| The Past� ChapterThirteen At the central Hive at the heart of the Glacorian capital, dozens of Jakkle were assembled on one of the landing pads. Two days ago they had received word that six ships had been shot down. Shortly after receiving this news the vessel in question had been shot down � despite this fact � still no bodies had been found. Several Jakkle search parties had been sent to scour the terrain near and around the crash site � still nothing was found. After hearing the reports of failure � it returned. Everyone looked up and watched as a bronze ship slowly descended towards the pad. The Glacorians that were being held to bare witness recognized the craft by its markings � it was dubbed the Chariot of Storg �I-it returns.� One battered Articur muttered. The ship landed and shook the landing pad. The door pressurized and slowly opened. The Glacorians tried to slink away but were held in place by the Jakkle. It was then that it leaped out and landed before them. It let out a mechanical howl so shrill that everyone present cringed. The Glacorians listened as the Jakkle informed Storg of what all they knew of the situation. Once they had completed � Storg screamed in rage. It�s monolithic hand slammed down and completely squashed one of the captive Glacorians. As if angered by the incompetence of the Jakkle it grabbed the head of the lead Jakkle and crushed it. It howled out orders to the others. Without question or hesitation, the Jakkle took the remaining Glacorians away and prepared to follow the orders � of Storg� *** At that moment, in a dark cave about a kilometer below where the ship had crashed, Grim Grey and Gee were taking a break from their digging. At first they were going to retreat on foot, but Grim suggested that tunneling would be a safer bet. �If we get out of this mess in one piece Grim � remind me to beat you!� Grey grunted. If the threat was to be serious, it was not taken that way. �I hate to bring this up, but if we are heading someplace specific � I hope we are getting there soon. We are almost out of glow sticks. In about an hour we will be doing this digging blind.� She commented. �An hour? We should hit our target by then.� Grim commented. �Target? Oh � I just know I won�t like the answer to this � where are we going?� Grey asked hesitantly. Gee too looked a little reluctant to hear the answer. �You�ll know soon enough. We should keep going.� He replied. Grey wanted to protest, but right now he wasn�t in the mood for debate. The three began their dig through the dirty snow and ice. Grey was beginning to get frustrated when his fist through the ice beneath them. He felt around � but there was nothing there. �Grim � what were digging for?� he asked hesitantly. �A cavern of sorts. When the ship was going down I scanned the area. There should be a large cavern � a spot over one of the old rivers. Why?� Grim asked. Just then the three heard the sound of ice beginning to give way. They tried to leap to safety but before they could the ground beneath them collapsed and they began to fall into the darkness. �Grim! You are going to be laid up for weeks when I am done with you!� Grey shouted. He used his ice-based powers to create ice ramps. The three hit the ramps and slid away from the sharp jagged rocks below. The three slid right into the wall. Grim hit the wall � Gee hit Grim � Grey hit Gee. There was a moment when the three could barely think let alone move. After that moment passed they slowly fell away from each other and looked up at the hole that was twenty feet up. �Are you trying to get us killed?� Gee demanded. Grim slowly backed away and looked around the cavern. The glow sticks were weak � but they lit up the place enough for him to see what had to be the top of the mountains of the old Glacoria. �Grey � can you make us a raft of sorts out of ice? This river will take us in the direction on the old glacier?� Grim asked. Grey looked over at Gee in disbelief. It was almost as if he was asking her to help him make sense of this. �Grim � look around � see these jagged rocks? Watch�� Grey began. He created a ball of ice and tossed it into the water. They all watched as the fast waters carried the ice and smashed it against every rock it came near. �That is what will happen to us should we try that.� He added. Grim smiled and assembled two paddles from the tools he had brought with him. �Not if Gee and I steer. We don�t have much time Grey. The glow sticks will go out soon and when that happens we will be out of options. Trust me � I know what I�m doing.� Grim reassured. �I take back everything I�ve said � you are nuts! Fine. Let�s do it.� He replied. He used his powers to create something that would be capable of enduring fast river travel through jagged rocks. Within minutes, the makeshift raft was done. Grey cautiously moved it towards the edge of the fast moving waters. With a great deal of reluctance they got in the small boat and pushed off of the land and were flung down the dark river. They moved with such speed that they barely had time to avoid the rocks. �I don�t believe it � this is actually working!� Grey said happily. Just then the glow sticks began to flicker. �Oh � no � � Grey muttered. Just then � everything went black. The roar of the water got louder. They could hear parts of the raft chipping away as it touched rocks near it. It was then that the cavern became dimly illuminated. �You got the glow sticks to work.� Grim commented. �I wish I did.� Gee replied. A dim light could be seen in the distance. Grim realized what was happening. �Uh-oh.� He muttered. �Oh no � what was that about?� Grey asked. �It�s an opening.� He replied. �That�s a good thing.� Grey replied. �No � it isn�t. From what I can make out there is just enough room for the water to escape. We�re going to crash � hard.� Gee corrected. Grey looked at the dim light that was slowly getting brighter. *** Meanwhile, nearby, three gliders were patrolling an area of cliffs. Everything was normal � as it was every time they were ordered to search this area. They were getting ready to return to base and report that everything in the sector was quiet. The three ships began their turn by a quiet waterfall. Suddenly, a block of ice shattered from out of the mountain above the waterfall. The three Pinciata pilots watched as the ice mass slammed onto the roof of the first ship � bounced over and hit the second ship � and then hit the third ship before crashing into the ledge on the opposing side. The impact from the ice mass caused the three ships to spiral out of control into the ice water and rocks in the valley two kilometers below. On the ledge. All three were nervously twitching. They all remembered the split second before the raft/boat slammed into the icy wall of the cliff. For a brief second they saw how high up they were. Then they remembered the raft skipping across the ravine over three gliders. They nervously crawled over to the edge and looked down. �If � if they weren�t there?� Grey asked hesitantly. �We would have hit the cliff much lower and fell down � all the way down.� Grim replied quietly. In a moment of anger � Gee snapped. She hopped over Grey and began to choke Grim. �You almost got us killed you lunatic!� she exclaimed. �Stop that! You�re killing him.� Grey pointed out. �That is the general idea!� she replied. Grey shook his head and pried the Coldan�s hands off of his friend�s neck. �Let me go!� she shouted. �Not until you calm down.� He retorted. She tensed up and then grunted. Grey felt the angry Coldan relax. He released her and stood between Grim and Gee. After everything they had gone through � the last thing they needed was for internal friction. �I�m as happy about this mess as you are Gee � trust me on that. But we are doing all of this lunacy for a reason remember? If we fight amongst ourselves � they win. And to make matters worse � Glacoria loses.� Grey stated seriously. Gee glared at Grim but resigned herself to Grey�s wisdom. �Whatever.� She muttered. �How far are we from where we have to be?� Grey asked. �Without a map � it is hard to say. But from where we crashed � it would have been about four days travel. I think that little raft ride cut our journey in half.� Grim replied. He slowly looked around the icy peaks around him and pointed to the largest that looked so far away. �There it is.� He pointed out. �It will take us days to travel that far.� Gee commented. �We will have even less time should people come to investigate why our friends down there went down.� Grey added. Grim shook his head and looked to the mountain-like landmass of ice. �If that is the case � we don�t have anytime to waste.� Grim replied calmly. He made his way from the ledge to a path that went in the glacier. Gee and Grey looked at each other. �It isn�t going to get easier is it?� she asked hesitantly. �I have a sinking feeling that things are just starting up.� He replied. The two gathered what they could and followed Grim down the path. *** About half a day later. The group had made it out of the mountains and was now standing in a forest of frozen trees. The journey through the mountains had been very hard. The path had given way on almost three occasions � an avalanche almost knocked them to the bottom of the mountain � and to make matters even more pleasant, most of their supplies were lost while trying to escape the avalanche. �If you have any inspiring words of wisdom � don�t keep them secret.� Gee stated. Grey shook his head and quietly laughed. Since this escapade had started � he had been shot out of the sky � had crashed into a mountain � had been thrown from a waterfall over a cliff � and many other happy situations. The thing that made him laugh was that the end of this madness was no where in sight. �If I can think of any � you will be the first to hear.� He replied. �Hey Articur � how far are we to the promise land?� she sarcastically asked. �We made excellent time back there. If we keep up at our present pace � two days tops.� He replied. �If we keep up like this we will be burnt out.� She replied. �If we slow down � the Pinciata or Jakkle might find our trail and figure out where we are going. The only advantage we have right now is that we know where we are going � they don�t.� Grim pointed out. �You win.� She replied tiredly. They packed up what little they still had and made their way through the forest. It had been some time since any of them had seen a forest. Since the occupation, most of the resources went into maintaining the Hives. Within a few hours of walking they were through the forest and were on the edge of a large open field. �Do either of you hear anything?� Grim asked. The two listened to the sound of the wind but heard only that. �Nothing.� Gee answered. �Same. What are we listening for?� Grey added. �Don�t know.� Grim commented. They slowly made their way over the open field. Roughly about halfway across a gust of wind caused the snow around them to drift. It was then that Grim noticed several mounds all around them. �No � move.� Grim whispered. �What?� Grey asked. �The sound � fleas. This field � nest.� He added. It was then that Grey and Gee noticed the mounds too � hundreds of them. How they got this far into this nest was a mystery. �Suggestions?� Gee asked. Grim looked around and saw the quickest way out. �Grim � no � you are not doing this.� Grey hissed. �What?� Gee asked. �He�s planning for us to make a break for it.� He answered. �They can run as fast as a Chillin can swim. Please reconsider.� She requested. It was too late, the mounds began to vibrate � they were waking up. Grim made a break for it. The others followed his lead. All around them � creatures the size of them surfaced from the field. Upon seeing the running Glacorians � they howled and began to give chase. �Grim! I hate you!� Grey cursed. He spun around and erected a wall of ice between him and the army of charging beasts. The first wave crashed through the wall and the second rushed over the remains and the dazed. �Ideas would be appreciated!� Gee called out. �Four of them are out � that just leaves three. Is there any way of turning them around?� Grim asked. Grey thought about the request and nodded. He turned around again and erected another wall. Only this time the wall was curved. The charging fleas hit the wall and were guided away from them but continued running. The three stopped their frantic run. They watched as the fleas that were chasing them rushing off after something that wasn�t there. �Nice touch.� Gee commented. �I try my best.� He added. Grim made his way over to where they were. Just as he was about four feet away. The snow before him erupted. A flea scampered out from his hiding place. Grim raised his arm to keep the three rows of teeth from biting him. Gee and Grey heard a bone crunching snap as the flea bit through Grim�s arm. �Filthy beast!� Grey hissed. He conjured up a sharp projectile and stabbed it into the beast. It squealed and flailed about. It instantly released the Glacorian and scurried away. Gee and Grey hurried over to where Grim was laying. They looked down and saw that the beast had bitten right through the middle of his forearm. �It could have been a whole lot worse.� Grey commented. �Easy � for you to say.� Grim strained. Grey placed his hand over the bleeding wound. Grim watched as his wrist was encased in ice. It still hurt � but at least he wouldn�t bleed to death. �If it is all the same to you boys � I would like to get as far away from here as possible. The idea of becoming one of those � thing�s � snack doesn�t appeal to me.� Gee stated seriously. The two men nodded. The only good news for them was that the glacier looked a lot closer now than it did a few moments ago. *** By that time the next day, the three had traveled far away from the fleas� nest. Unfortunately � the glacier was no closer than it seemed it was before. �The next time I listen to an Articur � remind me to have my head examined.� Gee commented. Grim smiled and shook his head. He knew that if they could just find this legendary beast that everything would work out. �Right about now � even I would agree with you Gee.� Grim replied. �How�s your arm feeling?� Grey asked. �It doesn�t hurt anymore � it�s kind of strange though � not being able to feel your hand anymore. But there isn�t much point in moping around about it. How long do you think it will take us to get to the glacier?� Grim asked seriously. Gee looked up at the distant mountain of snow and ice. �I honestly couldn�t tell you. If the terrain is kind to us � it could be a week. If it turns into mountains and valleys � it could take even longer. If we still had our ship � maybe two days.� Gee answered. �Worse case scenario � how long?� he added. �I don�t know Grim. It could take months.� She replied. �We don�t have that kind of time. Have to think of something.� Grim muttered. *** At that moment, back at the site where the glider had crashed. Storg�s ship had landed and several Jakkle were going over the area again. Regrettably, like the dozens of efforts before � the search showed no trace of survivors and showed no sign of bodies. One of the Jakkle went back to the ship and reported what they had learned. The other Jakkle saw Storg�s huge fist punch the Jakkle away from the ship and over the edge of the mountain. A mechanical squeal echoed from the ship. The Jakkle resumed their search. Within the next hour, Storg leaped out of the ship and glared at the Jakkle that were desperately trying to find a clue that might have been overlooked. Storg growled and hopped over to where the wreckage of the ship was. Once there, his mechanical eyes surveyed the wreckage. He then grunted and punched his fist through a section of the ship that was still in tact. When he removed it � he was holding the ship�s navigation recorder. He growled out at the Jakkle. They all stopped what they were doing and faced Storg. He placed his hand over one side of it. His eyes flashed and the recorder began to glow. Just then, a map projected onto the ground � it was the route they were initially taking and the final destination! Storg shrieked and gestured for every Jakkle to return to the ship. Once they were in the ship slowly ascended and flew away. Storg hopped over to where the rest of the wreckage was and effortlessly tossed it aside. To the untrained eye � it would have appeared normal � but this was Storg. He smiled and grunted. His eyes flashed and his metal skin began to glow. He then hopped up and dived into the carefully concealed hole. His heated body instantly melted the snow and ice beneath him as he fell. Within seconds � he had fallen into the cavern he looked around. His memory remembered the report for the three scout gliders that mysteriously went down � perhaps it wasn�t so mysterious after all. His eyes turned into light projectors and illuminated the darkness. �No one � escapesss.� Storg hissed. He hopped into the river and made his way downstream. *** Meanwhile, back where the questers were hiding within the ice. Mere moments ago, a Jakkle fighter ship landed near where they were. The disturbing thing about the turn of events was why they were searching so close to where they were. �This doesn�t make any sense � how could they know where we are?� Grey whispered. Two Jakkle walked right over him. Luckily, neither noticed him. �The recorder � I knew I was forgetting something.� Gee muttered. �Please explain.� Grim asked. �The ships� flight computer has a built in recording device.� She whispered. Two more Jakkle walked over them and continued their search. �Theory then � we have been running for a few days or so since the crash � why are they doing this now? Shouldn�t they have caught on to us long before now?� Grim asked hesitantly. �Not if they just checked it.� She replied. She focused her eyes and studied the ship and the roaming Jakkle. Grey noticed the fascination and almost sensed what she was thinking. �No! You can�t be serious.� He hissed. �They are all searching. There is no one in the ship.� She whispered. �As soon as you pop your head out the rest of your body will resemble your arm.� He retorted. Just then Grim tapped Grey on the shoulder. He looked over at the smile on his friend�s face and almost wanted to punch him. �You insane lunatic.� He muttered. �Hear me out. The water under the ice is very cold � even by our standards. Half of their DNA is weak to that kind of cold. I say we dig the ice out from under the pests and let them take a nice refreshing swim.� Grim stated. Grey almost wanted to cry. The plan was just crazy enough to possibly work. �I still hate you.� He muttered. With exceptional caution the three began to dig out the ice. Within a few minutes there was a gap in the ice almost six feet deep. They decided it was wise to stop digging when they heard the ice beginning to crack. �Okay � now what?� Grey asked. �Remember the fleas?� Grim asked. Grey wanted to throw him onto the weak ice. He resigned himself to his fate. The three braced themselves. They took a deep breath � they charged through a weak spot of ice and smashed through. All of the Jakkle stopped and saw their targets running for their ship. Instinctively they ran in pursuit. Just then the ice gave way and all of the Jakkle fell into the water below. The three stopped running and looked down at the bobbing Jakkle. �Kind of makes it worth it.� Grey commented. �Let�s get going�� Gee started. Her eyes went buggy when she saw the ship more closely. At first the others didn�t understand why she was freaking out � but then they saw the familiar crest � the crest of Storg! �This � is Storg�s ship.� She muttered. �Whether it was Glacorian, Jakkle or his � our fate will be the same should we be caught. Can you fly this metal beast or not?� Grim asked seriously. Gee snapped herself out of her trance and nodded. �I believe so.� She answered. �Good. Let�s get out of here before more friends drop by.� Grey added. The three got into the ship. Within a few moments � the metal ship lifted off the ice and resumed its course towards the largest glacier on the planet. |