The LOMMETRUS Chronicles: Book One: The Abduction of William Baxter by Matthew Novak
Chapter 13
I fell into a deep sleep and dreamt of working a summer on the farm where I grew up. In the dream though, I was older, as were my parents and the responsibility of running my parents farm was solely up to me. I’m in the field; riding on my dad’s combine harvester and I’m guessing it’s October as the trees are full of red, yellow and orange leaves and the harvest for dad’s corn crop is in its early stages. It’s a picturesque scene in the crisp early morning air; sun peaking over the horizon and a fresh thermos of coffee by my side.
Then something in the distance catches my eye just beyond the horizon. There’s an image in the sky that I initially mistake for a dark funnel cloud near the ground. Tornado; I thought. Without hesitation; I turned off the machine and ran for my parent’s house but then I turned to see the dark image again and realized that it’s actually smoke---a large amount of it too.
Now in this dream, I’m in front of a rampant inferno. A house has caught on fire and I hear screams from the inside. I try to enter the house but a large and fiery piece of the house collapses in front of the doorway. I run to the other side of the house and it is worse. I feel helpless.
Then I’m thrust into another image. I’m walking into a prison to visit someone I know that’s inside. The prison guards lead me inside a room with a staircase---where I then walk down the stairs and into a large room with one cell located in the middle of this space. The lights are then flipped on and revealed inside of the cell is a woman with her back to me, sitting in a chair---the only piece of furniture in the confined space. The woman’s long black hair is flowing over the backing of this chair. She’s wearing a white gown and black boots; combat style strangely. She sits there; not turning her head, so I walk toward the cell and then around to face her. I recognize this woman.
She looks different but it’s definitely her---“KATRAVIN,” I say.
KATRAVIN approaches me and gazes through the bars. Her lips move but I can’t understand her. Her expression is calm as she speaks words that continue to fall silent to my ears.
“What is it KATRAVIN? I don’t understand.”
Then I’m back on my parent’s farm. It’s evening and I’m in their kitchen; sitting at the breakfast table, with my parents---they are younger now---as am I at this point. It is now me speaking to them but they are unable to understand. I wake up from that dream only to begin another.
Now I’m in KATRAVIN’S apartment. It’s dark but I get up to check on Miles and KATRAVIN. They are gone. This intense fear comes over me---believing they have left me for good. I realize that I can never leave this apartment. I’m trapped in an alien world that I don’t know how to live in. I’m going to die here. I walk to the bathroom to splash some water on my face but the mirror catches my stare. I’m old; much older and barely recognizable. What’s happening here? I touch my sunken cheeks and run my hand over my thinning white hair. I begin to feel the changes to my body as aches are noticed in my back and around my knees. The image is frightening to me and this stirs me to actually awaken.
Miles is up---as is KATRAVIN. They are discussing something in there language near the door. Actually, KATRAVIN was in a position that suggests she’s shielding the door from Miles. I lay there; knowing that they haven’t noticed me yet but I watch them; wishing I could understand what they are saying.
“Good morning,” I finally say.
KATRAVIN looked over Miles shoulder as he turned around. I then asked as I rub one eye with the back of my thumb; “Is everything alright?”
KATRAVIN answered; “Miles is trying to go back to the base. He wants to kill the guards---I’m sorry, kill one of them then torture the other till he gives information about where Sonya is exactly.”
I lay back into the couch cushions, processing this new development. Well, I was glad Miles had his confidence back.
Miles spoke up; “Look, I don’t pretend to think it’s the best plan but they are the only ones at this point who can give us any scheme into what Erick is planning for Sonya. At least I will have that information to work with. I need an edge.”
KATRAVIN shook her head and answered; “You told me they carried vapor pistols.” KATRAVIN then enunciated, “V-AP-OR PIST-OLS. It’s too dangerous.”
“I shouldn’t have told you that,” Miles said.
Frustrated; Miles continued, “Well, I don’t know what else to do. I’ve got to do something.”
I responded to Miles, “Look, you know where she’s at---you said that much last night. The guards at the abandoned base won’t be able to tell you anymore than that so it’s an unnecessary risk. I want to save Sonya as much as you do but we have to be smart about it. We are the only ones who know she’s in danger which means her only chance of making it out of this alive is by us making smart decisions.”
Miles sat down and then exhaled; “You’re right---both of you are right.”
I nodded my head; “Okay then; let’s put a better plan together---something that will actually work. Let’s think first---how do we get inside the testing facility?”
I could tell the wheels in Miles head were beginning to turn. When Miles finally did speak; the idea he presented for getting into the testing facility wasn’t exactly an easy one but at least it was something. KATRAVIN and I listened as Miles laid out the plan in remarkable detail---as if he’d been thinking of it for some time now.
“The testing facility by the lakes uses hydro-power technology to run the entire plan. The way to get into the base is underwater. There are five or six shafts that feed water into the facility where the water is converted to mechanical energy and then finally to electric energy.”
I interrupted, “So we’ll just swim into these shafts and pop up inside the base; right?”
Miles answered; “If only it were that easy.”
I knew it probably wouldn’t be that easy.
Miles continued; “Let’s talk about the water first or rather; what’s in the water. Because the testing facility is located on the lakes; there is a strong possibility that a creature---which is designed and mutated by the ALVERON scientists, lives near the base; probably as a guard or as some protective measure.”
“Do you know that for sure,” KATRAVIN asked?
Miles shook his head; “I don’t but what I can say about the ALVERON’S is you have to be prepared for everything.”
This was a statement that I could already attest to in my limited exposure to the planet.
“What I can say with certainty is the underwater swim will be a long one. The shafts are twenty-five to thirty feet below surface and that is not including the fact that we will need to dive in nearly a quarter of a mile out to go undetected by security at the base.”
The image of the testing facility was more in focus now. These lakes were huge and the building was actually located on an islet; sort of like Alcatraz only the ALVERON’S made it difficult for anyone to reach the facility undetected.
Miles went on; “There is also the danger of being pulled into an undercurrent. There is little time to waste as we have no underwater breathing equipment. Every second will be important. If we survive the water phase and make it down the shaft another two hundred and fifty feet without air, we’ll enter a vacuum space where water is stored. This is actually a cave under the base where we can come up for air before we swim underwater another two hundred feet to enter the control room.”
“The underground control room shouldn’t be heavily guarded; right,” I added.
“Probably just a few scientists and engineers but anything is possible once we are inside. This entrance allows us to be in the room with access to all the information about the facility. We will have easy access to Sonya’s whereabouts if that information was entered into the mainframe. If not, all of this will be for nothing because finding her in the facility becomes impossible.”
This type of situation was unfamiliar to me and I only had images of action movies I had watched to even know what types of
“Will we have any weapons; perhaps vapor pistols?”
KATRAVIN gave me a momentary look of shock.
“No, those weapons are illegal and difficult to get. I have access to some stun blasters in as well as a few other items that might prove useful.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have any reverse shrink serum among those items would you?”
“I think your smaller stature will be an asset on this mission,” KATRAVIN said.
Miles added, “No, I’m afraid I don’t have that yet.”
I was disappointed.
“I think you guys look adorable at this present stature. It’s a good look for both of you,” KATRAVIN said reassuringly.
She gave me a wink as I was processing the word adorable. I wasn’t sure if this was playful flirting directed at me or if I reminded KATRAVIN of her favorite stuffed animal she adored as a child. Maybe I was right in both observations. Either way, adorable wasn’t what I was going for on this mission.
Miles continued; “Like I said, we’ll be looking for Sonya in the facility and could have immediate access to her whereabouts in the control room so it will be important that we take control of that room quickly and quietly.”
“I assume the cameras shouldn’t be an issue since there won’t be anyone in the control room to alert security but how will we travel to her cell without being seen by actual security;” I asked.
“There will only be a guard; maybe two, at the cell chamber. I haven’t worked out how we’ll get past them yet and won’t know until I’ve sized up the situation. What I can tell you is that the evening time has the optimal moments of walking the building if we wish to go unnoticed.”
This sounded like a reasonable plan to me if everything went our way. The only thing left to discuss was our escape.
“How do we get out---that is, once we have Sonya?”
“Listen William; a lot of things have to go right if we get to this point and even then; it’s going to be a difficult task getting four people out of the testing facility.”
“Four,” I asked?
“Sonya, KATRAVIN, me and you,” Miles stated.
“Listen; nothing against KATRAVIN but I don’t think we should get her involved in this.”
I was thinking of the dream I’d had with her in a cell as a bad omen for her. I didn’t share this dream with either of them though.
Miles shook his head; “I’d usually agree with you but in this case; we need all the extra hands for stun blasters that we can get and besides; we may be leaving this planet in a hurry and I’m not leaving my sister behind.”
I didn’t argue but still felt the necessity of keeping a watchful eye on KATRAVIN. Miles then announced that he had somewhere to go before obtaining the equipment for this mission and that neither KATRAVIN nor I needed to go with him on this errand. I was getting used to Miles being secretive about details and didn’t press the issue of accompanying him to wherever it was he needed to go. I was ready to eat something and KATRAVIN offered to bring something up from the kitchen for me while I waited.
KATRAVIN came back with some crisp bread and fruit that had a resemblance to the pear in shape but colored with purple and red streaks. This fruit was delicious.
“What is this called,” asking KATRAVIN between bites?
“It’s called a MARGOL. It grows in abundance on STONIA.”
I took a sip of the warm beverage she brought up. Initially thinking it was the bitter tasting GNOCKTA that I’d already tried---this drink to my surprise was different---it was sweet. The drink had a thick consistency similar to syrup. As the syrup beverage coated my throat; I came to the realization that my mind became clearer.
“What is this KATRAVIN,” I asked.
She replied; “It’s an old family remedy. It’s not an exact match to what I grew up with but enough of the ingredients are there to do the job. You should feel better after drinking it.”
I did actually feel better. I noticed the aches in my muscles and joints ceased to remind me of the previous week’s adventures. I kept sipping it as she continued.
“I don’t mean to sound unappreciative about your concern over my safety but I was surprised you showed interest in me not taking part in rescuing Sonya. Why are you suddenly so interested in what happens to me?”
I still didn’t want to tell her about the dream I’d had but needed to come up with something. After another sip of the drink I said, “Miles is my friend and I don’t want to see him hurt. You’re his sister and naturally if anything happened to you it would hurt him greatly.”
“You care a great deal for my brother---were you friends on your planet?”
“We were friends at work. Miles was really an interesting person on my planet and easy to like. I guess this experience has allowed are friendship to form a stronger bond. I mean it’s a pretty remarkable experience.”
“Tell me about Earth. What do you…that is…so you and Miles worked together---what kind of work are you in?”
“We were in the same office actually. While Miles was a computer programmer; I develop marketing strategies for companies and their products. I’ve only been working in that office for about a year. I’d say that is about as long as I’ve known Miles. You should’ve seen Miles….”
KATRAVIN interrupted; “What do you do when you’re not working? Do you have other friendships?”
“Sure I have friends,” I said.
I was about to name them when she asked; “What about a girlfriend?”
KATRAVIN looked a little self-conscious as if she didn’t mean to ask this but it came out anyway. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to answer this question truthfully as I was embarrassed that my dating life hadn’t taken off as I had imagined it would after moving to the city. Even through college and one year at Sorenson and Lankford; I still hadn’t developed enough confidence to be the guy I had envisioned or rather; wanted to be. The sad truth was that my friends were just as bad as me in this area. We’d go out to the bars in the city together; looking, but never taking that next step of actually walking up to a woman and asking for her number or even offering to buy a drink. We were all still losers in our minds. When I finally did take a step in that direction with Stacy---she turned out to be an alien.
I responded to KATRAVIN’S question with; “Sure, I have plenty of girlfriends on Earth.”
And as if this answer wasn’t dumb enough I added; “And that’s why I need to get back to Earth.”
KATRAVIN got up and said; “I hope we can get you back to your planet,” and then added; “I just remembered that I left a glass in the kitchen that I meant to grab earlier; excuse me.”
I was now alone in the apartment but within twenty minutes or so; Miles walked in with a large bag of equipment.
“Well, we’ll certainly have plenty to carry on our backs while we swim to our deaths;” Miles announced.
“Why do you have to have such a miserable attitude,” I snapped back at him. I was really thinking of myself when I said it though.