Seed Bearer

A research station hung in the void of space, orbiting a gas giant. Its metallic frame glistened faintly in the shine of the distant star. An alarm went off in the station, waking a sleeping man from his much needed rest.

“Fine fine, I’m up I’m up…” groaned the man as he got up. While he went about his morning routine, in the testing chambers, somewhere deep within the station, a cube – decorated by mysterious and ancient symbols, began to glow.

“Dr. Mendez! Finally, you’ve made it,” called out a distressed voice as soon the sleepy, disheveled man walked through the door of the research lab.

“Hmm?” he queried sleepily, taking a chug of his steaming drink.

“The artifact, we’ve finally managed to resonate with it,” spoke another voice, standing next to Dr. Mendez, holding a single printout in hand. The sleepy man took it from him and glanced over it.

The sound of shattering glass seemingly paused all activity in the room, “it’s… living?”

Dr. Mendez asked, surprised.

“Yes, it is in fact a biological lifeform. We’re uncertain what the origin of it is though, but that cube, it’s a prison of sorts. What is hidden inside we do not know, but we have the resonating signature ready and we should be able to pop it open at your command.”

With a shaky hand, he pointed at the nearby terminal.

“Prepare the lockdown protocol, call in the security, inform Chief Neral, and await his confirmation before we unlock whatever is hidden inside it.”

The team of researchers sprung into action immediately. A couple of them departed the lab to head out and inform necessary officers. The others got to making necessary preparations.

Dr. Mendez approached the massive glass chamber at the center of the lab. Inside it, on a pedestal of sorts, rested an ancient, metallic cube with inscriptions in a language they were unable to translate.

A metal greed lowered from the ceiling, surrounding the object.

A moment later something hummed and the grid became enveloped in a blue glow. Dr. Mendez nodded confidently. He was certain that whatever might be locked within that technologically advanced, tiny prison, would be contained without issues.

The hum of the containment grid began to grow louder. It was a deep, resonant vibration that seemed to echo through the bones of everyone in the room. Dr. Mendez’s confidence wavered as the glowing cube began to pulse irregularly. Each flash was glowing brighter, almost blinding. Monitors around the lab flickered, lines of incomprehensible code streaming faster than the computers could process. The grid wavered in resonance with his confidence and flickered.

“Abort! ABORT!” , he shouted.

“We’re not doing anything yet!”

The distressed researcher called out as he, in panic, tried to redirect more power to the containment grid that was faltering. The lab’s lights flickered as the cube released another blinding flash, sending all in the room into a daze. The entire station’s power went out as the power grid got overloaded and tripped the safety protocol.

Sirens blared as strobing lights slowly brought Dr Mendez’s mind back into focus. Amidst the chaos and in the dim light of the emergency lights, he could see the cube sprawled open. Inside it, held by a tiny hand like object, was what resembled a seed the size of a walnut, no larger. He walked up to the glass chamber, marveling in awe at the biological object that seemed, wrong.

In the dim light he could make out strange black veins running through the seed, as if corruption made visible. It felt vile, sinister. He took a step back, his instincts telling him that the object must be contained no matter what.

“Lockdown protocol!” he commanded, but there was silence.

“I said,” he began and only now realized that aside from him, all others were unconscious.

“Shit,” he ran up to a terminal, inputting commands into it. However, the system did not respond.

A deep rumble echoed through the room. Dr. Mendez gazed up at the ceiling from whence it came. A loud creak followed, as if metal fighting for its life, and then a pipe ruptured. This spilled water uncontrollably into the lab. Dr. Mendez glared at the seed. Then, as if a voice called out to him, he glanced at the monitor. There was a message, that read.

“Plant the seed, let chaos breed, spread them wide, so watcher decreed.”

As he ran out of the lab, he slammed his fist into the emergency shutdown button. It cut power to the lab and sealed the door behind him. Only the chief of the station could open it, and no one else. A distress signal went out to the station’s control center, but that hardly mattered as the control had already broadcast a distress signal over a power outage due to unknown origin.

“Sir? We received a distress call from the E-R-S-18 in quadrant 7,” called out an officer to the commander of the nearest station. It’s a training academy for the enhanced space troopers.

“On the screen,” he ordered. A message played, audio only.

“This is Chief Neral of the Esoteric Research Station 18, we’ve experienced a power outage. Source – unknown. Threat level – undetermined. Core – completely disabled. Power grid – out of commission. Requesting assistance for repairs and enforcement force to contain and subjugate research subjects.”

The commander pondered for a moment, scratching his thick beard.

“Nearest fleet?” he queried.

“At least 2 months travel away, and likely won’t respond to such as low level emergency, they’re holding blockade against the Teralis faction.”

Commander nodded, “Council is unlikely to move a single ship anyway,” he scratched his beard again.

“The Albera squad is ready for graduation, we could send them.”

“Would it really be wise?” the officer asked curiously.

“They’re battle ready even if they are green. Inform their squad leader. Get a replacement core loaded up on a frigate and send a couple of engineers with them. Their task — deliver and install the replacement core, assist the ERS18th’s security team in subjugating the research subjects.”

“Yes sir,” the officer proceeded to forward the order.

The hangar’s doors screeched open slowly as the Albera squad prepared for deployment. The cadets moved with a mixture of confidence and nervousness. Each step was heavy with anticipation as they marched toward the frigate. Their fresh and mint heavy armor glistened proudly in the hangar’s bright lights as they walked. Sergeant Vyr, the squad leader, raised his hand to stop the cadets. They all came to a halt with a loud final step, bringing the activity within the hangar to a pause.

“Alright rookies, listen up,” their Sergeant began, as he turned on his heel. His heavy steps echoed through the hangar with each step he took.

“This is your final test and I do not want to see any mistakes. If you succeed this mission, you will be sent to the frontlines to serve our majesty! If you fail, you will be left here as an example of what failed troopers are. A single death is a failure, a single wound is a failure. You are elite, the spear-head of our forces. SO ACT THE PART!”

“Yes Sergeant,” the squad responded in unison, their voices reverberated throughout the hangar. The maintenance engineers all applauded the squad that was being deployed.

“Load up and prepare the frigate, departing in 10!”

The squad sprinted toward the ramp on the back of the frigate, each heading to their designated spot.

“So, think it’ll be exciting?” asked Cadet Kira.

“Hmm? It’s just a research station in distress, how bad can it be?”

Responded her co-pilot Cadet Sora.

The frigate’s engines roared to life in a deafening growl. The squad was ready, and their cargo, along with two engineers, had been loaded. Moments later they were on their way.

“Power outage on a station conducting top secret research that they need us, space troopers to help subjugate their ‘subjects’? I think it might be quite a bit more than you expect,” Kira commented, plotting the course on the computer.

“Fair point, we’ll see…”

A metallic clank echoed through the frigate that was silent with suspense. They had docked successfully at the research station. As they lined by the airlock, each checking each other’s power armor and equipment.

“Squad, weapons hot, armor in power mode. We do not know what to expect beyond these doors, or what kinds of research subjects we might run into. Fire at will in the face of danger. Do not back down no matter what! We’re splitting into two: search and rescue, and repairs team. Kira — I appoint you as squad leader, search and rescue!”

“Yes sergeant,” she responded.

In the void of nothingness, amidst endless darkness, sat a figure. It was a creature in white robes, so pure and pristine, a perfect contrast to the darkness around it. From the faint light illuminated by the white robes the ground was visible beneath it. Amidst a field of dry grass an occasional rose protruded, barely visible in the faint light.

“Perfect one, aren’t you?” the figure spoke, kneeling down beside the rose. The being’s fingers brushed over the rose’s thorns. Its voice echoed through the void around it, endlessly.

“Not for long. I will corrupt you, bring chaos upon you. A seed of chaos awakens, released into the world yet again.”

Light flashed repeatedly, disorientating Kira as she peeked around the corner. The squad’s movements were slow and deliberate. Each position they took spoke of their elite training and precision. They always had each other covered, leaving no blind spots. Every vent and hallway was always covered. Kira gestured at the entrance of a lab, the placard beside the door read ‘genetic infusion’.

Kira checked the sensors, “Something isn’t right.”

“What is it, squad lead?” called out the cadet beside her, his heavy rifle aimed firmly at the door.

“There’s something in the air. It’s… got, signs of life. Bacteria? Spores? I can’t make it out,” she commented.

“Proceed with caution, keep helmets on at all times.”

A faint whisper cut through the air like a snap of a bullet. It was distant, barely audible, but it was there. It was a sound that did not belong. It was neither of her squad members, it was not a human voice, yet it sounded like it spoke words familiar to her, yet distorted. She raised her hand, “still,” she whispered, listening carefully, but only silence remained.

“What is it?” whispered one of the cadets on the comms, his attention fixated on the hallway behind them.

“I’m not sure,” Kira responded, “I thought I heard something… someone.”

“Scanners are blank,” commented Sora, “No movement or signs of life.”

Kira nodded firmly, “Open the lab.”

Arut formed a straight line with his fingers, and then jabbed at the door in the joint. His armored fingers pierced the metal door with ease, and then he proceeded to pry it open with ease — like opening a tin can. His squad member instantly leaned over to the side, rifle aimed into the room.

“Clear, moving in.”

Arut moved in behind him, they checked the lab while the rest of the squad held positions in the hallway.

“Uhm, Kira… you’ll want to see this.”

“On my way,” she commented, “Sora, cover my position.”

She made haste for the torn-open door and stepped into a room that she couldn’t have imagined in her worst nightmare.

The room contained 2 operating tables. The floors and walls were stained heavily with blood, old blood. The tables were soaked through with blood. Massive screens on the walls showed nightmare fuel to all in the room. Shown there was genetic manipulation models of combining vile monsters and demonic creature’s blood and souls with human. It was to create new, stronger, better humans, better even than the enhanced space troopers.

“This, is terrifying,” Kira commented, her voice trembled with a hint of fear.

“Yeah…”

Arut agreed, “I sure hope these experiments failed…”

“Squad, high alert, scanners up at all times, proceed to the next lab,” she commanded. The squad moved with the haste and precision of a well trained unit that had undergone countless hours of drilling and exercising. The scanners showed no signs of life. As they rounded the next corner, a sound of splash paused the squad.

“Water,” whispered Kira, glancing around the empty hall.

“Makes it easier to detect any monster that might jump out at us,” commented Sora.

“Makes it harder,” Kira corrected her, “as we’ll be making a whole lot of noise walking through it. Arut take point.”

The further they walked, the deeper it got. Splashes mixed with the blaring sirens made it quite difficult to hear anything, even their own thoughts.

As they moved deeper into the flooded corridor, the scanner lights flickered briefly, showing something just on the edge of detection. It wasn’t a solid signal – more like a brief glitch, a faint, impossible movement. It appeared on their screens, only to vanish moments later as quickly as it had appeared.

“Movement,” Sora called out instantly, “Never mind, it’s gone.”

“Direction?”

“Straight ahead,.

“ Sora bobbed her head at the door to a lab in front of them.

“There.”

Kira approached the door, her gaze constantly darting to the HUD scanner in the visor of her helmet.

“Nothing?”

“Nothing,” Sora confirmed. She swung her fist out wide, and brought it down on the metal door, bashing it full force and indenting the door. The metal creaked as it attempted to resist the assault, but its efforts were in vain.

“Must’ve been a fluke,” Kira commented, not seeing any movement on the scanners.

She stepped away from the door, lifted her foot and kicked with all might. The door flew into the room with a loud clatter, splashing down into the water. She stepped into the room, squad assuming positions behind her. Sora accompanied her. At the far corner of the room, upon a table, sat a figure that couldn’t have existed.

It twitched instantly, glaring at the intruders. It was hugging its knees, wearing remnants of a robe that had been clawed at and torn. Its appendages were long and skinny, its face disfigured and leathery. It gazed upon the two troopers with its two black wells where eyes should have been.

“What in the world is that,” Sora whispered. Kira raised her rifle the same instant, taking aim at the creature’s head. Before she even realized it, she had pulled the trigger.

The gunshot echoed through the hallway, alerting the squad and causing a ruckus on the comms as they each proceeded to call out, requesting details. A cluttered noise akin to a static of a TV in her mind, as she stared at the face of a creature that sent shivers through her body. Her, a two meter tall, enhanced human soldier who is wearing enough armor to survive an orbital strike, was afraid. Every instinct and cell in her body screamed for her to run from this creature. This was a being that could only be described as ‘vile’.

The creature hung from the ceiling, its face mere centimeters from hers.

“Fire,” she whispered and Sora began to unload despite her own body trying to fight her and flee instead of attempting to fight. The creature blurred out of existence, it moved with the precision of a soldier who could see the bullet before it emerged from the barrel. In one fell swoop, there was a screech followed by a splash, Sora’s blood now stained the wall behind her.

Kira aimed her rifle, the rifle’s stock bumped against her shoulder with each pull of the trigger, “ATUR!”

She called out, for a moment losing focus on the creature and losing track of it. Atur dashed into the room, his gaze instantly fell upon Sora who now laid in the blood-colored water.

“Shit, what happened?”

Kira shot a glance at Sora, “Move out! NOW! BACK TO THE FRIGATE!”

As she dashed out of the room, with Atur covering her retreat and slowly backing out of the room, she faced the gaze of her comrades all of whom demanded answers and information. This was information she did not have.

“I…” she hesitated, throwing a glance over her shoulder as she tried desperately to fight the tremble in her hands.

“We’ve got contact! High alert, fire at anything that moves!”

They moved swiftly down the flooding hallways. Their footsteps muffled by the splashing of the water. Kira’s pulse beat in her ears, wrecking her focus as she tried to figure out the best course of action for the squad. Her friend was now dead, a creature faster and stronger than them tore though her armor like a knife through butter.

As the squad moved from hallway to hallway in swift rotation, she expected the monstrous creature to emerge any moment, but there was nothing. There was only the echo of the splash she heard, and the screech.

As they rounded the next corner, suddenly the lights flickered. The station buzzed and hummed as it came to life.

“No!”

Kira shouted as the emergency shutter closed between her and three other members of her squad. Atur wasted no time, he crashed into the shutter and kicked it with enough might to topple a building. Still, he was too late as the power grid activated just in time to engulf the shutter.

It returned the force of his kick back at him, sending him tumbling down the hallway.

“Squad lead!?”

Called out another cadet, swiftly scanning the shutter, as the emergency bulk doors began to slowly close in around the shutter.

“I can…” he began.

“No time!”

Kira shouted, “Move back to the frigate. We’ll… make it to the bridge’s escape pods. Pick us up there.”

“Yes sir,” the squad replied in unison. Kira nodded, glancing over her shoulder.

“Atur, status report?”

“Power core damage…” he grunted, struggling to get up.

“Power armor is out of commission… Not that it was much use anyways, from what we saw…”

“Right,” Kira sighed, “stay behind me.”

With each step through the flooded hallways, it seemed to Kira as if Atur was getting more sluggish. Each intersection they came across, the precision in his movements dwindled. He no longer peeked around the corners with caution, rather sluggishly leaned against the walls to support him. It’s as if he was getting sicker by the moment. This deeply concerned Kira.

She remembered momentarily the air quality readings from before.

“You good?”

“I’ll live, we’re… enhanced enough to survive in toxic environments. I’ll be fine,” Atur spoke in between his gasps for air, as if trying to savor more of it.

The escape pods were just ahead, they were almost there. But then she heard Atur’s breathing turn ragged behind her, the sound of his heavy boots faltering as his pace slowed, and eventually he stopped altogether. She glanced back just in time to see him stumble, one hand reaching out for support before he crashed against the door of some lab.

“Atur!?”

She called out, rushing back to his side.

“I’m… I’m being called…” he gasped, his hand firmly pressed against the door of the lab.

“What?”

Kira queried, her gaze instantly darting at the sealed door, and then the placard beside it. ‘Artifact Research. Head of research: Dr. Mendez.’.

“Inside…”

Atur swallowed hard and uttered. He gasped for air, “in there…” his hand reaching for the seal where the two halves of the door met in the middle.

“What are you on about?”

She asked again, her instincts screaming for her to leave, but her loyalty to her comrades, her responsibility entitled to her as the squad leader would not permit that. There was something in his eyes — a sort of desperation of a starving person who is on the verge of death that she did not imagine she’d ever see in an enhanced trooper.

The water swirled around her, the flow seemed to be getting stronger.

“We need to go Atur, no time!”

She demanded.

“No!”

He protested. His rifle landed in the water with a splash that froze her in place. He clawed desperately, trying to dig his fingers into the seam of the door, mustering all of his remaining strength to try and pry the door open.

“It’s calling! I need it! I must be there,” he gritted his teeth as his nails tore off whilst he tried to pry the door open with his bare fingers.

“Step aside!”

Kira commanded, shoving him away from the door with her shoulder, “What’s in there?”

Atur glanced at her with his blood-shot eyes, “I… I don’t know… but it calls for me…”

She glanced around herself. There was no movement, no sign of that vile creature from before. In a swift and perfected motion, she drew her knife. To an ordinary person it, would more resemble a short sword. She jabbed it into the door’s seam, as if stabbing a living being.

She grunted as she pushed the knife aside, forcing the sealed door to give way and create a gap just large enough for her fingers. She grasped the door and forced it open. The mechanism gave in and the door slammed open, revealing to her a large glass chamber at the center of a lab. Atur squeezed himself past her, dashing into the room like a starving beast, gasping and grunting with every step.

His bloodied hand smashed against the glass chamber as he pressed his forehead against it. Kira slowly approached him from behind. Each step weary and cautious.

“What, the hell is that…?” she whispered quietly, her gaze on the sprawled cube, at the center of which, just above the waterline, sat a seed-like organic object. Beneath it, dark tendrils spread into the water, as if roots of evil, growing and spreading further and reaching deeper.

“Take it,” a voice echoed through the room, it was Atur’s voice, but at the same time — it wasn’t. It was deep and out of this world, it spoke through his mouth but it sounded as if it came from every shadow in the room.

Atur turned on his heel, as if rejuvenated. His movements precise and accurate, well practiced and perfected. He reached for Kira’s gun, drew it, removed the safety, and fired over his shoulder at the glass, without looking. Before Kira so much as had a chance to react, the glass began to crack.

Kira gasped, her gaze darted to the glass chamber that was shattering into pieces now. To her regret, this distraction cost her a life, as amidst the noise of shattering glass, there was a sound of another shot. It came unexpected, like a roar of thunder amidst a sunny day. A moment later there was a splash.

Kira watched, with her jaw agape, as Atur’s body fell into the water. She wanted to gasp, to cry out, but no sounds escaped her throat. As his blood began to mix in with the water on the floor, the weight of her actions and mistakes began to set in. Every cell in her body protested, and every thought that surfaced in her mind was conflicting with the previous. ‘Take it, run, escape, take his body, leave him, run, take it, escape, his body, the creature is coming, escape.’.

The sound of a distant splash, followed by rapid sloshing made her body jump into action before her mind could finish processing the new information. She leapt over the railing and into the glass chamber. Her armored fist took the seed into its grasp, holding it gently so as not to crush it. She grasped the knife in her other hand and made a dash for the escape pods.

Whoever, or perhaps whatever it was, that was plodding through the water behind her, was getting closer. She dared not look over her shoulder to see. At last the escape pods were in sight and nothing would stop her from reaching them. Most were missing, but one remained. She sealed every door behind her in efforts to slow her pursuer, and leapt into the pod.

A trained pilot knew how to operate any and every vessel, so in a swift and well calculated set of motions she powered the little pod and activated the escape protocol. The countdown on the screen began. 5…4… a loud creak just outside the pod’s door made her heart skip a beat. 3…2… through the little glass window of the escape pod’s hatch, she saw a leathery face glaring at her, as much as a creature without eyes could glare.

There was a void where its eyes should have been, only dark, empty sockets. Its disfigured face would live in her memories for the rest of her life. She heard a voice, a distorted, barely recognizable voice as a voice, it said.

“A…fluke…” it screeched, making her heart pound ever louder. 1… the pod detached itself from the station. In the fiery blast of its engines, she watched the creature remain standing, grasping firmly the frame of the door.

As the pod distanced itself from the station, Kira finally let out her breath, safe at last… She tapped a few buttons on her control, and the helmet hissed, unbuckling itself. She removed it and took a deep breath, “Damn… damn it all! Is this… the extent to which they’re willing to go to win this bloody war?”

As she took a few more breaths, she smelled something in the air.

Releasing the firm grasp on the seed, she smiled. Whatever it was, it was safe with her… Sergeant watched the pod that was approaching their frigate, change course and veer off course, and a moment later, disappear off radar as it entered stealth.

Kira grinned, inputting unknown coordinates into the pod’s computer. However long it’ll take to reach them, she did not know, but it was calling for her, a distant world was calling for her. The seed, it desired to be planted there, and she was to do so. She, the bearer of the seed.

Unknown amount of time passed since then. On a distant world so blue and beautiful, in the cave somewhere on the side of a mountain, a curious explorer found himself rejoicing upon finding the legendary water spring. Unbeknownst to him that somewhere in that mountain, eons ago, a space ship crashed, bearing a seed.

————————————————

Related tales:

Soft Sequel: In Pursuit Of The Blue

Soft Sequel: Perfect Blue

Soft Sequel: 2: After Dark

Soft Sequel #3: The Darkness That Follows

Soft Sequel #4: Deep Dive

Related story to explain briefly the history of the mysterious forces that appeared toward the end: Curiosity