Chapter 18 Children of the Moon

Chapter 18

Children of the Moon

  Alexander’s embrace lasted a few seconds longer than it should have, but Kia said nothing of it. Instead, she fought the urge to jerk away as she rose slowly to her feet putting a bit of distance between her and the handsome Avi.

  “We can stay as long as you like Kia, but,” Alexander glanced around before finishing. Ahead of him, the dark wall of holes where the dead once lay silenced him. Behind him, the spherical chasm of glowing crystals whetted his explorers’ appetite. He cleared his throat and turned toward the sound of the rumbling waterfall. “Now that I am here and am very much alive and so far as I know far from death, I think I would like to see more of this wondrous terrible place, unless you are ready to return. Lucius did not send me to drag you back. He would never do that. He, we, are all very much concerned about your well -being. I came only to keep you safe. We all want you safe.” He turned back toward her. She could see more words in his eyes, words she was not ready to hear.

  “Not all Alexander. The Sprites despise me and with good reason. I don’t think I can ever go back, but you can leave whenever you want. I’ll be all right.”

  “Then I will never leave.” Alexander spoke without thinking. However, he spoke his heart.

  “Then you are a fool.” Kia tried to sound angry, but there was no anger in her heart.

   He tried not to smile. Her words did not match her tone. She was glad that he was there. It was something she could not hide behind faked angry words.

  “Captain Marks once told me the Narrows held secrets,” Kia said obviously trying to shift the conversation to more practical and less intimate concerns. “This place is old, has it ever been studied?”

  “Studied, no, but I would love to scour every inch of it. It is beautiful.” He was staring at her without even knowing it.

  She started to ask him was he still talking about the grotto but didn’t. “Come on then. We’ll fly to the waterfall and work our way back, who knows what we might find?”

 “Yes, who knows…?” 

    After a fitful night’s sleep in his new house, Kian awoke took a shower and found his closet and drawers were filled with new, ‘old’ clothes just like the ‘girls rooms’ were. Needing to clear his head he put on a pair of jeans, a blue plaid shirt socks and boots, which all fit him perfectly. He then headed down the short hallway that led to the kitchen found coffee, a coffee maker, sugar and even hazelnut creamer. After discovering cups and silver ware he meandered to the living room flicked on his antique TV and pretended he was home.  

  The first thing he saw was a news report delivered by a straight-laced newscaster straight out of the fifties he was talking about a He3 miner dying outside the dome…

  “Yet another tragic loss of one our intrepid surface workers happened just hours ago,” The reporter began as he stood in front of a large trapezoid shaped window that looked out on the bleak lunar sandscape. “According to his co –workers the veteran Sift Harvester Operator Carl Landers was clearing a clogged collector when a sift tine ruptured his pressure suit. His suit exploded moments before his body did. Death was of course instantaneous, mercifully so, I might add. In a statement issued by high- ranking Company officials, his wife and children will receive full death benefits and their heartfelt gratitude for Mr. Lander’s faithful service and supreme sacrifice. They will also have his name engraved on the Memorial Obelisk right beside of all the names of all the other brave men and women who died over the years gleaning precious He3 from Luna’s treacherous crust, a fitting tribute to yet another fallen provider. Without heroes like him, life on Luna would simply not be possible. From Moon Watch Live this is your Anchor and friend Craven Munch saying thank you Carl Landers your sacrifice will not be forgotten.” The handsome well -groomed reporter brushed an imaginary tear from his left cheek, turned to his colleague a pretty twentyish brunette, in a low cut red dress who strode up to him as he was talking.

     “Thank you Craven for that touching tribute,” she began, “now for the latest on Earth’s current radiation levels, don’t let that bright blue ball fool you folks, sad to say but it’s still mighty hot up there. The Company’s top shelf scientists just do not have good news today saying it will likely be decades if nor centuries before we dare to send people to Earth. But like they say, ‘if not this generation maybe the next’. And don’t forget, Tomorrow will be better that’s not just a promise from Moon Watch Live, but Camelot Company, the company that loves you. Have a great morning Camelot see you again at noon.”  

   “Oh brother,” Kian muttered as he clicked off the TV and tossed the remote onto the couch cushion. “If they only knew. Robots should be out there, but wait robots don’t exist they never did. Mermaids and Centaurs, hey we got those but life -saving robots that can do all the dangerous stuff, sorry they’re just too hard to make! Liars!”  

  Kian stood up and was pleasantly greeted the soothing aroma of fresh brewed coffee. He let it distract him. One small pleasure to get him moving forward, he would have to play their game, wade through their pretense and not dwell the sadistic pleasure they obviously took in needlessly subjecting ordinary working folks to terrible risk.    

  Were they watching Luna’s citizenry the same way the citizenry was watching the Chimerans, apparently so. The horrid difference being, the people of the Moon were certain the creatures of Chimera were nothing more than harmless fiction. The Company knew the Moon’s people were all too real that their pain and death was not a mere work of fantasy but real life horror and heartbreak. They took pleasure in that! That were monsters, monsters he must destroy!...

   To at least some degree, Kress and Penny determined to accept their fate and learn how to live on the Moon. Tech Maria was happy to teach and was pleasantly surprised by how bright and agile minded these newly minted humans were.

 After a week of cooperative behavior, she granted them full access to the facility. They were happy to get out, even if they were doing little more than trading one set of rooms for another.

One day they turned down a long hallway. Strange sounds were coming from a door at the far end. Curious but not particularly concerned, they walked down it and opened the door. Upon entering the room, they saw something they never knew existed, animals...