Post by saladfingers on Jan 23, 2006 5:30:08 GMT -5
LIGHTYEARS
By Ghindie
“The distance between point A and point B is only as wide as the viewer is close. Stand far enough away, and worlds collide...”
By Ghindie
“The distance between point A and point B is only as wide as the viewer is close. Stand far enough away, and worlds collide...”
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Prologue
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Prologue
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Planet Krypton
3 years ago
“Shit!” A scruffy man gripped his left hand and cringed as he watched blood ooze out of a deep cut on his palm.
“What happened?” A voice called out, the sound echoing within the walls of the underground tunnel.
“Nothing! Just continue digging,” the man barked out, wiping his blood-stained hand on his pants before reaching for a shovel and forcefully pushing it into the dirt. He clenched his teeth when the shovel’s handle dug itself into the opening of his wound, but despite the pain he continued his task. They had been digging for many hours now and he was dead tired, but work was work. He paused to look at his surroundings. They had to be at least a few meters below ground.
“Help! Get men down here! We have a worker trapped!”
The man threw the shovel to the ground and hurried to the lower level of the cave to help. As he neared the premise he was forced to grip an overhead railing when he suddenly felt a dizzy spell come over him. His wound throbbed painfully, the sensation suddenly doubling in its intensity. He backed away, but after a few steps he fell on his knees.
“Are you alright?” A fellow miner pulled him to his feet and sat him on an overturned metal container.
He sat motionless as he felt the strange pain on his body gradually leave him. Staring at the distance he watched as several men who attempted rescue retreat as if hurt by an unseen force. That was odd. What was going on?
“That place is cursed! This whole cave is cursed! We’re cursed! The devil is upon us!” A hysterical voice cried out.
The man strained to hear the conversation taking place a few feet from him.
“I can’t come near the place where he’s trapped. I get immobilized with pain when I do. I dunno what’s wrong.”
“I guess it’s cursed then. I couldn’t come close, too.”
“So was the guy rescued?”
“No, coz nobody could get near him.”
“Everybody surface out of the caves now! Emergency evacuation has been called out!” A commanding voice boomed throughout the cave, bringing everybody to their feet and scurry towards the exit. The man managed a quick glance at the supposed ‘cursed’ part of the cavern, before following the dispersing crowd. A brief flash of green glow had caught his attention. What was that? What was wrong? Why couldn’t anybody come near that place?
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Chapter I
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Chapter I
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Slash! The sharp blade sliced through the practice beam, gliding smoothly over the cut wood. Pulling the blade back towards him, he squinted his eyes as its shiny surface reflected the bright sun. As he refocused his vision he saw a group of men, those miners again he supposed, enter his father’s quarters. They had been visiting his father for a week already. Curious, he put the sword down and run off to their direction.
Weaving his way through his father’s suddenly crowded office, he stopped as he reached his mother’s side. His curiosity grew as he saw the intense expression on everybody’s faces. The tension in the air was palpable. He felt his mother’s grip on his hand tighten, squeezing to the point of pain, as one of the men began to speak.
“We have half a decade at most, my Lord,” the man stated. The rest of the people in the room gasped in shock as soon as the words left his mouth.
Now deeply intrigued he turned to his mother and whispered, “What’s going on, mother?”
“Oh Kal-El!” his mother sobbed, grabbing his lean frame and hugging him tightly. “My son, my son…my son…”
His mother’s sudden outburst, being the only sound heard since the man’s revelation, seemed to have shaken his father out of his trance. Clearing his throat, he spoke in a calm yet firm voice, “I trust you men to keep this information confidential. It is not wise to alarm the people as early as now.”
“But sir—”
“That is all. You may now leave,” his father motioned for the guards, “Escort these men out of the manor.”
“Yes, sir,” one of the guards replied, as the other led the group through and out the huge metal doors.
“Father, what just happened? What did that man mean by half a decade? What is going to happen then?” Kal-El asked in a rush once they were left alone.
Instead of answering, Jor-El walked over him and gently pulled the distraught Lara out of his embrace then led her to sit on one of the numerous couches in the room.
“I suppose you have heard of the recent incident in the caves?” his father asked, after motioning for a maid to attend to Lara.
“Yes, what about it?” he replied, as he watched his mother being ushered out of the room, still sobbing.
“It has been brought to my knowledge that there was nothing paranormal about the mishap. I’ve sent some of our best scientists to investigate the scene and they all came up with the same conclusion.”
“Which is?” he asked, suddenly dreading the answer.
“Our planet is collapsing on itself, son,” his father replied, sitting down on his chair and rubbing his temples in visible frustration. “There have been rocks found in the cavern. Strange green rocks. Rocks that would ultimately lead to our destruction.”
“What…I…I don’t understand,” he replied weakly, overwhelmed by what he just learned. Did his father mean that their planet was slowly dying? Impossible. “Where are these rocks found? Can’t you order people to just excavate them?”
“These rocks are causing mysterious weakness on our people, Kal-El. Long exposure to them has proven fatal. The Vingard cave isn’t the only place where these bizarre rocks exist.”
Terror began to grip Kal-El’s body, his flesh trembling in fear. His planet was about to be destroyed. His entire race annihilated. This can’t be true. It had to be a bad dream. He looked at his father as he heard him continue.
“These rocks are…they’re our planet’s core. And they’re multiplying, pushing through the mantle and forcing its way…into the surface,” his father stated, looking directly at him.
And for the first time, Kal-El saw fear on his eyes.
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Planet Krypton
Present time
Kal-El sullenly trekked down the metal ramp, shedding most of his space clothing as he walked. He felt nauseous, hopeless, desperate, angry, betrayed, scared and all of the other possible Kryptonian emotions.
Over the past months he had been zipping in and out of Krypton and through space, desperately looking for any planet that could support life. It had been agreed on during one of the many deliberations headed by his father that their only chance at survival would be to scour the outer space and try to find them a new home. It had been an outrageous idea then, but now that they only had 2 years left before the expected obliteration of their planet, they’d risk anything.
It had taken almost 3 years to complete the spacecraft that allowed its passengers to travel and reach as far as the neighboring galaxy. Now he, together with several selected men, boarded that aircraft nonstop in search of salvation.
He grabbed the nearest concrete post as he felt the ground tremble beneath his feet. The land groaning as it violently shook for a few seconds become coming to a complete still. This had been a natural occurrence as of late, a constant reminder for all of them that their planet is indeed falling apart. Well, at least for all of them who knew.
“Did you get to touch the stars this time, Sir Kal?” a tiny voice spoke all of a sudden.
He looked down and smiled at a small child tugging at the sleeves of his black robe. “Yes, I did,” he replied in pseudo-cheerfulness.
The boy’s eyes brightened considerably at his revelation, “Really? When I grow up I want to touch one, too!”
Kal-El’s shoulders slumped when he heard the child speak of his dream – one of the many dreams that could possibly never be turned to reality. It was unfair. Why did the Gods allow such cruel fate to befall his people? He clenched his fists, hoping to calm the hatred rising within him. It was futile. The emotion was uncontrollable. He could now feel rage worming its way into his entire being, meshing with everything that he was, is and will be. It was an unwelcome feeling, but right now he needed it. It would be his drive, his motivation – the one thing that would push him to his limits and beyond it.
“Kal-El, you’re safe home!” He turned to see his mother walk towards him, a rare smile gracing her beautiful face. He tried to smile back. Ever since learning about their impending doom, Lara had fallen into a deep depression. So it was a small miracle in itself to see her smile again.
“Mother, I’m glad to see you out of your room.”
“Well, it is my only son’s birthday after all. It is only right to make merry,” Lara replied as she hugged her son.
“Thanks. But I believe we have more pressing matters to attend to,” he countered ruefully. True, it was his 18th birthday but this was no time for celebration. His people needed saving, and that was most important for him right now. “Where is father? I have urgent news to report.”
“In his quarters. Your father can wait. You need your rest, son,” was the plaintive reply.
“No. Lives are at stake. I can’t afford a second of rest.”
Lara watched as Kal-El walked away, noticing how much he had changed. Because of unkind circumstance, the boy was forced to shed his carefree teenage life and crawl into the dark and uncertain world of adulthood. Lara fought the tears threatening to spill from her eyes, her heart hurting for her son and the life he was forced to live. He should be out in the fields having fun not venturing out in space and begging for a second chance at life.
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“Father,” Kal-El spoke louder this time, in hopes of making his presence known. He had been standing in the room for several moments now and Jor-El has yet to notice him.
“Kal-El,” his father replied in recognition, pulling himself out of his desk and from the hundreds of paperwork that littered it. “What of your travel? Have there been any progress?”
Their conversations have long since been straight to the point, void of pleasantries and expressions of relief for his safety arrival. Not that he needed them. “We found nothing, father. But we’re not losing hope. As soon as the ship refuels, I’m heading out again.”
“Of course,” Jor-El tried to sound optimistic. “The reports on the seismic activity aren’t looking good either, but like you said we shouldn’t lose hope.”
Kal-El walked over to the large window and ran his fingers on the foggy surface. His latest venture out in space had not been exactly unproductive. In fact, he had discovered something remarkable, but he wasn’t sure if today was a good time to talk about it.
“Time,” he whispered plaintively. That was one thing that they didn’t have. So maybe now would be the only time to discuss what he had in mind.
“Father, while we were out in space I noticed something…..strange,” he began. “During my previous flights I’ve felt it as well, just that I wasn’t so sure. Now, however, I am. I even tried asking the men with me if they experienced it too. And they said they did, so I…”
Jor-El listened to his ramblings with raised eyebrows and then gave him a look that told him to go straight to the point.
“I can move incredibly fast. Faster than any vehicle I’ve seen.”
Silence.
“Are you saying you have acquired certain…abilities while you were in space?” Jor-El clearly looked concerned now. His son could not be having delusions, has he?
“I’m not sure, father. But that would seem the most logical explanation. Given that I’m only capable of such feats when in space. Also, the further away I am from our planet, the faster I become.”
His father looked at him worriedly, clearly in doubt of the things he just revealed. So he continued, “I’m not fabricating lies, father. The men with me could testify to that. I saw them move exceptionally fast as well.”
“…I see,” was Jor-El only reply. He knew that Kal-El was not one to lie, but the information he’s giving are inconceivable.
“And also…I accidentally broke one of the metal doors in the ship. I bent it in half…with…uh my uh…bare hands.”
Before Kal-El’s statement could even begin to register on his mind, the elaborate chandelier that hung in the middle of the room crashed to floor, breaking to pieces. Then the walls began to shake, the concrete floor vibrating.
“Sire, the town!”
Hearing the servant’s shout, both men unsteadily ran out of the collapsing building and into the town entrance. The sight that welcomed them brought them to their knees.
No
The skies turned dark as if all the light had been sucked into one point. The sound of rumbling and explosions competing with the shrill screams of people running for their lives. A thick haze of dust cloaking the entire land.
No…
The land opened, swallowing in its fury hundreds of unfortunate men. A cloud of green smoke rose from the enormous crack, choking those who dared enter its realm of fog.
NOOO!!
There were prominent large pools of crimson surrounding thousands of lifeless bodies. The sight was gruesome - disembodied limbs becoming morbid ornaments to the land.
It had begun. The end is nigh.
End of Chapter I