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The Legend of Dry Land
a novel by
Matthew T. Wingate
Chapter 1: Crash...
Day 1:
It was a lot like dying I guess... excepting only the subsequent return to life. Whatever lies beyond death, I'm sure I was touching it. But... for whatever reasons... call it fate or destiny or God... 7 of us were rejected by it.
Our civilization, like many before us and many that will come after us, had developed ships to cross the stars... just another ocean to explore I guess. We were the first explorers of the stars... and the only ones to survive. After a nearly six-hundred year journey across space, frozen in small capsules like dolls placed neatly on a shelf... we woke up from our cold sleep rather unexpectedly.
The ship were were on had only 3 sections: The bridge, controlled entirely by machine and software to pilot the ship to our destination... our destiny. “The Freezer,” or the room where we were kept in our sleep in small chambers... in the 600 years of travel none of us had aged more than a day. The fact that I was dreaming for 600 years is a scary thought... I'm surprised I didn't run out to stuff to dream about.
Wait... where was I? Oh yes... the awakening... and the crash. We had arrived at the planet and the ship was about to enter the atmosphere... but the 600 year old circuitry that held the Frozen Sleep systems in check... failed... shorted... we're not sure exactly what happened. At any rate... only a few of us made it out of our coffins... 50 of us were alive, able to break out and help others break out of the capsules. Out of an initial 1000 passengers... 50 were alive.
The cold voice of a machine came over the loudspeakers, “Cryo-Systems failure. Engine Systems failure. Decent Systems failure. Massive circuitry failure. Prepare for impact on planet surface. Planet Voral life analysis: Detected. Planet Voral Terrain status: one hundred percent ocean.”
The machine turned off and... well... we didn't exactly brace for impact. More like bracing for death. Those who remained alive sought frantically to prepare for the moment. Some didn't want to die virgins, some didn't want to die sober... some didn't want to die in the crash. As for me... I prayed.
The crash... I don't remember much about. It was hot... there were a lot of explosions. I can't recall when we hit the water exactly... I might have passed out before then. Needless to say... the impact came... and the U.S.S.S. Avalon was destroyed. I remember a hazy darkness come over me... and being smashed and rolled and smashed some more when we hit that water. It reminded me of what my father used to do to me... when we hit that endless sea of water.
Chapter 2: Awaken
I wasn't the first of us to wake up after the crash, of the seven survivors. Rick Easton woke me with a solid “shake and shout” he must have learned in EMT training before being shipped out. He was a fireman... with a special gift to control fire. His hair reflected his talent, flaming red and wavy. His arm was strong... because he was strong.
At any rate... I woke up and immediately rolled over and threw up in the water. I could see the form of the burning ship sinking into the sea behind us... north I think... then again... I had no clue which way was north on this planet. Everything was ocean anyway... so it didn't much matter to me. I was floating inside one of the Freezing capsules... a lucky break for me I guess. Rick gave me a paddle and helped me get to the “Raft” where the other survivors were being pulled. The raft was made of a bunch of plating from the ship, with several drained fuel cartridges for flotation, and one crate of weapons for defense.
James Wesley was there to greet us, especially happy that I survived. His unnatural blue hair waved in the wind, and his gaunt face wasn't liking the sun any. While physically weak, he more than made up for it with his power, the ability to control water. Out of affection we called Rick and James brothers... even though they were as foil as you could get. You couldn't find a better pair of rivals... anywhere.
For the first time since I threw up I looked down at the water... and saw my reflection. My white hair blew in the wind as well... the fact that I was female seemed to shock me a bit... was I female before the crash? I can't remember. It was a silly thought... of course I was female before the crash. What a silly thing to think.
My white hair was a genetic flaw, as I remember. I used to dye it every day to keep in colored... but quit after a while. I just got tired of hiding it. I suppose that my power was my eyes... though they couldn't do that much... they see into the future a little bit... I guess. I'm not really sure how it works... I just get feelings and thoughts sometimes. At other times I get actual visions. However, when I can control it, I can feel this burning fire inside me, and can use that fire in ways that make me shudder... every time...
After a bit of recovery I was able to find 4 other survivors with my divining powers. By then the ship had sunk low into the ocean, and I was wanting to paddle as far from it as possible...
The four other survivors were in a pretty bad way... especially captain Sarah Black. She was missing her right arm, left leg, and her left eye was definitely unrepairable. I forget what her power was... but I recall it being her piloting ability and her superior leadership skills that earned her the spot of captain on her shift. Her long black hair was matted with blood from the gash over her eye... we all felt sorry for her. She would want to be killed I bet... if she were conscious. She was a lot stronger than me... taught me how to fight even... and now lying here like this... it was painful to watch.
Zachary Trigger wasn't that bad... just a lot of cuts. He would have many scars to show the folks back home... well... if we ever make it that far... I can't see how it's possible... even with my future sight power... I'm sorry. I'm not much of an optimist in these situations.
Anyway, Zachary had a problem with his adrenal glands... any kind of fear gave him some sort of sickening and maddening rush that made him the best fighter pilot in the world. Constantly in “Self-preservation” mode when flying those jets, he gained powers similar to mine... or so it seemed. His reaction times reduced to an insignificant factor... like he could see the future or something. All that mattered was his body's physical exertion limits, and the limits of his ship... and believe me... he could push him self pretty hard for his age. But there... he was passed out on the raft... his short blond hair wet in the spray. That kid of 13... one of the lucky few survivors...
Well... since I'm bringing up ages... I'm 22, Captain Black is 25, Rick and James are 21, and... oh... my name's not on this journal. I'm Riana Curtis. Anyway, back to my first thought... Jamie Hale Carris, our engineer, survived as well. She's 18, darn smart girl, and dyes her long hair bright pink all the time... in fact... I think she had it done surgically. I don't know what her problem... err... abilities are. I hear she's just plain smart though, at anything she sets to. Lucky girl...
Oh... almost forgot the last. Our chief security officer Vahn Olson. Short brown hair... naturally spiked... strange looking. He was lanky, but was stronger than anyone on the Alexander. He had a round face... not the thin, long face of someone who would be that tall. He towers over me... 6' 3” to my 5' 5”. His power was never divulged, but I'm sure it was the reason he was chief of security. None of us were put on the Alexander for just any reason... we were all put on there for a very specific reason... and it must be the same for why it was us... us seven who lived through that crash.
Day 2:
There are a few things I forgot to mention about us... like height, weight, general build... facial expressions and the like. For these I invite you to use your imaginations. as they're really not that important... since... by and large... nobody is going to find this journal... I don't even know why I'm writing it. I guess it lowers my stress about the whole situation.
We managed to stop Sarah's bleeding yesterday, and stabalized her today. Jamie woke up this morning. We didn't see it before, but we think she's fractured her left wrist. That's going to be painful... and not to mention difficult... to deal with right now. We need her help turning the raft into a ship...
*******
Riana closed the book and looked up at the overcast sky. Clouds billowed and separated in innumerable ways, moving in all directions at once... a constant tumult... just like the sea they were on. It never stood still. She put the Journal in the weapons case, pulling out a harpoon. Why the soldiers had packed such an archaeic weapon was beyond her... but it would come in handy to get food.
She was about to dive in with the harpoon, but thought of a better idea... Giving James the harpoon, she told him that she'd find a fish with her divination powers, and that he'd go and hunt for it with his water control.
Ten minutes later they had a meal of raw fish, desalinated water, and a bag of potato chips. By then Zach and Vahn had woken up. Zach was starving, and ate his fill and then some. Vahn wasn't hungry... he kept saying they needed to be moving faster... or have control of their movement... or both.
They drifted on that endless ocean for about 5 hours. They needed more fish... so Riana closed her emerald eyes, activating her divination powers. Suddenly her eyes bolted open. They were milky white... as if she had cataracts.
“James! Make a wave! A big one quick! We need to move!” Riana yelled, pointing to the “top” side of the raft.
“Done and done!” James yelled back, running to the edge of the raft.
No sooner did James put his hands to the water did the wave form, carrying them up its face onto its crest... and no sooner did that occur then two giant tentacles shoot out of the water behind them, shooting spray over them, barely missing the raft. They crashed into the water at the raft's sides.
“What the... what was the... tha... that...?!” Rick gaped.
“Giant squid... one of the smaller ones...” Riana said, her eyes still focusing... glowing with the white light of divination.
“But those tentacles were like... 20 feet long!” Rick still couldn't believe the size of it.
“It's going to attack again right now... nobody move,” Riana said. She hesitated for three seconds, then slammed her right fist into the middle of the barge.
To everyone's complete shock, the steel around her fist warped, like it was suddenly seared with an intense heat. Her eyes and fist began to emit a pulsing white light, brighter than the sun above.
“Divination,” Riana spoke in a calm voice, completely belying her burning energy. They could feel it radiating from her eyes, her power surging stronger every second. “Divination is the power to see things. Past, Present, Future, all time condensed into a silver sphere of light. The ability to set the flow of time on a new ring, a new eternal course. That is the power of Divination. The first trained me to use it only to help others, only for good. There were others who trained my sight, the focus of my power.”
As she was saying this, the massive tentacles struck the barge. The giant gray knots of hideous sinew flailed on the barge, trying to find prey to bring into it's black, clicking beak, beyond which lied a lamprey's maw. A gullet with innumerable rows of serrated teeth. This monstrosity was definitely and eating machine. As it's giant head poked above the surface of the water, next to the barge, it's singular yellow eye examined them all with a passing glance. They were small prey in its eye... but would satisfy for the time being.
Meanwhile, the silver light streaming out of Riana's eyes grew brighter and brighter, till it was like fire, pouring out of her eyes and making everything around her glow with an irrepressible light. “Those others prepared my mind, and my spirit, but there was one other who prepared my body. She prepared my power for this, and taught me how to fight. Sarah Black... I will absolutely protect you. You don't die here... not for many, many years hence... Now is the time! Divination Kaianon!”
The others, focused on protecting themselves from the tentacles of the squid and from being blinded by Riana's eyes, failed to notice the brighter energy condensed in her right hand, still touching the metal ground of the barge. Suddenly, as Riana said, “Divination Kaianon,” the metal formerly making up the center of the barge melted into silvery light and was absorbed into Riana's hand. Lifting this glowing hand, she pointed two fingers in a “gun” fashion at the squid's eye.
“Bang...” she whispered, and a massive eruption of light burst out of her fingertips. The burst of energy was like a ball of silver and white fire... spinning in all directions at once, and moving at a speed that couldn't be described by sight... it was more like a pure emotion that was moving the ball. It struck the beast directly in the eye, and burned straight through, out the other side of the hideous melon. The spasms of the tentacles stopped suddenly, and the whole creature sank into the sea.
Riana slumped and nearly fell into the hole in the barge she had made with her power. She was caught by James, who brought her to the ground gently, resting her head on his lap. Her eyes still looked a milky white... like she had full cataracts. They slowly returned to their normal green color, the iris slowly reappearing.
“I think you used too much energy Riana. That technique... Sarah showed it to you?” James asked, brushing Riana's hair out of her face.
“Well... it was Sarah's idea. Since my eyes can see everything at once, she thought I could use them to change things. It was scary at first, I was changing the future at Sarah's direction... but then I realized that the future wasn't written yet... that the energy of everything can be altered simply by the normal passage of time. So I figured out a way to change the future with a technique. My eyes focus on an object, and remove it from existence in the normal passage of time. The excess energy can then be used to change the future again... in a destructive way. It takes a lot of focus and energy to start the reaction in the first place... like chemistry,” Riana smirked, “Maybe I did overdo it a little.”
An unfamiliar voice spoke, and an unfamiliar figure was rounded upon. “Overdo... is a bit of an understatement.”
Chapter 3: Aliens...
