Siblings of Sol: Destruction of a Planet

Chapter 13

The vehicle moved steadily through the dense foliage as they moved towards the mountain looming up in the distance. Soon they are climbing the very same path that Evian and he had used when they had first arrived here. The temperature slowly drops as they rise higher towards the Fortress that is becoming clearer above them. He can now get a good look at the size and dark look of the imposing structure.

The many windows and levels of the Fortress give an indication of the overall size, and when he considers how far they had walked in order to get to the outer edge of the walls. The whole mountain top could be a maze of corridors and passageways, able to house hundreds if not thousands of Shrils.

The air is getting cold enough that the driver hits a button on the dash and a clear bubble shaped dome flows up over the compartment they are sitting in as a blast of heat flows from the front of the craft. The two Shrils relax as soon as the warm air hits them, again making him think that they need the heat just like any cold-blooded creature on Earth does in order to function at full capacity.

Adam looks closely at the side of the structure hoping to pinpoint the exact location of the entrance they came out of that night, but there are too many to know for sure which one it was. He looks for the long row of close windows that could be opened to cool off the bodies to help preserve them for later. He thinks he sees them, but is still not sure, although if he had to guess, then the ones right in the center of the lower level would be his best choice.

The driver moves the floating vessel to the right towards the end of the structure over low rocks that litter the ground. Soon he can see a larger opening that could accommodate a much larger craft, even one that could fly.

They enter the large opening at the end and slow down as they move deeper into a large cavern that houses many of the same craft as the one they are in, plus larger vehicles and some obvious air craft, judging from the wings and enclosed design of the crew compartment.

The driver maneuvers his way into a line of vehicles that are identical to theirs. The dome retracts, and the driver gets out to attach a cable to the front of the vehicle from the long rail that runs down the wall in front of all the other craft.

The two Shrils get out and wait for Adam to exit to the right side of the vehicle. They step behind him and prod him with their smaller upper arms to follow the driver, who has started down the cavern floor, going deeper into the mountain.

The back wall has numerous openings that lead off in different directions. They take one to the right and enter it, moving through it as it arches back farther into the depths of the complex. The air continues to warm as they go deeper, reminding him of the pools of lava they passed on their way out, and the fact that The Sphere Chamber is one big open pit of molten rock.

There are glowing globes down each side of the corridor, lighting their way in a dull light that the Shrils seem to relax in. Adam is again reminded that they don't like harsh bright light, because they shy away from it, and even the Shrils that came to the village had a visor that ringed their large heads to protect their eyes.

The lead Shril stops suddenly and turns to a steel braced wooden door set in a stone frame, to the left of the corridor, and opens it with a push of a button on a small box he has pulled from the belt around his waist. He smiles at the obvious technology. "I have one of those at home to open the garage door when I drive up," thinks Adam.

The two guards behind him, suddenly give him a shove that almost knocks him off his feet as he stumbles into the chamber beyond. The door closes behind him smoothly, as if it was being controlled by a mechanism that opens and closes it automatically.

He stops at the entrance and looks around the interior of what is obviously a cell. A low ledge carved from the rock of the wall, wide enough for someone to sleep on, runs along the entire wall, only being broken by the doorway itself. A large table takes up the center of the room with wooden chairs arranged around it. The light is supplied by a single globe hanging in the very center of the dome shaped ceiling.

There are about a dozen Moles, all males, sitting in the chairs or laying on the stone benches with large blankets folded underneath them for comfort. All the occupants have their right hands wrapped in blood-soaked cloth, where their small finger should be, but he knows that the Shrils had bitten them off, before leaving their village.

One of the males at the table gets up and approaches him and looks him up and down from top to bottom carefully. "You have strange features. Your forehead is higher, and you stand up straight normally." He walks around him and then stops in front of him again, and points to his right hand. "You still have your finger? Why is that? Who are you?"

The rest of the males get up and approach him now. He looks around at them appraisingly. He quickly sees that they are all strong looking and have a determined look on their faces. "I am one of you, just slightly different, my strange appearance is the result of a birth defect."

The man who spoke up before looks up at him. "We are all here to challenge the Shrils and win our right to lead our village as an elder. Is that your intention?"

Adam looks around, knowing that only one of them will survive, and it is each man for themselves, so he needs to show that he is determined to be the one, not showing even a hint of any weakness. He moves forward towards the man who had spoken, stopping mere inches from him and looks down. "Yes. That is my intention also," he adds, leaning his upper body over the man slightly, fixing his eyes on his, as the man moves back slightly, showing his uncertainty at Adam's abilities. "Do you have a problem with that!"

The man backs up more at the tone of his voice. He then stands up as tall as he can from a safer distance to match Adam's taller stance and sticks out his chest. "No. But only one of us will live and I am letting you know that it will be me."

Adam just stares at him for a moment before responding. "We will see about that."

He looks around at all the other males and sees that he has managed to gain their respect, but he is under no delusion that they won't do something to gain themselves an edge over everybody else.

An older man almost as old as him steps up to the crowd from the stone bench where he had been watching the exchange. "I would also like to know how come they did not bite your finger off. What makes you so different from the rest of us, other than your obvious appearance?"

He must make a quick decision and decides to tell the truth, even though the Shrils are probably listening to every word being said. "I am from your ancestral home Ver. I came through The Sphere, arriving here by accident."

The older man extends his hand to him. "My name is Tar, and I am pleased to meet you, but the main question right now is if the Shrils will find you appetizing enough to eat. I think your strangeness will make them want you more than the rest of us, so they can brag to their companions that they caught the strange one. So, because of that fact, I welcome you to our group."

Tar turns back to his part of the stone bench and sits back down. He smiles at what Tar had just done for him. He does not need to worry too much about the rest attacking him to weaken him for when they all meet the Shrils. They will want him healthy and able to give the Shrils who will likely go after him first, a good run, so they can find a place to hide or defend themselves when the Shrils come for them.