Xalata Orbit and Melody Fret: The Hammer of Asttar Read online

  Making a sudden decision, Glitch changed into dark clothes and then walked out of his room. He checked around the living area to see if there was anything else he needed, decided to grab his pad from the bedroom. I'm getting over to the Outpost so I can be there when he comes back, thought Glitch. And, without hesitating he picked up the pad and walked out of the home, heading for the TransTrak.

  * * * * *

  When he arrived at the Outpost, the place seemed to be deserted. Even the usual security guys were not around so Glitch simply strolled through the door and headed backstage. Here we go again, he thought. The door to the cupboard was closed and Glitch stood outside, looking at it for a moment. Then he took hold of the handle and pulled it open, stepping inside.

  The space inside was quite large - probably about five metres wide and two metres deep. Toward the right of the back wall there was a small alcove, formed by a section of protruding wall that probably housed pipework or something similar. Glitch realised that, in his dark outfit, he could hide in that space with little chance of being seen. He tried the space for size and found that he could fit in and be almost invisible inside the cupboard. Now all he had to do was to wait for Fark to make an appearance.

  It was very dark inside the cupboard and Glitch found that his eyes soon became accustomed to the darkness. He looked around the space. There was really very little to see because the cupboard was empty. However, he suddenly noticed near the floor, there was a glass plate set into the wall. Now what's that? he thought and he bent down to check. As he did so, a strange sound filled the cupboard and a feeling of static electricity made his hair stand on end. There was a buzzing and a stretching almost as if his skin was being pulled from his face, then suddenly the room was filled with light and Glitch hurried back into his hiding place just as Fark entered the cupboard and stepped into Habitat 14. As he did so, Glitch side-stepped into the light and moved through into Habitat 14 behind him. He turned just as the lights dimmed behind him and then watched Fark stride away in the ruins of the habitat.

  Okay. Here goes nothing. And with that he headed off to follow him.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  So, what to do? Melody and Xalata sat in the living space and looked at each other. They summed up their own situation:

  "OK, we're locked up - but we know how to get out," said Xalata.

  "Yep and we also know that somehow we are on Farside and that we came through some sort of portal that transported us from Earthside to here," added Melody.

  "Sure and don't forget that we know that I was lured to the portal by Glitch - just wait till I see him, I'll break his neck ..."

  "Not helpful, Xalata. Let's stick with the facts."

  "OK then, Glitch sold me out to whoever grabbed me. They pulled me through the portal and then put me on a truck and brought me here, wherever 'here' is."

  "We know that there are at least two of them 'cos there were two who brought both of us here and two people came when the door was locked. But, we don't know who they are or what they want of you - correct?"

  "Yeah, but there may be more than two ..."

  "Possible, but we have no way of knowing ... except, wait a minute. They have the numbers on their uniforms - they all wear security uniforms don't they. So we check the numbers to see whether we get more than one."

  "Great plan - although personally I'd like to get out of here and avoid them totally. I don't know what they want me for, but it's not good."

  "Sure, I understand that, but I think we need to know our enemy. It's no use just leaping in and hoping we can escape," said Melody. "Now, I think some food is in order. What say you?"

  "Cripes, yeah, I'm starving ..." and with that they set about preparing some of the fast food packs that were stored in the fridge.

  * * * * *

  "That feels better," said Xalata, sitting back from the table after they had eaten their meal. It had been tofu with beansprouts and a soy sauce again, but she was already getting used to the hydroponically-grown food that was the staple diet on the Moon. "So, brain-box, what have you thought as you munched?"

  "Well," said Melody, "I think we need to know where these people are. They seem to walk around outside the home here so I don't think they are very far away. Also, there's something else I forgot to mention. They referred a couple of times to something nasty in the habitat and said they wouldn't want to encounter it ..."

  "Yes, I heard something like that too. They threatened me that it wasn't safe outside or something similar."

  "Well, while I was hidden under the cover in the truck, waiting to see where I would end up I heard all sorts of noises - a heavy movement and a sort of snorting. Don't know what it was 'cos I was too scared to look and also I didn't want them to spot me."

  "Oh cripes - that doesn't sound good. What do you think it is? It couldn't be that creature that destroyed the place could it - didn't they find it and finish it off?"

  "The Cryomorph. That was it," said Melody. "I don't know, but if it's not that, what is it for Frank's sake?"

  "Don't really want to find out thanks," said Xalata, "All I know is we need to keep out of its way in that case. Anyway, what should we do?"

  "Why are you asking me? I'm just the scaredy-cat around here?"

  "Scaredy? Really? You've just blagged your way here through some sort of portal, hitched a ride with kidnappers, broken a code and come to my rescue. If you were a lad, I'd kiss you! Well, maybe ..."

  "Well, I'm not and, when you put it like that, I suppose it was all a bit out of character. I was pooping myself all the time though!"

  They both laughed at that and then suddenly realised that the situation was serious. They needed a plan, and fast.

  Melody said, "We need to know about these two people so, I think when they come next, we should creep out after them and follow them. See where they go and what the lie of the land is."

  "Well we know the lie of the land - the same as any other habitat, but just a bit more beaten up and abandoned."

  "Yes, but we don't know where they are based, who they are, how many of them there are. I think understanding our enemy is the key to getting out of here. Anyway, even if we did find our way back to the portal, I wouldn't know how to open it - it had disappeared as soon as I turned around after passing through it."

  They decided to wait it out and found a suitable hiding place for Melody for when the pair came back and then they settled down on the chairs, watching the big screen, which had a series of performances from Lunar Tunes showing.

  "And if I don't get back soon, my chances of getting into the competition are tiny," said Melody. "Should have brought my guitar, so I could practise!"

  * * * * *

  About two hours later there was the sound of the airlock door being opened and Melody shot off to her hiding place. Xalata tried to look nonchalant as the two masked figures came into the living space. "Oh, hi there. Kidnapped anyone else at all? Could do with a bit of company here."

  "You keep quiet, girl," said the taller of the two figures. "We need to make sure you haven't messed with anything else after the door incident. Just a quick check. Sit there and stay put." The two of them headed for the screen, checked its controls, examined the kitchen area - "You eat a lot for a girl."

  "Yeah, well, I'm bored. I eat when I've nothing to do. Anyway, what's it to do with you? Get out of my face!"

  "Listen, brat, we don't want to be here any more than you do so let's make with the nicey-nicey, huh? So's we can all just get along together. You'll be out of here as soon as we've got what we want. That is of course, assuming that we do get what we want."

  "And if you don't ...?"

  "Who knows, eh? We'll see soon enough. Now, we're going out that airlock and we don't want to see you anywhere near it. Come on F ... I mean, come on mate." With that, they headed for the door and closed it behind them.

  Melody came cautiously out of her hiding place and whispered, "Have they gone." The hiss of the airlock confirmed they we
re already outside the home. "OK - let's do it!" and they both moved through the door to the airlock, checked the viewer and saw the pair moving out of sight.

  "Quick!" said Xalata, "Put in the code." Melody checked her pad and entered the code in the door pad. The airlock hissed open and suddenly they were outside. "Lock it behind us too." Melody tapped in the code once again and then they both darted off in the direction in which the two people had vanished. Turning the corner, they saw them only a short distance away and then they turned suddenly down a corridor that obviously led to more homes.

  Xalata and Melody ran up to the corner and looked around a moment before the pair entered the airlock on the end home. The last one through the door turned and looked back, not seeing the girls. "Oh, no! Got them," said Xalata and she looked back at Melody, "that was Fark!" As she looked at her friend with astonishment, she was just in time to see the shadow of a very large shape move across the wall behind them.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Glitch had to be certain that Fark would not spot him so he stayed well back from him. It wasn't long before he completely lost him however as Fark seemed to disappear into thin air. Great detective, I am, he thought as he wandered around the dereliction. Now what? The habitat was in a mess with wreckage and rubble strewn around in places where the devastation had taken place.

  He could see through into damaged areas that were exposed to the vacuum of space and suddenly realised that he was in some danger, so close to broken habitat. Cripes, if any of these airlocks goes, I'm done for, he thought and he headed away into the warren of tunnels, many of which were now poorly lit because of the ravages of the Cryomorph. It was creepy with dusty corridors illuminated by flickering lights, shadowy corners and doorways and, everywhere he went, strange footprints in the dust, marching ahead of him.

  Mr Freeze, yeah. About as cool as a solar flare. What the freak are those marks? And, as he wondered, he heard from the depths of the tunnel network, a strange sound as if a great beast was stretching and waking. The noise terrified him, even though it sounded far away, but it also fascinated him too. Was it the Cryomorph which he had seen on the news updates? He'd do anything to get that on his pad to show his friends - amazingly cool! But, amazingly dangerous too and he wasn't sure he had the stomach for it.

  His thoughts were interrupted as the sounds became suddenly louder as if the beast had turned a corner and come into much clearer hearing distance. I need to hide! And he dived behind an overturned unit that stood at an intersection between two corridors. Not a moment too soon for the ground literally shook as the great beast lumbered into sight, with Glitch peering through a crack in the broken furniture. It was huge, filling the tunnel with its bulk and swaying clumsily from side to side.

  It didn't look quite the same as when he had seen it on the news update - it wasn't rampaging, but wandering as if it was a device that had lost its programming. It hauled itself down the tunnel opposite Glitch on its stumpy feet and then stopped, as if trying to sense his presence. It groaned - a deep rumble that reverberated in the confined space - and then backed up a little way, before turning down the tunnel to its right and thumping its way down the corridor, its sides brushing along the walls.

  What's it doing? thought Glitch. It doesn't seem to know where it's going. It's destroyed the environment but now has nothing to do - is it programmed? Glitch intended to find out and he set off to follow it. Being brave, or perhaps foolish, he was able to approach it quite closely, working on the basis that it was unlikely to have eyes in its backside. He ran down the corridor quietly, being sure to stay out of its sightline as it swung its head back and forth. Then, all at once, he saw something that stopped him in his tracks. The Cryomorph really was controlled by something! A radio antenna and a control panel were embedded into the creature's back. But where is it being controlled from and why is no one controlling it at the moment?

  He couldn't answer that one, but it was certain that it wasn't safe to be in the creature's sight and so he broke away at the next intersection as the Cryomorph lumbered off into the distance on its non-existent mission.

  Just as it disappeared from sight, Glitch noticed wheel tracks on the floor, left in the dust from the wreckage and following a similar route to the one taken by the Cryomorph. So there are vehicles here, he thought to himself, and I guess Fark picked one up as soon as he came through from Nearside. This will be the quickest way to track him down and see what he's doing. Glitch quickly realised that if he followed the tracks back, they'd take him to a place from where the vehicles had started, so he followed them along the tunnels, retracing his steps a good part of the way, before forking off to the right into an area he had not seen previously.

  At the end of a long corridor, lined with what had been offices, there was a small gallery housing a set of docking bays and, sure enough, there were two trucks charging in their bays and a couple of empty ones where trucks had been removed. The tracks that he had followed came straight into the first of the empty spaces. OK, always wanted to whizz around the place in one of these and now's my chance! And he hopped on board, studied the controls - one pedal for start and the other for stop - and pulled the vehicle tentatively out of its parking slot. It took only moments to get used to the controls and in moments he was retracing his steps, back to the badly damaged area where he had last seen the Cryomorph, then he followed the tracks, which inevitably must have been those of Fark's truck.

  * * * * *

  It was only ten or fifteen minutes later that Glitch came upon Fark's abandoned truck, parked in another charging bay, so he decided to park his nearby, but out of sight, giving him the option for a hasty retreat if he needed to do so. Jumping down, he surveyed his choices. The tyre tracks had of course stopped, but Fark's footprints were still visible. In any case, he was limited to going forward or going back so the decision was easy.

  He set off for another five minutes and headed further into the tunnels, walking quickly because he needed to find some sort of habitation and, ultimately, what had happened to Xalata. Rounding another bend he found a section of larger structures that were intact. It looked like one of the main atriums of the habitat but, as he had not arrived in the place in the normal way, he had no real idea where he was, even though all the habitats were constructed in a similar pattern.

  As he approached the buildings, he could see that there must be some sort of invisible barrier installed as he could see from the marks in the dust that the Cryomorph had not passed through a line that next to the buildings, even though there was an empty space to pass through. There were prints around the whole area, as though the beast had paced back and forth, trying to find a way in.

  It must be a defence mechanism - he checked around the area where the marks stopped and tried to work out how the barrier worked. There was just a small sliver of plastic attached above the entry to the area - no bigger than a pen, but evidently full of clever electronics that kept the area secure - just the sort of thing that Glitch loved! Taking a small probe from his pack, he tested the device. It clearly was emitting some type of signal that would deter the Cryomorph from venturing any further.

  With a quick flick of the probe, Glitch analysed the way the barrier operated and stored it for later study.

  So what is in the rooms beyond that they need this type of protection? he mused. Only one way to find out, I guess. And with that, he pushed through the entry that, strangely, was not secured, followed the corridor a little further and found himself staring at a room full of equipment: screens, control surfaces, communications equipment for deep space - a command and control centre. But for what?

  Locked on target

  The loop around Venus had been completed and the asteroid was now on a closed trajectory to Earth. Only a reprogramming of its fusion thrusters could avoid an impact and the target was set: Beijing - one of the largest centres of uninfected population of Earth and the most important economically on the planet. More importantly, Beijing was the centre of the o
perations to terraform Mars and had housed the agency that built the LunarBase.

  The hands that controlled the asteroid knew all this and their intent would soon become clear to the fools on Earth who dared to tamper with the ways of Asttar. The pre-ordained ways. The right ways.

  The asteroid flew silently through the empty space that separated the planets; space that once was filled with many of its kind, before they all gathered together in clumps that formed the planets, many millennia before. Now, this lonely remnant from the birth of the solar system was going to be the agent of destruction of the one planet in the whole system that had borne life, that had spawned a technological civilisation that now was threatening to infect other planets with its progeny - human kind!

  Chapter Twenty-five

  "Holy shine-a-light, what the freak is that?" Xalata whisper-shouted back to Melody who was just turning as the shadow passed across the wall behind.

  "Cripes! I dunno, but I don't want to be around to find out. Quick, let's find a place to hide ... here! Quick, for Frank's sake, it's coming" The ground began to vibrate with the heavy steps of the creature that haunted the corridors of Habitat 14. As they dived for cover, the two spotted that the ground in front of their prison home was covered with strange marks in the dust - not just human boot prints including their own, but also the prints of a large beast, stopping in a quite clearly marked area, right in front of the home.

  They crouched down behind a low wall that divided an ornamental display area from the rest of the corridor, near the junction with the main atrium. The Cryomorph, for such it was, pressed its huge bulk into the space next to the suite of homes. Immediately, the two friends had a chance to see the beast at close quarters and what a sight it was.