Episode Twelve

[Velociryx]

Episode XII: Exploration

Kevin Aldridge came awake with a start, bewildered. *That sound?*

But there was only silence.

He settled back on his pillow and closed his eyes.

It came again, making him jump nearly a foot.

Half a second later, he realized what it was, and felt foolish.

Someone knocking on his door. Pounding, actually.

Then he looked at the clock.

At two in the morning? Perhaps he was right to be a little jumpy.

Slowly, he got out of bed. Made his way down the hall.

The knocking came again. Louder this time, more insistent.

Kevin looked through the eyepiece on the door with an emotion that felt somewhere between apprehension and genuine fear.

Breathed a sigh of relief when he saw who it was.

Velociryx.

He opened the door.

“Hey Vel....what the Hell are you....” His voice died in his throat as he saw what lay in the crook of Vel’s arm, resting against his chest.

“Shhhh.” Velociryx said quietly. “You’ll scare him.....Get dressed. I need your help....your objectivity.”

“What do you....”

“This little fellow was in my apartment....I don’t know how he got there.”

Kevin looked stunned.

“And he wasn’t the only thing in my apartment tonight.”

“What else?”

“Who else.” Velociryx said flatly. “Someone broke in.”

“Here? A breakin at the landing?” The realization hit Kevin like a physical blow. But then, considering the riots, perhaps the Landing was not the glowing paradise he’d once imagined it to be.

“According to my little friend, there were at least three of them.”

Kevin gaped for a long moment. “Come in...just give me a second to get dressed.”

Velociryx nodded, and took the Shredder Pistol from his belt. “Can you fire one of these?”

The researcher nodded slowly. “I’ve had a little practice.”

“Good. You’ve just been deputized then. I don’t know who the men in my apartment were, but they might try for us while we’re traveling. If they do, I won’t need a gun, but you might.”

Kevin nodded and finished getting dressed.

He held the pistol carefully, turning it over in his hands. It glinted malignantly in the eerie half-light.

“So where are we going, and why?”

“Back to the Fungal Bed....I....I have been communing with Planet....I don’t know if it’s related to the men who broke into my apartment or not....all I know is that she wants us to go.”

“Planet?”

“Yes....and....” His eyes teared up suddenly, and Kevin’s stomach lurched.

“Gayle?” He whispered.

Velociryx nodded. “Whatever it is....it’s big....important.”

There were tears in Kevin’s eyes as well. “Let’s go.”
***

The Monolith loomed before them, rising up from the depths of the Fungus like the blade of a mighty sword, it’s hilt, pommel, and more than half its length buried in the alien soil.

They both scanned the area for Gayle’s body, not really surprised when they didn’t find anything, but....They had to look.

Velociryx was quiet for a long time, holding the tiny larval mass against his chest, eyes closed. Kevin could almost hear the constant, high pitched whine of the Psi-Energy buildup, and he could certainly feel it, but it was different this time, than he’d ever felt before. It did not feel like he was building for an attack.

Communication then? Trying to contact Planet?

Then he heard the music. Planetsong.

He did not realize the worms were there until he heard their chittering all around them.

Hundreds, of all shapes and sizes, from creatures even smaller than the one Velociryx was holding, all the way up to boils spanning several meters in diameter.

The PlanetSong grew louder, seeming to swell up from the ground itself, until they could both feel it trembling beneath their feet.

At some point, almost without realizing it, Kevin found himself gazing almost lovingly at the creatures that surrounded them. He was mystified by what he saw, but also amazed.

The worms were *self-aware.* He knew that by watching them. The way they bent toward one another when they chittered and “talked.” The way they pulled and contorted portions of their mass aside to allow others to pass. They had a kind of body language with each other, and it fascinated him, though he had no idea exactly how to interpret their motions.

*This is why Vel wants me here....somehow, he knew* The thought drifted into his mind almost casually, and as that sank in, he felt the researcher in him dig deeper and begin to analyze, his hand drifting to his wrist-comm, activating it, and speaking quietly, so as not to disturb the creatures.

“Body language notes: For lack of a better term, I will collectively call the movements of these creatures “The Dance of Planet.” Clearly, these movements have meaning that go well beyond simple reflexive or automatic responses, and I believe that they may be part of a language structure.” He took a deep breath and continued. “Given the Psi-abilities and other behaviors we have already documented from Worm Boils, and given what I have seen here so far, and in my past association with the worms, I feel nearly certain that the MindWorms communicate through empathy on a basic level, and possibly use telepathy to get across more complex ideas.”

The true meaning of what he had just said began to seep into his bones as soon as his voice died away, and it made him shiver. “The Worms, the Fungus, the Planetsong....it’s all tied together....all interconnected....” He felt as though the slightest breeze might topple him over. Dizzy with the intoxication of discovery and realization. “The Lady Deidre was not being eccentric when she said it....Planet really is alive....if all of these things are interconnected....” He couldn’t even finish the thought, but he *did* suddenly realize that several of the MindWorms were *looking* at him.

He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to relax, hoping to feel them.

Nothing.

But if they’d wanted him dead, they could have already killed him. Small comfort, but at least it was something.

He opened his eyes again and continued to watch them. *Now, if we could only figure out how these strange Monoliths fit in to the....*

As if in answer to his unfinished question there was a strange whirring sound, and the monolith (though no seams were visible on the surface of it) began to open.

Even though Kevin was clearly not empathic, he could sense the excitement(?) running through the worms, and feel the uneasiness coming from Velociryx.

*He doesn’t understand this anymore than I do.* Kevin realized, somewhat relieved.

Scared or no, he edged forward.

Closer.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with Velociryx.

The Monolith opened further, revealing nothing but thick shadows of some open space within.

Drawn to it, both men took a step forward at about the same time.

And then another.

The shadows were stubborn, and refused to reveal any of the details about whatever might be inside.

Then a click.

A humming noise. Generator kicking in?

And a faint light near the back of the chamber.

An outline.

Someone approaching them.

Humanoid. Biped.

No.

It was human.

A woman.

Kevin felt his throat constrict as she grew closer. His heart nearly stopped beating. *Could it be....*

He wanted to glance over at Velociryx to see what his reaction to this might be, but found himself unwilling to tear his eyes away as she drew nearer.

Slowly, finally, her face broke free from the shadows.