The Evil That Came

Part 1 : The Kiss

"Calling into Space Guard International Connect... The land is barren, no sign of life here."
"Are you sure? Check again, O'Dunn. There must be life, or there wouldn't have been a signal."
"Okay Scanning now."
Greg O'Dunn, a seasoned astronaut, stood on the desolate surface of planet and let his eyes take in every detail. The terrain which was as lifeless as the Martian desert; The jagged rocks and greyish-red earth stretched to the horizon. Beneath a hazy purple-and-orange sky, sinking deeper into violet as the sun began to set. The International Space Guard had sent him there, chasing a faint signal to this distinct location.
Through the lens of his computerized helmet, Greg zoomed in on a cave, its entrance beckoning like a dark maw. Then he saw it: an arm waving frantically from the shadows, desperate for salvation.
"Help us!" the humanoid figure cried. The words echoed off the cavern walls as Greg's helmet translated the language in real time.
Adrenaline surged through him as he sprinted toward the cave, his boots crunching loudly on the rocky ground. As he crossed the mouth of the cave, the pungent stench of charred skin met his nose.
Inside, were many human-looking children, dirty, worn, some injured with big red irises, and in the center against the lit cavern wall, a woman with vibrant green eyes. Greg felt some unease by how familiar they appeared. Then the heavy shawl of devastation wrapped Greg as he quickly observed the extent of the horrifying scene in front of him. The woman looked as if she had been torn apart around her midsection by a chainsaw. She lay there, her wound gaping, bleeding thick black ooze, and the children—thousands of them—stood huddled together, their crimson eyes glowing faintly around the lamp. Their faces etched with fear and suffering.
She sounded exhausted. Her emerald eyes held a raw, desperate vulnerability. "Please, please, help us!" She gasped. "I'm dying, and I'm beyond saving but these children are all I have of my kingdom.
With her voice strained, she spoke haltingly. "I am the Queen. These two next to me are my daughter and nephew —My bloodline. There is a note beneath me¬ that explains everything." ¬
The sound of her gritted teeth was audible as the queen, scraping her back against the cavern wall, tried to scoot over to Greg. An ear-shattering scream tore from her throat as she moved; the children gasped; the sound of soft crying could be heard throughout the deep cave. Back to her prior frantic state, she gripped Greg around his arm, gripping with surprising strength. "Please," she almost hissed between her teeth. "Save my children, my kingdom!"
Greg's mind raced. How could they resemble humans so closely? Aside from the eyes they would look as human as me. He looked into the Queen's desperate eyes and nodded resolutely. "Okay, okay, I will."
He felt a deep empathy not just for the thousands of children scattered throughout the cave who have obviously seen their world die in an instant but also for this dying woman, as an International Space Guard, it was his sole duty to protect everyone, all life regardless of form. As he trained for this, to expect the unexpected; the shock was still vibrating through him as he spoke.
Greg tapped one of his comms his voice steady despite his heart beating a mile a second. "Calling into SGI Connect... I found life... I repeat...I found life. We need an emergency EVAC freighter that could hold at least a thousand people, bring five... and a Space Force medical team immediately; explain later."
The woman's expression shifted. Switching from her native tongue to Greg's own English, she looked at him and forced a pained smile. "You are a God."
Greg's eyes widened and he quickly countered. "Ma'am, I'm no god, I'm just..."
"A savior," she interrupted. "I don't care what you are as long as you're not The Evil That Came.  To me, you're a savior. I can no longer take care of my children or my kingdom. Will you take care of them for me?"
"Of course I will; you have my word." The woman nodded, her body softening as she felt more at ease assured that this man would do as promised.
"What's your name, Human?"
"Greg, Yours?"
"Hyva."
Greg sat down beside Hyva with a thud as his equipment rattled behind him "How do you know English, Hyva?"
"We've been to Earth" Her voice faint. "We peacefully observed you humans from a distance; we learned all of your human languages and retained everything; you simply happened to speak English."
Greg chuckled softly, though his face quickly became solemn. "Well, what are you? When we get to Earth, I want to respect you. I want to give your kingdom a name instead of just calling you an alien. Talking to you ...it  makes you seem more human than anything else. Do you understand?"
Hyva smiled and said, "I understand completely."
She reached out to him gracing a light kiss on his helmet, then pointed toward her daughter and nephew, their eyes a crystalline green just like hers.
"Make sure my children and my kingdom become humans just like you. This world is destroyed, and there is nothing left for us here. Please Greg.. I want you to take care of my children, they are different from others; they are the link to our ancestors; they carry their memories
Her breathing grew heavy and labored. "The boy is not my son; he's my brother's son. He's still royalty, but his father was evil, and his mother left after his first birthday under circumstances I still do not know to this day. Now, the girl." Her voice trailing off as she struggled to breathe.
"She is mine; she is the direct ruler of my kingdom, and when I die, I want to guide her. I'll die in this world and this cave, so Victoria will never forget where she came from. Now, Greg, do you understand?"
He didn't understand, but he knew he was the only one who could care for them. Self-doubt gnawed at him. He trained for countless scenarios—hostile planets, a malfunctioning ship—but this? This wasn't covered in any manuals. What would he do with thousands of alien children?
He was worried that he couldn't be the guardian that Hyva wanted him to be, for Greg was just a soldier, a young 1st lieutenant in a world where power belongs to old men with old ideas, sending young men to their graves. He looked at his supple, youthful skin, a twisted and cruel contrast to his aging mind. Traveling the stars at light speed, he felt every second of time pass; his mind as seasoned as the old generals at the top. But the people of Earth do not see a 227-year-old man; they see a teen, a young face.
Greg stared at the children, the cave, the bombed-out buildings out beyond, and the scattered debris surrounding him. He remembered another time, another world. He was in a hall with rows of lightweight metallic chairs that filled the arena. Cadets with heads held high and bodies as straight as arrows. An air of excitement hovering in the air.  He was younger then, just a year younger than he is now, (relatively speaking). A skinny kid with a raging flame behind his eyes. Compared to the other cadets, who were mostly from established families with centuries' long history of military service, they never knew what real hunger felt like, yet he still felt like an imposter. He could never relate to his peers; he could never be like them.
A booming voice cut through the tense silence in the vast training hall.
"This is the beginning of a new era, Cadets!" The battalion commander stood on the raised platform, his imposing figure casting a long shadow. "Humans have looked to the skies with awe-inspiring wonder, dreaming of venturing beyond our home planet!" A wave of pride surged through the hall, but Greg felt a twinge of something else—a more distant memory of the hollow feeling in his churning stomach that he used to feel. How could he ever forget?
A rough and weathered hand gripped his shoulder, pulling him out of line. A recruiter in a clean, pressed uniform stood behind him; the cold in his eyes made Greg nervous. "Greg, right?" The recruiter's voice was smooth and practiced. "We've been watching you. You've got potential."
He swallowed, his gaze darting nervously between the recruiter and the meager meal his mother had managed to scrape together from the shelter. "Potential for what?" he mumbled, his stomach rumbling with hunger.
"The International Space Guard," the recruiter continued, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "It is a chance to escape this and see the stars. Let's take a walk outside."
Greg glanced back at the rundown apartment building, the flickering lights casting, strobing shadows across the cracked pavement. Escape. The word echoed in his mind, a lifeline thrown to a drowning and starving young man.
The commander went on, "We are the first of our kind to travel outside the Area of Operations of our great Earth to the unknown. We will discover and protect our home from threats beyond our world and investigate potential threats." Greg's heart pounded with an exhilarating mix of fear and excitement. Then the gurgle and rumble reminded him of why he felt the fear.
"The ISG is looking for the brightest the Earth has to offer all over the world. Kid, you have the potential to be great." He continued.
The recruiter waved his hands around. "Look around you, you could get out of this. I promise, I was just like you. Hungry and eager to leave this side of town. A recruiter found me, observed me at school, and picked me out of the crowd. Now look at me! " His blinding smile bounced off the reflection of one of his badges on his fatigues. "A successful Lieutenant 1st class looking for the best. Are you, Greg, ready to serve humanity?" With his hand outstretched for a handshake. Greg shook it, and with a nod, changed his life forever.
Meanwhile, with his head held high, the commander bore on, "We now have the tools to navigate the cosmos at light speed. Although it took a millennium, we made it here to the pinnacle of innovation. We have trained you, young souls, and prepared you to be the sentinels of Earth."
A wry smile touched a trainee's lips next to him. "Young souls, huh?" she whispered, her blond hair lightly smacking him as she nudged Greg's shoulder. He swallowed, a nervous flutter in his stomach.
"This is a lonely journey," the commander acknowledged. "Sometimes, we may lose loved ones due to the passing of time. We understand the sacrifices you may make through the dangerous expedition in the dark emptiness of space."
But you know that, therefore, we allow you to return in time. We understand the consequences of changing times and have learned how to avoid disturbing the long, continuous threads of the timeline. We protect the timelines because what has happened has already occurred.
"Look around you, cadets," the Commander's voice boomed. "You are not just trainees anymore. You are pioneers, the first humans to break free from Earth's cradle and venture into the vast unknown!"
A wave of cheers erupted from the assembled cadets. Greg, caught up in the euphoria, joined in, his youthful voice echoing in the vast hall. Sentinels of Earth, the words echoed in Greg's mind now, a bitter irony as he surveyed the desolate alien landscape. This wasn't what he signed up for.
"It's almost time for me to go. Keep an eye on my kingdom and especially on my children. The last thing I want you to take care of is my knowledge." The Queen pressed a note into his palm. "Read it," she gently urged. "It holds our history, our downfall." She looked down at the paper. Greg looked at it, too. When he turned to look back at Hyva, she started slumping over. He scooted closer to her and lifted her head to his lap. The heat of this world felt overbearing, and he knew the air wasn't toxic, so he removed his helmet and took his first breath of fresh air in decades. He cradled her head in his lap, her once vibrant green eyes dimming. Pushing a stray raven curl from her cheek, he brushed his lips against her smooth brown skin. Why? Greg had no idea; he felt he needed to.
The touch sent a jolt through him, a connection that defied all logic. He felt a lifetime of emotions swirling within him—love, loss, a desperate need to protect. It felt as if he had known her all his life and was about to lose a lifelong friend right there in his arms. He knew the protocol not to touch extraterrestrial life, but it felt almost as if it were his duty to protect this nation and the world. It was indeed an unexplainable feeling. She was still warm, so Greg whispered in her ear.
"I'll tell your children about you and your strength," Greg's voice cracked. They'll know how great a woman their mother was. You will never die in vain." Greg says this as he tightly squeezes Hyva's hand.
Hyva gave a wan smile, her once-bright emerald-green eyes dulled; escaping her lips, she released a final gasp. "No, no, no." Greg panicked, trying to stave off the inevitable. A coldness seeped into her touch. She was gone. With a choked sob and a heavy chest, Greg gently lowered her body onto the cavern floor and, from his spacesuit's pocket, covered Hyva with a thin metallic radiation blanket. He looked around at the children and some of the adults, who were starting to huddle. He saw himself as a young kid a thousand times over. Skinny, hungry, and afraid.
A wave of nausea washed over him, and his vision blurred. Images spanned before him. It was the world of Pui before The Evil That Came: tall, spiraling buildings like metallic ribbons, palm-tree-like purple-greenery, and deep green flora reaching for the hot desert sun. Crisp, clean air filled his lungs. A vibrant oasis shimmered in the center; its water was so clear you could see pebbles on the bottom. The laughter of the Puian children echoed their joy, a stark contrast to the silent awe Greg felt. Adults bustled about, their chatter filled with excitement about some discovery in a distant world. Pui pulsed with electric energy—a utopia seemingly untouched by worry.
But then, a tremor shook the ground. A thunderous movement filled the air as men and women clad in gleaming armor marched with grim purpose. Overhead, helicopter-like shuttles were dropping what could only be described as bombs. The blasts were so bright that even Greg had to shield his eyes.
The children's laughter died in their throats, replaced by panicked screams. Blinding blasts erupted, turning the once-majestic buildings into crumbling paper dolls. Once a vibrant heart, the oasis began to choke on the thick, black ember. Ash rained down, turning Hyva's brown outstretched hands a sickly gray. The air became a choking haze, the sweet scent of the desert replaced by the acrid bite of burning cinders.
"He really did it," Hyva thought aloud, her voice a desperate echo in Greg's mind. Then, amidst the chaos, a figure with a mask emerged from the smoke. He rode a monstrous beast with scales that shimmered like obsidian, a cruel smirk twisting his features. Blue eyes, filled with a chilling satisfaction, locked onto Hyva. He charged with a golden sword, glimmering in the dying light.
Greg gasped as the vision dissolved like smoke. He shivered violently, the phantom smell of burning cinders clinging to his nostrils. "What the hell was that?" he muttered; his voice ragged with the echoes of Hyva's despair. The vision burned bright in his mind, a horrifying glimpse into Pui's past and a terrifying premonition of a future he had to prevent.