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Homecoming The Old Man looked out at the sea. The pounding of the waves on the beach below still sounded the way they had since before his birth. The color was different, however. Instead of the usual deep greens and blues, it was a brownish color with clumps of foam and greenish tangled masses floating in it. He had inspected one of the clumps earlier in the day. It was thick algae with little wormlike things wriggling in it. In addition to the sea smell, it had an earthy, plant smell to it as well. Although he had never smelled it's like before, it somehow smelled like home. The vox was tuned to the citywide channel, as it always was. It had been years since he had been to the city, but it was important to listen in on what went on there. Even though his sons and daughters and their sons and daughters were in the city and would tell him of important events, he still liked to listen to the broadcasts. The announcers usually extolled the virtues of the city and the Planetary Governor, and occasionally even The Emperor. Today they were talking excitedly about the unusual weather. It seemed that crowds had gathered in the streets to witness the greenish clouds and the unusual heat and humidity. Another announcer's voice came on, sounding a little strained. He explained that the bits of plant matter and seeds that were falling from the sky were just the result of some seedpods and plants being caught in the wind. He briefly interviewed a scribe from the Librarium, but kept interrupting the scribe and rushing him when the scribe tried to explain something. Despite being only a few miles from the city, the Old Man was worlds away. His family all worked and mostly lived in and around the city. Some of them were in the Planetary Defense forces, others worked for the government in various capacities. Two of his great-grandchildren even worked in the Governor's palace. The city moved at a frantic pace, but here in the country, forgotten by the city, time almost stood still. He could remember standing on this shore in years long gone, and always the sea remained the same. Until now. The Old man brushed sweat from his bulbous forehead with a hand that was little more than a gnarled claw. He went outside to look down at the beach. Larger clumps were washing up on the shore, coating it with a mat of algae and wriggling lumps. The wind changed and little seed pods started floating down. Some of them sprouted as they landed, others released little writhing larva. He caught one in his hand. It started to bite him with several rows of sharp teeth, then pulled back and slithered down his arm. The Old Man tossed it into the grass and laughed. Then he heard something. He swung his large head around, trying to find the source of the noise. There was only the sea and the storm winds. Then it came again. An echo, inside his head. A faint sound, but growing slowly louder. This had never happened before, not even in the time of his grandfather's grandfather, but the Old man knew what it was. It was The Call. He raised his face to the sky as if scenting the wind, then closed his widely-spaced eyes and began making wordless keening noises. After a short time, the sound inside his head changed tempo, and he knew that his message had been received. He opened his eyes again and glanced up at the storm clouds. Even in the short time he'd had his eyes closed, they had swollen and grown. Now lightning played in their depths and the sky was darkening quickly. As The Old man entered the house, it began to rain. Thick, heavy drops, with wriggling things and seedpods falling more thickly than before. The water ran viscously down the windows, leaving oily trails behind it as he watched. The Time was soon, but all was prepared and he need only wait. The Old man paced back and forth near the vox, then sat heavily in his chair, then stood up again and paced. The vox announcers continued their annoucements and reports, but their voices betrayed fear. Another vox, hidden behind the cabinet and long-unused, came on. It was Cereta, his 7th Granddaughter. In clipped, military tones she reported the movements of military convoys from their barracks out into the city. Cereta counted the trucks and tanks as they rumbled by, occasionally breaking off, then continuing again moments later, slightly out of breath. The main vox announcers told the masses that the crowds were being dispersed to protect them from the weather. In the background, the Old man could hear amplified orders being shouted. The announcers explained that the rain was strongly acidic, perhaps due to the seed pods, and it was dangerous to be outside. More shouted orders could be heard over their voices, and Announcer's fear was almost palpable. Sudden sounds, shots fired in the background, startled the Announcers. One of them reported in a cracked, panicked voice that soldiers were firing on the crowds! The Announcer was talking so fast that he was running out of breath. The soldiers were firing long bursts into the crowds with their weapons, and a tank gun went off. The announcer started screaming, then the vox went silent. After a minute, a different announcer came on. The cold, hard voice patiently explained that it was simply a Defense Force Exercise, a planned testing with fake bullets to ensure the readiness of the Defense Forces. In the background, firing could still be heard, along with the occasional scream or shout. Cereta's voice came back and the firing and screaming was a lot closer now. She sounded excited as she reported that some of the squads had been overrun by the crowds. A voice nearby started shouting orders and rallying the troops. Cereta paused for a moment. There was the click of a silenced weapon and the shouting stopped. She came back on and started reading off the locations of major PDF units and which had or had not been compromised. Several times she had to stop for a few moments. Each time she came back on, she was breathing a little harder and the sounds grew a little further away. The rain was a constant roar now, drowning out the ocean and punctuated by the drumbeats of thunder. Some liquid leaked through the roof and ate slightly into the flooring. The Old Man moved his chair slightly, then sat in silence, listening to the competing vox-casts. Kellan, his great-grandson that worked in the Governor's palace, spoke quietly into the hidden vox. He simply said, "Checkmate." Cereta paused from her list and said, "Good work. Alright, everybody listen up. It's Alpha, now go, go go!" The Old man could hear running feet and more firing. There were cries and screams briefly, before the fighting moved away from the vox caster. The Old Man stood up and went to the door. The wind was whipping the rain and pods against the shore, and he could see darker things, shadowy splotches on the water. It was Time. He went out toward the beach. His clothes sizzled and shriveled in the rain, but it's touch merely stung him. He ignored it and carefully made his way out to the edge of the water. Larger pods were landing in the water, wriggling things breaking from them and swimming toward shore. The first one broke free of the water and came toward him in a flurry of claws. As it approached it stopped briefly and looked at the Old Man. It's beady, widely spaced eyes mirrored his own, and he saw a look of recognition on it's purple and blue face. It hissed and ran past him as it's brethren reached the shore and began to run as well. A larger thing pulled itself from a pod that had landed near the water's edge. As he approached it, it pulled itself to it's full height of 12 feet and looked down at him. The armored headcrest gleamed in the lightning, and it's eyes looked deep into his. He could feel a connection to it and watched as it absorbed information from him, then it unfurled it's wings and disappeared into the night. The Old Man watched things come ashore for hours knowing his reward would come soon enough. In the next few hours or days, his purpose fulfilled, he would leave this shell of a body. He would leave behind the aches and pains, the stiffness and hearing loss. He would live forever in The Collective, or perhaps be reborn for another mission. He would continue to seek new prey and devour it from within. The Old Man sat on the shore and watched the ravenous swarms climb out onto the beach, devouring everything in their path. He began to smile. If you enjoyed this, email me and let me know |