Carston yanked the clip out of his ancient Colt handgun. He slammed another in as fast as he possibly could and fired five shots down the dark corridor of the engine room. He heard an explosion, probably some compressed gas can, and then a roar that would chill any other person's blood instantly. For Carston, that sound was satisfaction; he was taking vengence for every crew member that had been mercilessly slaughtered. He didn't know what that thing was, but Carston did know that it would not claim him before he had fired his last shot. He leaped from the cover of darkness and raced up the stairs.
Growls came from up ahead, and he skidded to a stop, trying to keep his breathing quiet has he peered around a corner. Two more of Them were in the main chamber, and another was coming up the landing ramp. They were horrible-looking. Eight feet tall, at the least, and covered with dirty hair. Their six fingered hands, if they could be called hands, had foot long talons on them. They had huge mouths filled with razor sharp teeth. Carston wheeled from cover and killed Them with three well-placed shots.
Suddenly, he felt himself being grabbed from behind. Apparently the explosion in the engine room had not killed It. It lifted him effortlessly in its arms and sunk its teeth into Carston's shoulder. Carston screamed in agony, striking It on the head with the barrel of the gun. With a roar of anger, It slung Carston out of the ship. He hurtled through the air, landing on a huge fern at the edge of the clearing where the ship had landed. It came after him, roaring. Carston, the wind knocked out of him and his Colt lost in the fall, could do nothing but watch the instrument of death that ran at him...twisted...and fell, blood streaming from its head.
More of Them ran out of the woods and Carston flung himself into the thick foliage. The creatures fell on It and tore into It like hyenas.
"What, may I ask, are you?"
Carston looked up to see a girl. She was dressed in a soft leather dress with a threadbare uniform jacket on top of it. She held a slim rifle in her hands.
"I'm a...human."
She circled him like a dancer. "But you don't look like me, and I’m human."
"Of course I don't! You're a girl, I'm a boy!"
"A...boy?" She cocked her head.
"The male of the human species."
"Oh." She looked around. "I am Ayala. We must leave here before they finish It off. I know a safe place."
"What are They?" Carston asked as they ran from the clearing.
"I don't know. You must forgive my ignorance of what you are. I've been here since I was five and alone since I was eleven. Do you have a name?"
"Carston. Do you know what They are up to?"
"You have seen that they eat each other. But there is something they want to devour even more - humans. They are even now preparing a fleet to invade the other inhabited planets."
"We have to warn the Prime Minister!"
"We can't."
"Why not?"
"I've been here since I was five! I can't pilot a ship!"
Carston stopped running. "I can."
"But They have all the ships." Ayala shrugged helplessly. "What can we do?"
~~~~
What can they do? Whew! Two words within the word count limit! I did it, barely.
Carry on, Turumbar. You've got it from here.
Carston thought hurriedly for a moment. What could they do? “We must warn the Prime Minister,” he said, “quick, give me your rifle, we’ll have to do our best to take one of the ships or die trying!”
“No!” said Ayala, “I’ll do the shooting!”
“Oh, fine,” fumed Carston, “but let’s go or they’ll be done eating It before we get a chance!”
They set off at a run towards the nearest ship. As they climbed aboard five of Them came rushing out at them, howling at the skies and gnashing they’re massive teeth. Ayala quickly slung her rifle to her shoulder and fired a fast succession of well-aimed shots. Four of the Them dropped dead but the fifth tore at Carston’s already bleeding left shoulder with one of its huge talons. Ayala swung her rifle into the bristling face of teeth as it came towards Carston and then quickly shot It as it fell back. “Quick lets get farther in, to the cock pit,” she said. They ran through the corridors. Ayala shot two of the Things as the came to the entry into the cock pit. They ran in, four more were there tearing meat from the bones of some unfortunate human pilot and from another of their own kind that had somehow been killed. Carston reached down and ripped one of the massive talons from one of the Them that Ayala had shot in the doorway. Two shots resounded through the room as Ayala brought down a pair of the Things as they charged at them. The other two came on towards them. Carston swung his new weapon up into the stomach of one of them Ayala shot the other. “You guard the door and I’ll try to get this ship off the ground!” Carston shouted. Ayala pushed one of the bodies in front of the door, stepped back, and awaited anymore of Them to come. Carston fumbled with the controls. They could hear the heavy grating sound of Their huge clawed feet as more of Them came running down the passage. Finally the ship started with a roar as engines started. At the same time They came charging through the door. Ayala gun kept up steady fire, dropping more and more bodies in the doorway making the heap into a wall. The ship lifted off the ground. They could hear the angry roaring of the Things as they realized what was happening. They were off! The clatter of countless more feet came down the corridor. “Carston,” Ayala said, “I don’t think I have enough ammo to hold them all off!”
Okay, OutlawedPrincess it is for you to tell how they got out of this scrape. I can’t wait to hear, because I’ve no idea how they’re gonna do it!
“Carston,” Ayala said, “I don’t think I have enough ammo to hold them all off!”
Carston rolled his eyes. Girls. They honestly were a stupid lot. He pulled another grenade out of his pocket. “Some people run into danger ARMED,” he muttered, and tossed the grenade down the corridor. Ayala ducked behind a chair as the room was suddenly bright with light and filled with the sound of screams and growls. Carston tossed her a knife. “Now just finish off any that may have lived with that. And see if you can’t find out what they are while you’re at it. And scan this hunk of junk for more weapons and ammo.”
“Don’t tell me what to do!” Ayala wrinkled her nose, but marched down the corridor anyway. She wasn’t sure she liked this – uh… what was it? Oh yeah, BOY. She put her mind back to what she was supposed to be doing, and looked around the corridor, expecting to see blood and dead scary creatures, with maybe a squirming one here and there. Instead, she beheld with surprise that there were no dead creatures – just creature parts, sparking and making static electronic noises. She picked up a part – was it a foreleg? – and studied the socket where it had been severed. The whole arm was full of wires and metal parts. “Carston!” she called. “Get over here!”
His head peeked into the corridor. “What?”
Alaya tossed the arm to him. “Check this. They’re not beasts at all.”
Carston frowned, his jaw open in surprise. “They’re…”
“Yep. Robots.”
“How?” Carston was incredulous. I saw them eating one of their own just a minute ago!”
Alaya found a torso covered in a red substance. She dipped her finger in it, sniffed, and nodded. “Not blood.” She said. “But pretty convincing.”
“So…” Carston was still amazed, not very pleasantly. “If they’re robots then they…”
“Have to have someone controlling them.” Alaya finished. “Or be perfectly programmed by somebody. But who?”
“And why.”
Oct. 3, 2008 - Leave it to me to think up the bad guy! Real nice, OutlawedPrincess! (no, just kidding! This is right up my alley! Thanks for tagging me!)
The darkness swirled around her, creating an atmosphere of dread and forebodement.It was difficult to decipher her face due to the shadows that played throughout the chamber, yet an unearthly aura of light glowed blue round her celestial form.
She was silent in careful watchfulness. What she was observing through her half-closed eyes could not be told for sure; but she was seeing all the same, studying some faraway scene through her telepathic mind.
Her starlit eyes opened of a sudden, breaking her train of deep thought. "They distrust one another," she said aloud. "The boy thinks the girl is crazy, and she believes he is lying about who he says he is. No matter, I will simply have to plan more elaborate battles and change the circumstances so they MUST stay together. Besides, actions speak much louder than any words ever could."
who was she? She had lived for many long years by her lonesome in this darkened ship; trapped because the fuel had ran out long ago, far beyond the vicinity of any inhabitable planet. She kept her constant vigil; barely stopping to even eat or drink. She didn't need to. Her humanity had faded away so long ago she could not even remember it.
Her comrades had once called her Andromeda; yes, that was it. When they had still lived. She now talked to herself to keep from going completely mindless and turning into a wild creature, like her robotic, decepively organic minions.
Yes, she had created Them a little over six years ago, to keep her company. Then she realized the power and bloodshed she could inflict by creating an entire army of Them, and changing Thier countenance a little bit so that They looked like beasts instead of her own kind. Then she sent them out to deal death and destruction at her command.
She moved from her position and typed a few keys on a pad, opening a door which let her into the depths of the next room. Her hair was a dirty blonde, tangled from neglect. Her skin was decidedly pale - almost white from the lack of sun. A black cloak concealed the rest of her, contrasting greatly from her porcelain features.
Why did she do this? She didn't know. Perhaps it was for entertainment; but if we looked a little into the depths of her heart - or at least, what was left of it - we would decipher that she did it not for wealth, not for power; but she was searching for someone who cared - not just about themselves, but for others - enough to search for the bottom of the matter.
And it seemed Ayala and Carston were just the two for the job.
~
Carston gave Ayala a sidelong glance as she bandaged his torn shoulder. Who was she? And where had she come from? Maybe he could just ask, and she'd tell him straight out. Maybe.
"So what's your story?" he asked her, trying to sound as if he were merely trying to make conversation.
"Not much to tell," she said matter-of-factly. "My parents - whoever they were - abandoned me here on Alcatrax when I was still a child. A Traxie named Silodon raised me until I was eleven. That was when They showed up." Hatred filled her eyes. "Silodon was murdered in one of Thier attacks. He dided saving me. I've been alone ever since."
Carston was silent for a moment, taking it all in, until a crash resounded in the corridor outside.
"Did you hear that?" he asked, jumping from his seat.
"Yes," Ayala said grimly, unloading her weapon. "We've got company."
She opened the door to the medical bay and peered into the blackness. "All's clear," she hissed, but they both knew they couldn't trust thier eyes.
Another crash, followed by a battle cry, echoed through the hall. Carston and Ayala exchanged glances. Someone else was on board the ship - and it was not one of Them!
The sound was coming from the engine room. The twosome headed in that direction, Carston in the lead. He paused for a moment in front of the door. Ayala nodded, cocking her weapon. He pushed it open.
They both readied thier weapons, but when they got a clear view of the room, they were met with a baffling sight.
A small boy, no older than eight, stood with one foot on a slain It. He had dirty, shaggy blonde hair that hung over his grey eyes. Sparks flew from the scene of battle - the boy had threw It's body parts everywhere. He looked at Carston and Ayala with defiance in his gaze.
"I guess we've found our stowaway," Carston said in surprise and wonderment.
Oh, yeah. Storyteller, it's your turn! Who's the kid? WHAT WAS HE DOING IN THE SHIP?
Carston and the boy looked levelly at each other over their mugs of some steaming thick drink Ayala had made.
“So,” said Carston.
“So.”
“What is your name?”
“I have many. You may call me Ril’aen.”
“How old are you, Ril’aen?”
The boy smiled. “Would you believe it if I said eighty seven?”
“No,” said Carston. There was a short pause. “How old are you?” Carston asked again.
“Eighty seven.”
“Okay.” Carston didn’t know whether to be amused or annoyed. “But you’re too young to be old.”
Ril’aen stood and walked over to the window. “Looks can be deceiving, Carston. Take Ayala for instance. Do you really know who. . . and What. . . she is?”
Before Carston could answer, the door burst open, and Ayala leapt into the room, a small knife in her hand. Her eyes flashed wildly at Ril’aen.
“Don’t you dare,” she hissed.
“If you say so. . . your Majesty.”
“What?” Carston stood, his hand going for the dagger concealed in his shirt.
“Don’t be afraid, Ayala,” said Ril’aen cooly, “I am one of your kind.”
“What kind?” Carston asked Ayala.
She looked hard at Carston, and then at Ril’aen. “Seylroth,” she said reluctantly, but there was a
hint of pride in her voice. “We are Seylroth.”
Seylroth. Carston knew the word. It haunted the legends, and echoed around the dark rims of fairy-tales.
“But. . . I thought you were human!”
“I am!” she snapped, “One can be human and Seylroth at the same time!”
“And why did Ril’aen call you ‘Your Majesty’?”
“Because I’m the Seylroth queen, okay?”
Nobody spoke for a minute. Then Carston asked in a hoarse voice, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want you to know. I wanted to forget it myself.”
“What I can’t understand,” said Carston, “is how you know who you are. You said that your parents abandoned you on Alcatrax when you were a child.”
“Silodon told me everything when I was old enough to understand. But enough talk about me, I want to know what Ril’aen was doing on this ship.”
Carston and Ayala looked hard in Ril’aen’s direction.
“I came as a warning,” he said, “You have already met Them. Now you shall meet Their Master.”
“And who is Their Master?” asked Ayala. Carston saw that her face had turned white.
“Andromeda. . . . Your sister.”
And with that, he was gone, as if he had just disappeared from sight.
“So it’s true,” breathed Carston, “Seylroths can rip through the fabrics of time and space.”
Ayala didn’t respond. Carston heard her whispering. “No, Andromeda. Don’t do this to me.”
*Gasp!* What a place to leave me!! :D
Sorry, I am signed on under the wrong name, I am MaidenCapitolaBallot
Carston grabbed the table and leaned his weight on it as he bowed his head so that it nearly touched his chest.
"Your sister?" He finally asked Alaya. "Your sister is doing all this?"
Alaya leaned against the wall and twisted her hair around her finger. "We have to stop her," Alaya said, he voice shook as she spoke.
"How? What can we do?" Carston looked at the young queen who stood before him and tried to get a hold of his whrilling thoughts.
Alaya closed her eyes and sighed heavily. "We have to find her first."
"How can we do that?" Carston demanded. "Shoot up fireworks? Paint a sign in the sky asking her to reveal herself?"
Alaya glared at Carston and started to pace the room, hands behind her back, her eyes on the floor. Finally she stopped in front of Carston and snapped her fingers. "The pirates!"
"What?!" Carston demanded. "The pirates would kill us as soon as look at us!"
Alaya pulled her knife from her belt and tossed it into the wall. "Let them try," She said grimmly. "They will know where she is if anyone does."
Carston leaned against the table and shook his head. "And to think, all I ever wanted to do was explore new plants! Now look, I am running for my life with a warrior queen, hunting down pirates so we can find her sister."
"Stop muttering and come on!" Alaya snapped.
Carston followed her up on deck of the ship and they watched as they flew past the stars. "The pirates are usually near the plant of Disna," Alaya said matter of factly. "If we head north we should be upon it within a week."
Carston wanted to ask how she knew so much about the pirates and plants, but at the moment felt baffled enough. Look north he sighed and whispered, "Pirates here we come."
Alaya smiled at her comrade though she felt a stab in her heart. Her sister...how could she fight her sister?
I guess I shall tag ThrillAuthor
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Sep. 20, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Growls came from up ahead, and he skidded to a stop, trying to keep his breathing quiet has he peered around a corner. Two more of Them were in the main chamber, and another was coming up the landing ramp. They were horrible-looking. Eight feet tall, at the least, and covered with dirty hair. Their six fingered hands, if they could be called hands, had foot long talons on them. They had huge mouths filled with razor sharp teeth. Carston wheeled from cover and killed Them with three well-placed shots.
Suddenly, he felt himself being grabbed from behind. Apparently the explosion in the engine room had not killed It. It lifted him effortlessly in its arms and sunk its teeth into Carston's shoulder. Carston screamed in agony, striking It on the head with the barrel of the gun. With a roar of anger, It slung Carston out of the ship. He hurtled through the air, landing on a huge fern at the edge of the clearing where the ship had landed. It came after him, roaring. Carston, the wind knocked out of him and his Colt lost in the fall, could do nothing but watch the instrument of death that ran at him...twisted...and fell, blood streaming from its head.
More of Them ran out of the woods and Carston flung himself into the thick foliage. The creatures fell on It and tore into It like hyenas.
"What, may I ask, are you?"
Carston looked up to see a girl. She was dressed in a soft leather dress with a threadbare uniform jacket on top of it. She held a slim rifle in her hands.
"I'm a...human."
She circled him like a dancer. "But you don't look like me, and I’m human."
"Of course I don't! You're a girl, I'm a boy!"
"A...boy?" She cocked her head.
"The male of the human species."
"Oh." She looked around. "I am Ayala. We must leave here before they finish It off. I know a safe place."
"What are They?" Carston asked as they ran from the clearing.
"I don't know. You must forgive my ignorance of what you are. I've been here since I was five and alone since I was eleven. Do you have a name?"
"Carston. Do you know what They are up to?"
"You have seen that they eat each other. But there is something they want to devour even more - humans. They are even now preparing a fleet to invade the other inhabited planets."
"We have to warn the Prime Minister!"
"We can't."
"Why not?"
"I've been here since I was five! I can't pilot a ship!"
Carston stopped running. "I can."
"But They have all the ships." Ayala shrugged helplessly. "What can we do?"
~~~~
What can they do? Whew! Two words within the word count limit! I did it, barely.
Carry on, Turumbar. You've got it from here.