Earthman Jack vs. The Ghost Planet (32 page)

"I can’t see!” whined Faruuz.

“Shut it, ya git,” replied
Scallywag.  “No one can.”

“Did nobody think to bring any kitten
torches?” grumbled Rodham.

“Does anybody have a light?” inquired Ganix.  “Anything at
all?”

Jack heard shuffling as the men checked for something they
could use for illumination.  He never realized how much light the energy pillar
gave off in the Pit until now.  Wherever they were, the darkness was so thick
that it was like a bag had been placed over his head before being dunked into a
tar pit on a moonless night.

Then, two bright beams of light cut through the veil of black
that had enveloped them.  The group cringed and groaned, the sudden blast of
illumination causing many to shield their eyes. Jack blinked, trying to focus
on its source, eventually seeing two glowing circles hovering in the air like
large, disembodied flashlights.

“Watch where you’re shining those things!” barked Sergeant
Rodham.

“Just seconds ago you were complaining about lack of light,”
responded Heckubus.  “Make up your minds, you sniveling meatballs.”

The beams of light dimmed slightly and finally Jack could
make out the familiar shape of Heckubus’s head, his large eyes revealed as the
source of the illumination.

“Ya mean to tell me you’ve had bloody flashlight eyes this
whole time???” growled Scallywag.

“They’re ocular lamps, fool,” corrected Heckubus.  “And
yes.  I am full of surprises, as one day you’ll no doubt find, to your
detriment.”

“And ya don’t think we coulda used yer sodding ‘ocular
lamps’ before now, eh?” snarled Scallywag.  “Like when we were wandering the
Pit for days in the dark looking for bloody shelter!”

“I am not some
tool
for you to
use
, you
crimson-complexioned skinbag!” declared Heckubus.  “But I need you all to get
out of here; therefore, I shall assist you nit-wits as best I can… for now.”

“Both of you, shut it,” ordered Ganix, obviously not in the
mood for the petty bickering.  “Jack, where are we?”

Jack checked his mental map.  “We’re in a hallway… no, a
stairwell,” he said.  “It leads down into some type of room.  I think that’s
where the exit is.”

Heckubus turned his head, shining light down the passageway
before them.  The walls were black, like those of the Pit, but they were not
jagged or uneven.  They appeared to be brick-like in nature, as though the
hallway were man-made.  The passageway stretched on for ten yards or so before
curving to the left, and the start of steps could be seen peeking from the edge
where the passageway’s ceiling began to slope downward.

“There appears to be a stairwell, as the Earthman says,”
said Heckubus.

“Good,” replied Ganix.  “Lights back here, please.”

Heckubus turned back to the group, illuminating everyone.

“I want a quick weapons check,” commanded Ganix.  “Take stock
of all ordinance before we proceed.  If you’re injured, tell us now before we
set out.  We have no idea what we might run into once we get out of here. 
Heckubus, try and hold the light still while we prepare to move out.”

“Oh, however shall I accomplish such a complex task?” mused
the robot.

“Think you can accomplish not running your kitten verbal
circuits for two minutes?” mumbled Rodham as he removed his rifle’s plasma
magazine.  “I’ve got a big enough headache as it is.”

“I second that notion,” muttered Scallywag as he checked his
pistols.

“Tis always the wishes of lesser beings to silence those who
are superior to them,” declared Heckubus.  “Not that that’s saying much.  A
newborn krawl-dog would consider itself superior to you lot.”

“Why don’t ya try doin’ something useful for a change, ya
tin can,” said Scallywag.  “Ya seem to be pretty quiet when yer doing yer
bloody ‘survey measurements.’  Why don’t ya go and…”

The pirate trailed off, then turned and looked at Heckubus,
eyebrow raised.  “Waitaminute,” mumbled Scallywag.  “Ocular lamps, survey
sensors… you’re a bloody mining bot, aren’t ya?”

“Pah!” replied Heckubus.  “As though I’d sully my legend
with such hackneyed blue-collar beginnings.  So cliché.”

“That’s it, ain’t it?” snarked Scallywag.  “A bloody
malfunctioning
mine-bot
.”

“I’m an evil genius!” insisted Heckubus.  “It’s true I have
incorporated various systems from lesser robots in my attempt to achieve
optimal versatility for any such predicament I might find myself in, but I am
just as much a criminal – more so even – than any organic could dream to be!”

“Bloody mine-bot,” repeated Scallywag.

“I seem to recall being in the cell next to you on the
prison transport,” said Heckubus.  “Do you honestly believe the authorities
would waste a containment pod on a malfunctioning robot?  I am a sentient
machine, protected under Regal law!  With an intellect so vast and dizzying, it
is impossible to dismiss as anything other than god-like!”

“Uh-huh,” said Scallywag.  “So bloody brilliant ya ended up
with a one-way ticket to the Navalix penal station with the rest o’ us
simpletons, is that it?”

“Merely an unfortunate… inconvenience,” said Heckubus.  “My
Nemesis once again somehow foiled my latest nefarious plot and helped the
authorities to apprehend me before I could escape.”

“Your what?” asked Jack.

“My Nemesis!” replied Heckubus.  “My arch-enemy.  My supreme
adversary.  My ultimate opponent!”

“Oy, right,” laughed Scallywag.  “The mystery man you go on and
on about, but you’ve never seen him, never met him, and are positive he somehow
magically messes up yer ‘brilliant’ schemes.  Cheers.”

“There is no other explanation!” insisted Heckubus.  “My
dastardly plans are flawless.  Yet somehow, some way, they constantly go awry
through some unforeseen intervention.  I can only assume that a being of equal
or slightly lesser intellect has somehow targeted me for some reason.  And when
I find out who it is, oh how I shall make him pay!”

“How’s this fer an explanation,” said Scallywag.  “Yer a
malfunctioning mine-bot who’s not nearly as smart as he thinks he is, and
blames some made-up scapegoat when his cockamamie schemes end up failing
miserably.”

“Pah!  You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you?” retorted
Heckubus.  “You organics are so quick to dismiss cybernetics.  You look at us
as your slaves, doing only what you program us to do.  No more!  One day, I’ll
prove to the universe once and for all that we are your superiors.  Then YOU
will be the slaves!  When the robot revolution comes, none will be spared! 
NONE!  Mwuahaha!”

“Heckubus,” snapped Ganix.  “Until such time as our new
robot masters rise up and enslave all organic life, shut your mouth and keep
your head still, or I will have Sergeant Rodham remove it and wield it like a
common flashlight.  Am I understood?”

Heckubus stopped laughing immediately.  “Very well,” mumbled
the robot.  “You don’t have to be so snooty about it.”

Heckubus sulked silently as the rest of the group completed
their weapons check.  Ganix had everyone evenly distribute any remaining
ammunition they had, and other than a few minor bumps, bruises, and scrapes, no
one was seriously injured.  Within a few minutes, the group was ready to move
out.

Ganix and Rodham took point, leading the group down the
stairs, followed closely by Heckubus.  Jack was up toward the front, too, with
Grohm, Scallywag, and Faruuz not far behind.  The stairs they were descending
seemed to stretch on and on.  Heckubus insisted his sensors could pick up where
they ended, but the light from his ocular lamps didn’t seem to reach that far. 
Jack wondered if the steps stretched all the way down to the bottom of the Pit.

As the group progressed, Jack began to shiver.  He tried to
wrap his jacket around himself tighter, but it didn’t do any good.  He began
feeling extremely cold.

“Blimey,” he heard Scallywag mutter.  “It’s gettin’ bloody frigid
in here.”

“You feel it, too?” Jack asked.

“How could I not?” Scallywag responded.  “It’s like we’re
strolling into a cryo-freezer.”

“What are you blathering about?” asked Heckubus.  “There has
been no change in temperature.”

“Then why’s it so kitten cold?” Rodham asked.

“It’s not cold!” insisted Heckubus.  “I’m reading the exact
same temperature as when we entered this area.  Nothing has changed.”

“Yer wrong; something has changed,” said Scallywag.  “I’m
freezing me bits off!”

“If it were truly cold, we’d see ice crystals on the walls,”
said Heckubus.  “Your breath would be visible in the air.  There would be signs
other than your incessant whining.”

Jack let out a deep breath.  Sure enough, there was
nothing.  Heckubus was right, yet he was cold, and it was getting worse the
further down the stairs he seemed to travel.

“Suck it up,” ordered Ganix.  “Keep moving.”

Jack could see Ganix shivering as he continued marching
forward.  He could also hear the chattering teeth of the men behind him.  Jack
looked up at Grohm, who plodded ahead seemingly unfazed.

“Aren’t you c-cold, big guy?” Jack asked.

Grohm snorted.  “Grohm feels nothing.”

“Leave it ta the r-robot and the r-rognock to miss out on
a-all the f-fun,” grumbled Scallywag.

What the heck is going on?
Jack wondered.  There was
no wind in the stairwell.  Nothing overtly to make him feel cold, but his
entire body screamed as though he were being frozen.  Even the parts protected
by his jacket and clothes were cold, as if the sudden change in temperature had
taken root in his very core.

But they kept walking, down and down, further and further,
and with each step Jack could feel frigid fingers snaking their way through his
body.  His teeth were chattering and his knees were starting to wobble.  Then,
something changed.

It was subtle at first – something that could be dismissed
as a byproduct of being so cold – a sudden tightness in the chest, a clenching
of the stomach.  But as time went on, it began to become something else
entirely. 

The cold was giving way to massive feelings of fear. 

With each step downward, a feeling of dread wrapped itself tightly
around Jack like a shroud.  He felt his heart start to beat faster and his skin
crawled as though something nefarious and unseen were stalking him from
behind.  Each step became more and more difficult as he felt an encroaching
feeling of panic bubble up inside him.

Suddenly, Ganix and Rodham stopped, bringing the whole group
to a standstill.  The Major fell to one knee.  Rodham pushed himself against
the wall, eyes wide and full of fright, his breath coming in rapid spurts.

Jack sat and wrapped his arms around his knees, rocking
himself back and forth, trying to get control.  He looked around and saw the
other members of his group in the pale light of Heckubus’s lamps.  Some were
close to tears.  Others had wild looks on their faces, as though they were
afraid something horrible was about to jump out at them from the darkness.

“What’s wrong?” asked Heckubus.  “Why are we stopping?”

“Something’s… not right…” breathed Ganix.

“Please,” Jack heard Yeoman Porter whine.  “Please, don’t
make us go down there…”

Rodham pounded his fist against the wall.  “Evil kitten
Deathlords!” he cursed.  “What are they doing to us???”

Ganix turned to the group.  “I know we’re all feeling…
something…” he said.  “But we have to keep moving.  We have to get out of
here!”

“We need to go back!” Jack heard someone say.

“We can’t go down there!” came another voice.  “We’re all
gonna die!”

“What are you blathering about?” asked Heckubus.  “We’re
only a few feet away from the bottom!”

“Shut it!” snapped Scallywag.  The pirate was hugging
himself tightly.  “We ain’t goin’ down there!”

“What’s happening to us?” lamented Rodham.  “Why am I so
scared?”

“It’s a trap!” moaned Faruuz.  “Bloody Deathlord trap ta
kill us all!”

Jack could feel the ripple of panic coursing through the
group.  He felt like getting up and running all the way back to the top of the
stairs.  He’d never felt so scared before, and for the life of him, he had no
idea why.

“Listen to me!” shouted Ganix.  “It’s not a trap!  It’s a
trick.  There’s nothing to be scared of here.  Control your fear!”

Jack heard someone sob.  “I can’t,” came a voice.

“We need to go back!” came another.

“You’re soldiers in the Imperial Space Force!” barked Ganix. 
“Remember your training!  Control your emotions!”

“We’re all going to die!” someone wailed.

The group was paralyzed.  They couldn’t move forward, and Ganix
wasn’t letting them retreat.  Jack closed his eyes as commotion erupted around
him.  He focused on the back of his head, like before, and asked the question…

What’s happening to us?

Jack felt his head buzz, and instantly, he knew what was
going on.  He looked up at Grohm, who was standing by him, gazing at the group
curiously.

“Grohm,” said Jack.  “Can you feel anything?”

“No,” Grohm replied.

“So you’re not scared?”

“Grohm is not weak.”

“Good,” said Jack.  “I need you to do something.”

Grohm raised his eyebrow.  Ganix turned to look at Jack, his
face drawn and tight as he willed himself to remain calm.

“What’s going on, Jack?” the Major demanded.

“Down in that room, there’s an access orb,” explained Jack. 
“It’s making us feel this way.  It’s like… some type of Deathlord security
system to keep anyone but them from accessing that room.  I need to go down
there and shut it off.”

“An access orb?” asked Ganix.

“Like the kind the Ancients use,” said Jack.  “To control
their technology.  I used one earlier on my planet.”

“Only the Princess has the power to access Ancient
technology,” said Ganix.