Fan Fiction ❯ Angelic Dreams ❯ Back on Zea ( Chapter 8 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Yasai Oujo 
They've landed on Zea.. o.O
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Suspense / Sci-fi / Martial Arts / Fantasy / Drama / Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.21.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.2K | Visits: 149 | Status: Completed
They've landed on Zea.. o.O
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Suspense / Sci-fi / Martial Arts / Fantasy / Drama / Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.21.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.2K | Visits: 149 | Status: Completed
Chapter Eight
September 6th, 2001 AD
Galaxy: 402B01
"Would you hold still?!" I growled impatiently at Anas. He was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"Well sorry for feeling a bit nervous before being blood-sucked by a gigantic needle," he muttered as I reached up with my foot and set it on his knee to stop him from bouncing up and down, while balancing a shot in my hands.
"Now hold still.." I grumbled.
"WAIT!" Anas shrieked, eyes wide. "Just.. lemme count down from ten.. then you can take my blood - okay?"
I sighed. "Fine."
"Ten..." Anas breathed. "Nine.. eight...-"
I jammed the needle into his arm before he even reached five... and I swear people from Zea could hear his scream.
"Anas! Calm down!" I tried to shout over his childish wails. I waggled a finger around in my ear and gave up, leaving the pale-faced boy in his chair - his screams fading slightly.
Jaden, Lee and Seri looked over at me.
"What'd you do to him?" Lee asked in a long, sarcastic, suffering voice. Everyone had gotten used to Anas muttering about the stupid tests we had been taking on him for the last two week. Still - no sign of abnormality.. and we were running out of equipment. Seri, being an expert in computers, had taken the blood and spit samples, along with the X-rays - all having to do with computers, which I lacked the ability to use as well as she. But back to Anas, it was unlikely to hear a scream so loud from him.
"Oh, would you stop that?!" I retorted. "It's already enough that Anas is being difficult."
"I want a bandaid!" Anas shouted from his chair.
"You see what I mean?" I said, throwing up my hands.
"I'm bleeeeeeeeding!" Anas whined. I stepped to a drawer and thrust about ten bandages at him. "There! Help yourself!" I huffed, stomping to the table in our 'kitchen'.
"Royal flash!" Jaden hooted, throwing playing cards down on the floor. He just HAPPENED to have cards on him, huh? What luck. He and Lee had been playing with them for days now, that being their only time-consuming option. There really wasn't much they could do - it was a small ship.
"Aw!" Lee threw his cards onto the spaceship floor. "Lost again!"
I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to Seri, who had been at the computer, typing away madly a few seconds before. Though by now, she was sound asleep in the captain's chair. Poor girl. She hadn't slept in days.
I stepped up to the controls, carefully plucking her from her chair to a nearby window seat, where she could at least lie down.
I took her place and began to study what she had been doing.
"Blood type.. blah, blah, blah.." I scrolled down the page on the computer screen, and read what she last wrote. "-blood sample: less than 1/2 pint - healthy human male - signs of former drug use-" I stopped and thought for a moment. "Anas," I called to him.
"What?" He shouted back.
"You used to use drugs?" I asked.
"No, but my parents did," Anas said. "They would always smoke inside the house and stuff."
"What all are the drugs they used?" I asked.
"Um.. they smoked, like I've already mentioned.. and ecstasy.. hate that ecstasy.." he grumbled.
"Anas... why didn't you say anything before when I asked about things like this?" I muttered.
"Oops.. forgot.." he answered sheepishly.
"Now I know why no abnormalities have appeared in the tests! Though.. that is only my hypothesis.. I may not be right, but it's one variable we're just going to have to think about. We can do no more further tests until the drug is removed from your body," I explained.
"Yay! No more tests!" Anas cheered, jumping up from his seat.
"No need to do any more of this.." I said, "Seri can finally have a break."
"Whoa! What's THAT planet?" Jaden looked up from his game to stare out the side window, where he could clearly see an enormous green planet with it's numerous, slowly spreading clouds.
"That's Peig," I informed him. I had grown up on that planet.. it was still same as always, looking so peaceful compared to the battle raging Zea. "We're close to my home planet - we'll be there in an hour or two."
"Yeah!" Lee threw up his fists. "We're going home!"
"Just remember," Jaden grumbled. "It'll still be a few weeks to GET home."
"Yeah," Lee grumbled unenthusiastically. "We're going home."
"Okay, listen up," I told everyone, who obediently gave their attention to me. "Once we reach the atmosphere of Zea, it's only procedure that we turn all power off."
Lee gasped.
"What?" I asked, irritated at his interruption.
"We'll freeze to death!" He objected.
"No - we won't," I sighed. "That was a really stupid thing to say - you of all people here should know that spaceships can keep their heat for well over a day once the heater is turned off. Anyway, as I was saying.." I shot a look at Lee, daring him to speak again. "It's only for our safety - Geel sensors can reach our ship if we don't turn the power off. So, of the Underground Base, we have established an ASR."
"What's an ASR?" Anas piped up.
"ASR stands for Automatic Spaceship Retriever.. it's quite interesting actually.. an invisible force sucks the spaceship into the planet, letting an opening swallow it up.. it seems like Zea will be eating us, but underground, it's hollow. We will be directed straight to a spaceship dock where we may exit our capsule. Any questions?" I peered around at the blank faces. "Good. Now you can go back to what you were doing," I said a little nervously of the silence of the small crowd.
"Hey..." Jaden said happily. "I won."
I sighed as everyone began to converse again, climbing back into the captain's chair.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Hey.. Kaita.. we're almost home."
I awoke to Seri's voice, as she shoved me softly from my slumber.
I opened my eyes, staring up at Seri, who looked very refreshed. "Ah.. have I been asleep that long?"
"Only a couple hours," Seri replied, peering out the window. I did the same. Right outside was the planet Zea - the once-green mass. Now it was a sandy brown color, that was a permanent mark of the evil which took refuge there.
I sat up from my limp, slumped position in the chair, stretching my limbs. "Ah... Zea at last." Instantly, I felt a bit uncomfortable.. I sounded so weak as being unable to be away from home for a few weeks. "I mean.. great," I uttered unenthusiastically.
Seri gave a small smile. "Come on, oh great war leader... it's not like you're admitting yourself in front of your father."
"Heh.. isn't that sad? I can talk more comfortably in front of my friend than my own dad," I answered, smiling back.
"Hey, Kaita?" Seri asked.
"What?"
"When we land on the planet again.. will we have to fight.. like.. an all out battle?" Seri wondered.
"I dunno.. probably," I answered with the air of one replying to a question like, 'Isn't your birthday tomorrow?'
"So we're landing now?" Lee jumped between Seri and I, leaning close in my face. I batted him away.
"Yes.. we are.. get ready. Tell your brother not to start doing anything that uses the ship's main control system," I ordered.
"Right," Lee nodded, running for Jaden.
"Anas?" I leaned around Seri to see where he was. "We're landing now."
Anas jumped from tinkering with an old voice recorder. "Okay.. s-sure.."
"Anas," I said, disappointedly. "Are you not satisfied with the way I've trained you? Do you need to go over the buttons on a laser gun again?"
"Uh.. no," Anas said coolly. "It's just that I've never really.. fought with anyone before - like, you know.. killed anyone. So if I must.. shoot a.. a Geel - don't be too amazed if, ya know.." the boy trailed off, but I was pretty sure I knew what was coming.
"Amazed if what? You FAINT?" I teased.
"Something along the lines of that," he replied glumly. "Though FAINT, is such a WEAK term.."
"Oh, it's okay Anas," I grinned sadistically. "If you don't faint when you kill someone, you may want to, soon afterwards. Whoever you may kill could be somewhat useful to the other Geels. They may want to come after you themselves and kill YOU."
"Of course - you know there is a fifty-fifty chance whether you live or die, sweet Anas," Seri put in.
"O-oh yeah.. normal day in my life.. heh," Anas said nervously. "Hey - I guess it is, what do you know? Get kidnapped by aliens, be flown half way across the universe in only two weeks, and die at the hands of some more aliens - all that I've never heard of. And I never believed in aliens before now, might I add."
"Never believed in life aside your own? Humble race, huh?" I smirked.
Seri pointed to the countdown clock and cleared her throat.
"Oh yes," I said, walking over to the power switch. "We want to turn this off, don't we? Well, hold on - it's going to get really dark now, but I don't think we're going to be paying much attention in here. It's always fun - being sucked into the planet. Watch carefully." I pulled the switch down forcefully from it's upward position, and with a loud 'clank' every light went out, all the computers shut down, and the engines died.
We were consumed by pitch blackness, and I had to feel my way to a chair to sit down and watch for the show to begin.
I heard footsteps as Lee and Jaden entered the top floor of the ship, and they both sat down quietly on the floor to witness the scene.
For a moment, nothing happened. And then suddenly, the planet opened - a huge gaping hole near the southern part of Zea. Slowly, it seemed to breathe in continuously, sucking in enormous gasps of air, and soon, our spaceship was dragged forward, slowly at first, and moving faster and faster as we neared the source of the giant vacuum.
PWOOSH!
All in a speedy rush, we were whisked through the atmosphere - clouds zipping by, birds, then the tallest trees, and the ground. There was a murky darkness that continued almost as long as the atmosphere, as we soared through layers of soil towards the base.
Quite suddenly, the sucking stopped, and a blur of color from the opening of the underground base erupted as we drifted almost lazily to a docking bay with a soft landing.
When everything stopped, I felt around for the main power switch, flipping it up. The spaceship exploded with light as all computers came back on, buttons twinkling on the control board.
"Computer, open hatch, please," Seri commanded.
I grinned at the looks on the three boy's faces. "So, was that fun?" I asked teasingly.
"That.. was such a rush.." Lee blurted.
"Wow! That feels like a roller coaster!" Anas said cheerfully.
"Yeah, it is kind of like that, isn't it?" I agreed, as the spaceship hatch started to pop open.
"Welcome to Zea," I said, gesturing out as the door opened completely, turning to the exit. And my mouth dropped. "Th-the.." I trailed off, stuttering.. I couldn't get a clear sentence out... there was.. it was.. the base! It was completely flattened! Nothing! Not one house was standing! It was like a hurricane had just passed over it! No way! No!
"No!" Seri yelled in horror. "How did.. the Geels.. it must've been.."
I shook my head, blinking, trying to make the real base appear. This couldn't be true! It couldn't! My home was all gone! But what about..
I gasped, and without another word, flung myself from the spaceship. Seri gave a small cry as I leapt out onto the rubble, pausing a moment to keep my balance, then tearing off across the mess to my house. "Oh please.. please let my mother be okay.. please," I pleaded through halted breaths as I ran faster than ever before.
No.. not one person.. it was a graveyard - completely destroyed.. gone forever..
I stopped - my feet skidded a few paces ahead of me as I came upon the remains of my lovely house. My once lovely house - now a pile of charred, flattened boards. Still overcome with shock, I dug through the remains of my home, searching for anything.. one recognizable token.. any trinket of my past..
I pulled away plaster and stone, cutting my fingers on jagged edges and finding nothing as the whole thing soaked in.. the Geels must have found the underground base.. and ambushed it.. killing, slaughtering everyone and everything.. why? WHY did they do THIS?!!
"They're.. not going to get away with this.." I growled, overcome with too many emotions, but boiling with unstoppable rage all the same. "You hear me Geels?! Not ONE of your slimy little tendrils will escape me! You'll all be dead, and there will not be one shroud of your existence! And once you're dead, I'll stomp on your remains! You're not getting away this easily! I'm going to kill you! And kill you and kill you and kill you!!" I screamed so loud, my voice reverberated off the empty walls. The ugly, ruined walls...
I collapsed to my knees, wishing it would all go away.. wishing I could just wake up from a nightmare. "Why, at least, did you not wait until I came back?" I sobbed to invisible Geels. "You could have killed me too..."
"Kaita?"
I heard Seri's voice, and turned to her. Tears were streaming down her face, and a wave of pity came over me.
"Seri.. don't cry. Don't let the Geels make you cry, they're not worth that," I said.
That just made her weep harder. "Kaita.. all my fear for them is gone. I just feel so much hate - I don't care if they've got kui guns or whatever. I just want to kill them."
"Yes Seri - we're going to kill them so bad, they won't know what hit them," I answered savagely, picking myself up off the ground and comforting my friend by placing a hand on her shoulder.
Lee, Jaden and Anas appeared over a hill of former houses, looking solemn, lost for words.
"Lee, Jaden.." I said. "I'm sorry, but I think you're flight will be delayed for a while. We're going to get you home though, just wait - those Geels don't stand a chance." I forced a flicker of a smile.
"Um..." Anas shifted from foot to foot.
"What?" I asked.
"We're here, aren't we?" Anas asked.
I looked puzzled. "That's a stupid question."
"No... I mean.. aren't I supposed to be killing off Geels or something?" He asked.
"That is a problem.." I grumbled as Seri wiped her eyes and stared at the ground. "You're here.. I don't know how to 'activate' you, and the Geels have now destroyed the military portion of our race.. can't get much worse than this," I moaned.
"I have to disagree with you on this one, young trouble-maker.. I must completely disagree."
I gasped in surprise as an amused Geel voice spoke from underneath a pile of rubble. His body erupted from the shattered piles, and he clutched a gun weakly. It seemed that a structure of the underground base had collapsed upon him, and looked badly beaten.
"And what are you expecting to do.. kill us, you weak little son of a bitch?" Seri growled. I gave the same piercing glare, not very amazed at Seri for cursing, who rarely cussed. I wouldn't be surprised with anything at the moment.
"Yeah, actually.. I think I AM going to kill you now," it cackled, pointing the gun straight between my eyes.
With the agility of a cat pouncing on it's prey, I leapt into the air, locking my fists and slamming them down upon the Geels head. It collapsed and fell unconscious on the ground, dropping it's weapon.
Anas made an 'ooh that's gotta hurt' look as the Geel's eyes rolled up in it's head.
"And you say you've had trouble with these Geels?" Jaden asked in bewilderment.
"Yes, but mind you - this one was injured. Of course I have the upper hand," I informed, stepping up to the Geel.
"You're not gonna kill it, are you?" Anas asked, looking a bit queasy.
"No," I said, taking the translator gun out of my pocket and shooting it with a buzz. "There. NOW I can kill it."
Anas squeezed his eyes shut as I took out my laser gun and shot twice.
"Here - Anas - take this," I walked over to the boy and gave him the small needle. "You didn't understand that Geel, correct? Well, this may help," I explained.
After Anas injected the shot, I gave one to Lee and Jaden, throwing each empty bottle onto the ground.
"Aren't you going to use one?" Lee asked.
"Heh - everyone of the underground base was required to take one when they came to live here," I said.
"That reminds me.. how come I can understand Lee and Jaden, though you never shot them?" Anas asked.
"They and I speak the universal tongue," I said. "Most races among the universe speak this as well as one of their own - but lucky for me, this is my native language."
"Oh.. okay," Anas replied.
"So, Anas ol' pal," I clapped him on the shoulder. "Are you ready to start some Geel hunting?"
"Geel hunting?" Anas asked.
"Of course, we'll let any other injured Geels die slowly down here if they must - don't mind them.. but once we surface, there'll be swarms of them everywhere," I said.
"Swarms?" Anas asked wearily.
An eerie energy could be seen in my eye as I grinned - emotionless and very unhappy. Not a smile you see on me a lot. "Yep - swarms. We're going to have to kill as many as we can - join up with my father and his troops from Peig - they're probably in battle now. Have I told you my father is the war leader?"
"I could have guessed," Anas answered.
"Yes, well - get ready for dropping maggots, boy. This will be your first experience of war, will it not be?" I asked.
"It will," Anas said glumly. "You know that. I've said so a million times."
"Well, it's not pretty," I grumbled. "It'll scar you for life."
"So what's our objective?" Jaden wondered.
"You're coming too, are you?" Seri asked.
"Of course," Jaden answered for his brother. "What are friends for?"
"Thank you, Lee.. Jaden," I nodded once, turning abruptly. "Our objective is to keep Anas alive at all costs.. and.. kill as many Geels as you can. Follow me, we're leaving."
"This is it.." Anas gave a great sigh. "The beginning of a revolution?"
"Perhaps," I answered, leading the way to the surface. "But the universe shows no mercy. Remember that - if we die, there is no hope for anyone. Though at the same time, nobody would even remember we existed."
"Well," Jaden muttered, "This is just the start of unhappy news, isn't it?"
"Yes, friend," I said. "It's about to get so much worse."
September 6th, 2001 AD
Galaxy: 402B01
"Would you hold still?!" I growled impatiently at Anas. He was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"Well sorry for feeling a bit nervous before being blood-sucked by a gigantic needle," he muttered as I reached up with my foot and set it on his knee to stop him from bouncing up and down, while balancing a shot in my hands.
"Now hold still.." I grumbled.
"WAIT!" Anas shrieked, eyes wide. "Just.. lemme count down from ten.. then you can take my blood - okay?"
I sighed. "Fine."
"Ten..." Anas breathed. "Nine.. eight...-"
I jammed the needle into his arm before he even reached five... and I swear people from Zea could hear his scream.
"Anas! Calm down!" I tried to shout over his childish wails. I waggled a finger around in my ear and gave up, leaving the pale-faced boy in his chair - his screams fading slightly.
Jaden, Lee and Seri looked over at me.
"What'd you do to him?" Lee asked in a long, sarcastic, suffering voice. Everyone had gotten used to Anas muttering about the stupid tests we had been taking on him for the last two week. Still - no sign of abnormality.. and we were running out of equipment. Seri, being an expert in computers, had taken the blood and spit samples, along with the X-rays - all having to do with computers, which I lacked the ability to use as well as she. But back to Anas, it was unlikely to hear a scream so loud from him.
"Oh, would you stop that?!" I retorted. "It's already enough that Anas is being difficult."
"I want a bandaid!" Anas shouted from his chair.
"You see what I mean?" I said, throwing up my hands.
"I'm bleeeeeeeeding!" Anas whined. I stepped to a drawer and thrust about ten bandages at him. "There! Help yourself!" I huffed, stomping to the table in our 'kitchen'.
"Royal flash!" Jaden hooted, throwing playing cards down on the floor. He just HAPPENED to have cards on him, huh? What luck. He and Lee had been playing with them for days now, that being their only time-consuming option. There really wasn't much they could do - it was a small ship.
"Aw!" Lee threw his cards onto the spaceship floor. "Lost again!"
I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to Seri, who had been at the computer, typing away madly a few seconds before. Though by now, she was sound asleep in the captain's chair. Poor girl. She hadn't slept in days.
I stepped up to the controls, carefully plucking her from her chair to a nearby window seat, where she could at least lie down.
I took her place and began to study what she had been doing.
"Blood type.. blah, blah, blah.." I scrolled down the page on the computer screen, and read what she last wrote. "-blood sample: less than 1/2 pint - healthy human male - signs of former drug use-" I stopped and thought for a moment. "Anas," I called to him.
"What?" He shouted back.
"You used to use drugs?" I asked.
"No, but my parents did," Anas said. "They would always smoke inside the house and stuff."
"What all are the drugs they used?" I asked.
"Um.. they smoked, like I've already mentioned.. and ecstasy.. hate that ecstasy.." he grumbled.
"Anas... why didn't you say anything before when I asked about things like this?" I muttered.
"Oops.. forgot.." he answered sheepishly.
"Now I know why no abnormalities have appeared in the tests! Though.. that is only my hypothesis.. I may not be right, but it's one variable we're just going to have to think about. We can do no more further tests until the drug is removed from your body," I explained.
"Yay! No more tests!" Anas cheered, jumping up from his seat.
"No need to do any more of this.." I said, "Seri can finally have a break."
"Whoa! What's THAT planet?" Jaden looked up from his game to stare out the side window, where he could clearly see an enormous green planet with it's numerous, slowly spreading clouds.
"That's Peig," I informed him. I had grown up on that planet.. it was still same as always, looking so peaceful compared to the battle raging Zea. "We're close to my home planet - we'll be there in an hour or two."
"Yeah!" Lee threw up his fists. "We're going home!"
"Just remember," Jaden grumbled. "It'll still be a few weeks to GET home."
"Yeah," Lee grumbled unenthusiastically. "We're going home."
"Okay, listen up," I told everyone, who obediently gave their attention to me. "Once we reach the atmosphere of Zea, it's only procedure that we turn all power off."
Lee gasped.
"What?" I asked, irritated at his interruption.
"We'll freeze to death!" He objected.
"No - we won't," I sighed. "That was a really stupid thing to say - you of all people here should know that spaceships can keep their heat for well over a day once the heater is turned off. Anyway, as I was saying.." I shot a look at Lee, daring him to speak again. "It's only for our safety - Geel sensors can reach our ship if we don't turn the power off. So, of the Underground Base, we have established an ASR."
"What's an ASR?" Anas piped up.
"ASR stands for Automatic Spaceship Retriever.. it's quite interesting actually.. an invisible force sucks the spaceship into the planet, letting an opening swallow it up.. it seems like Zea will be eating us, but underground, it's hollow. We will be directed straight to a spaceship dock where we may exit our capsule. Any questions?" I peered around at the blank faces. "Good. Now you can go back to what you were doing," I said a little nervously of the silence of the small crowd.
"Hey..." Jaden said happily. "I won."
I sighed as everyone began to converse again, climbing back into the captain's chair.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Hey.. Kaita.. we're almost home."
I awoke to Seri's voice, as she shoved me softly from my slumber.
I opened my eyes, staring up at Seri, who looked very refreshed. "Ah.. have I been asleep that long?"
"Only a couple hours," Seri replied, peering out the window. I did the same. Right outside was the planet Zea - the once-green mass. Now it was a sandy brown color, that was a permanent mark of the evil which took refuge there.
I sat up from my limp, slumped position in the chair, stretching my limbs. "Ah... Zea at last." Instantly, I felt a bit uncomfortable.. I sounded so weak as being unable to be away from home for a few weeks. "I mean.. great," I uttered unenthusiastically.
Seri gave a small smile. "Come on, oh great war leader... it's not like you're admitting yourself in front of your father."
"Heh.. isn't that sad? I can talk more comfortably in front of my friend than my own dad," I answered, smiling back.
"Hey, Kaita?" Seri asked.
"What?"
"When we land on the planet again.. will we have to fight.. like.. an all out battle?" Seri wondered.
"I dunno.. probably," I answered with the air of one replying to a question like, 'Isn't your birthday tomorrow?'
"So we're landing now?" Lee jumped between Seri and I, leaning close in my face. I batted him away.
"Yes.. we are.. get ready. Tell your brother not to start doing anything that uses the ship's main control system," I ordered.
"Right," Lee nodded, running for Jaden.
"Anas?" I leaned around Seri to see where he was. "We're landing now."
Anas jumped from tinkering with an old voice recorder. "Okay.. s-sure.."
"Anas," I said, disappointedly. "Are you not satisfied with the way I've trained you? Do you need to go over the buttons on a laser gun again?"
"Uh.. no," Anas said coolly. "It's just that I've never really.. fought with anyone before - like, you know.. killed anyone. So if I must.. shoot a.. a Geel - don't be too amazed if, ya know.." the boy trailed off, but I was pretty sure I knew what was coming.
"Amazed if what? You FAINT?" I teased.
"Something along the lines of that," he replied glumly. "Though FAINT, is such a WEAK term.."
"Oh, it's okay Anas," I grinned sadistically. "If you don't faint when you kill someone, you may want to, soon afterwards. Whoever you may kill could be somewhat useful to the other Geels. They may want to come after you themselves and kill YOU."
"Of course - you know there is a fifty-fifty chance whether you live or die, sweet Anas," Seri put in.
"O-oh yeah.. normal day in my life.. heh," Anas said nervously. "Hey - I guess it is, what do you know? Get kidnapped by aliens, be flown half way across the universe in only two weeks, and die at the hands of some more aliens - all that I've never heard of. And I never believed in aliens before now, might I add."
"Never believed in life aside your own? Humble race, huh?" I smirked.
Seri pointed to the countdown clock and cleared her throat.
"Oh yes," I said, walking over to the power switch. "We want to turn this off, don't we? Well, hold on - it's going to get really dark now, but I don't think we're going to be paying much attention in here. It's always fun - being sucked into the planet. Watch carefully." I pulled the switch down forcefully from it's upward position, and with a loud 'clank' every light went out, all the computers shut down, and the engines died.
We were consumed by pitch blackness, and I had to feel my way to a chair to sit down and watch for the show to begin.
I heard footsteps as Lee and Jaden entered the top floor of the ship, and they both sat down quietly on the floor to witness the scene.
For a moment, nothing happened. And then suddenly, the planet opened - a huge gaping hole near the southern part of Zea. Slowly, it seemed to breathe in continuously, sucking in enormous gasps of air, and soon, our spaceship was dragged forward, slowly at first, and moving faster and faster as we neared the source of the giant vacuum.
PWOOSH!
All in a speedy rush, we were whisked through the atmosphere - clouds zipping by, birds, then the tallest trees, and the ground. There was a murky darkness that continued almost as long as the atmosphere, as we soared through layers of soil towards the base.
Quite suddenly, the sucking stopped, and a blur of color from the opening of the underground base erupted as we drifted almost lazily to a docking bay with a soft landing.
When everything stopped, I felt around for the main power switch, flipping it up. The spaceship exploded with light as all computers came back on, buttons twinkling on the control board.
"Computer, open hatch, please," Seri commanded.
I grinned at the looks on the three boy's faces. "So, was that fun?" I asked teasingly.
"That.. was such a rush.." Lee blurted.
"Wow! That feels like a roller coaster!" Anas said cheerfully.
"Yeah, it is kind of like that, isn't it?" I agreed, as the spaceship hatch started to pop open.
"Welcome to Zea," I said, gesturing out as the door opened completely, turning to the exit. And my mouth dropped. "Th-the.." I trailed off, stuttering.. I couldn't get a clear sentence out... there was.. it was.. the base! It was completely flattened! Nothing! Not one house was standing! It was like a hurricane had just passed over it! No way! No!
"No!" Seri yelled in horror. "How did.. the Geels.. it must've been.."
I shook my head, blinking, trying to make the real base appear. This couldn't be true! It couldn't! My home was all gone! But what about..
I gasped, and without another word, flung myself from the spaceship. Seri gave a small cry as I leapt out onto the rubble, pausing a moment to keep my balance, then tearing off across the mess to my house. "Oh please.. please let my mother be okay.. please," I pleaded through halted breaths as I ran faster than ever before.
No.. not one person.. it was a graveyard - completely destroyed.. gone forever..
I stopped - my feet skidded a few paces ahead of me as I came upon the remains of my lovely house. My once lovely house - now a pile of charred, flattened boards. Still overcome with shock, I dug through the remains of my home, searching for anything.. one recognizable token.. any trinket of my past..
I pulled away plaster and stone, cutting my fingers on jagged edges and finding nothing as the whole thing soaked in.. the Geels must have found the underground base.. and ambushed it.. killing, slaughtering everyone and everything.. why? WHY did they do THIS?!!
"They're.. not going to get away with this.." I growled, overcome with too many emotions, but boiling with unstoppable rage all the same. "You hear me Geels?! Not ONE of your slimy little tendrils will escape me! You'll all be dead, and there will not be one shroud of your existence! And once you're dead, I'll stomp on your remains! You're not getting away this easily! I'm going to kill you! And kill you and kill you and kill you!!" I screamed so loud, my voice reverberated off the empty walls. The ugly, ruined walls...
I collapsed to my knees, wishing it would all go away.. wishing I could just wake up from a nightmare. "Why, at least, did you not wait until I came back?" I sobbed to invisible Geels. "You could have killed me too..."
"Kaita?"
I heard Seri's voice, and turned to her. Tears were streaming down her face, and a wave of pity came over me.
"Seri.. don't cry. Don't let the Geels make you cry, they're not worth that," I said.
That just made her weep harder. "Kaita.. all my fear for them is gone. I just feel so much hate - I don't care if they've got kui guns or whatever. I just want to kill them."
"Yes Seri - we're going to kill them so bad, they won't know what hit them," I answered savagely, picking myself up off the ground and comforting my friend by placing a hand on her shoulder.
Lee, Jaden and Anas appeared over a hill of former houses, looking solemn, lost for words.
"Lee, Jaden.." I said. "I'm sorry, but I think you're flight will be delayed for a while. We're going to get you home though, just wait - those Geels don't stand a chance." I forced a flicker of a smile.
"Um..." Anas shifted from foot to foot.
"What?" I asked.
"We're here, aren't we?" Anas asked.
I looked puzzled. "That's a stupid question."
"No... I mean.. aren't I supposed to be killing off Geels or something?" He asked.
"That is a problem.." I grumbled as Seri wiped her eyes and stared at the ground. "You're here.. I don't know how to 'activate' you, and the Geels have now destroyed the military portion of our race.. can't get much worse than this," I moaned.
"I have to disagree with you on this one, young trouble-maker.. I must completely disagree."
I gasped in surprise as an amused Geel voice spoke from underneath a pile of rubble. His body erupted from the shattered piles, and he clutched a gun weakly. It seemed that a structure of the underground base had collapsed upon him, and looked badly beaten.
"And what are you expecting to do.. kill us, you weak little son of a bitch?" Seri growled. I gave the same piercing glare, not very amazed at Seri for cursing, who rarely cussed. I wouldn't be surprised with anything at the moment.
"Yeah, actually.. I think I AM going to kill you now," it cackled, pointing the gun straight between my eyes.
With the agility of a cat pouncing on it's prey, I leapt into the air, locking my fists and slamming them down upon the Geels head. It collapsed and fell unconscious on the ground, dropping it's weapon.
Anas made an 'ooh that's gotta hurt' look as the Geel's eyes rolled up in it's head.
"And you say you've had trouble with these Geels?" Jaden asked in bewilderment.
"Yes, but mind you - this one was injured. Of course I have the upper hand," I informed, stepping up to the Geel.
"You're not gonna kill it, are you?" Anas asked, looking a bit queasy.
"No," I said, taking the translator gun out of my pocket and shooting it with a buzz. "There. NOW I can kill it."
Anas squeezed his eyes shut as I took out my laser gun and shot twice.
"Here - Anas - take this," I walked over to the boy and gave him the small needle. "You didn't understand that Geel, correct? Well, this may help," I explained.
After Anas injected the shot, I gave one to Lee and Jaden, throwing each empty bottle onto the ground.
"Aren't you going to use one?" Lee asked.
"Heh - everyone of the underground base was required to take one when they came to live here," I said.
"That reminds me.. how come I can understand Lee and Jaden, though you never shot them?" Anas asked.
"They and I speak the universal tongue," I said. "Most races among the universe speak this as well as one of their own - but lucky for me, this is my native language."
"Oh.. okay," Anas replied.
"So, Anas ol' pal," I clapped him on the shoulder. "Are you ready to start some Geel hunting?"
"Geel hunting?" Anas asked.
"Of course, we'll let any other injured Geels die slowly down here if they must - don't mind them.. but once we surface, there'll be swarms of them everywhere," I said.
"Swarms?" Anas asked wearily.
An eerie energy could be seen in my eye as I grinned - emotionless and very unhappy. Not a smile you see on me a lot. "Yep - swarms. We're going to have to kill as many as we can - join up with my father and his troops from Peig - they're probably in battle now. Have I told you my father is the war leader?"
"I could have guessed," Anas answered.
"Yes, well - get ready for dropping maggots, boy. This will be your first experience of war, will it not be?" I asked.
"It will," Anas said glumly. "You know that. I've said so a million times."
"Well, it's not pretty," I grumbled. "It'll scar you for life."
"So what's our objective?" Jaden wondered.
"You're coming too, are you?" Seri asked.
"Of course," Jaden answered for his brother. "What are friends for?"
"Thank you, Lee.. Jaden," I nodded once, turning abruptly. "Our objective is to keep Anas alive at all costs.. and.. kill as many Geels as you can. Follow me, we're leaving."
"This is it.." Anas gave a great sigh. "The beginning of a revolution?"
"Perhaps," I answered, leading the way to the surface. "But the universe shows no mercy. Remember that - if we die, there is no hope for anyone. Though at the same time, nobody would even remember we existed."
"Well," Jaden muttered, "This is just the start of unhappy news, isn't it?"
"Yes, friend," I said. "It's about to get so much worse."