Breeze Corinth (Book 1): Sky Shatter (30 page)

He did his best to discover more about himself, but always came across roadblocks in his mind that prevented him from doing so. He was written off immediately upon arriving at Perihelion as a low level paranormal who was not fit for active combat duty as a Helios and was transferred to the Military Science Battalion. That was fine by him as he always preferred the comfort of a well-equipped laboratory and a fully stocked library. That was his domain.

He cursed himself as he struggled to stay underwater with the limited breath he had in his lungs. He saw the Elephim streaking towards him and wished he could do so much more than just jump.

And jump he did. He flitted away from his original position, leaving the Elephim to grab at empty space as he reappeared on the surface a few hundred feet away and gasping for air.

He swam toward debris he spotted from his sunken ship and grabbed onto a part of the hull that had broken off and held onto it. He knew he couldn’t go underwater to hide. It would weaken him further and prevent him from jumping again.

The Elephim that was circling above spotted him and dove in his direction. Again he focused, hoping he had the strength to jump with the piece of debris he was hanging onto. Carrying large objects, or people with him wasn’t something he did often or well.

He shuddered as he mustered all his strength and jumped, reappearing down range from the wreckage.

The attacking Elephim had plunged into the water just as he jumped. It rose back to the surface and looked about wildly trying to find him.

Oslo lowered himself into the water so that only his head was above the surface as he clung to the debris.

The ruse didn’t work as the Elephim who first attacked him surfaced and pointed out Oslo’s location to its companion, and then they raced toward him in tandem.

Oslo gritted his teeth and focused with all of his intensity. He jumped just as the Elephim split off and flew in the opposite directions.

When he reappeared, one was right behind him and grabbed him by the neck as static roared through his ears. He thrashed wildly and managed to break free from its grip, jumping just a few feet away where

the second Elephim was waiting for him. Again he jumped, this time just a few inches over, narrowly escaping its grip.

He knew they were aware of his plan as his trajectory back to the island was giving it away. But he had nowhere else to go, and not enough strength to keep jumping. Time was running out.

He cried out as his feet were suddenly grabbed from below, and he was yanked under the surface. He expected to ingest a lungful of water but instead found himself inside a bubble. He looked up to see the Elephim give chase as the bubble raced toward the island.

He turned to look in the direction he was heading, and his jaw dropped.

Towing the bubble was Nina. Sensing his gaze, she turned briefly to wave at him, and then accelerated toward the island.

Breeze was in complete darkness. He felt no pain and was surrounded by a warm cloud of air. He felt light as a feather, making him realize how heavy his body really was until now.

He drifted across a vast sea of blackness, hearing nothing and seeing no one, yet he felt no panic or anxiety, nor any desire to wake up. In the back of his mind, he was well aware of the threat from the Elephim that attacked him, yet he felt no reason why he should care.

Streaks of light crept into his outer periphery. He turned to follow them as they weaved and meandered their way toward him.

The streaks of light molded themselves into globes. They flitted about and cast their light upon him, and when he looked down, he found he was completely naked.

He watched as the orbs coalesced into a single globe, then it hovered before him and shimmered as a deep hum reverberated through his head.

A voice spoke to him.
“Never surrender. There will be times when you will feel overwhelmed and wish to escape. You may come to this place, for it is a respite for weary souls. But do not stay too long. Your time will not arrive for quite a while. Take succor and imbibe the nourishment we offer you. But then be on your way. Never forget that you are loved and the light within you burns brightly. You will use this light and cast it upon all that you meet as we cast it upon you. Be generous with this light. Illuminate the path they all must travel upon. Remember, always go the light, and shun the darkness.”

The globe approached and absorbed him, then pushed him up toward a rift of light that he passed into, and he was sent rushing down a long corridor. Streams of light raced past his head as he felt a shudder course through his body.

When he opened his eyes, he could barely see; it felt as if he were underwater and every breath he took was labored and strained.

What little light he had gave way to a brilliance that rushed over him. He watched rocks and stones fall to the side as he was lifted into the air and out of the trench he was buried in. He could see the outline of a single Elephim with outstretched hands hovering above him as he was lowered onto the canyon floor.

He didn’t sense any malevolence from it, only a feeling that it wanted to help and protect him.

He was startled as twin black streaks surged at him from above. With whiplash speed, the Elephim grabbed and rammed them together, then hurled them onto the canyon floor. With a shriek accompanied by a powerful hiss of static, the black streaks materialized into Elephim. The two laid still as their bodies pulsated with a dark energy.

The helpful Elephim turned away from them to look at Breeze. Its expressionless face began to swirl with pinpoints of light as it scanned Breeze within his shield filled with water. It noted how his lungs squeezed the oxygen from the liquid and kept him from drowning. The pinpoints of light on its face abruptly stopped as it turned and hovered over to its comrades and grabbed them by their wrists, then flew away.

Breeze watched the helpful Elephim fly with its teammates in custody as it disappeared into the clouds, never quite understanding why it betrayed its own kind and helped him like it did.

He was becoming anxious, and the urge to lower his shield was overwhelming. As if the shield sensed his wishes, it lowered instantly and spilled him and the water onto the canyon floor. He coughed and heaved, vomiting water out of his lungs as he struggled to breathe the cold air, all the while writhing in agony from the pain he felt in his chest.

He lay on his side as water drained from his lungs and out of his mouth. He could feel the freezing air chill his body, and he shivered violently as he laid curled into a fetal position. He wanted to raise his shield again to protect himself from the elements, but didn’t know how to do it on command. Oslo tried to teach him during one of many lessons on Perihelion, but he could never quite master it.

He focused his eyes on a canyon wall close to him to take his mind off the cold when he saw an etching of a sun with its rays of light shining upon rows of people with their arms outstretched. Their faces were featureless.

Shine the light upon them
; he remembered the words from the globe of light.

His mind began to wander as an image of Nina appeared before him.

Nina, if you can hear me, I could use your help
, he thought to himself before drifting off into darkness.

Ray picked up Sally and cradled her in his arms. He was tempted to climb back up into the ship and call for help, then remembered the comms were down. And hiding inside the ship made him feel like a sitting duck.

We’re being watched
.
There’s only one thing to do. Run and hide elsewhere
.

He picked his way along the trail that led to the base of the mountain. He was familiar with the area, having hunted here before with his father. His plan was to find the cabin they frequently used on previous hunting trips. There would be food there, as well as heat and dry clothes. Then he would have a chance to regroup and plan.

As he made his way down the trail, it dawned up him the reality they faced. Their city was destroyed, and they were the only known survivors. He stopped and dropped to his knees, then laid Sally down and took in a deep breath.

Father
,
what happened?

He was so sure he did the right thing leaving Perihelion with Sally as it was his father who urged him to come back. He replayed the last conversation he had with him before leaving Perihelion and realized only now how strained and anxious he sounded, which was odd considering how his father was a stone cold military warrior. Nothing ever seemed to rattle or faze him. Ray wondered why he didn’t pick up on this before.

His thoughts were interrupted by loud and powerful crack as a tree off to his side crashed towards them. He scooped up Sally and ran as the tree fell onto where they once stood.

There were several loud cracks as more trees keeled over and fell around them where one by one they formed a crude corral, trapping them inside.

Fear clouded Ray’s mind as he lashed out with a bolt of energy and blasted away a clump of felled trees, giving them a way out.

He picked up Sally and dashed through the opening when more trees began to fall around them as he ran down the trail at full speed.

He was out of breath and exhausted when they reached the foot of the mountain. He stumbled and lost his grip on Sally, and she fell to the ground.

He crouched down next to her and took in deep breaths to steady his nerves. He could barely feel his legs as he was numb from running for so long.

The silence that fell over them was unnerving, and was shattered by the sickening crack of trees falling over as yet another crude corral was formed around them. He reached out feebly to let out a blast of energy, but only a few sparks spewed forth.

Drained
.
They’re wearing me down so I can’t put up much of a fight
.

He grabbed Sally and hoisted her over his shoulder and hobbled out as fast he could as trees crashed and tumbled all around them, getting out of the makeshift corral before it could be finished.

Ahead he saw the cabin. He ran to it and with the last bit of energy he could muster he stumbled up the steps and pushed the door.

It was locked.

He wanted to blast the door down, but knew he couldn’t. He needed the sun to replenish his energy and he couldn’t draw that much from starlight. Yet.

He stomped his feet. He wasn’t accustomed to not having options. Then again, he wasn’t used to working on his own. He was usually with a group of people and always had his father’s guidance to help him, or an authority figure to turn to. Now, more than ever, he was alone and he was also responsible for Sally’s safety.

He snapped his fingers as he remembered the cellar below. If he could hide there with Sally, maybe they wouldn’t be able find them and would call off the chase.

He ran down the steps with Sally over his shoulder, then ducked around the corner of the cabin and hugged the side of it until he found the steps that led to the cellar and clambered down. Relief swept over him as he twisted the doorknob. It was open.

He stepped inside and quickly closed the door behind him. It was pitch black inside. He held up a hand and it glowed, pushing away the darkness to reveal more details of the room.

It had a low ceiling, and he had to duck his head to avoid hitting it. There were a few extra cots along with a work bench and cabinets filled with dry goods.

He gently placed Sally onto one of the cots, and then looked to see what he could use to barricade the door when he heard heavy footsteps from the floor above. He froze in place and tried not to breathe hard when Sally groaned loudly as she began to stir.

Oslo knelt down inside the air bubble Nina had created for him and steadied himself by placing his hands against the sides.

He looked back, and his heart pounded as he watched one of the Elephim gain on them. It was closing the gap and almost touched the bubble when Nina gave a sudden burst of acceleration and left it behind in a trail of bubbles.

Oslo looked up through the clear blue water and saw a dark shadow trailing them from above the surface.

Classic hunter/killer strategy
, he thought to himself.
One is the spotter overhead as the other moves in for the kill.

He strained to see Nina up ahead. She was barely visible despite the clarity of the water. Her body seemed translucent as it mimicked the color and hues of the ocean.

He was suddenly thrown headfirst to the front of the bubble then bounced back to the center. He groaned and turned to look. The Elephim were ramming him.

Nina felt the attack. Her face twisted in fury as she squinted her eyes, thrust her hands forward and accelerated.

She managed to put a considerable distance between them and the Elephim, but was beginning to tire. She wasn’t accustomed to towing anything behind her at such high speeds and over a great distance, yet she knew she had to get to the outer perimeter of the fog and slip past it without the Elephim seeing her do it.

There was a splash from above and Nina looked up to see the sole Elephim that was trailing them from the surface had pierced the ocean like an arrow and was heading straight for them.

Panic set in as she realized the gravity of the situation. She just wanted to say goodbye to her father and maybe try to convince him to stay. Instead, she found herself in a turn of events that had both of their lives in jeopardy.

She let out a scream which amplified quickly into a sonic blast that reverberated throughout the ocean. Both Elephim giving chase were flung back as they covered their ears and howled.

Nina screamed again as she raced through the ocean, determined more than ever to get to the outer perimeter of the fog.

The Elephim recovered and gave chase. They split apart and flanked them as they both emitted a powerful static that was overwhelming. Oslo covered his ears as Nina arched her back and aimed for the depths.

As they plunged into the deep blue depths, the light from the sun grew fainter and soon they were in pitch black darkness. But there was no silence, for the ocean is always filled with a cacophony of sound. The chatter of millions upon millions of plankton swarming the world’s oceans created a symphony of sound that reverberated throughout the globe. Nina plunged even deeper into the abyss, using the sound of the plankton for guidance knowing she was now heading into the territory of the deep ocean whales.