynn pointed with a finger.

“Oh?” He swung around and laid his hands on the controls, consumed by the power at his fingertips. “Then I suppose I will be flying this spaceship.” Suddenly, he was lifted from his chair by his collar and pulled back.

“Only in the retelling.” Flynn said, darting into the pilot’s seat.

With the final farewells accounted for, Flynn powered up the ship, the engines flaring vigorously as the white-blue flames spewed out the back. They waved to Vale and the others as the cover of the cockpit closed and secured in place with an affirmative click of the magnetic seals. The lights outside the ship flashed on, a fluorescent show of luminous green and black magnifying the opulence of its grandeur. With steady precision, Flynn managed to lift the ship off the ground and ascend to the ceiling, where Vale hit the buttons required to part the two metal doors separating them from the dangers of the outside.

Corrupted twilight spilled through, spreading its melancholy tone across the faces of Lisa, Vale, and Rasina. With the input of a string of commands, the ship burst resoundingly from the hangar and into the sky, soaring high above the Subterranean caves and the carnage within. From their angelic view of the world, Flynn and the others witnessed the true gravity of their circumstance; trailing as far as the eye could see were the rich green roots and tendrils of the tentacle plant, swallowing up the world whole in its flamboyant fervor.

Into the Hornet’s Nest

The subtle vertigo mesmerized them as the ship accelerated to speeds unimaginable towards the malevolent gray sky. Their bodies were humbled by the force, pinned to the back of the seats while their outstretched arms held tightly to the controls. Flynn activated the radio, recalling how just yesterday such an act was considered one of the greatest taboos in Subterranean culture.

“Alright, Vale, this is Flynn.” He churned out the words slowly and loudly, leaning into what he thought was a microphone. “Can you hear me?”

“Yes, Flynn,” her cheerfully mocking smile could be heard icing her words, “I can hear you.”

Rolan sat next to him in the copilot’s seat, separated by a large terminal in the middle that split up their two respective sets of controls. “When will we have the opportunity to shoot something?”

“When they start shooting us.” Flynn laughed lightly.

The ship glided towards the stars, finally reaching a height where the entire known surface of the planet was in full view of their eyes.

It was a mess.

There were hundreds of enemy ships swarming the sickly sky, barely avoiding collision with one another. Bombs glistened sharply as they plummeted from above, relentlessly beating the desert sands with the drums of war. Ravager troops were offloaded dozens at a time in a seemingly unending flow that appeared impossible to stem. The giant plant stretched its tentacles across the dunes and into the caves, enveloping the world with its flowering grasp.

Flynn gasped at the sight; it was a stark contrast to the barren wasteland he remembered so well… Now it was littered with alien paraphernalia, like an enormous war machine that had burst open. Even the old ruined buildings of the ancient Ravager civilization had been crushed underneath the weight of their aggression, destroying what remnants remained of their savage origin.