Subterranean (3 page)

“The best thing I can do for my planet now is to show you that we are a good species that can be trusted, should your people ever encounter mine again in the future.”

“Based on what you have informed me, there might not be a future for your species.”

“There’s still a chance,” Flynn retorted, “the resistance might have been victorious, or maybe the survivors that fled managed to colonize other worlds or maybe assimilate into different cultures.” He suddenly turned, unable to help himself from becoming smug. “Besides, with no space vessels, I’m not going anywhere… Might as well make myself useful, right?”

Tural shifted his jaw over to one side. “Let me discuss this with my Overseer and see what her advisement is about this. But first, let us discuss those aliens that attacked you…”

Flynn and Tural spoke for hours inside the room about the race of bloodthirsty aliens that attacked his planet, bent on the extinction of his entire species, and pored over every detail he could remember about the waves of attacks he managed to live through, as well as the haunting silhouettes of the aliens the news stations had labeled “the Ravagers.” He couldn’t help but notice Tural becoming more anxious as he went on, stroking his chin harder and faster while speaking less and less. After the long talk, Flynn was excused and encouraged to immerse himself in the city and everything it had to offer.

“I suppose it would not hurt to see if anyone needs help around here. You seem capable, I am sure someone will want your assistance, friend, if you still desire to help us.”

Stepping out of the chambers, the doors snapped shut behind him and the heavy metal locks slid back into place with loud clanks. Flynn didn’t know where to start; the city lay out before him like a crop field ready for harvest, filled with fruits, but none of the kind that would help him save his people.

He knew one thing though, he needed a plan.

Science, in the Darkest of Places

Flynn walked the city streets with unease, shifting uncomfortably every time someone looked his way. He was scouting the area for someone who might be friendly, or at least understanding, but almost everyone he saw seemed suspicious of him; some parents even picked up their children in their arms when he walked by. Truly, he felt like a monster, but it couldn’t have been further from the truth. He wished to speak up and tell everyone that he just wanted to get back home or to another planet that could help him, but his faltering courage wouldn’t allow it.

He began to question his fate, why he ended up here and not dead out in space. Why was he the only survivor of the ship? Why bother sparing his life if only to end up helplessly stranded on another planet? Why had he been strayed so far from his goal? Was survival all that mattered?

Expelling such profound thoughts from his mind, he took another look at the underground city. It didn’t take long for him to realize that it was truly a technological marvel; some of the advancements they had made in science and medicine surpassed even what he thought was possible.

For one, the injuries he’d sustained to his body were completely healed and not a drop of residual pain remained. But if these people had come so far, why weren’t they capable of taking to the stars? He’d figured at least an airplane or a helicopter would’ve been invented by now, but there was no trace of any aerial technology.

Finally, he came upon a building that looked like a research facility, housing all sorts of laboratory equipment from microscopes to test tubes. Seeing no one prohibiting his entrance, he casually walked in to slate his curiosity.

He Who Has All the Answers

He was fascinated by the Subterraneans in the lab, who appeared to be scientists of some sort, working on all manner of tests and experiments. The equipment they handled looked incredibly sophisticated and sensitive, along with all of the subjects they delved in.

No one stopped him, or noticed him for that matter; they were all far too focused on their work to pay any attention to the strange human walking through their doors. One particular experiment caught his eye: a test they were performing on a sample of the planet’s crust using different levels of radiation emitted from a small device.

“Hey, there.” Flynn waved to the scientist clad in white. “What are you doing?” He leaned over, bluntly asking the Subterranean while his eyes were still glued to a lens.

“I have already told you, the notes detail exactly why this test needs to be performed again. If the inconclusive results are any indication of the uncertainty of our centuries-old assumptions, then we must be absolutely positive we cannot reach a safe conclusion before we present our findings to Tural.”

The annoyed Subterranean appeared more brutish than his scientific inclinations implied, however his attitude made Flynn feel right at home in a laboratory back on Earth. The scientist was larger than most of the others and had a wider jaw that confidently deposited all of his elaborate terminology into the air. The spike jutting from the back of his head was longer and pointier than Rolan’s, who until now had the most impressive one of them all.

Something about him was different, Flynn could feel it, but he didn’t quite know what it was. For one, his lips didn’t completely cover his teeth, so the sharp tips of both top and bottom rows were shyly visible.

Flynn, still bewildered by the scientist’s different appearance and completely clueless as to what was just told to him, simply nodded as he answered. “What does Tural want to find from this?”

Exasperated by the question, the scientist turned around, stopping himself halfway through his frustrated complaints when he saw Flynn in full view. “Oh, the human, yes.” He cleared his throat. “What are you doing in here? Did Tural not tell you to leave us be?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Well, human, I will tell you then: leave us be, we are very busy.” He tried to return to his work, but could feel Flynn’s eyes upon his back. “Why are you are still here?”

“Curiosity.”

He gritted his teeth. “Is that your word for stubbornness?”

“I suppose it could be.”

Relenting, he dropped the utensils in his hands and pushed away from the lenses on his desk. “Very well, what is it you want?”

“Information.” He said demandingly, quickly easing himself thereafter. “And if you need any help…”

He folded his hands together. “No, we do not need help. Now, what is it you want to know?”

“The history of this planet.”

“I am a scientist, not a historian. Go bother Andel the Chronicler.”

Flynn continued, ignoring his suggestion. “So, how old is this planet?”

Annoyed by his persistence, he answered quickly. “Very old. What else?”

“Were your people always living underground like this? In these caves?”

“Yes. What else?”

“Was the surface always so dry and barren?”

“No.”

“What happened?”

“I do not know.”

“What? How can you not know?”

“No one does. Are you done?”

“No. What do you know about the Ravagers?” Flynn began to give a careful description of the species, but was interrupted midway through.

“Leave now, human.”

Flynn, taken completely off guard, reeled from the demand. “What?”

He repeated himself, slower this time. “
Leave now, human.
”

“…Wait, hold on, I’ll ask a different question.”

“No, leave.”

“Please,” Flynn begged, “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just want to know about this place.”

The scientist reluctantly acceded to pity and gave a great sigh. “Very well…”

Flynn went on for another twenty minutes or so, asking him all sorts of questions about everything from the planet’s history to the evolution of the species. However, when Flynn asked about Tural, the scientist changed the subject almost immediately.

“Radovan,” the scientist asked to be called, “you didn’t answer my question about Tural.”

He tapped his finger impatiently. “What about Tural?”

“I want to know more about him.”

“So go ask him.” The pause lasted for a while with a mixture of glowering looks; Flynn struck a nerve somewhere. Getting the feeling that the human wasn’t going to leave him to his work in peace any time soon, he decided to offer up something to chew on. “He is hiding something.”

Flynn, unbalanced by the sudden divulgence of information, stood dumbstruck. “What?” He asked inquisitively. “What is he hiding?”

“I do not know, human. I told you how I feel about him. Is that not what you wanted? There. Now, are we done? It is essential that I return to my work.”

“Okay, fine. Go back to blasting rocks with radiation.” Almost surprised by how Flynn knew in some respect what he was doing, he watched him intently as he left out the door.

Flynn took a deep sigh as he stepped back out into the city; he’d just been given a lot to think on, despite Radovan’s short, agitated responses. Unfortunately, he’d have to do it later; Rolan stood in the street staring at him, arms crossed, leaning on a wall.

Chapter 2

Survivors Are Never Alone

“Rolan!” Flynn approached him, thankful to see a familiar face, with a hand outstretched, to which he received only a puzzled look. He withdrew his hand in embarrassment. “Right, anyway.”

Rolan motioned him to follow as he led him through the streets, heading towards some unknown destination. “You have not visited your friend yet, Flynn. She is worried about you.”

Flynn snapped his eyes on Rolan and followed with a frantic string of confused questions. He was stunned to hear that someone else had survived the crash with him. “Impossible, everyone was dead before I even found this planet.”

“Apparently not, she waits for you in the medical bay.” Flynn eyed Rolan with a growing sense of paranoia, remembering what Radovan said about their leader hiding something from him. It had to be a trick, there was no way anyone was still alive.

Still, he couldn’t just say no; it was worth investigating.

“I am curious, Flynn,” he pointed at his head, “what are those yellow strings on your head?”

Flynn brushed his fingers through his blonde hair. “You mean my hair?”

“Hair?” He repeated carefully.

“Yes, hair.”

He pondered for a moment. “What is the purpose of it?”

Flynn shrugged. “I think it’s to keep my head warm.”

Rolan easily walked the route to the hospital without looking ahead, instead studying Flynn’s face. “Your jaw is wider than that of the female.”

“Female?”

“The survivor.” He touched his own smooth skin around his jaw. “And you have more of that… hair… around your mouth.”

Flynn grabbed at his light stubble. “Uh, yeah, it’s a beard.”

“Beard?” He pronounced the word over several times. “Beard. Beard… Bee-erd. Beard!”

“Yeah… beard.”

“How do you acquire one of these?”

“I don’t know… It just grows!” He refocused after they split to allow a group of children to run by, their laughter drawing Flynn’s eyes as he remembered seeing a similar scene on the long beaches of Earth. “What can you tell me about her? The female?”

“Well, she is not a male.”

“Funny.” Flynn said, annoyed. “I’m serious.”

“What more is there to tell you? She was severely injured, but we healed her.” He withdrew a data pad from his pocket. “Still, we should keep her under observation for another day.”

Winding up some complicated routes and enduring some pretty long elevator rides, the two were finally at the door to the hospital room where the female survivor was. Flynn’s face pressed against the window trying to discern what was inside.

“The door is over here…” Rolan pressed a button and the slab of metal slid into the wall.

Sitting on the bed was a woman, clearly a human, who turned to look with fright at the two entities entering. Her quick gasp of fear quickly turned to relief when she noticed Flynn.

“Flynn!” She charged at him and constricted his neck in an embrace.

“Whoa!” He tried to pry her hands off before she choked him unconscious.

“Flynn!” She repeated, burying her face in his chest.

He put a hand on her back. “It’s all right.” When he gently pushed her away, he looked in her captivating aquatic blue eyes surrounded on both sides by her fluid, wavy brown hair that rested lightly on her shoulders; he knew exactly who it was. “Lisa!”

She was the only one on the ship who came to him every time he was alone and sat with him, the only one who tried to understand him when the burden of reality had been too much to bear. She was also the only other person he showed a picture of his sister to.

She breathed out with a smile. “I knew you wouldn’t let us down.”

“What are you talking about? I
did
let you down. Everyone’s dead!” Tears welled up in his eyes during the zipping flashbacks of previous events. All the faces of the others onboard the ship with him flew past his third eye.

“No, don’t say that! You didn’t let us down!” She put a tender hand on his chest. “We were lucky to have you on our ship.”

“Lucky? We barely made it out of orbit before we were almost blown to bits!”

“But we weren’t!”

“We might as well have been!”

She slapped him hard across the face. “Flynn, stop! We’re still alive! Don’t waste it on self-pity!”

Taken aback by the open-handed blow to the left side of his face, all he could do was retreat into his mind with open, unblinking eyes. Soon, the shock melted away and life returned to his still expression. “You’re right… Sorry.”

Suddenly, Rolan flooded the invisible shield surrounding their personal conversation from the doorway. “Is that an alternative form of communication?” He asked politely, referencing the physical contact Lisa had made with Flynn.

Almost as if Lisa had forgotten, she drew a startled gasp upon seeing Rolan’s face again. “What are they, Flynn?”

“I may not have complete mastery of your language, but I am fairly certain you mean ‘who.’” Rolan said with a slight hint of insult in his voice.

Flynn stepped in Rolan’s line of sight to cover her, a metaphorical shield against potential threats. “Right, you’re a ‘who’ as much as we are.”

“Thank you for recognizing.” His gaze hardened. “I must speak with you, Flynn.”

“Alright.” Flynn sighed and moved towards the door. “I could use some air. Shall we continue this discussion outside?”

With careful steps, they each exited the room and approached the railing overlooking the massive underground city. While not the highest point in the city, it allowed an adequate view to behold the impressive city in all its wonder. Staring out into the urban jungle, he collected himself and prepared to maintain his composure no matter what Rolan might tell him.

An Audience with the King

“Here, the hospital gave me this.” Rolan handed Flynn what looked like two energy bars. “They were able to synthesize food based on your DNA. Apparently, eating our food will have… unfortunate effects.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Our food will most likely kill you. And your food will probably kill us. So, take these death sticks from my hands, already.”

Flynn took the energy bar from his hands. “Well, I guess I should thank you… but I have to say it’s a little creepy having my DNA extracted for study by an alien species.”

“Do not worry, Flynn; we are not trying to unlock the secrets of your species. We simply wanted to know how to feed you.”

“Okay, that was the strangest thing I’ve heard in a while.” Flynn mingled in the awkwardness, something he felt only Lisa and himself understood. “Here, Lisa,” he handed her one of the energy bars, “I don’t know how it will taste, but I’m guessing it won’t be haute cuisine.”

“It’s okay.” She took the food from him and held it loosely in her hands. He doubted she would eat it, not right away at least, but figured eventually hunger would persuade her; he himself wasn’t looking forward to it.

“You know, Flynn,” Rolan glanced over at Lisa, “we did not have to shoot
her
…” His subsequent smile blasted away Flynn’s initial confusion.

“Did
you
shoot me?” He held an eyebrow up in curiosity.

“Yes.” He answered coldly. “Given the circumstances, I considered you a potential threat that needed to be neutralized immediately.”

Flynn crossed his arms. “I was being held up by a stick.”

Rolan cocked his head with a ponderous expression. “Do you know the damage I could do with a stick?”

With a grunt, Flynn ended the conversation and leaned over the railing overlooking the underground metropolis. He sensed Rolan join alongside him and prepared to ask if he knew anything about the way the Subterranean planet used to be, but a finger pointed out to the glorious centerpiece before he had a chance to inquire.

“That is my house.”

From what Flynn could make out, it was a modest little hovel on the outskirts, receiving little of the main light shining from the city square. “It’s nice.”

Rolan sighed and began regaling Flynn with stories of his wife’s beauty and how lucky he was; a newborn child was expected soon, to which he expressed great fear. “I fear what the future holds.”

Flynn started to think of his own life and how close he’d come to anything that could be conceived as love. He had a few girlfriends, but nothing ever materialized with them. He blamed most of the falling outs he experienced on himself and his complete lack of confidence; every time something crashed and burned, he ran away from it instead of trying to fix it. It was a shame, really, he dreamed of having someone to love, hoping that he would one day share the same fears and hopes of a husband and father. Bitterly, he would now never realize that dream. Almost drawn in by another bout of despair right there, Rolan brought him back with a question.

“What is your world like, Flynn?”

“You mean before or after it went up in flames?”

“I…” he searched the ground for a way to reconcile his infringement, “…I am sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He shook the thoughts from his head and regained control, opening his mind to thousands of memories whirling by in a never-ending cycle. “It was… everything.”

“Everything?” Rolan asked, his mind begging for clarification.

“Yeah. It could support life everywhere. There wasn’t a single spot that I didn’t see an animal or a plant. Whether it was hot, or cold, or comfortable; wet, dry, or just right… every inch of it cradled a little spark of life.” Feeling the air thicken with emotion, he swiftly employed a spot of humor to lighten the mood. “And it’s where I keep all my stuff.”

“Ha!” He suddenly bellowed out an uncharacteristic laugh. “It sounds like a great place to live! I would love to visit sometime!”

“Sure,” he glanced over at Lisa, shocked to see Rolan so precipitously comfortable, “but there’s a slight alien problem this time of year.”

“Well,” his voice softened, though still harboring a trace of detainment, “if we had the means to aid you more than simply giving you a place to rest, we would.”

“About that…” Flynn saw an opportunity to get some information and jumped at it. “I was curious about a few things.”

Rolan shifted uncomfortably and tightened his muscles, like he was ready to walk away at any moment. “Perhaps I can answer some questions you have.” His blackened eyes met with Flynn’s. “Some.”

“What do you know about the aliens that attacked my planet?”

“Tural described them to me; I have never heard of them.”

Flynn felt like Rolan knew more about the Ravagers than he was letting on, but he didn’t dare prod anymore. “What about Tural?”

Rolan tensed and answered without looking. “What
about
Tural?”

“I want to know more about him.”

“So go ask him.” It was like Radovan all over again.

“I guess I’ll have to, since no one wants to tell me about him.”

“You have asked others?” A growing suspicion swirled around him.

“Just one.”

“Who?” His voice became restive with anxiety.

“A scientist in one of the labs down there.” He cast a finger upon a sturdy building near the center of the city.

“What was his name?”

Flynn broke off eye contact and stepped away. “I… can’t remember.”

Rolan looked as if he was about to beat the information from Flynn when suddenly he stopped and pressed a button on his beeping communicator. “Rolan,” he said affirmatively. A few moments passed and then he nodded. “Right away.”

He had just been informed that Tural requested their collective presence.

Flynn turned to Lisa and smiled. “I guess we’ll get a chance to ask Tural ourselves.” He took her by the hand and they followed Rolan to the Subterranean leader’s chambers.

The Cold Light of the Moon

This time the guards didn’t even wait; right when they saw Flynn and Lisa approaching, with Rolan at their side, the doors to Tural’s chambers were already being opened. The steam released from the pressurized locks blasted out with a hiss into the air and clouded the hallway like a misty morning. Flynn let Rolan enter first, and then followed suit with Lisa behind him. When they cleared the white veil, he saw Tural sitting with his feet on the desk listening to a female Subterranean with a lithe frame and angular features showing him something on a data pad, her smooth skin a delicate mask for her starkly attractive face.