The Planet 9.3

9.3 L 391-1

The explosives I planted in Dusty, well the headless one was on the flooring. It exploded when I instinctively pressed the trigger. The explosion would have torn the section apart but I was shielded by a thick layer of dusts. I felt the vibrations and yet unhurt by it. The pencil explosives have demonstrated its destructive nature with anything solid leveled within the radius of twenty feet but it was not the case that day. The consoles were still there and so were the cables. Everything was coated in a layer of ducts but then I saw the clusters of dust; you could tell from the looks. They were slipping onto the flooring. They were darkened by the explosion and appeared like other forms of dust, non-moving. Ironically, the dust could die. Re-phrased it was L 391.

“How could you intervene?” The voice from L 391 was loud and threatening.

The layer of dusts that was on me had thinned but it soon slipped from me. It moved like streams of water to the front of me and then towered up to form a frame similar to Dusty but the head was in proportion to that of a normal man.

“We are L 391-1 as was told to you by our other self.” The newly created dust frame spoke. It turned towards Dusty. 

“You have done us injustice with your fake impression of L 391-1. You thought you had eluded the enemy but you were wrong. The Earthling had fooled you.”

“He fooled you well. We knew for we are L 391-1. Your nemesis and superior to you, imbeciles. A deserving name I guess.” The cluster of dusts named L 391-1 turned towards me. “We have been monitoring you too. Your playful antics for L 391 were most amusing.”

 Well, at least some one found my antics amusing although it pained me.

“We ..I meant I tried.” I was still confused. Was there L 391-1? For a while I have almost forgotten of my tasks and whom I came with. “Tell me of L 391-1.”

“There is not much you have not heard.” L 391-1 replied. “You may address me as Daniel. You once had as a friend.”

Daniel was my friend since childhood. We even joined the Marines together and fought hard for the ranks. He was made Commander and me his Sergeant. That did not place any encumbrances in our friendship then but it soon took it stake toward it. I was given the tedious tasks and the more perilous, I was assigned. I knew Daniel meant well, but it cost me my arm. I was offered a disability retirement or be a construct. I chose the construct and then left the Marines. I also stopped contacting Daniel. .

“I can be Daniel.” The dust spoke up. “You will believe Daniel. He is your friend.”

The other frame of dusts named Dusty then rushed at the one I was in communication. Both figures crashed and the frame dissolved into a funnel of dusts like a miniaturized tornado that twirled before me.

“Run!” The call sounded out. “Follow the dust.” 

It was all happening too fast for me to understand. I saw the ball of dusts on the flooring. It rolled towards the doorway which was slammed by me. It was open then and I saw more funnels of dusts outside. It was a battle of dusts. I saw the dust ball rolled down the corridor and followed it. I picked up the webbing pack and ran. During my run, I saw the cables and pipes were ripped out to release the obstacles on the dust in pursuit. There may be power surges that triggered off fires in its part. The pipes may be similar to the ones. I had to run through some of the funnels; dispersing it but not before some of the dusts got lodged on my body. It caused me pain then as if I was stung by a swarm of insects and was staggering in my pursuit to catch up with the ball of dusts. It rolled down the adjoining corridors and then stopped before an opening on the floor.

The ball of dusts rolled over into the floor opening.

I stopped at the edge and looked down. It was a crude tunnel of sort large enough for me but it looked deep. I could make out it was cored into the sub-surface. I hesitated there but was forced into the tunnel. I felt my body dropping leg and during the fall, I also felt the dusts were dropping off. I reached out with my right hand to the side surfaces hoping to break my free fall, but there was nothing to grip on. It was a long fall given that I was fighting for a hold on. There were sections of the tunnel where it was sloped and then there were turnings but my body was not impacted by the fall velocity. I felt myself being adjusted for those turnings as if I was in an anti gravity jump tube.

Then I was popped out of the tunnel into a large cavern of rocks.

I was still free falling and had moved my body face down for impact.

It did not happen..

I found my freefall was slowing down and the pains on my body diminishing.

I stopped altogether and then remained floating.

I was in an anti gravity section.

There were dusts everywhere.

 “Welcome to our Core Domain, John. You are now with us, the L 391-1.”