Old Memories

Plisken launched the small metal hook into the cool clear sea, the little rocky outcropping providing a comfortable vantage point over the vast expanse of calm water. The sun was setting now, the fiery devil finally bowing out of the stag and taking rest while the silvery moon took charge of lighting the planet.
He disliked the sun, Plisken did. His home in November City did not often provide a sunny day, and excursions to the beach with his parents were rare, though he now knew why. Holidays were a difficult concept for Plisken to work with, his entire life had been a daily battle and to not have anything to do was troubling. But it had given him a reason to wear his one and only Hawaiian shirt, a dark green shirt with blue floral patterns. His daughter had given him it for his birthday, though that now felt like several lifetimes ago. Clara – she never did know what to buy him for his birthday.
The old man shook his head free of the old memories. A pleasant plop from the water told him that something was trying to bite. But then a loud crack broke its way through the twilight, a horrible grating sound that tore through the stillness of the pleasant night.
“For heaven sake,” said Plisken as he ducked under the ‘Bug to help Jamie.
“Here,” Jamie said, handing Plisken a wrench, “Tighten the hydrogen exhausts.”
Plisken did as he was told, happy of something of urgency happening.
<Snip>
“No, no... Slow down dear”
It took a moment before he could make any sense of his wife’s frantic gesticulations
“I... Oh, my science! – Yes, yes, right away!” he span back to the assembled crew, his brain inside the tank struggling to keep up with the sudden movement “One of my babies has gone missing!” he gasped “Please comrades, I need your help!”
With faultless dramatic timing, the air was suddenly split with the plaintive staccato bark of an unseen animal, not far away, out in the jungle...
</Snip>
“Shit,” Plisken cursed, “Is there any where he could have went?”
“We don’t know, we don’t even know when he went missing,” Artemis explained, his voice trying to remain calm and collected but still breaking in places, understandably.
“Plisken,” said Cass, stepping forward, “You might try beyond the trees, Jade and I found some ruins.”
“Right,” Plisken said, nodding as he took in the information, “Jay? Job opportunity. We’ll go and check that out first, better to look everywhere.”

“What do you suppose this place is?” asked Jay as the two men entered the ruined stonework.
“Ruins of a time long since past. A city of however lived here.”
Jay and Plisken had armed themselves with a few simple pistols, nothing that could really do any damage to a serious threat. They nervously stalked the city, the shadow of the vast pyramid casting a frightening shadow on the ground below.
“I think I’ve been here before…” Plisken muttered under his own breathe.
Jay glanced at his comrade, Knowing him, he probably has, he thought.
Plisken placed his hand on the stone work, running the metal gently across it. But then he stopped. He felt again.
“Jay!” he called, although he did so as quietly as he could.
Jay hurried over, a slight glint of fear in his eye.
“Look at this,” Plisken said as he placed a metal finger under a loose piece of rock and flicked it off. It revealed a gleaming metal surface beneath before the rock re-grew over the wound.
“What the fu-“ began to Jay.
“Living rock,” breathed Plisken. He knelt down closer to the ruined pillars and placed a soft hand on the ‘rock’. “This planet - its alive, Jay. It’s a living planet.”
“So what was that metal?”
“A ship, a ship that crashed here and was claimed by the planet.”
“Why?”
“I honestly don’t know, but I hate to think of where THAT came from.” Slowly, both men turned to look at the pyramid.
“What could be in there?” Jay said in a hush, an irrational fear gripping him.
Suddenly, Plisken’s memories clicked as he remembered. “Our worst nightmares.”