Waling an Endless Path

Author's Notes:

Walking An Endless Path: Part 3 is the epic conclusion of the prequel trilogy for the Jack Danner Universe. Think hundreds of years before Jack finds his way into the Altarian Trade Commission waiting room.

But without this, he'd never get the chance.

-=-

This trilogy is dedicated to my brilliant and beautiful wife, whose support of my passion for writing and drive to keep me healthy keeps me balanced, productive, and happy.

I love you, lady!

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Walking An Endless Path: Part 3

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Chapter 1

Joe was dying.

He'd been captive of the Greenies, as he'd come to call them, for roughly three weeks, and they were slowly starving him to death.

The injuries he'd sustained from falling from the sky at home slowly healed, but his energy levels were dropping due to insufficient food, and his body wasn't coping well.

The mad rush the aliens had been in when they stole him from his protectors back home hadn't ended when they pulled his unconscious body through the portal in Russia. After he awoke on the other side, they immediately set a brutal pace and traveled overland to reach another location where another portal was promptly opened and entered.

Most of the time, the land on the other side of the portal looked identical or at least similar, though the time of day and the temperature often changed. At first, he thought that maybe they were just moving from place to place on the same world, but then he began to notice that he felt lighter or heavier after passing through some.

Once, they stepped through a portal, and the Greenies crashed to their knees as the gravity was much higher. The pressure was hard on Joe's injuries, and they'd barely made it back through before he passed out. There had been much angry warbling between the Greenies after that event. When Joe finally realized these portals were taking them between worlds, he was grateful that the air was breathable on each.

The Greenies had two more Tik with them, but they weren't familiar to Joe and always stayed near the front of the group. As he and his three Tik were always at the back of the group, he had yet to see how his captors triggered the portals or set their destinations. He was thoroughly discouraged that he would ever see home again.

The green-skinned aliens either hadn't noticed that Joe still had his cell phone, or they didn't care. Joe couldn't call anyone, but he could look at the few pictures he'd taken of his home. He was careful not to take it out of his pocket when they were paying attention to him, which wasn't often. For all the effort they'd made in kidnapping him, they'd shown no interest in speaking with him or even looking at him.

The three cylindrical hovering mechanisms he'd named Stinky, Hack, and Slash were his faithful companions throughout the journey. The latter two bore Joe's damaged body in a rough hammock they made between them with the prehensile metallic cables they used as arms. Stinky tracked Joe's physical condition by scanning him with a green light, making him nauseous. When he grew too weak, Stinky would signal the group had to stop for a break. Food and water would be provisioned at these times. The Greenies loved the rations, but Joe found them flavorless and unsatisfying. He grew weaker by the day.

The Greenies avoided direct sunlight due to their wet skins and took opportunities to dunk themselves in any bodies of water they came across. This avoidance of the sun prevented Joe from absorbing direct sunlight, which he'd found energizing in the past.

Joe was always hungry and had taken to foraging whenever they would stop for any period of time. He was set down within arm's reach of some berries once and managed to clear the area within his reach. It wasn't a lot of extra food, but it definitely picked up his energy, and the Greenies made more progress that day. Joe tried to get them to understand the benefit of feeding him, but they refused to pay any attention to him other than to direct the machines to bring him along.

On a subsequent world, Joe was delighted to find some nuts, but Stinky slapped them away painfully before he could eat one. Joe hated the machine very deeply at that moment. On the next world, he found some more nuts but wasn't prevented from eating them. This made Joe wonder if the previous nuts had been poisonous. To this point, Stinky's role had been to keep Joe healthy. He supposed eating toxic nuts was contrary to that set of instructions. Joe watched the machine from that point on when he foraged and waited for the telltale signs of getting a smack from the unit. This augmentation of his diet slowed his weakening somewhat, but Joe needed some substantial food soon, or he'd lose consciousness permanently. His frustration at being unable to communicate with the Greenies grew daily.

They had been traveling for roughly a month when they stepped through a portal from grassland into a deep jungle. The two lead Tik were sent off with a gesture from the lead Greenie. They flew straight up and disappeared. The jungle was so overgrown Hack and Slash had to put Joe down on the ground and use their cable arms to cut through the vegetation to make a path to a nearby beach.

While Joe rested on the ground, he spotted a large plant that looked like a mushroom. With a shaky arm, he reached over and carefully broke it from the ground. He lifted it up towards his face, his hand trembling with fatigue, and watched for Stinky's response. The metal coil shot out of its compartment and snatched the mushroom cap away. Joe was left with the meaty stem in his hand, but he wasn't sure if he should eat it. Maybe Stinky just missed grabbing the whole thing away. At least it had stopped slapping him. Joe's fingers weakened, and the stem dropped. Stinky caught it in its coil and slowly lifted it to Joe's mouth. Joe bit into the fleshy plant. He almost cried with joy as the rich flavor of freshly baked bread exploded over his tongue. The coil delicately pressed the remaining chunk into Joe's mouth. His mind flashed to a memory of the delicate fingers of Safa Neema. The Forensic Pathologist had fed him pieces of bread by hand when he flew to Washington, DC, after he'd been shot. Tears came to his eyes as he remembered that kindness. He chewed slowly and swallowed the delicious food. When he looked back, Stinky had prepared a second one. Joe opened his mouth, and the coils dropped the entire thing inside. Joe did his best to chew and swallow the large mouthful. He looked over at the machine in wonder. It had never fed him before, and he wasn't clear on why it was now. Maybe his condition had reached some critical low?

Some of the Greenies were quite excited and ran down the path the machines had cut. The others screeched at them but gave up when they were out of view. Hack and Slash returned and scooped Joe up in their coils. When the group stepped out onto the sand of a beach, Joe was dazzled by the bright sunlight. He realized they were out in the open, and the Greenies actually looked relaxed for the first time.

The beach faced an enormous expanse of water that splashed over a series of tidal pools when it reached the shore. Joe saw the earlier group of Greenies diving into the water. He didn't see them resurface. The group he was following was heading in the same direction. Joe started to feel a sense of dread. If they were taking him under the water, he would drown. He tried telling them that, and his voice grew louder and more panicked the closer they got to the water. As they moved over the water, Joe felt his body locking up to prepare for immersion. He had no idea why he couldn't tolerate getting into a body of water since he had no issues with showers, but his body went into total shock when submerged.

He'd fallen in a lake a few years back and nearly drowned. He felt the panic set in.

Stinky scanned him and chirped. The three machines stopped and backed up to the dry sand. Joe was hyperventilating but started to calm down when they reached the shore. The lead Greenie turned and started to warble loudly at the machine. Stinky simply chirped again. The other Greenies kept walking, and soon, they were all below the water. The leader screeched at the machines, but they remained where they were. With what sounded like a frustrated gasp, the Greenie warbled something at the machines, then turned and dove beneath the waters.

Stinky chirped at the other two, and they carried Joe up the beach and set him down on the hot sand close to the spot where they'd exited the jungle. The heat felt wonderful on Joe's skin, and he basked in the sunlight. He was still hungry, but this was a major improvement. His

sentries

took positions around him, and Stinky took one more scan before chirping to the others. Joe swore it sounded satisfied.

Joe rested there on the sand, waiting for the Greenies to reappear. He waited for hours and watched the sun set. Aside from the ridiculously enormous moon hanging in the sky, it reminded him of the sunsets he'd watched back in Santa Monica, which made him think of his sister, and the tears came. God, he missed his family! This was the longest he'd ever been apart from them.

Finally, he fell asleep.

Morning came, and Joe was still on the beach. The sun returned to the sky, and Joe felt it rejuvenating his body. He was so hungry. He gestured to Stinky, making eating motions, and was surprised when it actually moved off into the jungle. It was the first time he'd successfully communicated with anything since he'd been abducted.

A few minutes later, Stinky returned with six mushroom stems, a short, slim stick, and a large yellow orb that made a sloshing sound. Joe put his hands together like a bowl, and Stinky dropped the stems into them. Joe immediately began eating and, in a few minutes, had eaten his largest meal in weeks. Stinky punched a hole in the yellow orb with the point of his coil, then passed it into Joe's hands. He took a sip of the liquid inside and was surprised by its sweetness. Just the mildest flavor of melon but almost overpoweringly sweet. Joe drank until the orb was empty. Next, Stinky handed him the stick. He assumed that he was expected to chew on it. He managed two bites on it when it burst open and oozed into his mouth. Joe gagged on the awful flavor and texture. He spat the contents of his mouth out onto the sand and saw movement. The stick was filled with some kind of insect larvae, and he'd just got a mouthful. He continued to spit until he was sure he'd gotten it all out. Joe threw the stick away and glared at Stinky. "No bugs!" he growled. He felt queasy, so he rested back against the sand, which was already growing hot.

Aside from the stick, the meal was excellent, and he felt almost full. He rested and waited for the Greenies to return.

As the sun set, Joe wondered what the hell he'd been abducted for. The sunset colors were spectacular, so he took a few pictures. He wondered how much money he'd get for them back home. Not that anyone would believe they were taken on an alien planet. He flipped the phone over and tried to take a selfie like his friend Craig had suggested. He smiled when he saw his face lit up with the day's last rays and Stinky floating behind him.

He was feeling much better. He was still hungry, but the sun and the heat soaking into his body did wonders for him. He nodded off, guarded by his sentries.

The next morning, Joe tried sitting up. It was excruciating, but he finally managed to get onto his butt. Stinky scanned and chirped at him, but he ignored it until a coil wrapped around him and gently forced him back down. Next came breakfast: three mushroom stems, another yellow orb, a stick he quickly tossed aside, and three bumpy fruits that tasted like chicken. Weird but filling.

The tide had gone out, and Joe watched the tidal pools. His mouth watered at the idea of seafood. It was the protein he was after. What he

really

wanted was a big steak. After being injured, he found that eating high-protein meals assisted his healing process the most.

Joe heard splashing and saw what looked like a fin thrashing around in a shallow pool. He pointed at the fish and made the eating gestures, but Stinky was back to ignoring him.

The pattern of recuperating on the beach continued for a week. Joe was going out of his mind with boredom, and his three sentries sucked at playing

I, Spy

. By the end of the week, Joe was able and allowed to sit upright. He looked back at the jungle and wondered if there would be any way for him to make a spear for fishing. The damn tidal pool teased him with a protein buffet every day, and Stinky continued ignoring his gestures to

get the fish

!

Joe worked on getting his body back into some kind of condition. Initially, that meant some reclining exercises until Stinky would interfere. Push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, and he worked up from there. By the end of the second week on the beach, Joe was allowed to walk along the water's edge with the machines. He'd hold the coils of Hack and Slash like he was holding their hands, which he was, and wobble down to the water's edge and walk back and forth, looking into the tidal pools. Initially, he'd barely make it back before sinking exhausted to the sand to rest.

He needed those damn fish.

After a few more days of this, he walked into the jungle with his mechanical companions and looked for a sapling from which he would make a fishing spear. He found a likely candidate and showed Hack what he needed it to do. He mimed the cutting he'd seen the machines do when they arrived, and soon, he had a long, straight stick. He used it as a walking stick to make his way back out to the sand.

On the way back, he found a sharp rock on the side of the trail and picked it up. By the time he returned to his usual place on the beach, he was seeing spots. He sat on the sand, collapsed onto his back, and promptly passed out.

When he awoke, Stinky had brought him some mushroom stems and one of the yellow orbs. He ate and drank, and as the sun had just about set, he rested his eyes and allowed sleep to take him.

The next day, he worked on his fishing spear and carved a rudimentary barbed point at one end with his sharp rock. The following day, he had Hack and Slash walk him down to the tidal pool. He wrapped their coils around his waist until they got the idea and held him in place. He leaned out over one of the pools and watched for any sign of one of the fish he'd seen the previous day. He held the spear point above the water's surface and kept as still as possible. After a few minutes, he heard the telltale splashing of the fish struggling from one tidal pool to another. The sound got closer, and then he saw it. Black with white streaks down its sides, a wide scoop of a mouth, and fairly thick in the middle. Joe prayed it was edible. It squirmed into the tidal pool next to the one he was in and sifted through the sand before turning away and heading back out to sea. Joe's hand shot forward, and the spear's point glanced off the fish's slippery flank but pierced the side fin. In desperation, Joe heaved up on the spear and flung the fish onto the sand behind him. He tried to turn, but Hack and Slash were still doing their best to keep him upright, and it took him precious seconds to get them to understand he needed them to loosen their grip.

As soon as he faced the beach, he saw a shadow pass overhead, and a large winged creature landed on his catch. The thing had leathery wings and a serpentine neck, which ended with an ugly toothy head. It dug its claws into the fish and hissed at him.

"No fucking way! That's MINE!" Joe yelled and heaved his spear at it.

This time, the spear hit true and sunk a few inches into the creature's chest. Unfortunately, that just made it pissed off, and it roared its anger before it launched itself at Joe.

Stinky, Hack, and Slash fired their weapons simultaneously at the incoming beast, scorching it right from the air and tearing it into pieces that fell into the hot sand. Joe was dazed by the firepower display, but he hobbled up the sand with the support of the machines until he got to his fish. He picked it up and moved it to his mouth, but Stinky took it away.

So, the fish he fought for was poisonous to him. Figures.

He picked up his spear and saw a chunk of the flying beast was still stuck to its barb. It was almost cooked by the machines. He lifted it to his mouth and was delighted when Stinky made no move to take it from him. He bit into the flesh and felt his taste buds celebrate. It tasted like steak! While he chewed, he collected the other pieces. By the time the sun set that evening, he was basking in the glow of complete satisfaction. He was almost bursting from the amount he'd eaten, but he already felt so much better.

He stacked up the offal a few yards down the beach to see what else he might catch with his sentries. He rested his head back and slipped into a sated sleep in the protective circle of the three machines.

He was jarred awake by the ripping sound of the sentries firing their shock cannons at something approaching them on the dark beach. It was terrifying! Joe peered into the gloom and saw the rough outline of an enormous crab-like creature. Steam hissed and popped from its cooked interior. He struggled to get back to sleep, but it was a fitful night from that point on.

He finally decided to get up with the sunrise despite being tired. Joe found his energy levels were much improved from the day before. His pain was greatly reduced, and he walked slowly down to inspect the crab thing. It was the size of a small Volkswagon! There was a gash in its side from where steam had exploded. Joe took a picture of himself standing next to the massive crab and wished he could send it to Agent White. She would seriously lose her shit! He grinned at the thought.

After securing his phone, Joe reached inside the gash, tore a piece of the flesh out, and held it up to his mouth, watching Stinky. Not a budge. He put the flesh in his mouth and immediately gagged at the salty flavor. Still, it was meat. He cracked open the shell and pulled out a long rope of steamed flesh. Seafood for breakfast. When he was done, he frantically mimed drinking from one of the yellow orbs.

Thankfully, Stinky picked up the clue and brought one back to him. Joe tried to counteract the severe saltiness of the meat with the intense sweetness of the orb's juice. It didn't work. Instead, he just felt nauseous. He walked away to lie down in the sun.

By mid-afternoon, the nausea had passed, and he felt much better. Protein had been the missing element in his diet. He tried thinking of ways to collect more.

There was a sudden splashing noise, and Joe saw four Greenies burst from the surf to run toward him. The one in the lead was the only one he recognized on sight. It was the only one carrying a weapon, too. Joe had taken care to memorize the markings on its face as this was the one who had struck him on his chest when he was lying crippled on the ground back in Russia after falling from a great height. That face showed a wild expression, and the club raised in its hand wasn't meant as a friendly gesture.

Joe stood and faced the rapidly approaching Greenie. Just before it swung the club, Joe stepped inside its reach and punched the jerk square in the face. He felt the bones in its face shatter and drive inwards. It immediately collapsed on the sand, quite dead.

Joe was stunned by how easily he'd just killed the alien. He stepped back and prepared for the other three, but they came to an immediate halt and warbled uncertainly to each other. They kept glancing between Joe and the machines which hovered a few feet behind him. Come to think of it, why hadn't they stopped him from attacking the Greenie?