Autonoma- Gate 13 Read online

  The ground trembled, as heavy footsteps approached from the side. A fierce flame raced across the air, illuminating the face of the beast. The creature, standing twelve feet tall, with four wings, a blue feathered body, orange feet and a beak more suited to a puffin, stopped in front of us. It glanced at us and turned to look ahead. It lowered itself down onto its belly and shuffled its feathers. The green arrow ahead pulsated.

  “Welcome to Flight of the Triathics,” the automated voice chimed into my ear as I approached the animal, dropping its wing to the level of my foot.

  The creature chattered to itself as I stepped onto its back, shuffling over, and helping Michael climb up. The creature swayed its head, deep in a conversation with itself, as I settled into its feathers.

  I heard the muted whirring of motors, and a pressure on my shoulders. I looked over, but there was nothing there. What were we sitting on? I needed to know. I reached for my visor to take a peek.

  The creature leapt to its feet.

  I grabbed at the feathers, desperate to keep my balance, as the beast lunged forward.

  Like a cannonball being fired, the creature burst into a lightning fast sprint.

  The walls of the vast room raced by faster, and within a moment we’d cleared the room. It became clear to me we were charging toward a small hole on the far side.

  I didn’t know if this thing was a triathic, whatever one of those was, but I did know the hole was far too small for us to fit through. Regardless, the creature charged on as the sound of its feet stomping through shallow water echoed against the closing walls and ceiling.

  They wouldn’t decapitate a guest, surely? It was not a good business model. At least make it the last ride, not the first. Regardless, and unable to convince my own brain none of this was real, I tensed as we drew within the last few feet of the room.

  The triathic changed its pace to three large bounds, leaping forward. It tucked its wings in toward us and lowered its head. We burst toward the intense white light beyond the hole, and I closed my eyes.

  No searing pain of head being ripped from shoulders followed, instead the wind on my face changed to a gentle breeze, and the creature cried out.

  I opened my eyes as the beast extended its wings, revealing the world ahead of us.

  Riding above a blanket of clouds, in the clear, clean, crisp air, the creature maintained its altitude as I glanced behind us.

  Like an enormous grey airship resting in the clouds, the large, cubic walls of Autonoma glowed in the uninterrupted sun, broken once by the small hole. A gentle waterfall cascaded from the crack, turning to vapor and mixing with the clouds, obscuring Autonoma’s base.

  I looked forward as we made progress with haste.

  Michael extended his finger and pointed to the other creatures flying ahead. In formations of threes and fours, the winged beasts glided with ease toward the distant sun.

  The beast descended into the crest of the cushion of clouds, and I watched with anticipation as the vapor gathered in my lap. I released my grasp of the triathic’s feathers and swirled my finger through the mix. Like stirring milk through water, I created patterns of my own. Another flap of the creature’s wings scattered my work.

  More vapor filled my lap, as I noticed Michael slicing through the cloud in his, as if he were trying to chop it with the side of his hand. I smiled and watched as two more creatures joined our side: one purple, one pink.

  The creatures reared up their heads. Our momentum slowed and the triathics beat their wings forward, like air brakes, slowing our progress further. Their eyes darted across the horizon, as each called out with a short, sharp, high pitched squawk.

  I didn’t know what was happening, but something had them startled. I too scanned the horizon, unsure of what I was looking for.

  A shadow raced through the clouds ahead, and a roar pierced the air. The sound rippled through the clouds, reverberating inside my own stomach. Not only did I hear that rumble, I felt it too.

  Our triathic’s head snapped to the side as a beast, ten times its size, burst from the clouds behind us. With its black body similar to a shadow rippled with armored skin, six leathery wings, three lines of hundreds of teeth bared, its red eyes glared at us.

  The two triathics at our side released an ear shattering scream, darting into the cloud; disappearing.

  As ours followed suit, I looked back at the black shadow beast drawing forward, scattering the clouds with its enormous wings.

  I grabbed a clump of feathers as we were engulfed in a blanket of grey vapor, and though I couldn’t see my own hands, I could feel we were descending fast.

  The black shadow beast’s roar was close behind as we dropped, blinded. I hoped this creature knew where we were going.

  As the grey of the clouds turned to an orange, fiery glow, the smell of sulfur, carbon and burning wood became almost overpowering. We dropped from the clouds, and I realized the beak of our triathic was pointed at the ground a few hundred feet ahead.

  I pulled at the feathers, eager for the creature to pull up, my stomach almost in my throat as we picked up speed.

  We drew so close to the ground I could make out the paw prints in the dirt as our triathic pulled up. A dust cloud scattered from the belly of our creature as it clipped the barren surface with little room left for error.

  I glanced upward as the black shadow beast descended from the clouds, its eyes burning with a fierce hunger to catch its prey.

  The stems of the dead corn in the fields danced in our wake as we passed overhead.

  I could see our creature glancing back behind us, the fire growing in its eyes.

  We darted sideward, avoiding a fire ball from the black shadow beast a hundred feet or so behind.

  The purple and pink triathics led the race across the fields as all five of us drew closer to the mountain ahead.

  “Pull up, you stupid bird thing!” I cried out, as it showed no intention of rising with the ground.

  Another fireball raced past us, missing the tips of our wing, glancing the pink creature ahead. It cried out, thrown off balance, crashing to the ground. I watched it tumble in a heap, scattering dirt as it collided with the floor. It rolled, feathers and feet splaying the dust, coming to rest, face down.

  The black shadow beast released a mocking cry.

  I turned to face forward, as our triathic snapped in its wings, both us and the purple creature lunging into the opening in the mountain side.

  Inside, both creatures stretched out, dragging their feathers against the stone, using the motion to turn their bodies sideward. With a loud thud, we collided with a rock face, belly first.

  In almost total darkness and with precision timing, the creatures flapped their wings in the openings wide enough to allow so and snatched them in close to their bodies for the tighter spots. As momentum dropped, I heard the echoes of their feet scamper across the rocky floors, the glow daylight building ahead.

  Without hesitation, the triathics darted for the opening, the purple creature leading the way, leaping from the caves, blocking the light.

  As the light returned, I saw the purple triathic being dragged upward, trapped in the jaws of the black shadow beast. The purple triathic cried out, its eyes on us.

  The black shadow beast launched backward from the mountain side, flapping its enormous wings, scattering the rocks, devouring the purple triathic in one bite.

  Our creature skidded to a stop at the opening, hesitating for a moment, perching its toes against the lip and leaping from the ledge.

  The triathic tucked its wings against its body, stretching out its neck, its eyes looking toward the tops of the trees ahead.

  At the threshold of my ability to contain the contents of my stomach, I gulped as our triathic pulled up, extending its wings.

  I could sense the enormous strain on the creature’s body, as it trembled and shook with the force being exerted, crying out in pain. With the speed gained from the drop, we climbed fast, as a grunt and sharp intake
of breath accompanied each beat of its outstretched feathers.

  The black shadow beast called after us, frustration rippling through its tone.

  We entered the cloud cover. Again, we were blinded.

  I looked to Michael to check he was OK, but all I could see was his bubble, ‘Michael - Flight of the Triathics’.

  We burst from the clouds, and I could see my little brother with his elbows on his knees and his chin resting in the palms of his hands. He looked bored.

  How could he be bored? He loves this kind of stuff.

  With its cry scattering my thoughts, the black shadow beast emerged from the clouds behind us.

  With determination, the triathic charged for Autonoma, dodging the fireballs as they glanced by. I could feel the creature’s exhaustion; each beat of its wings making its body drop. I could hear its desperate pants for air much louder than the frustrated cries of our pursuer.

  The hole in the side of Autonoma seemed even smaller at this speed, but our triathic remained focused. I glanced back at the black shadow beast and its jaws a few paces from our tail with a fierce tenacity in its eyes. It was still hungry.

  With wings tucked in, we cleared the walls and entered Autonoma.

  Exhausted, the triathic collided with the floor.

  Water sprayed onto my face, as the creature slid through the stream.

  I looked back to the hole we’d just crashed through.

  The black shadow beast clawed with frenzied strikes at the edges of the stone, sticking its head as far in as it could, gnashing its teeth in frustration. It released an ear-piercing cry of discontentment, pushing off from the wall and flying away.

  The triathic came to a stop.

  I climbed down as the creature’s chest filled and fell with each breath.

  It rested its head against the floor, lapping at the water, its eyes on me.

  I drew nearer and reached out my hand to stroke the creature’s side.

  “Come on Alex,” Michael demanded as he climbed down. “I’m bored.”

  Regardless of my little brother’s orders, I placed the palm of my hand deep into the feathers, feeling the skin of the creature beneath. I don’t know why, but it felt right to pat it, a sort of thank you for getting us back in one piece.

  The triathic closed its eyes and tilted its head away from the stream; the echoes of each pant louder in my ear.

  “What are you doing? I want to go.”

  “Alright, I’m coming.”

  I lingered for a moment longer, watching the strange creature struggle to its feet, staggering off toward the others of its kind in the large room.

  “Alex!”

  “Alright. Alright.”

  I turned to face my little brother standing in the doorway to my side, his arms folded, with Henri hovering behind.

  “Please follow the arrows, Guest,” the bossy little bot chimed. “Our next slot awaits us.”

  As they turned to leave, and even though I knew it wasn’t real, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the creature, the triathic thing. Was it forced to do this day in day out for guests? Was it properly cared for? What if it needed attention?

  Wait? What was happening to me? None of it was real. There was no such thing as a triathic.

  “This place is making me crazy,” I muttered, running onto catch up with the other two.

  “Simulation complete. Welcome to the Autonoma Resort,” the computerized voice remarked, as I followed the others back out.

  Chapter 3

  The Spider’s Web

  I walked through the mountain pass, following the green arrows. The black shadow beast raced past the mountain-side, close enough I could see the pupil of his red eye. Pursuing another triathic with two riders on its back, I sensed he was still hungry.

  How did they get inside Autonoma? Wait, were we outside? I looked about me, scanning the horizon, hillsides and mountains. All this snow, wind and terrain was getting confusing.

  “That was so boring,” Michael griped as we re-joined the path through the mountains.

  “Boring? How can you say it was boring?” I replied.

  “Because it was.”

  “But the shadow beast, the chase, making it back before being eaten?” I countered, my hand outstretched behind.

  “Shadow beast? Eaten? What are you on about?” my little brother asked, turning to face me.

  “You know, when that big creature chased us and took out the other two?” I responded, stopping and throwing my hands up in exasperation.

  Michael glared back, his brow furrowed, and the corner of his mouth raised.

  “You don’t remember any of that?” I asked, bewildered.

  “I don’t remember it because it didn’t happen. We flew through the clouds and came back. There wasn’t a shadow beast, and no-one got eaten,” he replied, adamant.

  “What?” I gasp. “Were you even on the same ride?”

  “Yes, idiot.”

  I paused as frustration turned to anger.

  Michael’s eyes narrowed.

  “You are correct,” Henri chirped.

  “Not this again,” I replied, annoyed. “Come on Henri,” sarcasm rippling through my tone, “do tell, who is right this time? Let me guess, you are both correct,” I sneered, as I mocked the hoverbot’s words.

  “You are both correct,” Henri remarked, undeterred by my mood.

  I sighed.

  “Each of the simulations at Autonoma Resort are tailored for your determined levels of excitement, thrill and fear. There are many variables we can use to make your experience here at Autonoma Resort satisfying throughout.”

  “Boring, you mean,” Michael replied.

  “On the contrary,” the bot responded, “we constantly monitor the performance of our simulations and will continue to adjust the environments to suit. I am confident you will continue to find the rest of the day enjoyable and fun.”

  “Well, I thought it was boring,” Michael mumbled, as he looked to the floor.

  “Come on,” I declared, placing my arm across his shoulders as my temper dissipated to sympathy. “There’s lots of things to do here. I’m sure there’s something here you’ll enjoy.”

  Michael shuffled his feet. “I want to go home.”

  “Look,” I replied, crouching down to his eye-level, even though I couldn’t see anything beyond the reflection of the blue sky in his visor, “Mom spent a lot of money to get us here. We’ve only been on one ride. I’m sure Mom wouldn’t have sent us here if she didn’t want us both to have fun. Do you think you could just try the next one, for me and for Mom?”

  My little brother turned away, ducking from my arm.

  I offered my hand out to him. “Will you do it for me?”

  His pout broke, and I could almost see the cogs whirring away as he contemplated whether I was worth it.

  “Alright,” my little brother grumbled, wiping his nose with his sleeve, lumbering toward the next green arrow.

  “I’m sure you’ll find this next simulation exciting, thrilling and fun,” Henri chimed, towing along behind Michael.

  “Here we are,” Henri declared, waiting by a wooden sign.

  “But I don’t like spiders,” Michael remarked.

  “It says spider’s web, that means there’s just one. I’m sure you can handle one spider, I mean it’s not like they’re very big, is it?” I replied.

  “They are pretty small,” he responded, furrowing his brow. “Will you stay with me?”

  “Yeah, of course. You’ll be fine. I’m sure.”

  “You won’t leave me?”

  “We’ll stick together and if there’s more than one spider, I promise we can leave.”

  “OK,” he responded as I marched forward.

  “This way,” I declared, pointing to the green arrow to the left.

  “No, that way,” Michael remarked, pointing to the other route.

  “The arrow is clearly pointing left,” I insisted.

  “Clearly, it is not,” my
little brother quipped.

  “Whatever,” I sighed, stepping to the left.

  Michael hesitated. I could almost see those cogs turning inside his visor again as he appeared to be processing who to obey: me or a flashing green arrow. His eyes snapped to me.

  “Well?” I asked. “Are we sticking together?”

  “Er?” he mumbled, tapping his finger to his visor as though he intended to tap his lip instead and stepped left.

  “Come on then,” I remarked, taking the lead.

  “You’d think they’d get a mower up here, wouldn’t you?” I joked, turning to see my little brother’s reaction.

  I found myself alone, waist deep in the thick grass.

  “Michael?”

  I paused for a response.

  “Guess he took the other route after all,” I muttered to myself, parting the grass ahead. “Idiot.”

  The blades grew thicker as I followed the green arrows away from the towering trees further into the clearing.

  A gush of air charged past me, scattering my hair; almost forcing me to the floor. The shadow of a giant bird sped across the grass, and the green arrow ahead pulsated faster. Had the shadow beast escaped and followed me here? Was it still hungry? I picked up the pace.

  The air fell still, the cries of a bird fading, as the green arrow at the base of the trees pulsated quicker. The grass thinned out, allowing me to break into a free sprint. The bird cried out again, and I looked behind. The silhouette of the beast against the burning sun grew larger. I turned forward and leapt toward the nearest trunk.

  I grasped onto the bark, its channels and ridges filled with moss, swinging my body around the trunk and ducking down behind it.

  The air displaced by the creature’s wings beat like a drum against my chest. I held my breath and pressed my back into the mossy coat of the tree’s base. I listened as the bird hovered nearby, assuming it was waiting for me to do something stupid like run out in front of it.

  Patience paid off, and the bird retreated complaining. I exhaled and stood, watching the owl fly off over the clearing, scattering the grass with each beat of its wings. The shadow of the bird merged with the cloudless sky, and my attention returned to the green arrow beneath my feet.