The Ruzir Spheres

Yunae had been staring out the living room window at the artefact for almost ten hours now, having spent the two days before banging her fists bloody against the thing. Her hair was tattered, and she probably stunk, but personal hygiene was pretty low down on her list of priorities today.

Her seven-year-old daughter, Ingrid, was trapped inside, a mere fifty feet away, so she’d have to keep trying. Brute force hadn’t worked, though, so the next step would be to plead with the artefact. She’d make promises, threats and more. She’d do whatever it took to get her little girl back.

The aurora-fruit jam sandwich Yunae had made herself several hours ago sat changing colours and gathering flies atop the marbled kitchen counter. She took one glance at it and shook her head. She'd eat with Ingrid when they got back and no sooner.

Yunae had no time to waste, and certainly no time for stuffing her face with food. She marched past the sandwich and scooped up her padded coat from the rack by the front door.

It was cold outside. The air was crisp, and the wind biting. However, there was no change to the artefact from what she could tell; no glistening of frost on its outer layer, nor a white glaze. There was only the same swirling pattern of green triangles that continued to illuminate the tree canopy above, almost like Ingrid’s old night light. The memory brought a small smile to Yunae's lips, until brutal reality hit her like the shock of a pale of cold water to the face.

These lights were different. Their purpose wasn't to bring comfort. They were a mystery, unlike the night light. Although it seemed that both devices had successfully drawn the little girl's attention.

Yunae's mind was swimming with half-finished thoughts born of hunger and a burning need to rescue Ingrid. It was not surprising when she tripped over an uprooted tree branch. Then her foot caught on the slimy white bark of another, and she tumbled headfirst into the artefact.

The tang of copper tasted pungent on her lower lip as she dabbed the bead of blood with her finger. Her right cheek and hand felt hot to the touch where she'd grazed them, and yet, despite the echoing clatter from her fall, there was no response. Not that she expected one.

Yunae started crying again, rubbing her hands over the ice-cold grooves of the artefact's metallic shell while trying to peer through any gap she could find. The longer she stared, the more her imagination played tricks, though.

A distorted reflection in the metallic coating suddenly grew larger as something approached from behind. Yunae spun around, her eyes ablaze. ‘Ingrid?’

Crack.

She turned again at the sound of a stepped-on tree branch, but still, there was no one there. Then she felt a gentle whisper tickle her ear and quickly rummaged around in her pockets.

After grasping at leftover crumbs and dust, Yunae finally pulled out the green crocodile torch Ingrid had gotten her for her birthday. She had to smack the end repeatedly to make it work, but after a few seconds of frustration, its narrow beam shone brilliantly.

Another nonsensical whisper sounded in Yunae's ear, this time louder. It was probably still her imagination, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was spying on her. And, as the wind began to whistle, fear threatened to consume her. Then someone said her name, the pronunciation clear this time, and it brought on a peculiar feeling of familiarity.

‘What?’ Yunae rubbed her face with both hands. ‘Get it together!’ She faced the sphere once more, pointing the torchlight directly at it. And after blinking several times, she noticed that a wide rectangular opening had appeared.

The projected triangular pattern beaming into the tree canopy cut off with a stutter, and gradually, the artefact's internal glow dimmed as if it had somehow lost power. Then, as Yunae approached, cautiously shuffling her feet, she noticed a small figure lurking in the darkness.

'Ingrid!' Yunae shrieked, leaping towards her.

The girl's eyes were unnaturally white. Her face and hair were covered in some form of organic webbing, and she was utterly unresponsive.

The mother stifled tears with effort, wiped snot on her coat sleeve, and rapped her fists against the artefact, beating the metal like a drum to get the little girl’s attention. Nothing.

Yunae knelt and wrapped her arms around the girl, squeezing tight. She knew that if anything was going to work, it would be that. She'd always gotten a reaction before, so why not now?

Nothing happened. There was not even the hum of machinery to answer her pleas.

The mother sighed. 'Sweetie, it’s time to wake up. No? Oh, well. I guess I'll have to start the next game of Rune Ball without you?'

Someone called her name again. She ground her teeth, fury threatening to tear her and anything else apart. The ghosts, or whatever those whispering bastards were, could come at her. They would regret it.

'Yunae!'

Block-like hands gripped hers, and the peculiar familiarity behind the man’s husky voice sank in, but instead of responding, she slugged the newcomer so hard he staggered backwards. ‘Where have you been, Harold?! It’s been almost eighteen days since we landed, and you didn’t come to check on your niece once. Now, look at her!'

Harold massaged his neck, frowning at the woman. The muscle was already aching, and he was pissed. 'Get off your high horse, Yunae. Where were you when mom got sick?'

Another punch seemed to shut her brother up. 'I was still in cryosleep!'

'Fine,' Harold spat, handing Yunae his scarf. ‘I’d heard that Ingrid was trapped. Is she-’

Yunae rubbed her eyes with the woollen accessory and blew her nose before handing it back. 'No. She's not okay. Look at her!'

Harold cleared his throat. 'There's nobody here but you and me.'

Yunae turned, horrified to see the compartment empty. She began clawing at the black interior panelling, wedging her fingers into any gap or seam she could find. 'Ingrid was right next to me. What did you do?!'

Harold shook his head. 'I came to see if you were alright. That's it.'

Yunae pointed. 'She was standing right here until you came. What the hell did you do?!'

The frantic mother delved back into the artefact, grasping at air, waving her arms, and when that failed, she ran her hands around the outside of the thing, searching for any other openings she might have missed. Then she punched it, kicked it and slapped it again and again until she fell to the ground.

Harold sat beside his sister, one hand across her shoulders, and not caring that he'd just landed on a stinging tulic weed. 'I didn't do anything. I swear, but I believe you when you say that she was here. Besides, your daughter’s not the only one trapped.'

Yunae looked up, blinking. 'There are more artefacts? And other people taken? Why wasn’t I told?'

'Yes and yes. Our orbiting satellites confirmed as much before we lost contact with them. The artefacts have been arriving in the hundreds over the last few days. And not only that, they’ve landed at every one of our settlements. How could you not have heard them?'

Yunae grimaced. 'I’ve been a little preoccupied.'

Harold stood, rubbed both hands through his shaggy brown hair and paced. He did that when he was thinking or when he was nervous.

Eventually, he stopped and pointed at the artefact. 'This one was the first. And when it made landfall, it sent out an electromagnetic pulse that fried most of our land-based sensors and communications.'

'Right,' Yunae said. 'But, there’s more you're not telling me.'

'There’s more,' Harold agreed, a small smile appearing on his lips, soft and fleeting. He never could keep anything from his sister. 'Every artefact goes dark after it lands. Their stealth camouflage is lightyears ahead of our own, and without access to sophisticated comms or satellite data, we’re having to investigate each one in person.'

Yunae made a face. 'How can you maintain contact with other groups without comms?'

Harold patted the squat device fastened to his belt. 'Old-Earth radios. They weren’t switched on when the pulse hit and somehow survived.'

She nodded, grateful for something else to focus on. 'How many artefacts have you secured? And how many people are trapped?'

'None are secured because we don’t know where to start, Yunae. The best we could do is place markers so we don't lose them again.'

'And how many of our people are trapped?' She repeated.

Harold couldn't meet her eyes. 'At least thirty thousand of our people went inside.'

'There are only fifty thousand settlers,' Yunae noticed her brother still avoiding her gaze. 'There’s more news? You've got to be kidding me.'

Harold shrugged. 'We were able to break into one of the artefacts that had struck the mountain range to the east.'

'Were there any clues as to who sent them all?'

Harold kicked a loose twig while pacing. 'We don’t know who sent the artefacts or why, but there was some surprisingly intact equipment in the wreckage. And, we managed to dismantle it.'

'Yes?' Yunae pressed.

Harold smiled again. 'Two implants connected by an organic web have proven to wrap around the wearer’s face like a shroud and render them unconscious. There were broken motherboards with mangled circuitry that flashed bright whenever touched, and a smouldering stack of what I assumed were hard drives and monitors. One screen even showed some kind of advanced character creation tool, but it was non-responsive.'

Yunae puffed out her cheeks. 'What the hell are you telling me? That these aliens are gamers?'

'Hardly,' Harold scoffed. 'But, whatever system or network our people are connected to seems powerful enough to keep them trapped inside.'

'Maybe we should join them.'

'No!' Harold yelled. 'How can we help our people if we get caught in the same mess?'

'I can’t stay here doing nothing. I’ve spent long enough on my ass as it is.'

'Then, come with me to the Quaking Pass, Yunae. There'll be more answers out there for sure.'

'I could use some answers, believe me,' she stared at the artefact once more, pain streaking her face. 'I can’t leave Ingrid. What if she comes back while we're gone?'

Harold nodded.

A prolonged burst of radio static filled the air. Then the sky suddenly lit up as a dozen more artefacts flew overhead, their fiery trails visible even through the dense woodland. The siblings hadn’t seen the next one coming, though, and it struck the front porch of Yunae's house, causing them to dive for cover as shattered chunks of stone and splintered wood pelted out in every direction.

Harold lost his balance as the ground continued to tremble. Instead of remaining still, though, he kept trying to stand only to be swept off his feet. Trees rattled. Branches creaked and snapped, and leaves tumbled endlessly in the wind.

Yunae cursed and had to pull him back to the ground. 'Stay down!'

After the dust finally settled, there was a broadcasting message amplified by the speaker strength of every nearby artefact. And it must have played in at least ten different languages before repeating in English.

'You are the Keepers, and you are mighty. Join your friends in Ruzir, where the only limit is your imagination. Join them and become whoever or whatever you want.'

As soon as the message ended, more lights shone from the artefacts to further illuminate the fire-lit woodland and pitch-black sky beyond.

Yunae turned to her brother. 'These people, whoever they are, seem to want the rest of us to go to Ruzir too. And, now I know that's where Ingrid went.'

Harold laughed bitterly. 'You are hopeless. At least let us conduct some more research before you go inside?'

Yunae knew this was the best compromise she’d get from her brother, but she couldn't resist pressing him on it. 'You've got twelve hours.'

'Twelve,' replied Harold with quiet resignation. 'Why not? We're already diving into the unknown. Might as well go face first.'