Victernus - Chapter 10
A blank, dark silence filled
Namara's mind. It lasted for just a few minutes. An undying force tore at the
empty space, dying to get in and wreak havoc upon him. But it didn't. The
emptiness quickly became calming. Nothing existed there - not even himself. And
then, it was over. The pressure strengthened until it was unbearable, and then
he opened his eyes.
The clamps on his head and wrists
released. He grabbed the edge of the table and sat up, trying to cough up a
sticky substance that had coagulated in his lungs. He bent over and coughed
with force until it was all out and on the floor, then wiped his mouth in
disgust. Looking away from it, he noticed that the lights were off and his
friends were nowhere in sight.
Namara frowned. Strange. He stepped down from the table, careful not to get his
foot in the reeking mass on the ground. Lifting his arms up, he stretched his
body, which made many loud cracking and popping noises. He sighed. How long was I asleep?
Just past the table was the platform
where he had changed just a few days earlier. He stepped up onto it and stood
off to the side, listening for any signs of life. The floor and the railing
felt grimy, like dust had gathered there. Looking down, he saw that some dust
had gathered on his body as well. He wiped himself down, running his hands
through his dry fur. Huh.
Namara made his eyes level again
when he heard something in the hallway outside of the lab. The doors were left
wide open and a dim light came through them from the hall. He tuned his ears
carefully, listening to something's footsteps come nearer. His heart raced, but
he remained silent. However, his fears were nullified when a small raccoon
wandered past the doors. It stopped for a brief moment to sniff the air and
then continued on. He sighed again and shook his head. I don't remember Theo ever having a pet raccoon...
He stepped down from the platform
and made sure to keep his footfalls silent. When he got to the doors, he
checked the hallway and then turned left to get to the main lobby. The front of
the facility was dome, constructed purely out of glass. In the lobby, there
were a couple of counters and chairs for people to sit at. One of the counters
was curved, in the center near the back wall, and had a few screens for working
on. They too were very dusty, giving him the impression that he had been
sleeping for a long time - at least a few months.
By the way the light shone through the glass, he judged
that it was early morning. He looked to the light switch on the wall, but it
was gouged out. He rolled his eyes and then went to the touchscreen consoles.
Tapping on one, he found that it was unresponsive. Darn it. Feeling a bit out of place, he made his way down the rest
of the hallway past the lobby and stopped at Kyon's room. Looking inside, it
seemed to be the same way he had left it. A little bit of light entered through
the window on the far wall.
Namara stepped in and stopped at the desk. The books
and papers that had covered it before remained. Picking one of the books up, he
blew on it and covered his face when dust went everywhere. When it settled, he
could see the cover clearly again. It was bound by leather and was decorated
with gold. The inscription on the front read Lycans and the Fall of Aeralis. He smiled to himself. I remember him telling me about that once...
He took the book with him and decided to leave the
building. It was deserted already, and he had no intention of remaining like
one of the books on his old friend's desk. He had people to find.
When he opened the doors to the facility, he
realized how dead the air smelled on the inside. He took a deep breath and
started walking, feeling refreshed. He figured that he might as well check out
how the regular humans were doing. Denver as only a few minutes away and there
was a small river nearby that he could wash in along the way. Looking down at
his wrist, he found the same invisibility device that Theo had given him. He
found that it still functioned properly, tapping it on and off with his finger.
At least something works here.
Namara walked down what was a small dirt path away
from the road to get down to the river. The cries of the birds above him grew
louder as the sun rose slowly. When he reached the river, the sound of running
water joined them. He welcomed these sounds as he sat down on the edge,
dropping his feet in to test it. But, the touch was so exhilarating that he put
Kyon's book aside and dived right in. When he surfaced, he shook himself and
cleared his eyes. Running his fingers through his fur, he let the water clean
him thoroughly.
Feeling as though he had enough, he retrieved the
book carefully and climbed out onto the grass on the other side. Standing up,
he shook all of the water out. He looked down at the river, pleased, but
brought himself to leave it behind. I
still need to find them, wherever they are... He turned and climbed up the
hill to the road, continuing on his way to Denver.
While he walked, he decided to find out what it was
that Mahalia had shown him. He focused, bringing the images back into his mind.
Looking closely, he saw that many of the building plans were of government
buildings. The schematics seemed to be some of Theo's inventions, and the pages
of text were messages - one from each member of his group. He focused on
Mahalia's first and then read it to himself.
Namara... it
really is difficult to find a way to start with you. You're probably wondering
what's going on, with us disappearing and all. To start... what you were calling
for wasn't the best thing, but it wasn't long after your seizure that Russia
invaded the U.S. They seem to be after our resources. Theo thinks that a lot of
countries are struggling to produce enough food for their citizens now, and
that it could have a serious impact on what happens next. We're still going to
follow the plan to hide among people in the cities, but as for you... Theo had to
put you into a deep coma in order to fix whatever went wrong. It seems that
Lynn or someone else sabotaged your work. If we had not intervened, you would
have gone completely insane. Of course, we don't know for sure if it worked,
but we're hoping. Whenever you wake up, we hope you'll be able to find us
still. If anywhere, we'll probably stay in Denver. But, if things get bad, we
may have to relocate. I'll leave you some kind of message if that happens.
Until the time you find us, good luck. I love you. -Mahalia
P.S. If it seems like things did get bad, Theo
says that you can leave us if you want. The world would be open enough for you
to find what you are looking for without humans getting in the way. But... if
that is what you choose, please... remember us.
Namara sighed, staring down at the road while he
walked. I can't find it alone... It's
just not possible. He kicked some rocks around. I hope you're waiting...
When he looked back up, he narrowed his eyes. He
could see Denver from the road, but it was dark. The tall skyscrapers that
stood there had their windows smashed out. Large trees grew into them, their
long vines hanging down and twisting around the steel frames. A few beat-up
hovercars were sprawled out on the road ahead. Namara picked up his pace, jogging
past them to find his way into the city. He stopped on a small bridge that was
partly broken through the middle. The city was visible, but there was no
activity. Little trash laid about, most of it probably washed away with the
rain. The small houses and stores were worn; some by weather, some by bombings.
One of the skyscrapers was tilted to the side with a gigantic tree growing up
its side, threatening to snap any minute and collapse the entire structure.
Namara
stared at it in disbelief. No! I couldn't
have been asleep for that long! He cupped his muzzle while tears formed in
his eyes. Oh Mahalia...