A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and PMs on this story. I really appreciate them. I don't think I managed to reply to the recent set, but I'm not well, so I'll hide behind that excuse.
Thanks as always to MarkeyDeSad for the beta on this. He always helps me improve it.
So, here they are, exploring the first place they've found …
Exo
Chapter 13: Golden City
When he woke up outside and in the sunshine, it took Chuck back to those early days on this planet. He was with S'ra back then too. However, things were different now and all for the better.
For one thing, S'ra was in his arms. The most beautiful woman on two planets was in his arms. Not only that, she was now his wife!
There were lesser things too. They were no longer on foot. They weren't even lying on the ground but in their flier. They would walk when they went into this city in front of them, but they'd return to fly on from here.
"Good morning, husband," S'ra sleepily said.
"Good morning, my lovely wife," he replied.
She lifted her head off his chest and leaned up to give him a quick kiss.
God, this was good, he thought.
She stood and took in their surroundings. "I assume we will fly closer before we start walking."
He stood and looked toward the city. "I agree. No point walking more than we have to."
They quickly had the toilet breaks, cleaned themselves, had breakfast and got themselves ready to move.
As they flew closer, the city peaks looked higher and higher. This must have been a magnificent place when at its peak, thought Chuck.
S'ra set the flier down a hundred feet from the main entrance to the city.
They took water, some food and weapons with them and walked between the two golden buildings, under an archway and into the city. The archway had some form of inscription, probably naming the city, but it wasn't in a language that S'ra recognized.
They walked under the archway. What lay before them was both impressive but also saddening. The road they were walking continued straight through the center of the city. The tall buildings rising up either side of it. Roads spurred off from this either side. They would need to follow those to explore the place fully, but just walking down this central road would take them a while. In the distance they could see the buildings lowering a what looked like a Central Park of some sort. All this was definitely impressive. However, it was spoiled by damage to most of the buildings and the resulting rubble. It seemed that the city had been bombed. Was that what wiped out the builders of this place?
Chuck wanted to explore within one of the buildings, but not one that had been bombed, so they walked further into the city.
It wasn't long before they found a building that seemed completely intact. Chuck looked at his wife. "Shall we explore inside?"
S'ra was curious to see more than just buildings, so nodded.
They walked up the steps and through the open double doors.
The inside should have been darker, but wasn't. It was almost as If the sunlight from outside poured through the walls. Maybe the material used reflected the light inward as well as outward.
This floor must have been some sort of shopping mall with shops either side of the central corridor. Benches lined the center interspersed with plants. Some of those plants were still alive. Those that had died must have been removed somehow so their decay had not impacted the living plants, just left vacant spaces. How that removal occurred fascinated Chuck, but wasn't obvious. Those that were must have something regulating growth as they had not become overgrown.
The whole effect reminded Chuck so much of malls back on Earth. He could imagine the place filled with people strolling through. It made him feel homesick. Then, S'ra tightened her grip on his hand bringing him back to a happier place. If he was back on Earth, he wouldn't have a wonderful wife.
"I want to look in there," S'ra said, pointing at a clothes shop. There were models on display either side of the entrance. They looked completely human apart from the golden skin tone. The dresses being worn were nothing like what women in S'ra's city wore. Chuck grinned. "Hoping to find something unique?"
She grinned at him and nodded.
S'ra spent the next half hour trying on dressed and showing Chuck. Amazingly, the material they were made from hadn't decayed. They seemed to be as good as when they were made. "I've never been interested in dressing up," S'ra said. "But now I have someone to dress up for."
"You look stunning in all of them," Chuck said, which earned him a grin.
She ended up with two dark gold dresses cut in ways that were certainly different to what she was used to.
One has a slit up the right side clear up over her hip. Chuck was completely awestruck at the sight. On the journey she was wearing shorts so the sight of her beautiful long legs was what he saw all the time, but this dress somehow drew his attention even more. Maybe it was how the body clung to her form that added the alure. S'ra's eyes sparkled at the effect it had on her husband.
The other also clung to her body but had a plunging neck line that revealed most of S'ra's cleavage. This also had Chuck's mouth hanging open.
"You know I would never have been seen dead in dresses like this before you, Chuck. Now I find I want to wear things that make you look like that!"
She had found a bag in which to carry them.
"I feel bad that we can't pay for them, but there's no one to take the money," she said as they walked to the store exit. She was slightly ahead of Chuck, clutching the bag to her chest. Suddenly, she found she couldn't move.
Chuck wasn't expecting her to stop and walked into the back of her.
"I'm stuck," she said, starting to panic.
Chuck staggered back and walked slowly past her with no difficulty.
"Let go of the bag," he said.
She frowned at him. "Why?"
"Just an idea," he replied. "I think it's stopping you from leaving."
She stepped back, with no difficulty, and lowered the bag to the floor. Then, she stepped around it and walked out of the store with no difficulty.
She rushed back in and took the dresses out of the bag and backed out of the store. She had no difficulty until the dresses reached the entranceway and she found she couldn't pull them through.
"There must be something on them that is being sensed, blocking your exit," Chuck said. "We had similar security systems on Earth. Not as sophisticated, but clothing often had tags that had to be removed and other expensive items had to be scanned to deactivate a security code. Otherwise, when leaving the store alarms would be set off. Ellie was horrified when one of the checkout staff failed to do that once and the alarm went off as we tried to leave."
S'ra immediately pulled the dresses out and searched for tags of some sort. When she found none, she scanned the shop and hurried over to what they both thought must be a checkout. She slid the dresses along the surface several times, then brought them back to the entrance, but still couldn't get them out.
She huffed her frustration. "Definitely more sophisticated!"
He looked at her standing there with her fists at her hips, glaring at the dresses. "Oh, how I love you, S'ra." He picked her up and twirled her around before placing her back on her feet and kissing her.
She raised a brow. "You like seeing me frustrated?"
"I would do anything to make you feel better, but even like this, you are adorable."
She started to smile. "Somehow you always find a way to make me feel better, Chuck. Thank you."
"We'll get dresses like this made up for you when we eventually get home," he said.
"They won't be the same, but you're right. This isn't the disaster I am making it. I'm glad they aren't things we desperately need."
They left the dresses in the bag and walked out.
They were both somewhat subdued as they continued through the mall.
They didn't stay in the mall for long. They did get to see the types of clothing the men wore back then and footwear, but not being able to take any of it caused them to lose interest.
They walked further into the city, toward that open area in the center.
As they walked, they discussed what they had found so far.
"At some time in the past, long enough ago that no one remembers them, these people were more advanced in their technology than you are now." Chuck looked at S'ra to check she agreed. She nodded.
"Some of their technology would be good to have now, like the internal lighting," she observed.
"Yeah. Then, their city must have been bombed by an enemy force." He pondered that for a moment or two. "I wonder if those people were as advanced or just felt threatened."
"I'm guessing we will never know," she said. "Or why these people disappeared completely."
As they approached the open space, they saw it full of over grown vegetation. Trees taller than any either had seen on this planet. The height reminded Chuck of the giant redwoods but these were sprawling masses. It was almost as if they had been grown that way, but Chuck was sure that wasn't the case.
They could also feel a different atmosphere. Previously, everything had felt cold and clinical, and very lifeless. Now there was a menace in the air. They felt like eyes were on them.
"I don't like this, Chuck," S'ra said.
"No, let's turn back," he replied.
They did turn and started walking away, when they heard the growl.
They turned back to see two creatures appear out of the forest. They were definitely beast like, but also humanoid too. What was most startling was that they wore tatters of clothing.
"Run!" Chuck called to his wife.
She didn't hesitate and ran. He started running too.
The cries from the creatures sent shivers up and down Chuck's spine. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the creatures were following them and more of them were dropping from the trees too.
Chuck knew S'ra was fast and he probably faster, but these creatures were faster still. They would catch up with the running couple in a few minutes. There were now five of them.
"We are going to have to shoot them before they catch and tear us apart," he called to S'ra.
He stopped and pulled his pistol out of his backpack. S'ra did the same.
The creatures paused, clearly confused as to why their prey had stopped running. The nearest, cocked its head and peered at them.
Chuck and S'ra were now standing with their pistols pointing at the creatures.
The nearest, turned and uttered cries that almost sounded like speech and one from the back rushed past the others snarling at The motionless pair as it rushed at them.
S'ra shot it, hitting it in the head. It dropped to the ground, dead.
Chuck was watching the others. They all jumped at the sound of the pistol firing.
The leader cried out to the other three, who looked at it, but when it barked another command they ran toward the pair facing them. However, they didn't run straight at them, but weaved slightly.
It wasn't enough, though. S'ra shot the one on her side and Chuck the two on his. At that range, it would have been almost impossible to miss.
The remaining creature screamed at them and turned to run back to the forest.
Chuck walked to the nearest one. It was dressed in tattered clothing like the rest. Its skin tone was golden underneath.
"It almost seems that these are the descendants of the golden people."
S'ra shivered at the thought. "We should go. That one might be getting more to follow."
Chuck agreed with her and they hastened to head back the way they'd come.
They had almost reached the gateway to the city when they heard the approaching menace.
They looked behind them and, yes, a horde were running toward them, but they could hear some more.
Chuck only just ducked in time to avoid a piece of golden stone hitting his head. Looking in the direction it had come from, he saw creatures heading their way from a side street. "They might be trying to cut us off," he shouted to S'ra.
They both ran as fast as they could.
The gateway was only a hundred feet ahead of them, but the flier was a further hundred.
Creatures ran out of the last pair of side streets, five from each side, but there were obviously more behind them.
Both started firing their pistols. The creatures were easy targets but their numbers might overrun them if more came.
Both of them were tiring, which didn't help, but the adrenaline kept them going.
They passed the side streets and only had the length of the last buildings to go before they reached the gate. Chuck was now sure they'd make that, but the hundred feet to the flier and getting it off the ground may be too much.
He was now running backward firing as he went. He was glad that these pistols weren't like Earth ones with limited bullets. Because he was doing this, he was slower than S'ra. "Get the flier started. I'll try to hold them off," he shouted to her.
"No! We will take a stand together," she called back.
He didn't have the energy to argue.
They ran under the archway and stopped twenty-five or so feet beyond it to make their stand.
The creatures would get funneled through that archway and they would shoot them there.
However, no creatures came through. They all stopped just inside the city.
Chuck thought he saw the original leader appear in the center of the group, waving its fist at them. It felt like a human angry gesture.
One of the others threw a golden stone at them and was slapped by the leader for doing that.
As none of the golden beasts came out after them, the pair walked slowly back to the flier, keeping an eye behind them all the way.
S'ra silently started the flier and flew them toward the coastline for a few miles before setting down.
Neither had eaten or drunk anything in the city and both were famished.
They also needed what Chuck did as soon as they stopped. His arms wrapped around his wife and the kisses they shared.
"My guess is that their ancestors retreated to the city as the only place of safety before the bombing started," Chuck said as he ate. "They are effectively trapped there now because of their ancestors fear of the outside world becoming a belief that they cannot go beyond the city boundary."
"And the leader hit the other one for letting part of the city leave when it threw that stone," S'ra said.
"It's rather sad, really," he said.
S'ra thought about what he had just said. "I think something stopped them leaving after the bombing started, so your idea may be correct."
"I'm not sure if it is just time that has caused them to devolve, or if some toxic substance was dropped on them."
Both of them shivered in unison at that thought.
"Not quite the start to exploring that I was hoping for," he said.
She grinned at him. "Hopefully it is our worst experience."
He groaned. "I wish you hadn't said that!"
She laughed and leaned over to him, giving him a big kiss. As she pulled away, she quipped, "Certainly an exciting honeymoon!"
It was mid-afternoon when they reached the coastline. They knew they wouldn't proceed further, but had expected to spend more time in the city, so they had arrived at the coast earlier than expected.
As they gazed across the body of water, they could see islands in the distance, but not the further coastline. That worried S'ra. "We may get stuck and not be able to reach the other side."
"What if we fly directly up high enough to see?"
She looked at him dubiously.
"Let me try," he requested. So, that is what they did. The sky was completely clear, so hopefully nothing would obscure the view.
As they rose, more and more of the sea was visible. The air was getting thinner and thinner making it harder to breathe.
"I think we need to turn back, Chuck," S'ra gasped out as she struggled for breath.
He looked at her with concern. She looked as though she was about to faint.
He looked back across the water and thought he could see the faint outline of something in the distance. "Just a bit more," he said.
Five minutes later, he could see it was the farther shoreline. He looked back at his wife, happy at the discovery but she had passed out. He realized how selfish he had been and immediately headed back to the ground.
He looked briefly at what lay before them so that he could remember it.
Fortunately, the islands they could see from the ground were the start of a chain of islands, including one very large one. It looked like, if they needed to land before completing the crossing, they would have plenty of opportunities.
It wasn't long before S'ra gasped some air in and he knew she would be alright.
He tried not to think what would have happened if he had passed out too. Could they have crashed? Would she not have recovered? It didn't bear thinking about. He vowed to be more attentive to her needs in future.
When he landed the flier, he rushed to her and held her. "I'm so sorry, S'ra. I should have brought us back down sooner."
"Did you see the outer shoreline?"
He proceeded to tell her what he had seen. They then discussed their plan. "We might stop at that larger island anyway, but we'll try to make it across in as few stops as possible."
S'ra nodded her agreement.
"In the meantime, I want to make love to my wonderful wife before getting some sleep."
She grinned. "We might want some food for dinner too."
"Dinner can wait," he said as he grabbed her and lowered her onto the bed they had set up on deck.
A/N: So, exploring can be dangerous. Not a real surprise, but for these two it was a harsh reminder that they needed to take care in parts unknown.
This was just a short chapter, but all I could manage. Maybe later ones will be longer.
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Glossary (pronunciation in brackets)
People:
B'rack (Bur-Rack)– S'ra's previous boyfriend (we never meet him)
Chaldir (Charl-Dere) – governor of the city state Grillain
Thrace (Thrase) – military commander of the city state Grillain
Durban – (Dur-Ban) Air Sargent helping Chuck
Flack (Flack) – one of the generals under Commander Thrace
Frakku (Frack-Ku) – purple-skinned savages
Garron (Gar-Ron) – S'ra's father
Gralik (Grar-Lick) – second son of Praid
Kaldik (Cal-tick) – son of Commander Thrace
Pal'na (Paal-Nar) – wife of Chaldir
Praid (Pray-Id) – governor of the city state Sanklin
R'lna (Rul-Nah) – wife of Praid
S'mia (Sur-Mere) – S'ra's mother
S'ra (Sur-Rah) – first person Chuck Bartowski meets on the new planet
Tald (TarlD) – first son of Prad
Verzian (Verr-iss-ien) – chief astronomer in Sanklin
.
Plants and animals:
Clarek (Clar-Rek) – plant that produces leaves that people use to clean themselves
Conith (Con-Eeth) – leaves of this plant produce fast-acting, healing liquids
Deak (Dee-Ack) – small plants that manage to grow in the crevasses of rocks in the mountain ranges
Gritch (Grit-Ch)– flesh of this plant used to clean teeth and breath
Ixtag (Eecs-Tag) – black-colored predator that live in forests
Krattak (Crat-tark) – terrifying, huge sea creature
Landic (Land-Ick) – deer-like herbivore
Pake (PayK) – plant, the flesh contains pain-killing properties and is used for that purpose
Vetia (Vet-Ia) – leaves of this plant very flexible and used by Chuck to cover himself. Sap burns people from the planet but didn't affect him
Xaxic (Zacks-Ick) – foul smelling leaves of this plant used to ward off predators
Xynth (Zinth)– flying predator
Zryth (Zreeth) – stone-colored cat-like predator. Related to the ixtag
.
Places:
Garverd –(Gar-Vert) mountain range
Grillain (Grill-Ain) – city state S'ra comes from
Niteth (Nee-Teth) – largest of three moons that circle the planet
Pallain (Pall-Lain) – neighboring city state
Retith (Ret-Teeth) – the planet Chuck was now on
Sanklin (Sank-Lin) – city state governed by Praid
.
Other:
Bract (Br-Act) – nutritious bars carried to eat when access to other food hard to achieve
Chendia (Chen-Dere) – powerful anesthetic, like chloroform
Flaxik (Flack-sic) – new drug created to induce ovulation
Merriclat (Merry-clat) - device for rebuilding and repairing lungs