Earth Four

            Silently he watched the ocean water from his chair on the beach, Lycina was splashing happily in the water’s edge.  They were all around somewhere doing their own thing, whatever made them happy.  Since the explosion a week ago they all were out in temporary leave mainly since the doctors still said he needed time to recover.  Jessica, Sarah, and Johns eventually came by with a cooler full of every kind of alcohol they could find on this world.

            “How’s your back?” Sarah asked gently rubbing his shoulders.

            “Still a little sore.”

            “He’s fine.” Jessica said slapping him on the back causing him to cringe.  “You’re just a big softy.”

            “I shouldn’t be soft after a blast like that.  I should have been vaporized at nearly point blank of the blast.  I still think Arastos had something to do with it.”

            “You shouldn’t worry about it too much.” Sarah told him dropping a beer in his lap as she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind.

            The bonus of the vacation he was able to spend time with Sarah with the lack of training and missions.  Sarah had nearly killed herself trying to find to find him when he was buried with the temple, unknown if he was alive or dead.  The peaceful moment was broken when the cold salt water came splashing down on both of them.  Turning upward they found Lycina and the others grinning at them as it was obvious who had done it.

            “I’m going to get you.” Sarah called as she chased Lycina back into the water causing Gleen to smile.

            Sarah eventually came back dropping a dripping wet lycina in his lap who was instantly captured by his arms.  Now that she had nowhere to go she fell victim to Sarah’s endless tickle torture.  Lycina squealed and tried to get away, but found no way to escape as the tickling continued.  Their laughter was cut short when a beeping came from Jessica’s bag as they all knew what was coming.  Reluctantly Jessica pulled the communication device out to find Gailor’s face waiting for them.

            “We have a priority one emergency.  You’re being recalled, return to base.” Gailor told them.

            “What’s the problem?” Johns asked once they got back.

            “Team three has disappeared while they were on assignment to an abandoned world.”

            “Where did you send them?” Gleen asked strapping on the last of his flash suit.

            “Here.” He said bringing the location up on the screen.

            “Levora.” Gleen whispered instantly going pale.

            “Is there something wrong?” Gailor inquired.

            “There is no need for a rescue mission.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “They are already dead.”

            “Explain yourself!”

            “There is a creature known as a Devowerer that resides there.  Before I came here I was trapped there alone, with all my powers I just barely got away, but not before it got my left arm and from the waist down.  It took me a very long time to regenerate over half my body.”

            “Is it a shadow?” Johns asked not getting what he was saying.

            “No, it’s something far more ancient.  It was buried deep within that world in some kind of sleep, then it was uncovered and within a few days devoured the entire planet.”

            “Will it eat anything?” Gailor continued to inquire.

            “Humans, animals, nature, and what is left is a barren wasteland.”

            “I want a sample.”

            “For what?!”

            “To use against the shadow.”

            “No.”

            “Why may I ask?”

            “This thing makes the shadow look like a saint.”

            “That’s an order, or I could send another team to do it.”

            “Fine, but on two conditions.  One, I go alone, and two, the base will be evacuated then sealed once the gate is open.”

            “The base will be evacuated of all none essential personal, but team two will be joining you.”

            “You’ll be sending them to their graves.” Gleen told him, but Gailor was no longer listening.  “Get them the jet packs.”

            “What are you doing?” Sarah asked him.  “We should fight this thing together.”

            “This isn’t a fight we can win.  The best thing we can do is to run away if we see it.  More people will make it harder than it already is.”

            “But….”

            “No, you and the others will be evacuated.”

            “But….”

            “I need to take care of Lycina if I don’t make it back.”

            “Alright.” She said lowering her eyes.

            “What’s your chances of success?” Jessica asked seeing despair in his eyes.

            “There isn’t any.  The only way to survive the Devowerer is to run faster than the person next to you.” Gleen told them.  “Now get going.”

            “Sir, the commander gave us full access to the armory.” The leader of team two told him.

            “Your team shouldn’t be here, Michael.” Gleen said looking over the arsenal that they were laying out.  “This stuff is all useless for what we’re going up against.”

            “This just came off the labs, a scatter gun with explosive charges.” A soldier said holding up the gun he selected.  “This thing will kill anything.”

            “The thing we’re going up against has no real solid form, it can extend and retrace large tentacles, and at the end of each is a month like that of a shark that will devour a man in seconds.  I throw a nuclear bomb at a mouth coming after me and it wasn’t even phased.  Still want this pop gun?”

            “What would you suggest?” Michael asked laying what he selected aside.

            “Normal weapons are useless since it regenerates too quickly.  Cutter lasers and restraining devises are the only effective method against it.”

            “You heard him, cutter lasers and restraining devices.” Michael told them.

            “And the jet packs.” Gleen said picking up a net rifle that he mounted with a cutter laser.  “I’ll be waiting at the gate.”

            “We’re ready.” Michael said as they walked in shortly after he did.

            “Still have the pop gun I see.”

            “I’ll try it anyway.” The soldier told him.

            “I guess it’s a lot better than being eaten alive.” Gleen said stepping through the gate and armored up.

            “Where is the creature?” Michael asked once they were all through.

            “Our scanners won’t be able to find it.  Get the packs calibrated.”

            “Hey, that’s one of the guys from team three.” One of the soldiers said running over to the body.

            “Wait!” Gleen yelled, but the ground opened swallowing him, his scream was silenced by the quick crunching of bones.  “Run!”

            They all shot away except for one who didn’t calibrate his pack as he loaded the gun instead and was shooting the entire way down.  Waving his gantlet he slowed the time behind them hoping it would buy them some time of their own.  This was a bad idea from the beginning, but now there was no choice other than complete it and get back quick.  From where he ran on the ground he told Michael to land on one of the skyscrapers that still stood and ran up the side to meet them on the top.

            “What are we going to do, that thing is huge.” The man said beginning to panic.

            “Gleen?” Michael asked as Gleen stared into the distance.

            “It followed me by feeling the vibrations through the ground.  Use the cutter lasers when it surfaces.”

            When the tentacles shot up they began to cut it wildly with the lasers, managing to cut off a chunk before it retreated.  The thing was gone just as quickly as it had come leaving with them hopefully enough to complete their mission.  One of the men picked it up to place it in a container only to have the thing come to life in his hands.  It grew a set of teeth and burrowed into the soldier’s chest eating him from the inside out before he could even fall to the ground, then crawled over the edge of the roof.

            “Move!” Gleen said armoring down and grabbed Michael’s arm as they shot into the sky.  “Curse you Gailor, your greed going to kill us all!”

            “Look out!” One of them yelled as a large tentacle shot from the ground.

            “Drop me.” Gleen told Michael when they flew over a building.

            He armored up on the way down and took off at full speed when he land running down the building.  As he ran he gave them instructions to set up a trap that he would be leading it into.  Once it was ready he made sure the thing was behind him as he began leading it toward the trap.  Coming to a dead stop in the center he waited until it began to come up and shot out of the way.  It got caught in the path of cutter lasers, only to have it not retreat this time as it grew tentacles from the wounds and devoured two more men.

            “What now?!”

            “This.” Gleen said as he covered it in a thick coat of ice.  “Did we get any pieces?”

            “No.  It may be getting an immunity to the…it’s moving!”

            “What!” Gleen yelled turning to find the ice tower rocking back and forth as it shattered as the creature retreated taking another soldier with it.

            “We should have never come here.” Michael told him.

            “That’s what I told Gailor, but he wouldn’t listen.”

            “We’re running out of ideas.”

            “I’m trying the old fashioned way.” Gleen said extending his blade.

            Once again he came to a dead stop, waiting and when it came up this time he sent lightning through it that seemed to have a paralyzing effect.  Using the Dark Blade he hacked a piece off, kicking it into the air as he throw a containment tube after it.  The tube landed on the ground with the piece of the creature squirming inside trying to get out.  With their objective done Gleen increased the gravity pushing the creature back into the ground.

            “Let’s get out of here.” The remaining soldier said as he grabbed the tube.

            “Look out!” Michael yelled as the creature shot up behind the soldier.

            “Catch!” He yelled throwing the tub just before being eaten.

            With the tube in one arm, Michael in the other he ran away as fast as the suit would allow.  He knew the creature was right behind them, but he wasn’t going to look back for fear of how close it was.  Activating the return command he pushed the suit harder to get ahead of it, but he could feel the suit beginning to give.  On the other side they ran straight into a reinforced steel wall knocking the both of them out.

 

                                    *                                  *                                  *

 

            Gailor suddenly found himself in a very dark place that was not familiar to him as he looked around.  Without warning a large mouth of sharp teeth bit down on his feet, as much as he tried he couldn’t get it to budge as it inched its way up his body.  His pain and cries went unheard and soon could do nothing to stop it, yet he was still alive.  It had reached his neck, then it seemed like an eternity and with one final bit he was gone.

            With a startle Gailor jerked up from him chair as the device that been sitting on his forehead fell to the desk.  Puzzled he sat back down to look as the device that was clearly a neural implanter, but who would do this.  He turned up in time to see Gleen drop the tube that contained the creature in his lap.  Anyone could tell that Gleen was quite displeased, but Gailor was never one to consider those how were under him.

            “I thought you should have a taste of what you put your men though.” Gleen said leaving.

            “If that was a neural implant, why does my face hurt still?”

            “Because I knocked you out for sending us there in the first place.”

            He found that Sarah and Lycina had fallen asleep waiting up for him to return, Kayleen was making breakfast at the time.  No one, not even Sam, had gotten much sleep as they all waited and hoped to see him again.  Upon seeing him Kayleen dropped the pot she was holding, which awoke the sleeping Sarah and Lycina.  Each ran at him knocking them all to the ground as the others emerged from their rooms to see what was going on.

            “I didn’t think you would come back this time.” Lycina said nearly in tears.

            “For a while there I didn’t think so either, my little one.” He said pulling her into his lap as he sat up, then turned to Sarah who was hugging him from behind and gently rubbed her cheek with the back if his hand.  “If we’re lucky Gailor might learn to trust me when I say no to things like this, but first I need a long bath.”

            “Comeon, we’ll help him.  Sarah told Lycina as they ran after him leaving the others with a bewildered look.

            A week later they once again were on the beach and Gleen was watching the ocean water coming in.  Out of nowhere a cooler of ice water was dumped on him by the others from behind as they ran off.  Instead of chasing after them he simply pulled out his ice sphere and froze them from the waist down.  While the living statues tries to get out of their cold predicament he returned his gaze to the ocean with a smile, this was the life.