New Earth 6

18

"That bloody, selfish tart," he snarled, unclipping a canteen from his waist. He yanked off the cap, pressing it to her lips. "No wonder you're knackered. Didn't realize you had no water in the tank, luv."

The liquid kissed her lips, trickling down her throat. Stars burst inside her eyelids, sending sparks of light through her veins. The tang of metals mixed with earth on her tongue, the icy bite of the water burning all the way down. This couldn't be water; she'd never tasted anything like it. She guzzled it down, energy coiling around her. By the last swallow, she stood on her own, handing the empty canteen to the human so she could don her top once again.

"That is the strangest water I've ever tasted." Cole remarked, fastening her suit closed.

Her guard looked a bit shell-shocked. "Worth watching." He murmured, shaking himself. "Sorry Dr. Cole. The tank's not supposed to be a prison, but a precaution. Seems I need to have a talk with Trish on her bedside manner. The box is supposed to sweat out your body toxins, makes it easier to adapt to the air down here. "

"This planet shouldn't have breathable air." Cole inhaled, feeling only a slight pinch on her lungs.

"Well the holding area is oxygenated by the oasis." The guard scrubbed the back of his neck, tucking the mask under one arm. "Daniel Tracy's the name, though the lads just call me Danny. If you'll follow me, Dr. Cole, I'll take you to your mate."

"Why do you keep calling me doctor? Are you referring to Daisu? We are not mated." Cole studied the human's features, able to clearly see his veins beneath the skin. How many generations lived underground to achieve this pallor? Could he see well with those pale eyes?

Danny grinned at her. "Bit of slang there, our ancestors hailed from the British settlements on New Earth 2. Afraid it's in the blood now." He winked, offering an arm to her as they walked along the stone hallway.

"How did you recover from the electricity so fast?" Cole frowned. "Sorry I stunned you."

"The leather must have dampened it. It felt like a good kick in the charlies but easy to shake off. I can't believe you made something like that from your fancy space suit."

Cole continued studying him, paying no mind to her surroundings. "I can't believe I'm talking to a human on Mal'th. There really were survivors of the Raze. This is amazing, no one thought it possible."

A sad smile touched Danny's mouth. "It was no easy task, I assure you, but the bounty of this world was beneath our feet all along."

Fractured light hit her face, drawing her attention. Cole turned and caught her breath. "By the Veil."

The hall emerged into a wide cavern. Glittering stalagmites rose in clusters from the ground, appearing lit from within. On the floor of the cavern was a carpet of lush moss, scattered with flowers and small gnarled trees. In the center was an underground spring, the water giving off ripples of reflected light, mist rising off it, curling smoky fingers through the low growth. Insects spun lazy circles in the air, while the trees shifted with unseen creatures. Light glimmered from everywhere, off the water, the crystals, and from chips in the walls, the source difficult to pinpoint. Cole looked up into a crystal ceiling, the volcanic glow of the surface softened and filtered into something pure. Dozens of foreign scents filled her nose, fragrance from flowers never seen by Fey eyes. The spring created a cool mist while the earth burned overhead.

"This-I-" She couldn't find words. In all the worlds she'd seen, she'd never beheld something so unlikely and so wonderful.

"Come, this is just the outer wilds." Danny led her down a well-traveled path to another tunnel cut through the rock. This one was only large enough to travel through single file, thankfully short. He brought them to a halt in the dark. "Brace yourself luv, the air takes some getting used to. Hopefully your body's adapted the water."

Cole didn't have time to digest his words before he unbolted the thick iron door, leading her inside. The air was sucked from her lungs, but the sight was too marvelous to care. She gazed in awe at an underground city. The buildings were a combination of metal, crystal and stone, giving everything a faint shimmer. The road beneath her feet was clouded quartz, rounded smooth. Statues lined the avenue, creatures straight from a dream, of antlered lizards twice the length of a man and great shaggy beasts with feathered manes and human faces, all carved from a rock which shimmered a spectrum of colors in the light. Every statue and building blended with the natural crystals of the cave, as if the whole city rose from the earth on its own. The sight made her head spin. No, not the sight, she couldn't breathe.

Cole clutched her chest, unable to get enough air. Her lungs refused to inflate, the lack of oxygen sending black spots to the corners of her vision. Danny caught sight of her face, throwing an arm around her waist.

"Bollox! Trish! You bloody slag, get a mask!" Cole heard more voices, the sound of people surrounding them, but words fizzed into static. The black spots soaked into her vision, spreading like spilled ink. She thought she heard Daisu through the cotton fog muddling her brain. Was he calling her name? The dark rose, swallowing her up.