CHAPTER 19
Rina
Rina was on all fours peering into the dark abyss. She felt her life fading away along with the sounds of Kalin’s and Marante’s screams. Two of the bravest men she’d ever met, her friends, were gone. They’d risked everything to save Earth, even their lives. Without them, how could she and Shiro save the world? They weren’t familiar with the machinery or the weapons, and which way was the Command Center? Could the two of them actually stop the implosion?
“We have to go,” said Shiro. “I think I hear people coming.”
She cocked her head and listened, trying to stifle her emotions. Trotting footsteps were coming their way. Shiro helped her to stand; her whole body was trembling. She inhaled a deep breath and forced her legs to stiffen. Keeping her thoughts centered on Earth was essential and no matter how hard, failure was unforgivable.
“Let’s go,” she said.
When they turned, four Zorcons were pointing their Barras at them. They raised their hands in surrender.
“You will come with us,” said the closest Zorcon, his stare glued to her necklace.
He pointed with his Barra and they started down the passageway with two Zorcons in front of them and two behind. She glanced back at the fissure. A ten-foot rift had swallowed Kalin and Marante. Shiro squeezed her hand. She had to relax so she could think straight.
She hadn’t slept in more than forty-eight hours; exhaustion was taking its toll and it was difficult to concentrate. Shiro cleared his throat. He was surveying their surroundings, planning something. Throughout this whole experience, he’d gotten stronger in character. Even the filth didn’t seem to bother him. They turned into a short tunnel and walked to the end. The rock face slid open, revealing the bright white interior of an elevator and they entered.
“Level Three,” said the Zorcon. He sounded like a Cylon from the old Battlestar Galactica series.
Rina’s stomach twisted at the sight of the creatures. Their clear skin evinced all movement, even pulsing veins. They were true monsters. She didn’t sense any motion and was surprised when the elevator doors reopened. A Barra nudged her back and she stepped out onto a steel grated platform with twining stairs leading down.
“Go,” said the Zorcon.
Gray smoke and dust marred the visibility of the cavern. Two huge machines, resembling giant robots on rolling tracks, were using laser beams to dredge into the stone.
Xeon Diffusers, she thought.
Hundreds of Zorcons were busily working. On the other side of the cavern, a wide river was rushing through. They reached the bottom floor and approached a strange, black domed vehicle resembling an truck-size Volkswagen. The Zorcon touched a maroon pad on the outside of the craft and yellow static evaporated into an opening. The inside of the vehicle was beige with plush cushions.
“Get in,” said the Zorcon.
Rina and Shiro entered the vehicle and sat. The four Zorcons took the seat in front of them. One of them tapped a white pad above the opening next to Rina’s head and the door reappeared. The vehicle lifted and drove off. It was a soft ride similar to a hovercraft. Shiro elbowed her side.
“You go, I go, doesn’t work for me,” he whispered.
“No speaking!” said a Zorcon.
What’s he up to?
The vehicle slowed and she shifted her weight; they were turning. Shiro leaned back and laid his arm on the seat behind her.
“So tell me,” he said, addressing the guards, “why do you obey the biggest jack-ass in the universe?”
He quickly hit the white pad above the door next to her head. The portal appeared and he pushed her out of the moving vehicle. She hit the ground rolling and bashed into the rock wall. Bruised and aching, she lifted her head and saw the car stop farther down.
“Go, Rina!” yelled Shiro.
She stood up, ready to dash back to help him, but the vehicle sped off, leaving three Zorcons running towards her. She ran away as fast as she could, swerving into different tunnels and finally finding an outcrop large enough for her to hide behind. The Zorcons raced by her and she sighed in relief.
They had Shiro. She remembered Kalin telling her they would have her for lunch. Were they cannibals? She had to find him.
This part of the core was barely lit. Small plopping sounds of water droplets were echoing throughout the tunnel. Were there more scorpions? She hoped not. She began feeling her way through the darkness, hoping nothing would bite her. The faraway sounds of digging machines were getting clearer. She needed a gun and that would be the place to get one.
A deep voice resonated through the tunnel. “I know you can hear me, Rina.... ”
She stopped dead in her tracks.
“My name is Vorkis and I have your friend, Shiro. If you do not allow yourself to be found, my servants, the Zorcons, will eat him alive. You have five minutes.”
They are cannibals!
Panic overwhelmed Rina. Frantic, she looked around trying to recall the way back to the main tunnel. Follow the machines! Shiro’s terrifying death was her only thought. She had to give in.
“I’m here!” she yelled, hearing her voice echo in the tunnel. “Come, I’m here! Find me!”
She stumbled through the darkness, sloshing her way through the puddles and falling several times, cutting herself on the jagged rocks. Her tear-filled eyes made it hard to focus. Her rapid breathing was echoing in her head. Desperation engulfed every emotion. Shiro couldn’t die. Nothing else mattered.
“I’m lost! Don’t hurt him! Find me!”
The grinding sounds of the machines were getting louder. In the distance, a hazy amber light was barely visible. She began running towards the area when out of nowhere, someone tackled her. It was Kalin.
“Let me go!” she shouted.
“Shiro’s as good as dead.” He turned her around and held her upper arms tight. “Vorkis will never let him survive.”
She wriggled free. “You don’t know that! I have to save him.”
She started to run again but Kalin pulled her back.
“It is too late, my lady,” said Marante.
Gurgling screams, ripping flesh, and cracking bones resonated through the tunnel. Rina felt the loud snap of fear inside her and she screamed in horror. Kalin wrapped her in his arms and pressed the side of her head against his chest, covering her other ear with his hand. Her body twitched violently as the morbid sounds continued. Suddenly, the agonizing cries stopped. Only the sound of grinding stone was heard. Her leg muscles gave way and Kalin caught her. He flipped her body over his shoulder and ran.
A cold numbness had penetrated all her senses. Unable to move, her arms dangled, bouncing to the stomps. Her mind was blank, her emotions void. All strength had been devoured in a second’s time. Kalin sat her softly on a boulder.
Everything’s lost. Shiro’s gone.
Guilt and emptiness were all that remained. Kalin was on his knees and stroking her hair. She gazed into his green eyes as he tenderly moved the hair straddled across her face. It’s his fault. He was the one who’d stopped her. She could have saved him. She angrily slapped his hand away and stood up, ready to kick him in the head. He jumped to his feet, grabbed her arm and swung her around, holding her from behind with her hands crossed over her chest.
“He would be alive if it weren’t for you!” she shouted, using all her strength to squirm free. His grip was tight.
“Shiro was dead the moment he met Vorkis,” said Kalin. “He would have made you watch him die.”
She stopped fighting, feeling her heart scream for the pain to go away. She squirmed free and pounded her fists on his chest.
“No!” she said, crying. “You’re wrong! I could have saved him!”
“Look at what he did to his own people,” he said, calmly. “He’s pure evil, Rina, and I’m living proof.”
“It was my fault,” she wept, “my fault...I was lost....” She fell to her knees.
“I’m so sorry,” he said softly, kneeling beside her.
&
nbsp; “I couldn’t find my way back,” she stuttered, her whole body trembling.
“Kalin is correct,” said Marante, squatting next to her. “Vorkis would have forced you to watch Shiro die, then he would have taken your Pril and that is something we must never allow.”
Her best friend had died horribly because of a stupid rock.
“I don’t want this thing!”
She went to rip off the necklace, but Kalin gently caressed both her hands.
“As long as you have it, Shiro didn’t die in vain.”
“What kind of animals would do that?” she whimpered.
“These Zorcons are traitors to their own world,” said Marante. “They refused to obey their own laws when it came to human flesh and were banished from their society.” His voice softened. “My lady, Shiro gave his life for this world. We should honor him by saving it.”
He was right. Rina took several deep breaths to calm herself. Her father always knew what to say, but he wasn’t here. Shiro was dead and there was nothing she could do. It was all Vorkis’ fault. He’d killed a good man and this was where it would stop.
“That was their last meal,” she said, standing up and wiping the tears away. “They’re going to pay.”
Just then, a Zorcon jumped out from an alcove, pointing a Barra at them.
“You will come with me,” he said.
Rina snatched the Barra from Marante’s hand. “Eat this,” she said.
Three laser shots hit the Zorcon. The creature slammed into the wall and slid to the ground. Smoldering holes opened his chest cavity. Rina stared with a seething hate, wanting so much to kill it again. She shook the weapon feeling something was wrong with it..
“I thought this thing was set to disintegrate,” she said, “what happened?”
“I reset it so it could regenerate faster,” said Marante.
Kalin gently pried the Barra from her fingers, but she wasn’t done.
“This isn’t over,” she said.
She ran to the dead body and began kicking it hard, using all her might to maim the creature. She felt Kalin’s arms wrap around her and lift her away.
“He’s dead,” he said. “You killed him. That’s enough.”
“It’s not enough!” she screamed. “I want him dead again, and again. They’re all going to die!” She wiggled her way out of his arms and launched herself again at the dead body, stomping on the dead carcass.
“Shiro’s death will only be of value if you save the lives of the people above,” said Marante, standing beside her, his Barra on his shoulder. “Mutilating a corpse will not avenge his death. Please, my lady....” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Do not let hate overcome you; it will be your downfall.”
She stopped the assault, trembling and unable to speak while tears flooded her face. Marante squeezed her shoulder and almost instantly, the grief and hate dissipated to a controllable level.
His powers are amazing.
“You were the one who helped Shiro make it through this, weren’t you?” she said, gazing at him.
“Yes,” said Marante, “it is a gift. Your people need you.”
“According to our calculations,” said Kalin, “your world has approximately three hours before implosion. We have to finish this.”
She removed Marante’s hand from her shoulder. “Sometimes vengeance is good, especially when it comes to slaughtering worthless animals.”
“Not all Zorcons are worthless animals, my lady,” said Marante. “Those who live on their world are law-abiding citizens and only eat animal flesh. They are not all evil.”
“Hey,” said Kalin. “She’s talking about the ones here and I agree with her. These Zorcons need to be slaughtered just like Vorkis.”
Rina’s breath caught in her chest when she heard Kalin’s words, Just like Vorkis. Was she turning into Kalin with his vengeful hatred? Would she allow it to consume her just like Kalin? At the moment, the emotion was too strong to let go, too powerful to overcome, but eventually she would deal with it. For now, Zorcons were dead meat and there was nothing she could do about it.
“Do not listen to him, my lady,” said Marante. “Hate is controlling Kalin; you must be better than that. You must concentrate on saving your world. Shiro would have wanted it that way. His kindness and warm heart is what saved you and you must do the same for those above.”
Rina sighed. Marante was right. Shiro saved her and she had to do the same for Earth. Hunting Zorcons would have to wait.
“Just what are you saying?” asked Kalin. “Am I such a bad person?”
“When it comes to your family and the lives of your people...yes,” said Marante, “as I have told you several times.”
Rina watched Kalin shaking his head, angered at Marante’s words. The look in his eyes revealed the hate controlling him, his unreasonable determination...his weakness. How many lives would it take to satisfy her vengeance? More than she could count. Did she really want to turn into Kalin? Would she become like Vorkis, cold and inhuman? Both men were set on killing, one for justice, which eventually may lead to genocide, and one who killed to gain power, a sure sign of insanity. The options weren’t good.
“There’s no choice in the matter,” said Kalin. “Slaughtering innocent people is something that shouldn’t go unpunished. I—”
Rina gripped Kalin’s arm. “Wait a minute,” she interrupted; the conversation was turning nasty. “I thought you guys were dead. How did you survive the fall?”
“We landed in another river,” said Marante.
Only then did she notice both men were soaked.
“We’ll finish this conversation later,” Kalin said adamantly to Marante, who calmly nodded.
Kalin pulled out his satchel of Sarvin Crystals and dropped a few on her head. She watched them sparkle down her body, healing the cuts and bruises and even mending her torn clothes.
“Thank you,” she said.
From down the tunnel, several lights flashed and the sounds of heavy equipment grew louder.
“I’m taking out those machines,” she said.
“We have to get Vorkis first,” said Kalin.
She focused on Kalin’s forest-green eyes. “Kalin,” she said softly, “I know what you mean now. I understand the power of hatred. The emotion is so strong, it’s almost impossible to suppress. But as much as I despise Zorcons, I have to think of the people above. They’re relying on me to save them and I have to put my feelings aside.” She moved closer to him. “What happened to you is way worse than what happened to me and you need to fight it with all you’ve got, for your family and your people. Don’t give them up for Vorkis.”
Kalin turned away, not listening as usual. His race might die because of him and he refused to see it. He was only thinking of himself.
How selfish, she thought.
“Okay, fine,” she said sternly. “Go ahead and kill off your race. Be like Vorkis and finish what he started. Salera will go down in history as being left in the hands of the biggest loser in the galaxy.”
Kalin sneered at her with the meanest face she’d ever seen. He was visibly shaking with clenched fists and his brow was furrowed so tight every crease was bright red.
“Stop living for yourself,” she said, refusing to cower, angered he didn’t care. “There’s more at stake here than you.”
Without warning, someone grabbed her neck from behind and yanked her back, shooting at Kalin and Marante, who dove away.