Orion walked briskly down a side street heading towards H-44, one of the main avenues in the Nardius 3 district. Garish holographic advertisements flashed above him in the night sky inviting him to spend his credit in their establishment. He noticed, as he glanced above him, the absence of sky transports of any kind. The street monitors blinked symbols in blue and white to direct ground traffic, which was also conspicuously missing.
The wind whipped his hair across his face as he searched for signs of life. Strange, thought Orion looking at his wrist com, there is always traffic heading to the H – even at 27 and 10. He noticed how empty the street felt, as if no one had walked here for many days; even the all-night spin-houses were closed. Impossible
A peculiar fear began to dominate his mind – something alien; as if a nameless, formless being were stalking him; an entity large and powerful, possessing speed and agility; something that could crush him at any moment but didn't – it restrained itself; it delayed its assault, and it had a reason.
Then he felt an equally strong force pulling him forward, leading him into a particularly dangerous part of his district in the dead of night. Orion would be an easy and valuable target for slavers or medical harvesters because he was almost fully grown. He had completed his fifteenth year not a season ago. He would fetch a good price.
I should never have stayed out here so late! Orion berated himself as he quickened his pace. Why are the streets so deserted, where did everybody go? Truthfully, I would even be glad to talk to a hex dealer right now; ask him what happened. He felt his heart hammering his rib cage as he spotted an entrance to the mag-way and broke into a run. The tendrils of terror were now tugging on his ankles and the back of his jacket as it flew out behind him. He raced down the stairs and through the com-gate.
He kept running till he got to the edge of the platform, then he skidded to a halt, almost tumbling into the mag-way track. He was breathing hard. He could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead despite the cool night air. He wiped them away with the back of his hand and placed his hair behind his ears.
Orion was a very average looking boy by Ophilion standards: hair that was naturally a mix of black and dark blue, dark blue eyes that looked almost black, skin: medium tone, dermal markings: an arrangement of irregular light-blue pigment marks on his forehead, cheeks, neck, chest and arms; typical for Remto-Halm, the south-east sector of Ophilion.
His eyes darted around the station. No one here either, he thought, becoming used to the idea. Somehow though, he felt safer underground; as if that frightening thing could not touch him here. He inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and listened. All he could hear was the squeaking of the hiebra-luren inside the walls. Their passageways must go everywhere. He thought. I've never actually seen one down here. I wonder if they are all that different from the luren that live above ground. Fel said the ones down here have evolved and look different now, that they never come up to the surface anymore.
Orion opened his eyes and noticed movement to his left on the other side of the mag-way. A small creature with thick greenish-brown fur poked his head out from a crack in the wall near the floor. It seemed to look straight at him. The luren's large front-facing eyes glowed bright yellow, reflecting the lights of the station.
So, there you are, Orion thought. You're a cute little guy, and you're not much different from the luren I've seen on the surface. Orion noticed another one on the mag-way track only a few meters from where he stood. Oh, so you have a friend, Orion smiled, if I had anything to eat, I would give you some, but I guess you probably know where to get plenty of food. He saw three more luren to his right; then a few more appeared on the track in front of him. Wow, he thought, slightly alarmed, a whole family! I guess you only come out in the middle of the night.
He looked down the track to his left and a whole drove of luren came pouring out of an opening in the wall. When he turned to his right he saw the whole mag-way covered with the furry creatures. Orion stepped back a few paces. The mag-way track along the whole platform was covered in hiebra-luren; ten thousand glowing yellow eyes focused on him.
Orion swallowed. The luren made no move toward him, nor did any of them attempt to climb onto the platform. They just stood there on their hind legs staring at him – thousands of them. What do they want! Orion thought frantically. He considered running up the stairs back to the street above. But what if they turn and chase me? And the... thing. Instinctively, he knew it was still up there, just outside the mag-way entrance. He felt that a trap was closing on him. Panic surged in his chest.
One of the luren made a warbling sound. Orion turned to look. It was a pleasant sound. As if it were speaking to him, asking him a question. It repeated the sound while looking straight at him. The boy cocked his head. Are you trying to tell me something? The luren then made a different sound and waited. All the other luren stood motionless, only their long whiskers twitched, occasionally. Another of the luren squeaked loudly and in a flurry they all disappeared into cracks in the wall and under the platform.
A few seconds later a mag-train swept out of the tunnel and into the station. The blast of air tussled Orion's hair. The train slowed and stopped and the doors opened in front of him. Again, all was silent except for the faint hum of the grav-repellers on the underside of the train. Orion cautiously stepped aboard. The doors closed behind him, and the train began moving. He walked to the very back, as he habitually did when there were seats available, and sat down.
The train was completely empty as far as he could tell. Figures, he thought, attempting to control his fear. He looked around nervously. Everything seemed normal inside the train, except for the desolation. Orion focused on his breathing to steady his nerves. He had no idea what train he was on or where it was headed, he merely followed the instinct to move forward.
The train began picking up speed. What's this? Orion wondered. The train shouldn't be going this fast! What happened to the com-drive? Is this thing crazy?! -- trying to terrorize midnight passengers?! The train flew through a station. And it's not stopping at stations either, great! Just my luck! I should have stayed at home. I should have gone to bed. Orion was thrown to the left as the train sped through a curve. What in the... Clearly, that this was not just a fast midnight express. Something was wrong. The train continued its reckless journey through the Kypro underground.
Orion did the only thing he could think of doing at the moment: he made for the emergency release. He was thrown off his feet as the train made another turn. Orion carefully stood back up, holding tightly to the handrail, and made his way to the release handle. He gave a quick hard tug. The handle came off in his hand. Orion gasped; I broke the handle! I broke the emergency release handle! Okay, okay... He stumbled back to his seat and held on tight. Maybe it will... just stop by itself, he desperately hoped.
To his great surprise, he noticed, a few meters away, in a seat facing his, a young girl. She looked as if she had completed her tenth year, not more, and she was oddly dressed. She wore a white shirt with long sleeves and over that, a colorful vest. Her footwear was made out of animal skin - sandals - and her long skirt was like something he saw in the history chips.
The strangest thing was the expression on her face: she watched him with an unperturbed mystical smile. Her clear hazel eyes displayed confidence. Her hair – streaked dark blond – fell neatly over her shoulders. She had medium brown skin, like his, and well-defined features. Her dermal markings were strange to Orion: lines with intricate designs that bordered her face like the rays of their central star, Hanthran. Where would she have gotten such markings?
Somehow, she appeared unaffected by the speed of the train and the danger they were in. She sat with her hands folded on her lap looking at him. Where did she come from? Orion thought. I'm sure she wasn't on the train when I boarded, and we've passed every station without stopping. What is she doing riding the train at this time of night dressed like that?
Orion abandoned his deliberations as he felt the train begin to slow. It stopped abruptly and Orion was thrown to the floor in front of the girl, who, without getting up offered Orion her hand. He took it and rose to a standing position. He was shaking from this harrowing experience, but glad that he was not the only one on the train.
The doors opened and Orion turned to get off the train. Without having a clue as to his current location he knew that this was his stop. When he was half-way through the doors he turned around. He felt that he should ask the girl if she needed help, but before he could get the words out of his mouth, she nodded, projecting to him that she was in no danger. The doors began to close and Orion stepped onto the platform. I sure hope she'll be okay, he thought.
He watched her through the window as the train whispered out of the station. She looked back at him with that hauntingly peaceful smile. I guess she knows what she's doing.
Orion had no idea where the train had left him.
Bright light flooded the stairway as he exited the station. Orion put his hand up to shield his eyes. What in the...? Orion could not accept what he was seeing. Of all the... He looked around in shock. How can this be possible? I could never have traveled this far in that short amount of time no matter how fast that train was going. Orion stood in the middle of what appeared to be the free-zone. There wasn't a man-made object to be seen anywhere.
"I had no idea the mag-way went this far," he muttered to himself. He stood in a shallow crater surrounded by dense forest. From what he could tell, the crater was perfectly round, and he was standing in the center. Orion shook his head. Well, it has been a long time since I was out in the free-zone. I think the last time was when my father took us to Belemer Lake. He felt a stab of grief at this memory. Maybe that's one reason I stay in the com. At least everything is familiar... predictable.
His attention was drawn to a small cave a on the side of the crater. Hmmm... he thought, wonder what that could be? Against his better judgement, Orion climbed to the cave's mouth and peered inside. Well... can't see anything in there, he thought. He looked back around the crater. Give your eyes time to adjust, a thought came to his mind. The nature of the thought was odd – as if it were a stranger's voice in his head. I guess it is good advice though. It's pretty hot out here.
Orion climbed into the pitch-black cave. Feeling with his hands, he found a large rock and sat there. After a minute he could make out some of the features of the cave. It seemed to go on quite a way. He went as far as his courage would take him then stopped with a weary sigh.
Just a little further, came the same kind of thought, which seemed almost audible.
"Humph," Orion grunted, "why not." His voice sounded hollow in the small cave. He carefully shuffled around a bend and saw before him an object, intriguing and completely unfamiliar. It was a sphere the size of a verner game ball - half a meter in diameter. The metallic exterior was scored with fine grooves and dots from which a soft yellow light glowed.
Now this is something! He thought; probably valuable too. Orion knelt before the sphere, wondering what to do. Well, I don't believe anyone else needs it. He concluded. He reached out and touched it. It was warm; there was an almost imperceptible vibration . What is this thing? Orion pondered.
He carefully lifted it from the ground then froze. A low guttural snarl came from further inside the cave; a sound that shocked him; stopped his heart. Suddenly, a face appeared; a face unlike anything he had ever seen. Hideous it was, like a grotesquely deformed swamp reglar. But what frightened him most were its eyes – they glowed deep red; at their center were elongated flaring pupils of black and yellow; they seemed ready to devour anything they beheld. Vast intelligence was clearly evident. The thing communicated to the boy; one word: I.
Orion released the sphere and took a step backward. His legs gave way. He stumbled and fell. The creature lunged at him with a deafening roar, its bulk filling the cave, it's wide mouth bearing down on his chest.
I, alone.