《Mana Pool》 Reporter Note This tome is a collection of compiled speech-to-text interviews, memory recordings and journal entries from four different well-known individuals involved in the Terra Firma incident, the Wave, on Terra Firma date December 21, 2012. What you will read will shock and frighten you as it did for me. Read at your own risk. This is classified and restricted by all Republic citizens, and I¡¯m risking my career to share this information against my contract. Believe me, this changes everything, including the galaxy¡¯s future. And I hope that you can bring aid to this hostile planet. Some day.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Xi¡¯Tra Zader Khu II Investigative Reporter of Republic News Network Chapter 1 Floyd¡¯s Coffee House Big Bear Lake, California December 20, 2012 7:27 PM ¡°To the future!¡± I shouted, along with Katie, Mike and Ashley. We toasted and our cups clashed against each other. It may have looked silly to outsiders, but it was my small celebration, and the baristas and two tourists applauded. I didn¡¯t care if they knew what we were celebrating. ¡°And about damn time,¡± Mike chuckled. ¡°You said it,¡± I said and drank my triple-shot vanilla steamer a little too fast, making me cough and spit back into the cup. ¡°Slow down, Scott,¡± Katie said sitting beside me and slapping my back. ¡°Don¡¯t do that or you won¡¯t work tomorrow, or leave the mountain for that matter.¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°I know, I know, Katie,¡± I paused. ¡°It¡¯s just that, god, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m out of that college. Man, what a relief!¡± I set my cup on the table and leaned back on the couch. ¡°Yes, but you still have two more years left.¡± Katie smiled, her striking dimples made me return the smile. ¡°That¡¯s what you promised yourself.¡± ¡°And I couldn¡¯t have done it without you, baby.¡± I kissed her, stroking her hips, and we laughed a little as I held back my urges to make it passionate. The thick turtleneck on her hid everything except her bust, but the tight jeans framed her curves well. It is a no brainer that Katie is my girlfriend. I¡¯ve spent the last two years, slaving over homework and boring lectures to gain transfer qualification. Whenever I felt down, she was there to help bring my spirits up. Working in a tourist mountain town was my choice to make more money, and Katie didn¡¯t mind tagging along. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Mike grinned as he set his hand over Ashley, his wife¡¯s, shoulder. ¡°It was like only yesterday you came here with nothing, all happy and excited and such. The stars must¡¯ve made you lucky or something.¡± ¡°Lucky?¡± Ashley repeated, looking up at Mike. ¡°It¡¯s their affection for each other¡ªthe healthiest relationship I¡¯ve seen in a long time. I¡¯d really like to know their secret.¡± Katie blushed. Ashley tucked back a strand of her long black hair behind her ear before taking a sip of her coffee. ¡°So, Scott, what are your plans for next year? Are you gonna stay in California or go out-of-state?¡± ¡°I¡¯m staying, can¡¯t afford leaving Katie and the winery behind,¡± I answered. ¡°I think I¡¯ll either go for UC San Marcos or Irvine. It only boils down to which has the best journalism program. I did apply on time to both so all I have to do is stay with Katie and wait. If one accepts me for the spring term, I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°Good plan.¡± Ashley straightened her jacket and reclined on the couch. ¡°Katie, were you going to apply with him for like an upgrade?¡± Mike asked. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m happy where I am right now,¡± she responded. ¡°Studying for another two years will send Dad¡¯s checkbook through the wall.¡± Mike laughed again. ¡°Well, whatever works for you, I suppose.¡± He finished his coffee and stood up to get another one; that was his third cup yet showed no signs of caffeine jitters. We kept talking¡ªjoking about the tourists, work, Katie¡¯s magazine article progress, and anything and everything else. No matter what, I loved living in Big Bear. Being a bartender worked well for us. The peaceful atmosphere fueled Katie¡¯s creativity in her articles. The best part was that we have been together for going on two years. She saw past my bulky body. Even though we looked like we didn¡¯t belong to each other, we showed it to make a point. That night we had no care in the world. Still, I was anxious about the next day, what with the annoying Mayan myth biting at my attention and all. I wanted it to be bogus. We sat near the crackling fire, contained by a hearth, and it warmed us from the winter cold. I had a clear view of the front door when a customer entered. Oh no. I recognized him on the spot; his presence destroyed my happy moment. Others stopped and stared at him with scorn and fear. The low acoustic guitar music in the background kept on playing despite the suddenly tense atmosphere. Tom Herb was his name, a homeless man and the religious nut of the town. The sight of his tattered wool clothing, black beanie, thin boots, and bright green raincoat didn¡¯t cause the drop of moral in the shop¡ªhis reputation did. In his hands he held a picket sign leaned back onto his shoulder reading ¡°The End Is Near¡ªPREPARE FOR THE RAPTURE¡± in bright red paint. He shook off the cold and approached the counter for one coffee to go. The barista manning the coffee machines did it without fuss, but her hands shook as she poured the coffee. Tom set coins on the counter and took the cup. Mike watched him with hard eyes, moved his cup to his mouth, and mumbled under his breath before drinking. As a religious nut, Tom had unorthodox ways to spread the word and express his beliefs: placing crosses in front of the City Council building, verbal bashing at locals and tourists, and getting in trouble with the police when the complaints reached their limit. For him, his sign was his constant advertisement. For us, it was another reminder to ignore. Tom passed by and caused Ashley to shudder. Ashley was religious, but she never liked Tom¡¯s rude abuse. Katie felt the same as I did. Tom stopped at the condiment table and stirred in enough sugar to clog his arteries. He still held the sign close to him. I caught Mike¡¯s foot jumping in agitation and saw his jaw grinding in aggravation. All of a sudden, Mike turned in his seat to face Tom, setting his cup on the table with a clatter. ¡°Hey, Tom, how¡¯s your job spreading the word going?¡± Oh, crap, here we go. ¡°Mike, don¡¯t,¡± Ashley commanded in a quiet tone. Tom hummed and turned around with his wrinkled face and peppered beard stone hard, his dark eyes wide with fixation. ¡°The city never listens to me. Nobody ever listens to me. Not for a second,¡± he said with more emphasis on the last word. ¡°Have you heard the news? Helen is flying away from earth.¡± Mike made his hands flutter like a bird. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re not gonna get that ¡®scheduled¡¯ apocalypse after all. So why don¡¯t you throw that sign away, take a bath for Pete¡¯s sake, and get a job.¡± One more thing about Tom¡ª don¡¯t piss him off. Ever. ¡°Do you doubt my words, sir?¡± The homeless man asked. ¡°Nothing you say will convince me or anybody else. Face it, the world isn¡¯t going to end tomorrow.¡± Tom¡¯s voice turned sour, and it made me shift in my chair. ¡°Believe what you must, sir, but when Judgment Day comes, you will be certain¡ªI will be certain¡ªthat our Lord and Savior will come and save us from an eternity of doom and despair. He will make certain you are left behind.¡± Tom took a long sip of his coffee, still glaring at Mike. To tell you the truth, I was scared of where this was going. My mind was racing with predictions and I couldn¡¯t pin one down. Coffee, hospital, a jail cell maybe: somebody had to stop the situation before it escalated, and I was the stupid one to attempt it. ¡°Look guys,¡± I said sitting up. I noticed two out-of-town snowboarders were about to scurry out the door any moment. ¡°You two better stop this. It only makes things worse for all of us. So please, Tom, leave us alone or I¡¯ll have to call the cops.¡± Mike gave a short nod. Tom lifted his chin and his eyes shifted to me, adjusting the sign on his shoulder, his hand having gotten tired to make the blood run in his hand. He sipped his coffee again. ¡°Do you believe in God, young man?¡± Crap. I knew he would ask that question. He always does ¡°the test¡± as he called it. I looked around the room, and then back at Tom¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re getting personal, Tom. You really don¡¯t want to push me, man. Don¡¯t make me fight, just leave.¡± He inhaled and exhaled slowly, his leathery face bunched up around his cheeks with wrinkled skin, hosting a grin. I noticed Ashley looking at me, showing me a face, her face expressing, ¡°you brave jerk.¡± I knew karate, even with my belly as half as big as Mike¡¯s, I could fight if it was a last resort. Tom shifted his weight and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going.¡± He turned to the door and before he exited, got in the last word, ¡°Jesus will return. God will come. You¡¯ll see, you will all see,¡± then he left. In no time the mood of our group and the other customers relaxed. The baristas looked relieved and went back to cleaning, never bothering to clap for me. I sat back down and exhaled like I had held my breath. ¡°Scott, that was insane to pull off, but I¡¯m so proud of you,¡± Katie said, leaning forward to hug me. I returned the gesture. ¡°Pompous jerk,¡± Mike exclaimed as he sat back down. ¡°Does he realize what he¡¯s doing?¡± ¡°Not sure,¡± Ashley said, ¡°but it¡¯s his nature. Asteroid Helen has everybody on edge these days, Mike, including the governments. Tomorrow is that day, so all we can do now is pray and anticipate what will happen. Remember when it was discovered a while back, and that priest from London begged NASA to fund for a defense program before committing suicide?¡± We all remembered. The topic was usually avoided, but we had to talk about it. It was inevitable. In my first semester of college, Dr. Maggie Helen was on the news, followed by the earth plunging into chaos that the 2012 myth was indeed true. A few days later after scientists figured out it was gonna fly past us, the world was split¡ªscientific fact against ancient superstition. Katie and I took the science side because the religious bantering got annoying at a point, eventually we convinced Katie¡¯s family to believe us. ¡°Closing time,¡± said one of the baristas. Mike ordered his last coffee for the night and we said our goodbyes. They left in their Ford truck towards Fawnskin while Katie and I drove in my Honda Element to our apartment several blocks away. The snow piles against the roads towered like guardians against the clear, moon lit sky. The apartment complex, simply named Sandalwood Apartments, was a fairly new addition to Big Bear, almost three years old I think. They were originally constructed to give the local and international workers a place to stay, offering rent at reasonable prices. Fully furnished and a personal garage, the only things Katie and I brought were clothes, entertainment goodies, and food. All the two story buildings had the same construction: black roof tiles covered in snow, tan panels with white trim around the windows, mailboxes at each garage door, all interior decorated to resemble a log cabin with cheap, hand-me-down furniture. Most of the balconies had their Christmas decorations up, lights and everything. Ours didn¡¯t, sadly¡ªit was our last night on the mountain. Behind the buildings the boundless glow from the ski slope¡¯s lights lit up the southern mountain for night skiing.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. I parked the car at the parking spot next to our building. As I locked it, I happened to glance up at the clear sky. The stars were bright, but they were of no interest to me. I stared at Helen. Smaller than Rhode Island, it looked scarier from high-res photos: smooth frontal face, jagged spires and deep canyons, pillows of green and purple gas erupting from the surface and into an eerie tail, and slowly rotating on its axis like a drill. In the months past I stared at it, getting closer and closer until the threat was past. Sometimes it hypnotized me. Up in the sky it was the size of a marble compared to the crescent moon, acting like our second natural satellite. ¡°Scott, you okay?¡± Katie said, decoding my distant look and snapping me out of it. Knowing me, she put her hand on my arm while closing her coat tighter from the cold. ¡°Hey, you did great. Somebody had to do it, and if nobody did, Mike might¡¯ve ended up on the floor hurt.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that, Katie,¡± I mumbled. ¡°I¡¯m having doubts of what he said.¡± ¡°Already? If the world ends, we will know, for a fact that he is right and we¡¯re not. If not, we can laugh at his smelly ass. Just relax.¡± I smiled, shaking my head. ¡°Yeah you¡¯re right, but what if he is? I mean¡­ what if everything he said is true?¡± Her voice went low. ¡°If that happens, we both die happy tonight.¡± She winked and came closer to me for warmth. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked with a sly tone. ¡°You still haven¡¯t received your Christmas present silly.¡± She placed her hand on my chest, dead center on my heart, and touched the Celtic pendent dangling from a leather string, playing with it like a coin on a table. It was a gift like hers, only mine had a different inscription behind it. ¡°Christmas isn¡¯t for another four days.¡± I grinned and placed my hands on her hips, making her come closer to me, close enough to kiss. ¡°Although, I don¡¯t mind opening one present.¡± She kissed me, longer and passionate topped with tongue play. Then she tiptoed to my ear whispering, ¡°I¡¯ll get ready.¡± We embraced each other that night, letting our body heat warm up the bedroom.
Asteroid Helen S-Class Mercenary Ship Lunar Spear 1:57 AM Terra Firma Pacific Time Terra Firma Date: December 21, 2012 The sweltering heat of the glory hole warmed my tired body. Through the welding goggles over my eyes, I watched a white-hot blob of molten glass turn on the end of the rod in my hands; slow and deliberate, careful not to cause defects. It was pliable enough to be pulled out and finish the design. I could blow the glass in my sleep for how simple the piece was. The craft relieves me of the stress from living in space, stuck on my own ship and to prevent me from snapping and use the cups as target practice. Putting a hole in the ship¡¯s hull by your own gun is embarrassing, even on an investigation report. In the lower deck of my ship, the workshop, I was making yet another signature liquor stein. I had the Republic News Network¡¯s public news channel playing on a wall-mounted monitor over the grenade locker, listening to the sports reports and overemphasized politics from Creos. ¡°Thank you for the sports. In other news, the Galactic Council made progress on the dispute between two industrial colony moons, Kalvo and Dikumalve III orbiting the gas giant Koil, which almost started a civil war over seven months ago. For the past half-decade, the workers complaints grew on rising taxes and dilapidated living conditions. The two moons, dedicated to home and ship appliances and civilian transport and commute vessel fabrication, are the third largest producers among twenty different star systems.¡± ¡°No, you idiot,¡± I grumbled, pretending the female insectoid was in the workshop with me. ¡°It was all about the export, not the living conditions. Their supplies were cut by rebels and are covering their tracks with that nonsense. Get better sources, why don¡¯t you.¡± I pulled a wet wooden paddle from the water bucket to better straighten the cylinder¡¯s wall. I¡¯ve been to those moons before to repair and upgrade my ship. They have suitable beds to sleep on. The newscaster went on. ¡°The Council ruled in favor of the workers and they were granted funds to improve living conditions and use the leftover money to settle minor trade disputes.¡± ¡°Great, more cash flow for the war effort. Thank you, blind politicians.¡± Before I got angrier, I changed the channel to a personal music playlist. The speakers filled my head with heavy synth beats and simplistic string instrument chords. The knees of my digitigrade legs creaked and my feet protested to rest. The news ticks me off sometimes because some of the stories are all out lies. I got the cup¡¯s shape finished and began working on the textural features, something that¡¯s distinctive to my signature. Once done, I held the hot cup up for inspection after taking off my goggles. ¡°Beautiful,¡± I whispered. My eyes fell on the mirror in front of me. Working for hours near the furnace had produced a layer of soot on my green face; most of my skin dreads the same. The bags under my dark eyes and gold iris told me I needed sleep. I knocked the cup off the rod and placed it in the cooling oven¡ªwith fire retardant gloves on of course¡ªfarther down the workshop. I glanced over the other pieces in the locker, all in a timeline fashion of my hobby¡®s growth. Over two hundred pieces, the same damn cup, and it made me hit my head on the cabinet. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ so¡­ bored,¡± I whined. The workshop was a mess by the way: discarded food containers, clothes, scattered tools, and a couple of plasma burns in the metal floor, which was several years old and had been patched a few times. More like neglected party evidence. My weapons locker, ammunition production machines, mechanic¡¯s tools, cabinets holding ammunition ingredients, grenades, and sealed barrels of pre-plasma. You can blame it on cabin fever eating me alive. The hidden room under me still held my dust-collecting Howler Cycle. This is what I get for doing nothing fun for three months. Shit starts piling up. The thick bulkhead on the other end of the room stood between me and the vacuum of space; six inches of metal to end that pitiful torment. But I was on the clock, and clients frown on poor performance. Even due to death. An alarm from the monitor alerted me of an incoming signal. I knew what it meant and I addressed it, ¡°All right, I¡¯m coming, hold your circuits.¡± I shut off the glory hole and scuffed my way up the center ladder to my living quarters, taking and throwing my gloves on the floor, and then closing the airlock behind me. My living quarters doubled the trash and whatnot. My bed had its single blanket bunched up; the desk in the wall was cluttered and the personal computer that sat on it was crooked, the closet barely open, and more food containers. There were two portholes on either side of the room revealing the outside, but spiked rocks and a geyser spewing multicolored dust and cloud particles into space obscured the stars. It looked like a necromancer¡¯s dream come to life. The kitchen, passenger seats, and my personal plush chair were also covered in trash. I ignored it all as I made my way to the bridge, closing the airlock. The two passenger seats behind my pilot chair were filled with an assortment of space suit parts and reading material. Believe me, if I had motivation to clean my mobile real estate, I¡¯d do it, but the job was sucking the life out of me. I slumped into the chair, bounced a little from the cushions, then propped a leg on the dashboard. ¡°Identify signal and open,¡± I said. The AI-vacant computer recognized my voice and all the controls came to life, surrounding half the bridge in a sea of neon, including the crystal-molded nanites embedded in the quarter dome viewport. The Goru Slipspace Drive was another light source as I had kept it running for three hours straight so far, supplying me with the news. It was a survey signal. Like all the others before, a detailed report was shown to me and it included asteroid trajectory, velocity, surface wind speed (if there ever was), temperature changes, seismic activity, chemical analysis, yada, yada, yada. I had to send these reports every twelve hours to Creos for the last three months, to a guy named Benali. For the record, I took the job because I was flat broke and no other jobs were available. The biggest reason was the large sum of money¡ªa curious amount, more than a politician¡¯s annual salary¡ªand I had to stay to get full pay. The report showed the same damn numbers, the same damn elements. Unchanged conditions for the past twelve hours. I leaned back and groaned in the empty ship. My oily, rough skin dreads fell behind me. A new geyser erupting would¡¯ve made it interesting at least. Thinking about the job and moving past my misery, I prepped the report and sent it through Slipspace communications. I looked at the Drive itself. The three-stacked rings circulated a single crystal that gave its power. The bright purple glow came from a small crack in space and time, if I wanted to, I could peer into the energy-based parallel dimension. The stupid crystals are hard and expensive to produce, so I couldn¡¯t complain when my client gave me a year¡¯s supply. It struck me as very suspicious. I couldn¡¯t take the quiet any more. I called up an old friend of mine before I shut down the Drive for the night. A few minutes of silence and one of three monitors came on, revealing my friend¡¯s face. ¡°Captain Brill Secambre here,¡± he said, having the same medium pitched voice as always. Brill is the owner and battleship Endeavor captain of Nova Company, his very own special-ops military group of magical and non-magical soldiers specialized to handle ¡°high danger¡± missions. He¡¯s a Rezuma, a frail being with very little muscle development, grey skin, egg shaped head and big black oval eyes. He was dressed in his military uniform. The patches adorning his chest and small shoulders said a lot about him, an experienced captain who loves the action more than military politics. We go way back. He¡¯s also the guy that helped me get this survey job in the first place. ¡°Brill, it¡¯s me, Jaruka,¡± I explained. ¡°Hey, good to see you again.¡± Sounding surprised and distressed, he looked over my appearance, laughing a little at me. ¡°Oh Kai, you look like you were dumpster diving.¡± Off duty he¡¯s a genial man, but on duty, he¡¯s a real brass. I rolled my eyes. ¡°Oh, ha ha, very funny, Brill, just rub it in why don¡¯t you. How is everything?¡± ¡°Good and bad as always.¡± ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on. Anything will help break this boredom.¡± ¡°Well, we and the Assassin returned from the Vill Sector rescuing hostages from Master Eres, who was producing illegal artifacts. He managed to kill two of my best senior wizards before we took him down. We¡¯re docked at Creos for repairs and rest, and I just finished contacting the loved ones of the deceased.¡± He leaned back and relaxed a little in his chair. ¡°Yeah, I heard it on the feed. Glad he¡¯s finally down for good.¡± Brill nodded. ¡°The crew¡¯s grieving, even me. Everything else is the usual. What about you? Have you started using those glass cups for target practice yet?¡± ¡°Not yet, but it¡¯s tempting¡­ I¡¯d rather sell them. I¡¯m not that close to snapping.¡± ¡°Wow, you are desperate for that money. At least you have me and friends of Nova to talk to.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know that.¡± I sighed. ¡°Man, when this is over, I¡¯ll find that guy and wring his neck.¡± I folded my hands together and shook them, strangling the air. ¡°Hey, come on. Don¡¯t be that way.¡± His hairless brow went down, almost squinting at me. ¡°You should be lucky you have a job. The money is good enough for retirement.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s all still suspicious to me.¡± I held up my right hand to count down my points. ¡°Remember? He hired me and I¡¯m floating in restricted space. I still can¡¯t understand why this system is such a big deal to him. Oh, what did the lab say of the samples?¡± Since the job was more suspicious than a drug smuggler, I decided a while ago to ask for a second opinion. I sent copies of the reports, rock, and gas samples through Slipspace summons to Nova¡¯s science station at their main base. ¡°Just a second.¡± He moved away from view for a second and came back with his touchpad. ¡°Wait, is that it?¡± I asked. ¡°I thought they were gonna beam it to me?¡± ¡°The new scientist writing it was lazy. Lieutenant Wringheart hand delivered it to me for safe keeping.¡± Damn you rookies. He flicked his finger on the screen. ¡°I¡¯ll send it to you afterwards. Let¡¯s see, on magical analysis, no traces of known or foreign energies were detected. Chemical analysis found iron, iron ferrite, silica, and insignificant minerals. They traced the source to an asteroid belt of an uninhabited system several million light years from your position. Everything else is the same as the reports you sent.¡± I closed my eyes for a while before opening them and asking. ¡°That¡¯s it? Nothing special or surprising?¡± He nodded and set the device down. I growled. ¡°Great. See, I knew it. This asteroid is worthless real estate and they are paying me to just sit here, waste my time, and send useless information. I could be killing a terrorist group on a desert planet by now. Out of pleasure!¡± ¡°Yeah that did make me wonder, but the real question is why that solar system? I too think it¡¯s¡­¡± A sound came from his end and he paused for a second. ¡°And tell me again why you must stay there?¡± ¡°Brill, you know me. I need the money to keep floating.¡± He knew that fighting over my issues with myself is common. ¡°Suit yourself. Home base has fresh recruits coming in a couple of weeks and I could use another drill instructor, if you are sane enough for the task.¡± ¡°Thanks but right before I knock this boredom out for a while, if you know what I mean,¡± I said and we both laughed. My feet got tired and I let them rest on the floor. ¡°One week, Brill. One more week and its over. Screw the last payment, I have enough.¡± He looked up at me from the computer to his side. ¡°Just keep watching the Howler Cycle races, the regional¡¯s are approaching.¡± I raised my arm to my chest and saluted. ¡°Will do.¡± He saluted back, professionally, with his hand at his forehead. ¡°Now if you excuse me, that bill for the repairs came and I have negotiations to deal with. Take care, Jaruka.¡± His thin grey hand came closer to the monitor and transmission was cut. I shut down the Drive. Everything went quiet again. I sat there for a while, contemplating my choices. I know I have a problem with greed, but that¡¯s the thing about mercenaries. We hunt down jobs for the largest pot. I was offered the biggest pot of my life and that little nerve in me told me to take it. And Brill was right about the planet. Dangerous as it was, there were too many theories as to why. I deactivated the blast shield of the bridge¡¯s viewport, and like a bulky metal shell, the dark and rocky surface of the asteroid filled the window. The sun peeked out from behind the rock spires. Above my ship was the view of the planet itself, Terra Firma. My ship was equipped with cloaking technology and radar shielding to hide from the inhabitant¡¯s satellites or else I would have been discovered a long time ago. I saw the incredible view of the Pacific Ocean, the continent of Australia, and some of the Southeast Asia landmasses in their night cycle. It made me sick that a planet, full of scenic beauty and variety of unique landscapes, could house a species so blinded and murderous. They have had the nerve to weaponize nuclear technology. Such a waste of time. ¡°Next time, Jaruka,¡± I said to myself, gazing at the planet. ¡°No more jobs from shady dwarves.¡± I got up and headed back to my living quarters, stripping off my clothes. A hot shower was calling me. Chapter 2 Scott and Katie¡¯s Apartment Big Bear Lake, California December 21, 2012 7:32 AM My alarm went off and I woke up into a world of post-pleasure. Scott turned off the alarm and pulled himself off the bed, having to untangle himself from the blankets first. Some of them moved away from my bare back, tickling me. Slowly opening my eyes, my head was buried in my pillow with my hair covering most of my face, obscuring my sight of Grizzly Summit in the bedroom window. I heard Scott stretch, his back making cracking sounds, but the backache was a good one. There was no other sound other than Scott opening the door to the bathroom. No war, no fire crackling in the distance, no demons killing people, no burning buildings, not even the clear blue sky was aflame. It seemed that to me, from my knowledge of mystical history, the Mayan myths were nothing but myths. I turned over, stretched my arms over me, saw the ceiling fan motionless, and then raked my hair away from my face. I pulled the blanket up over my naked chest. The sound of the shower running was resonated through our apartment and I was happy that it wasn¡¯t a shower of scalding lava. Scott came out a few minutes later into the bedroom with a white towel wrapped around his waist. He was a bit overweight, around two thirty pounds. His brown hair was combed back and still moist, shining in the peeking sunlight along with his pale skin. The Celtic pendent still hung on his neck and over his heart. Upon everything else, he also had scars, but they weren¡¯t from any bar fights. They were remnants of a brutal moment in his life, something both of us and my family weren¡¯t comfortable talking about. Mind you, it wasn¡¯t from his parents, they loved him. Paler than his skin, the scars were located on his wrists and lower arms, the right side of his chest, over his liver, and a vertical one on the left side of his neck. On top of the weight, the scars were a painful reminder. He went to the closet across from me, but caught me staring. I smiled. ¡°I lost ten pounds in the last week, Katie,¡± he said, almost whispering. ¡°I was very good on my diet.¡± ¡°Wahoo,¡± I cheered with my arms in the air and giggled a little. I glanced at the clock on the bedside table and read the time. ¡°You should get ready, Scott, or you¡¯re going to be late on your last day of work.¡± He nodded and opened the doors, pulling out his ski resort gear. He put on a pair of light brown cargo khakis, black work boots, a green shirt proudly showing off Grizzly Summit¡¯s name and logo, name tag, and hid his necklace underneath his shirt. He walked to our bed and leaned over me, giving me a morning kiss. As we kissed, I could taste the minty flavor of his mouthwash on his lips. ¡°You know, I am glad the world didn¡¯t come to an end.¡± Scott spoke softly. ¡°Me too,¡± I said. ¡°After work, I¡¯ll finish packing. See you soon.¡± He left after grabbing his coat and scarf, leaving me alone. I heard the car start and drive off. Several minutes later, while I was remembering last night, my cell phone rang from the kitchen and I had to fight through the blankets. Only in my underwear, I ran and grabbed my phone from the kitchen counter before the call went to voicemail. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Morning, Kitty, and Merry Christmas.¡± I knew the voice and what she said wasn¡¯t what I wanted to wake up too, the nickname part I mean. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m not ten anymore. You can stop that you know.¡± ¡°Okay. Okay. I¡¯m only missing you. Everybody else is already here for Christmas and waiting for you two to come home.¡± ¡°Yeah, I get it. How¡¯s Dad? Has he stopped being a worry wart about the Mayan calendar?¡± I went back to the bedroom for my robe. I had to juggle the phone while pulling it on. ¡°He¡¯s calmed down a bit. I have as well. You know he almost stayed up all night guarding the front door with the shotgun until Robert told him to get to bed. And you were right, Katie, nothing happened.¡± She sighed, knowing she had made the right choice. I wrapped the robe around myself and tied the belt around my stomach. ¡°Does this mean you¡¯ll stop worrying too and go on vacations as normal?¡± Running a winery is stressful, especially when you have to get the merlot and chardonnay perfect in taste and color. ¡°Not quite. I want to wait out the drama in the news. I¡¯m still feeling off about the religious freaks out there.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± The last thing my family needed was something depressing on the trip back. I could imagine Tom popping out of nowhere. I heard a door open and close on the other end. After living there all my life, I knew that it was the heavy oak door from the wine store next to the warehouse. ¡°Brenda, who¡¯s that on the phone?¡± My Dad asked. Mom told him and he responded with, ¡°Tell her to hurry up, the wine is selling and I don¡¯t have my star stock and sample girl to help.¡± Dad always said that in a time of fast money, like in year 2012, the alcohol sold out more than anything else. From what I could hear of the chatter of the wine tasters through the phone, it seemed that I was missing the holiday season excitement. ¡°Thanks Dad.¡± Mom reiterated my comment. ¡°What about Robert and Jared? I suppose they¡¯re pulling their weight as well?¡± I sat down on the foot of the bed. ¡°Oh, they are, don¡¯t fret.¡± She paused. ¡°Hang on, Robert wants to say something.¡± Robert is my big brother, just three years older than me; he¡¯s the family jokester and freelance ghost investigator. Oh yeah, he chases ghosts. Kind of cool ain¡¯t it? Robert voice came on the line. ¡°Hey, Katie. Do me a favor and bring me presents!¡± I laughed. ¡°Stop bugging me or you won¡¯t get anything for Christmas. Is Jared staying out of trouble?¡± Jared is the youngest out of my siblings. He has a habit of starting trouble and blaming it on the closest person he can find. ¡°Yeah, I have him with me at the register bagging the goods, very carefully. I got to go; Mom still wants to talk to you.¡± The phone switched hands again. ¡°So when are you coming back home since the world is not ending?¡± ¡°Tomorrow morning, like we discussed. Once Scott closes the lease and the car¡¯s all packed, we¡¯re leaving. We¡¯ll see you in time for dinner, if the traffic isn¡¯t too bad.¡± ¡°Why not right now?¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Mom, don¡¯t rush us.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She paused again, longer this time, and then she said, ¡°You know, I never understood why you had to go with him at a time like this. You two could¡¯ve been happier here than the mountains.¡± ¡°Mom,¡± I said feeling stern, and my words showed. ¡°It was my choice. Scott needs to get his life together and he can¡¯t do it alone. Please, Mom, I don¡¯t want this talk again.¡± I rubbed my knee from an imaginary ache. That talk with her took everything out of me when we moved to Big Bear. ¡°I love him. Enough said. What am I supposed to do? Lay around at the winery writing while Scott works at a bar earning less tips than a ski resort?¡± She was quiet for a second. Her huff expressed her frustration with me. ¡°Right, sorry for bringing it up. How is he?¡± ¡°Happy, as he¡¯s supposed to be.¡± ¡°Good. Well, I gotta go help Dad in the warehouse. Be careful, Katie.¡± ¡°Thanks Mom. See you later.¡± I hung up and sighed, whining to let out the tension. It felt as if all my happiness was sucked out of me by Mom¡¯s voice. Hearing her worry about us is enough to drive me crazy. I had to drown out that phone conversation. I went for a shower. Dressed in a short sleeve shirt and jeans, I waited for my coffee to finish brewing as I made a small egg sandwich. My to-do list was to gather up all of my stuff in boxes and clean the bathroom. Half of Scott¡¯s things were already packed and the rest was sitting around waiting to be stored into boxes. Scott had his things left as half of his stuff was packed. Everything else we would leave for the complex¡¯s cleaning crew with an extra cover charge. There was no need to waste more time. I set my breakfast on the coffee table near my MacBook and opened the balcony window¡¯s blinds. I saw parts of the lake and the shopping centers to the East; the sun reflecting off the snow was bright enough to make me squint. The Christmas decorations on most of the apartments made me homesick. I sat down on the couch with my coffee. I had to get some writing done before packing or I would feel off for the rest of the day. I turned on the TV and flipped between news channels, holiday shows, and infomercials. A special report aired on Asteroid Helen, with Dr. Maggie Helen telling the world that science was right for once.
Summit Inn, Grizzly Summit 11:31 AM After being two minutes late because of me and fifty other cars parking at the same time, getting past ticket lines stretching more than a school bus, say good morning to Ashley at her booth, and hearing skiers and snowboarders expressing their feelings of the non-apocalyptic day, I knew very well that the mountain was sold out. Let the Advil fall like rain. Since Mike and I were off work last night, the two rookies had taken over our spots. It was no surprise that the cleaning hadn¡¯t been looked over twice. I looked at a shattered stein glass under a table near the bar and sighed. I grabbed a broom and dustpan, swept up the big pieces, and told one of the new guys in our group to grab the vacuum. ¡°These rookies aren¡¯t as good as they used to be. Only joking, kid,¡± Mike said to one while washing glasses and tap spigots. I snorted and dumped the dustpan¡¯s contents in the nearest trashcan. Walking back to the bar I asked, ¡°So, did you do anything else when we left?¡± Mike was reinstalling the cleaned spigots for the taps. His green uniform shirt had a large water spot on his belly from being pressed against the sink. ¡°Nothing big. Ashley went to the bedroom and prayed for an hour and I watched South Park. It¡¯s just sad that it was the only entertainment on with no news reels clogging up the TV screen.¡± He stopped on the third tap and jabbed a finger at me. ¡°And don¡¯t tell me what you two did, your relationship is like an open book to the whole mountain.¡± I laughed and began drying off the glasses and stacking them on the shelves. We both worked in the bar, situated in the top floor of the main building at the base of the slopes. The bar room wasn¡¯t very big, but it housed ski memorabilia dating back to the early fifties and sixties when the resort first opened. A main staircase opposite the bar area ran down to the first floor, where they served biscuits and gravy for breakfast and clam chowder for lunch. Of course they cooked more stuff, but those were the ones I liked. Some skiers were sitting in chairs on the balcony that was separated from the room by a window. Beyond the balcony, the quad was crowded with riders. The new guy finished his work and Mike and I prepped the bar. As he went down, Andrew Banks came up after him, an old guy of sorts with salt and peppered hair and a thin body. He was also my boss. He had a limp in his left leg that didn¡¯t bend as it should. We were never told how he got it, I always thought it was a stroke. Limping to the bar, he carried his all-important clipboard of truck deliveries, employee schedules, and notes of the day¡¯s events. Andrew wore the same clothes as the rest of us, including a black vest with the company¡¯s logo and pins commemorating the seasons he had worked for them. ¡°Mike, Scott, guess what,¡± he said with his hoarse voice and placed the clipboard on the bar, ¡°we got a problem.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked once I had finished with cleaning and had leaned my back against the bar. ¡°We are totally out of the money makers, and I mean out. Gone. Kaput.¡± When he talks about money makers, he means the Bud and the Coors. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Mike questioned. ¡°Yesterday morning we had ten crates worth. Are we getting picked on again?¡± Andrew shook his head, chuckling. ¡°No, they have their own stock. I¡¯m expecting a delivery sometime after one, but I¡¯m just afraid of them canceling on us for what this stupid day caused.¡± ¡°Or the tourists getting mad,¡± I added. ¡°That we can handle,¡± Mike said resting his arms on the bar. ¡°As long as we tell them what we have left, we will be just fine, unless we¡¯re gonna have one of those days.¡± He was referring to the rush days; the bad ones with impatient people. ¡°It will not. Glad Helen is leaving as we speak.¡± Andrew sounded a little relieved. Andrew was also worried about Helen, being superstitious as he was. It made me laugh when I caught him freaking out seeing a black cat, an open ladder, or a clumsy skier dropping a saltshaker on the floor, but he was a good boss and usually kept his personal dilemmas out of his job. Once Mike told him we were ready to start the day, sort of, Andrew asked me to come outside. I nodded and followed him. Andrew asked the new bartender, a twenty-four year old woman with short blond hair from Sugarloaf, to take over for me. We both went out onto the balcony. A slow, cold winter breeze brushed my cheeks. Large crowds of riders were below us as the closest lift had a line clear to the end of the walkway. I heard the TVs inside turn on as Mike started making drinks at noon sharp. We walked to the nearest bench next to the door, near the edge of the balcony¡¯s handrails. Andrew had trouble sitting down due to his leg, but managed, and grunted as he sat. I sat down next to him and folded my hands. ¡°Been meaning to talk to you since last Wednesday after work but didn¡¯t get around to doing it,¡± he started. ¡°From what Mike mentioned, you¡¯re leaving the mountain for bigger opportunities.¡± I nodded with a big smile on my face and told him my plans. ¡°Hey, good for you, Scott. I¡¯m proud you kept working on your education, but it¡¯s too bad on my end. I¡¯m losing the friendliest bartender I¡¯ve had in years.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said with a small laugh in my voice. ¡°No, I mean it, creating the ¡®Blood Oyster¡¯ was a highlight. Not the best thing I¡¯ve tasted but it¡¯s a working idea.¡± I laughed as the memory came back to me. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said after my laughter died down. ¡°That was one successful failure. Good times.¡± ¡°It sure was,¡± Andrew said looking at his watch. ¡°We better get going before the rush kicks in. Amazing how time flies.¡± We both sat up but Andrew extended a hand to me before he stood. ¡°Scott, just reminding you, you are welcome to come back anytime you want.¡± I thanked him and shook his hand with a firm grip. Just then, out of nowhere, an ear-piercing scream and heavy banging against the floor came from the bar. ¡°What in the world?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out.¡± It definitely sounded like a woman screaming for her life, as if she had seen a mouse cross her path. I didn¡¯t recognize the voice, but loud gasps followed. I entered through the door. There might¡¯ve been ten, maybe fifteen people in the room, all looking towards the TVs. I was too preoccupied with the scream and found the woman at the bottom of the bar, back pressed against the wall and grasping hard onto a toppled bar stool. I knew she was going to be trouble from her appearance: white jacket with a light brown fur hood, black shirt caressing her outrageously plump breasts, white ski pants so tight it was like they were painted on, white ski boots, black goggles over her long bleached blonde hair, and I kid you not, gold earrings with expensive looking black gems. I figured she was from Beverly Hills, so in my mind, I called her Pearl. Her eyes were wide and staring straight at the TVs, her jaw quivering in fear. I knelt down next to her and managed to make get her to let go of the stool. ¡°Miss, are you okay?¡± Her eyes were wide with fear, which made me worry even more. ¡°Th-that bitch,¡± she whispered. ¡°Maggie said it was not going to come, she fucking said so. That bitch is turning.¡± Okay, she must already be drunk or something, I thought. ¡°Miss, who¡¯s turning?¡± She slowly panned her head to look at me. Tears ran down her cheeks, taking some mascara along for the ride. All she said was ¡°Helen¡± and went back gazing at the TV as before. My mouth dropped, my eyes became wide as hers, and I turned my head to the TV. It was impossible to believe it, but it was happening. I caught Mike behind the bar, frozen and gripping onto the bar well. The TVs were hung on the separate antique chair lifts, broadcasting CNN, volume high. The snowboarders were starting to panic. At that moment, I was scared to death for the first time in over two and a half years. Chapter 3 At the same time in space¡­ Sometimes I think about what I¡¯ve done over the years: helping the less fortunate, taking out evil groups in different systems, working with Brill and the Novas most of the time¡ªthe kind of stuff that I easily get my hands on and complete with high remarks. After every job, both civil and military, I either get money, valuable items of magical power or mundane use, or food, and maybe female companions if I¡¯m lucky enough. But that day, when I was sitting in my chair, drinking the last bit of tea and watching a live Howler Cycle race from Derega, the alarms sounded off. ¡°Oh, you have got to be kidding me,¡± I grumbled. ¡°This better be a computer glitch.¡± I slowly got up, turned off the race, and went to the bridge, still drinking my tea from a unique ceramic mug. ¡°Computer, open.¡± I didn¡¯t want to sit, but when I saw the report on the viewport, I wished I had. My heart skipped a beat and my cup fell from my hand, shattering on the metal floor into pieces. There was a major change in the report, nothing about it spelled boring. I hopped into my chair and read the report with utmost scrutiny, almost puking all over the dashboard after checking my math. ¡°Oh, crap,¡± I yelled. ¡°Wait thi¡­ this is impossible. This should not be happening!¡± I opened the blast shield to see for myself. The report said that the asteroid was ¡°turning,¡± changing its trajectory and accelerating itself towards Terra Firma. The planet itself was dipping behind the spires and out of sight, leaving me with the view of Helen¡¯s jagged rock and ice landscape. It scared me instantly and I had to do one thing, and I had to do it fast. I typed commands on my dashboard to initiate the fusion reactor, along with the rear rocket thrusters and side thrusters at the front of the ship. The ship¡¯s sensory alarms came on, the engine did not respond, and that pissed me off. ¡°Come on girl, wake up!¡± I yelled while slamming my fists on the dashboard. The ship cooperated and the fusion engine roared to life. At least it didn¡¯t suffer much, deicing the engine once a month was one of my priorities. The rear thruster went idle while the side thrusters powered up. The propulsion jets turned on under the ship and I felt the hunk of metal lift off and hover to let me retract the landing pads. The grapples on two neighboring spires detached and retracted, the deflector shields bursting to life. My hands gripped the joystick in front of me, up until the time when a spire suddenly cracked from tremors, broke off at the base, and went flying towards my ship. The shockwave of it breaking vibrated under my feet. ¡°Come on, move,¡± I screamed, pulling on the stick, increasing power to the thrusters, and dodged the rock to the right by inches. My heart was racing, my breathing never slowed down, I was sweating out of every orifice of my dreads and skin¡ªI didn¡¯t want to die like this. I flew out, avoiding all the free flying rocks and spires in the asteroid¡¯s wake. ¡°Computer, call Captain Secambre,¡± I yelled. Within seconds after the Slipspace drive activated, the monitor on the dashboard came on and Brill¡¯s face showed up. It appeared that he was in his personal sleep pod in his quarters and was waking up with a groggy and sour expression. He wiped his grey face with his hand and looked at me. ¡°Captain Brill Se¡­ ah, great,¡± he said covering his black eyes. ¡°Jaruka, it is the middle of the night. I know you¡¯re alone up there, but this is taking it a little too far.¡± Seems he recently went to sleep, but not deep enough, thank goodness. ¡°Do I look like I have the time for chit chat?¡± I screamed while making more code commands. ¡°Read the report I¡¯m sending you. The asteroid is croging turning!¡± He unshielded his face. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He came out of the sleep pod and started his computer on his desk to transfer my transmission, wearing his skin tight blue garment designed for his species to keep warm while sleeping so to not grow cold and die. ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s turning?¡± ¡°Read. The damn. Report, Brill!¡± My distressed tone woke him up. As he did, skimming, he then looked at me with a confused expression. ¡°This is impossible,¡± he said. ¡°Asteroids don¡¯t change course on their own, they¡¯re all dead rocks.¡± ¡°Oh, gee, you think? I¡¯m getting the hell out of here.¡± I avoided several more rocks and I was finally clear. ¡°Did you send it to your client?¡± He asked. ¡°Screw that dwarf. If I wanted to earn my pay, I would do it somewhere else instead of desk jobs. This was a mistake from the very beginning.¡± The Slipspace Navigation program came on and found the saved coordinates for Creos. ¡°Whatever is happening, keep moving. If that asteroid enters the atmosphere and your still near the surface, you¡¯ll die,¡± Brill said. ¡°Way ahead of you, Brill. Already setting for a jump to Creos. Next is to find the nearest bar and forget all of this even happened.¡± He glanced back at the report, reading it again. ¡°I don¡¯t have the map of the planet. Where is it going to strike?¡± ¡°Northeast quadrant of the Pacific Ocean, over a hundred miles from Alaska.¡± He paused. ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t know what that means, but I¡¯ll wave that.¡± He then looked up from me and raised his small grey hand. ¡°Private Irna, now is not the time to talk.¡± A bright green light passed my viewport as a massive surge of force hit my ship, sailing me off my chair. My head hit the floor and I started to see double. The ship¡¯s alarms came on, loud and annoying, and made my growing headache hurt more. ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Jaruka, what happened?¡± Brill said. ¡°I¡¯m hit. Something hit me hard. It wasn¡¯t no damn rock.¡± I managed to get up and lug my green butt back into the chair. The ship was veering off course while spinning on its axis. Terra Firma came into view of the bridge, briefly, only to show a large green orb coming from the surface of the planet, accelerating towards me. Everything went into slow motion, my heartbeat pulsed through my eardrums, and it hit the Lunar Spear, slicing my starboard thruster off like a loose fruit falling off a tree. The shockwave knocked me, again, off my chair and I landed the same as before, y right arm took most of the blow. I got back in the chair, ignoring the throbbing pain. Stuff and trash from the chairs behind mine flew into the air and landed on me. I looked at the computer¡¯s alarm of the ship, showing massive damage on the starboard side of the ship and the deflector shields destroyed. I was loosing altitude fast, the planet¡¯s gravity pulling me in. ¡°Ah, no, I¡¯m crippled!¡± ¡°Jaruka!¡± Brill screamed and he grabbed his monitor, almost shaking it, ¡°get out of there no-!¡± Communications went dead, and the sound of the alarms filled my ear holes. ¡°Too late,¡± I said, my voice shaking to a whisper. I froze in the chair, about to die. ¡°Computer, strap me in and prep life-foam.¡± Long leather straps came out of the chair, crossing over my chest while four more straps wrapped my arms and legs tightly. Small guns appeared from the dashboard and began to power up. All I did was scream for dear life as I entered the atmosphere.
When I saw the straps and my monitor going black with ¡°Communication Lost,¡± I had reason to believe that I had lost my best friend and partner of Nova Company. My hands were still on the sides of the screen, gripping it with all the strength my little body could muster. My breath sounded in junction with an antique clock in the room; inhaling and exhaling every second. My legs were shaking under me as I stayed standing. I was even more scared than the time I almost lost five teams of medics, all magical, from a hull breach over eight years ago. ¡°Captain?¡± Irna asked, almost whispering. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What did Corporal Teal do this time?¡± My head was frozen in place, but I managed to look up from the red letters on the monitor. Irna, my personal secretary, a full-fledged blade master, and second in command, stood three feet from the door, holding her touchpad and memory drives close to her chest. The Modalen elf still had her uniform on from the last mission; it was wrinkled and had traces of blue blood stains. Her black hair was lopsided as one pointed ear was uncovered, the other completely hidden. I would¡¯ve sighted her for not cleaning up afterwards, and that she just been discharged from the infirmary, but nothing mattered, not while I lost the one the crew liked, and disliked. She must¡¯ve heard me while heading to her cabin. Her tanned face was getting whiter, eyes scanning over me, looking for an answer. ¡°Captain, what is happening?¡± I released the tension in my hands. My knuckles were white and creaked when they moved. I dropped back in my chair. The room was dark, only the light from the two monitors on my desk and the opened door leading out to the deck lit the room. I tried to slow down my breathing and talk. ¡°Inform¡­¡± I started, my voice shaking. ¡°Inform the crew¡­ and the Assassin.¡± I paused. ¡°That we have a Class¡­ Class Three alert. Tell them, that Jaruka is in trouble¡­ near Terra Firma.¡± I raised my hand to my head, my elbow resting on the desk. I was about to cry but had to keep that emotion restricted. I issued Class Three¡¯s a lot during my command. It is code for a warrior of Nova falling behind enemy lines. When you put Class Three, the Red Flagged planet under the Primitive Culture Protection Act, Corporal Jaruka Teal the sensitive gunslinging mercenary together, and seeing Irna¡¯s face turn from curiosity to all out fear in a second, it leads to internal pandemonium. Irna let go of her touchpad, letting it crash to the floor in pieces while the drives fell like rain. ¡°Great Pillars of Paradise,¡± she said and rushed out of my quarters to do her job. In moments, the entire crew of the Endeavor knew of it as well the carrier-class ship Assassin docked beside us by Irna¡¯s voice through the intercoms and monitors. Sweat emerged from my large forehead and coated my palm. My sleep suit felt uncomfortably clammy and clung to my skin. But I had a job to do.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I slowly stood up and went to my closet, pressing the button to open and began dressing in my uniform. Brill, I thought, keep it in control. Just get yourself cleaned up and to the bridge intact. You have a friend to find, dead or alive.
Grizzly Summit December 21, 2012 12:13 PM ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± I muttered to myself after having watched the news, which was now repeating the breaking story. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that psycho Tom was right. Katie must be a wreck right now.¡± It sucks that I had my whole life planned out, and the next minute it¡¯s smashed by Helen. I wanted to get a higher education, and even gather the courage to propose my love to Katie on Christmas morning. As expected, everybody in the bar went crazy. Was I a brainless idiot to rely on science? In a sense, yes. Pearl started to cry uncontrollably and I gave up on helping her. I avoided a flying chair that a snowboarder threw by ducking to the floor. People started screaming and running out of the bar to warn others outside. I tried to find where Mike was but he had already left. Then my cell phone in my pocket vibrated. I pulled it out and answered; it was Katie. ¡°Scott!¡± She yelled. ¡°Did you hear what ha¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I know,¡± I interrupted. ¡°Are you still at the apartment?¡± ¡°I am. Please, please get over here. I don¡¯t want to die alone!¡± Yep, as traumatized as I had thought. ¡°I¡¯m coming, baby. I¡¯m coming!¡± I hung up and ran out before any other people exited. I went down the patio steps, out onto the quad below, and ran towards the parking lot toward my car, where it was parked on the other side of the street, next to an old bed and breakfast. I found the my car while avoiding three others pulling out from their spots. My lungs burned and every breath I took stung. The work boots I wore caused havoc on my feet. I unlocked my car, got in, turned on the engine, and pulled out. I dialed Katie¡¯s number, but turned out that the line was busy. She must be calling her parents, or they had called her. I raced to the main boulevard. It was good and packed in the early afternoon, so I slammed my horn down and made a couple of SUVs stop in their tracks. I turned right and was now driving in the center divider; there were others that were turning left into driveways so I avoided them as I made the horn my friend. I arrived at Fox Farm, but was forced to stop at the left turn lane. Three minutes passed. ¡°Come on, Katie,¡± I mumbled to myself. ¡°Don¡¯t freak out without me.¡± A loud bang came from outside of the car. It made the car shake and jerk violently for a few seconds, and then a blinding light came from the east. I ducked down over the passenger seat to see passed a real estate office, and that¡¯s when I saw her. Helen entered the atmosphere, exploding into a ball of white and yellow fire. The shockwave must¡¯ve broken the sound barrier and it was already over Big Bear. ¡°Oh, fuck no!¡± I yelled and pulled out of the lane. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare beat me!¡± Stupid, but I was desperate. I had to avoid three cars as they crashed into each other in the intersection. I was screaming down the road, passing a motorcycle shop and a medical clinic. Both of them were littered with people staring at the asteroid, frozen in disbelief. I pulled into my driveway and saw Katie on the street looking up in the sky, her cell phone in hand. Once Helen was past us, a second object fell. This one was smaller and fell in a different direction than the asteroid, toward Arrowhead. She turned when she heard my horn, her face drenched in tears. I skidded to a stop in front of our garage while flying out of my car to hug her. ¡°Oh, thank god you came,¡± Katie cried. ¡°I was wrong, Scott, I was freakin¡¯ wrong. I heard the news and then I called Mom and Dad, and they heard it too. They were furious with me. I told them to stop but we were cut off. The asteroid knocked out my reception and¡­¡± More tears came down in buckets as she became incoherent and gasping. ¡°Calm down, calm down. I¡¯m here, Katie,¡± I soothed. ¡°Let¡¯s get inside.¡± We entered and slammed the door behind us. The TV was on, still broadcasting the news from CNN. Both of us stood in the living room in front of the TV so I could hear what I had missed. ¡°Helen has now passed over California and is still heading northwest to the ocean,¡± the reporter said. ¡°We will have a coastal feed of the crash, but we will keep broadcasting till the end.¡± He sobbed a little. I grabbed Katie and pulled her to my side, her hands touching my back and chest. ¡°This is really happening.¡± Katie started to cry harder and buried her face in my chest, her voice muffled by my shirt. She began to sink down to the floor and I did too, stroking her head. My phone began to vibrate in my pocket so I pulled it out to see that Katie¡¯s father was calling, but my phone dropped the call and showed a no service signal. Even though he wasn¡¯t with us, I could feel his rage a hundred miles away. ¡°We now have a feed from a coastal camera in Oregon,¡± the sobbing reporter said. ¡°Helen is now entering the horizon¡­ It will be within seconds when it hits.¡± I did not care about anything, not even the people outside smashing things, yelling at the top of their lungs in dismay and pleasure as cars smashed into one another. It was total anarchy. I stared at Katie¡¯s face, as did she with eyes so wide they were about to pop out of their sockets. ¡°I love you, Katie, with all my heart,¡± I said, pushing her hair from her face. Screw the proposal, this is it. ¡°I love you too,¡± she said. ¡°Kiss me.¡± And we did, closing our eyes and tasting each other¡¯s salty tears and saliva. I didn¡¯t want to leave that position, ever. After everything I went through, in all of the years being with her, getting to the that point where I was happy¡ªvery happy¡ªI was delighted I was with her. I would have traded anything to survive the apocalypse. Anything. The reporter said it crashed thirty-seven minutes after noon and everything went quiet. Just the two of us, locked in a pose that would be frozen in time by similar events of Pompeii. It was perfect. Too perfect. A tear trickled down my cheek. That¡¯s when everything got weird.
¡°What the fuck?¡± The newscaster said in confusion. ¡°Okay, something¡¯s wrong with the asteroid.¡± My perfect moment of sensual bliss was halted by that random exclamation. Now, this was public television, and the laws of censoring bad words were strict. I was sure kids were watching it too, and hearing that man¡¯s words, it felt... out of place. My eyes and Scott¡¯s opened simultaneously. We parted and looked at the TV, seeing a view of the Pacific Ocean, calm and unnerving. ¡°Huh?¡± Scott said. In the middle of the screen, a single horizontal line of white light was shooting out of the horizon and straight into the sky. When you expect a wall of water or fire from an asteroid strike, you expect it. Only there was no wall, this was something new. ¡°Okay we are now switching to a live satellite feed of ground zero from orbit provided by NASA.¡± There was a short switch of picture, taking like a second to do. ¡°Oh my God! This can¡¯t be right!¡± My head was cocked to the side, followed by my own ¡°huh?¡± A spiral of grey light circled the spire and erupted into a purple ring, then a shockwave hit the sea to settle the potential tsunami. The ring grew in diameter, blowing outward like a ripple in the water. A maelstrom of thick, grey clouds engulfed ground zero, but from the ring like anomaly, I could pick out glittering objects falling from it and into the ocean. It then cut back to the Oregon coast camera, and we saw the thing move through the sky with effortless ease. It was very high in the sky, too high for any human to be able to breathe at or commercial aircraft to fly. I saw the objects falling, getting closer and closer to the camera. They were coming too fast; I couldn¡¯t make out what they were. They splashed into the ocean, then up to the rocky beach as some people ran for cover. When one object came screaming at the camera, everything went to static, and cut back to the stunned and pale-faced reporter at his desk, then the TV went out completely, cutting our connection to civilization. Scott was blinking heavily; I blinked once. I felt confused and a little robbed. We still held onto each other while getting up, then we held each other¡¯s hands and walked out onto the balcony. The craziness had almost died down and some were listening to the radio or whatever still had connection. I saw a big crack in the windshield of the Element with remnants of rock still hanging on the wiper blades. I looked to the east for a moment but Scott told me to look towards the north sky as the ring came into view. Inside, I felt a little jealous of the ones with a better view of just how mysterious and scary it was. Once it was over the lake, a huge shiny object fell from it along with smaller ones, crashing into the lake with a big splash that reached ten stories high. My stomach felt like lead. ¡°Katie, get inside and take cover!¡± Scott yelled to me. I ran inside as Scott shut the balcony door. He grabbed my wrist and told me to get in the bathroom¡¯s door jam. We braced ourselves in it as the objects began crashing on the apartment¡¯s roof like huge hailstones. Eventually we heard one or two puncture through our ceiling. I did not dare to see where they landed; I just buried my face in Scott¡¯s chest and squeezed my eyes shut. It was a horrible sound, a sound that was burned into my mind forever. Scott held me tightly as I momentarily cried as the building shook, maybe from larger objects. Then the sound subsided and I guessed that the ring in the sky had moved on. We both let go, slowly breathing. We came out of the door jam and looked in the living room. I picked out a couple of holes in the ceiling and the floor. As we got closer to the balcony, I saw what fell. They were crystals, dark purple and fading to black on the sharp edges. Once outside, I saw a towering purple crystal in the center of the lake, about twenty stories tall, erecting out of the water like a monolith. Everywhere else had more crystals: some small like basketballs along the streets and in the vacant lot across from the complex, some were larger and stuck out of the buildings like crude chimneys. I looked down at the my car and to my dismay, two huge holes were in the engine and the rear roof. Scott saw them too and cursed. I kept staring out at the changed landscape, getting a new sense of our transformed world. Inside, deep down in my soul, this was telling me something else. From the times I fantasized of the mystical and the impossible, the crystals cracked opened a door in my mind I had closed long ago. Scott tapped my shoulder to look up. ¡°My, God,¡± he said as he stood there gaping at a crystal in his hands as big as a baseball. ¡°Katie, look how smooth and flawless this thing is. Not a single crack.¡± I glanced at it, but still looked outside. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I said. ¡°I mean, all of that and we get showered by crystals? We should be dead by now.¡± ¡°Guys, are you all right?¡± A voice called out from down below. We looked down at Mr. Conner, our next-door neighbor, waving at us. ¡°Yes, Darren, we¡¯re all right,¡± I answered. ¡°You?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, but Linda banged her hip on the table before a crystal smashed through our kitchen.¡± Scott talked to him as I tuned him out. More people came out of hiding, examining at the damage the crystals had caused. Most were happy to be alive; others were shocked, felt ripped off, even robbed. I saw one old woman look at the monolith in the lake and fall to her knees, ecstatic to be alive. Something within me¡ªI don¡¯t know where it came from¡ªthat told me that it wasn¡¯t done. And I was right. I heard something in the distance and it grew in volume. I tugged on Scott¡¯s shirt. ¡°Do you hear that?¡± I asked. He stopped talking to Darren and listened. It was a humming sound, a cross between a monk¡¯s song in a chapel and a low-pitched tuning fork. It got louder and louder to an unbearable sound. The hairs on the back of my neck perked up as I looked at the crystal in Scott¡¯s hand. It started to glow in junction with the humming. The memory door busted wide open and I came up with a theory. Magic. Scott dropped the crystal. ¡°Katie, I think we need to get back inside.¡± I wanted to agree but the monolith caught my attention as it glowed brighter. Scott looked too because I couldn¡¯t budge a muscle. The glow made me freeze and feel uncomfortable. The humming became irritable. As I saw it glow, I figured they were some kind of extraterrestrial bombs and the humming was the charging signal. Then in a flash of light, the monolith exploded, but still retained its shape. What came out were thousands of white orbs, made of electricity I figured, and went shooting through the air, hanging over the crystals. After a few seconds, the orbs moved like a pack of killer bees, and attacked every living human in sight. The orbs electrified people where they stood and they fell to the ground in a parade of seizures and tortured screams. ¡°Inside!¡± Scott yelled. I ran screaming into the apartment, hoping I¡¯d be safe from the orbs. Scott closed the door, locking it. I had a sudden idea we weren¡¯t safe as I looked at the door and Scott. Darren¡¯s apartment was hit by them as two orbs smashed through the wall. I saw two coming after us, smashing through the inch thick glass. One slammed into Scott¡¯s chest in a shower of lightning bolts. I turned as one hit me in the back, but the force of it was so strong that it picked me off my feet, slammed my whole body into the fridge, and I crashed to the floor. My whole body was electrified from the inside out, seizures followed as I screamed bloody murder. I had no control of my limbs as they whipped in all directions. My skin was on fire, like all my cells were trying to burst all at once. I thought of Heaven, seeing myself in a cloud pillow sitting with Scott and my family, although it was hard to keep the thought with electricity frying my brain and nervous system. My vision went black. Chapter 4 One hour later¡­ Scott and Katie¡¯s Apartment 1:57 PM Can you believe that after what Katie and I went through, we ended up in a coma? I didn¡¯t realize that when my eyes shot open, my lungs quickly filled with cold air, and my joints creaked. I choked on the air as my chest felt stiff. My vision sharpened and saw I was in the same position as before¡ªface down, sprawled over the carpet. My head was an inch from the edge of the coffee table, too close for comfort. My throat felt unused, but became better in a second. Katie came to my mind and I looked across the kitchen, seeing a pair of feet peeking past the fridge. ¡°Oh, no,¡± I said. ¡°Katie, are you okay?¡± No answer or movement. Fearing the worst, I got up and trudged to the kitchen. Katie lay on the linoleum floor, on her back with her mouth open. The fridge¡¯s door had a huge dent and was open a little, the cold air all gone. She was breathing slow and shallow, peaceful, as if nothing happened. I knelt beside her to shake her to life. ¡°Katie, please wake up.¡± I shook her head. No response. I felt for a pulse on her neck and found a calm one against my fingers. I screamed out her name in desperation. Her brown eyes shot wide open and she gasped for air. She coughed hard and her body shook with each one. I felt relieved and sat her up to hug her. ¡°Oh, yes. Please tell me you¡¯re all right?¡± Groaning and relaxing against me, she said, ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡± Her fear surfaced as she moved onto her knees. Recollecting my memories was easy but remembering that ball of electricity made me look down. I checked my shirt where it hit me, but the cloth was undamaged, no burn marks on the skin or any trace at all. I looked up at Katie, her shirt and back were unhurt save for some wrinkles. She was standing upright with her hands clasped on the sink, staring out to the balcony with fixed eyes. ¡°Katie, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°Look,¡± she said, raising her hand to point. As I looked, my neck creaked like a dry door hinge. ¡°What the hell?¡± It was snowing, heavily, with no wind, and visibility down to a mile. From the thickness of the fog and snow, I barely saw past the shopping center and the outline of the monolith crystal in the lake. The snowflakes were big, light and clustered. ¡°This is getting too weird,¡± I said, getting up on both feet. ¡°It was mostly clear this morning, even the weather report showed it nice all week.¡± I grabbed my cell phone from my pocket. ¡°What in the world is going on here?¡± Katie asked. ¡°I wish I knew.¡± I checked the time on my cell. An hour had passed after we went unconscious. We walked, holding each other for safety to the balcony, careful not to step on the larger crystals. The snow looked incredible, the best I had seen ever. The air felt colder than before and made my breath fog up. Everything was quiet for a moment until people started to wake up in a dismal daze. Cars started in the distance to try to restart daily life. Katie ran her hand over the three-inch thick snow on the rail. ¡°Is this Heaven?¡± Katie said. ¡°If this was Heaven, Katie, we would have wings by now.¡± I felt an itch on my right hand and scratched it by instinct. It did go away but I still felt a small pinch. The people outside were either confused like us or happy. From across the complex, a young girl looked at the snow and her face sprung into bliss. It scared me. She should be panicking. Did she get electrocuted like us, or was she just too traumatized? ¡°Let¡¯s get inside,¡± I told Katie. She was scared but I was proud that she kept herself steady. I closed the door and noticed the holes where the orbs had entered. Two perfectly round shapes with the edges of the glass cracked and melted. As I traced it from the edge outward, the cracks diminished while the rest of the door stayed intact. It reminded me of a dream catcher, except whatever came through the center was not a pleasant dream. ¡°TV is out,¡± Katie said. ¡°And so are the cell phones.¡± She looked around, then her head dipped and I heard her sniffling. She scratched her left shoulder for a second. ¡°Hey don¡¯t cry,¡± I said coming to her. ¡°We¡¯re alive and that¡¯s a good thing.¡± I brought her head close to me and took her into a hug. Hugging a lot was a norm after a tragedy. I set my hands on the sides of her face, her eyes showing sadness. ¡°Don¡¯t break down on me, honey. We¡¯re almost through this nightmare. We just have to¡­ think what to do next. Okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± She held up her cell phone at eye level, displaying the lost signal bars. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about my parents. TV¡¯s gone, we can¡¯t call out¡ªwe¡¯ve been shoved into the Stone Age. I wish I was home.¡± I brought her closer. ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± I was grateful to be alive, but the orbs and the coma, it felt all too wrong to ignore it. Did the whole city fall asleep? Did the whole world get affected? There were so many questions. And I too missed my parents. ¡°Look, we have my father¡¯s gun. That¡¯s good enough to protect us. If we can¡­¡± My words were cut short when the itch on my right hand came back, but the intensity shot up to a painful level. I scratched the top and it didn¡¯t get better, growing in pain by the second. It felt like heat within my hand, it made me grunt under my breath, and Katie became concerned. I let go of Katie to scratch better. I couldn¡¯t answer, not when my skin boiled from the inside out. ¡°Ah, shit,¡± I fell to my knees, gripping my hand. It was as if I had shoved my hand into a roaring fire. ¡°Scott, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Katie said, sounding scared. I glanced up and saw her scratching her left shoulder, and then she too fell to her knees, screaming. Under her shirt, her shoulder moved and bubbled all on its own. What the hell is this? I thought. It wasn¡¯t an actual burn for sure because electricity doesn¡¯t have the tendency to hang out in the body for a long time. Unless you were hooked up to an electric chair and roasted alive. This thing was centralized, where the orb didn¡¯t touch. The pain grew as I felt bubbles rise from below my skin. My right hand started to literally ¡°steam¡± like it came from a hot tub. I fell on my back, still holding my hand, grunting and screaming. I heard Katie scream too and jerk her body, up to the point that she was taking her shirt off from a sudden burst of combustion on the sleeve. It lasted less than two minutes, and then the pain just stopped. My hand felt like something was loose and wet. I looked and I felt my face turn pale. I lifted, and I mean removed, a piece of skin from my hand, uncovering what looked like a glowing mark covering the top of my hand and a few inches past my wrist. It was a tattoo. The color was a clean, blue-white marble, glowing tattoo in a design very similar to my Celtic pendent. Did those orbs cause it? Impossible. ¡°Holy shit!¡± I yelled. Katie stopped screaming after her shirt was removed, having left on her cream-colored bra. She removed the skin from her shoulder and revealed a Celtic tattoo, but in a different design than mine. ¡°Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,¡± she repeated as her face turned white before my very eyes. Katie saw mine and began dipping into a panicked state. ¡°This is insane,¡± I said, ¡°what¡¯s going on here?¡±
Two hours later¡­ Three miles east of Arrowhead, California Jaruka¡¯s crashed ship 3:31 PM As I came back into the realm of the living, I had an awful taste in my mouth. It was dissolved, flavorless gelatin from the life-foam. Another point for using that stuff¡ªto plug up the holes. I groaned as I felt that my body was stiff and still strapped to the chair. I managed to nudge my head a little to break the foam some, spit out the crap in my mouth, make a glob of saliva, and spit it at the foam. As an automatic response to the foam, the saliva made the foam melt away in seconds, reducing it to putrid blobs of goo all over the bridge. The straps came loose and I was free to rub my limbs and chest to ease the pain. I scooped the goo away from the dashboard and realized a very important piece of information. The asteroid crashed, and I¡¯m still alive? That¡¯s not good. The viewport was cracked in three different places. Outside, a forest was covered in snow, and it was snowing. The trees surrounding me looked like Pricania trees of a Ranos II retirement moon, all with green needles, but on Terra Firma they¡¯re called pine trees. My eyesight was a little off and I could have sworn I saw something purple, but ignored it. The monitors were all smashed, one of the passenger seats had been ripped from the floor, my stuff was scattered all over the place, and to my dismay, as I looked up, the Slipspace Drive was damaged beyond repair. Relieved to be alive, I said one thing. ¡°Lunar Spear, you were one hell of a life saver.¡± No time to grieve for the sacrifice of my ship, I had to call for help and find my HUD. I got up and found I had a limp from a bruise in my left knee. I walked towards my living quarters and I budged the airlock open with the manual lock, using my body weight. The ship¡¯s middle was cracked in half but still mostly intact as light crept in from the outside and snowflakes fell. I jumped over the separated floor, wincing from the bruise. My small kitchen was impaled by a steel support rod, my furniture toppled or gone for good, and some of my clothes had made their way outside. A chilling breeze came through the ship, making my backside shiver and a couple of my skin dreads curl a little. I entered my living quarters; my personal desk looked like crap and all my journals were on the floor, most covering the workshop¡¯s airlock. Since the Drive was busted, I had to get my portable GSD HUD comm. device from my closet. I rustled through the crammed closet to get the darn thing out of its drawer, near my emergency grenades and rifle clips. It¡¯s a scaled down device with a similar Slipspace Drive, a handy little thing that can be used to talk to people without relying on the ship¡¯s systems and also serves as a targeting aid for my rifle. Onboard cameras, microphone, and those all-important health monitors were included on the HUD too. Somebody buy the HUD¡¯s inventor a skrill for being a complete, utter genius. I clamped it to two dreads and plugged it in my ear hole. I pressed a button and it activated by growing in size, incorporating my right eye for the screen and extending the microphone to my cheek. I grabbed a pair of dark brown cargo pants from the rack. The bruise on my leg was nearly gone. ¡°Make connection with Brill of the Endeavor,¡± I said as the device registered my speech and performed the command. I had the pants on my legs and waist when Brill¡¯s grey face came on the screen, taking up half my sight. Last time I saw him he was half asleep, now he was under heavy stress. ¡°Jaruka?¡± He asked. ¡°Oh thank the gods you¡¯re all right, we¡¯ve been trying to contact you¡­¡± He looked away from me. ¡°Private Pico, has Captain Obi woken up yet?¡± Small talk between them occurred, but I was too busy putting on a tan tunic from the rack with the cuffs bunched up and tight around my wrists. The tunic displayed my Nova Company rank and a couple of commemorations from other well-known factions. I heard more familiar voices, all strategic and barking about a Class Three Alert. That¡¯s never good. Brill turned back to me with a disappointing frown. ¡°Get a hold of him. No questions asked. Sorry, Jaruka, but you¡¯ve been out of contact the past four hours. We thought you¡­¡± ¡°Brill, you better have a plan to get me off this rock. My green ass is getting colder by the minute,¡± I interrupted. ¡°We were about to give up and report your whereabouts with Republic officials, but since you are hopping about, that¡¯s one less thing to worry about. Is the ship operable?¡± ¡°Ha. Lunar Spear is cut in half, power is gone, I do not dare want to see the condition of the fusion core, and I¡¯m marooned on Terra Firma. Long story short¡ªI¡¯m officially boned!¡± An all too familiar voice face popped into my HUDs view screen. The red face belonged to Commander Nodus Kantra, senior tactical officer and high-ranking shadow walker. ¡°I knew it. That proves he¡¯s the main course of a human science fest.¡± ¡°Thanks for the tip,¡± I said harshly. We don¡¯t get along. Ever. Brill pushed Kantra¡¯s head away. ¡°Duly noted. Jaruka, you have to get into hiding if you are going to be disc¡­wait a minute, did the asteroid strike the planet a while ago? Where¡¯s the aftermath?¡± That¡¯s when I felt those thoughts from before quiver up my spine. Not the kind when a cold wind comes and makes me shiver, but a chill that was caused by Brill being dead on correct. I was so busy concerning myself with getting a hold of him that I never sat down and thought deeply about the asteroid. After a strike, it was proven that a sizable rock could eradicate all life on a planet, including microbes. It takes a long time, a decade or more if I¡¯m not mistaken, to show any signs of life. It was a one in a billion chance that humans would show up again and the cycle repeated. But the real question was why was I still alive? ¡°All I can tell, Brill,¡± I started, ¡°is that there is no sign of destruction outside, which means that the humans are still alive. I¡¯m not at liberty to act like a scientist and figure out this mystery, but when I¡¯m well in the shadows, I will wait for your rescue team to come and pick me up.¡± ¡°Out of the question, Jaruka. You know the law: no civilian or citizen of the Republic shall enter restricted space without written consent. We must rely on the navy to get you.¡± I grabbed a pair of leather boots and sat on the bed to slip them on my three-toed feet. ¡°But that will take weeks, months even for those bureaucratic dunderheads to authorize a rescue. No. I want you to do it, Brill, end of story, even if it means breaking cardinal rules to get me. I¡¯m not ready to die with my ass chopped up in a government science lab and my innards in jars.¡± Once my feet were finished, I pulled on more clothing, including a specialty made shirt to block projectile bullets from human weapons. Terra Firma weapons are based on ballistics; they weren¡¯t even close to laser tech at their rate of progress. I zipped the shirt up, and then pulled my utility vest on over that. I grabbed plasma, fragmentation, and EMP grenades, stuffing them in my vest and cargo pant pockets. ¡°Then are you considering using a DNA mask? All humans aren¡¯t used to meeting space travelers.¡± Anger flared in my words. ¡°Do I look like I want to spend two minutes snapping and cracking my body to blend in with these monsters? Crog no. I¡¯ll deal with that when I¡¯m not stressed the crog out.¡± I kneeled next to the airlock, pushing away books and turned the manual lock to break the airtight seal. The Endeavor¡¯s bridge erupted into protest. The sound made me wince and almost deaf in one ear. ¡°Jaruka, you idiot,¡± Nodus said, ¡°that is a one way ticket to the ass probe with that attitude of yours.¡± ¡°Up yours, Nodus. Scream any louder and they might hear you.¡± Could he ever shut up? ¡°Everybody, calm down,¡± Brill yelled while waving his small arms in the air. ¡°Focus on your jobs. We need to figure a way out of this. Jaruka, I urge you to slow down and think rationally about this before¡­¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. I heard a loud boom. It wasn¡¯t from the Endeavor¡¯s bridge or the fusion core; more like something was breaking the planet¡¯s sound barrier. My severed ship shook moderately and debris clanked on the hull above my head. I froze standing over the airlock. What was that? ¡°Guys, shut the hell up,¡± I commanded, sounding concerned. They settled down and I heard nothing but the sounds of their computers. Brill paused and squinted at me while Irna the elf peered from the side. ¡°Turn it up on your end, Brill. I might have company.¡± He motioned somebody to his right with a quick, quiet command. The porthole was obstructed by a mountain face, dirt and snow falling, so I went to the starboard porthole, just left of my desk. I looked outside to see white snow, grey clouds, trees, and severed ship pieces. I noticed I crashed near a road carved out of the mountainside, continuing with a bridge stretched over a frozen riverbed. My heart skipped as I saw more than twenty human vehicles, making me grip the porthole¡¯s edge with anger. All were military vehicles: eighteen black vehicles, one large white cargo truck with no distinguishable markings, and one large brown vehicle with a barrel sticking out in front. Thirty humans I counted that were covered in black clothing and biohazard gas masks, gripping long barreled projectile rifles, and aiming at my ship. One human raised his finger at my ship, and the brown vehicle belched fire. At least I turned on the camera, the Endeavor¡¯s officers made loud yelps. I hate my life. ¡°Tanker!¡± I yelled. I ducked into the hallway for cover. A massive explosion engulfed the living quarters in flames and bent the metal. I covered my head as I hid behind the small kitchen before any debris hit me. My hearing rang. I came out and a huge hole occupied where my closet and half of the engine room had been. My ship¡¯s hull was solid titanium ten inches thick; those were armor-piercing rounds, no doubt. The fusion engine squirted coolant as and it flowed over metal, crystal, and non-active isotope tubes. ¡°Jar¡­ Jaruka¡­ you hear m¡­ happened¡­¡± The Slipspace transmission was failing. Brill¡¯s voice was in shock and the commotion from the bridge made the noise worse. I crawled to the airlock fast, ducking to not be seen. My hatred towards humans was boiling inside me. I needed to concentrate to keep my state of rage under control to survive. I detached the camera¡ªstill broadcasting¡ªand looked directly at it and yelled, ¡°Brill, listen, you have to rescue me at any cost. You hear me? At all cost!¡± I closed the eye monitor on the HUD, reattached the camera, grabbed the airlock with both hands, and raised it with all my strength. The incoming voices were still there and I had to turn down the volume. I headed down as my bed exploded in a spray of water, sponges, and cloth from the human¡¯s bullets. I slid down the handrails to land straight up in the workshop as the airlock closed behind me. My boots crunched on something fragile. The main exit was bent a little but the small porthole let in light. I looked down at a glass littered floor, the light seeping through to make the glass shine in a rainbow of colors. I made a mental note to rip ten human heads off their necks and blow up a farm town for the glass steins I had slaved over. I went straight for my weapons locker and ripped the lock off with my bare hands. Inside held the two weapons that kept me sane and secure for the last seventeen years: my Custom T31ZK plasma rifle, and my handcrafted katana resting in a high-quality fukel leather sheath, sewn in black trim. I smiled imagining the carnage the two could do to the human¡¯s weak bodies. I grabbed the sword and slung it across my shoulder and back, then grabbed the rifle and three clips of plasma ammunition. I loaded one clip, powered the thing up, cocked it in place and the internal generator warmed my fingers. Fire from the humans still rang out and I felt another blast from the tank hitting my ship, probably destroying the bridge. ¡°Stop blowing holes in my ship, assholes!¡± I screamed. I did have a plan after all, and it all was contained in a box at the bottom of the locker. I kneeled and opened it, revealing a syringe and a small canister of black liquid in its cartridge. I combined them both and said, ¡°Decathan, if you¡¯re hearing this, I¡¯m using your prototype nanites to help find me.¡± I aimed the gun at my neck and pulled the trigger, feeling the liquid run through my veins. Once done I aimed my rifle at the workshop¡¯s main airlock, fired a couple of plasma shots at the metal hinges, let the door fall over, and ran out screaming. As bullets flew, I hid behind a severed thruster. The snow was an odd feeling as the cold crept up my legs and back side, remnants of not experiencing new sensations after months of useless survey work. Ignoring the small pain, I peeked to the side and used my HUD to zoom in. Three humans held rocket launchers near the tank and prepped to fire if they saw anything alive in the rubble. At least they hadn¡¯t seen me coming out. The masked human near the tank barked orders, I assumed it was the leader, and the rest kept on firing. Each bullet pinged on the hull like tiny bells. I ducked back under cover and pulled out a lightning grenade. I cracked the pin, set the timer for a few seconds, jumped up, and threw it at the tank before it sent another round my way. I ducked again. The humans saw me and focused all their power on my shield, making my ears ring. A loud crackle came as a shower of electricity slithered through the area. With the snow covering the ground and vehicles as perfect conducting material, bolts of pure electricity harvested by magic sailed through both metal and human flesh, lighting up the whole road and air like engine coils. Most of the humans died as they cooked inside their armor, smoke seeping through the seams, the rest got up and tried to regain their senses. The tank was immobilized. Time to make my move. I took a few quick breaths and ran from the thruster to the dislodged stabilizer, lying several feet from the stern. I slid on my knees in the snow, but my knee hit something hard causing me to fall on my chest. I yelled in pain and dropped my rifle. Rolling onto my back, I saw a glimmer of purple near my foot. As such I ignored it, grimaced, and got back up. With effort, I grabbed my rifle and peeked to the side of the wreckage, picking out my targets with the HUD. They were still firing at the ship as if it was a living entity. Anger rushed through my veins, releasing every scrap of adrenaline in my system. The comm. chirped and I overheard Brill scream in my ear, ¡°Jaruka, don¡¯t do it!¡± I pretended he wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Goddess, if you¡¯re there, get off your green ass and give me focus,¡± I whispered. I kneeled and aimed down the sight, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. A bright green ball of plasma shot out of the barrel, brighter than the white snow and hotter than molten magma. It made the sound of a screaming banshee as it zipped through the air, leaving a trail of charred oxygen and ozone. The first shot hit a human with a rocket launcher, straight into his head, making it explode in a fountain of blood, brains and bone. He dropped like a doll while the humans near him gawked at the corpse. I fired another round at a rifle-wielding human and he too lost his head in a cloud of green plasma. To make them more pissed off and have a sense of accomplishment on my end, I trash talked in my native, tongue-filled language. ¡°Come on you sons of bitches, I got all day!¡± I fired several more shots at the sharpshooters and took out the pilot in the tank. Feelings of revenge made me smile. It was easy enough to take on the whole group. Then something hit my head and bounced off the stabilizer, landing in the snow. I cocked my head, seeing a canister-shaped grenade in yellow paint. ¡°Oh, flip me!¡± I stood up but before I could jump, the grenade exploded. A cloud of white smoke enveloped my body and vision. My lungs suddenly burned when I inhaled and I felt extremely dizzy all of a sudden. I gagged, making my footing erratic as I waddled away from the cloud. The damn smoke was following me. The soldiers stopped firing. My muscles went limp in a matter of seconds as the gas entered my blood stream. I wanted to throw up but my body refused. I dropped to the ground and pinned myself against the ship, slumping down onto the cold blanket of snow. The comm. device in my ear screamed as Brill and the others ordered me to run for dear life. Too late. I was coughing up a storm and on the edge of my watered vision, a black figure emerged out of the cloud and falling snowflakes. He wasn¡¯t military but was dressed in a black suit, white shirt, black tie, and pressed pants. He didn¡¯t wear the proper footwear for outdoors, but moved through the ankle deep snow with ease. He wore a gas mask just like the riflemen. I sure hoped Brill and the guys got a good view of him because my sight started to go. The human looked down at me and I loosely gripped my rifle, struggling to move. Tears fell from the corners of my eyes and made me blink. Feeling overwhelmed with rage, I said the last thing in my language that came to mind. ¡°You all should be castrated for what you are. The Galactic Council will burn your planet for your crimes. Die by my blade you¡­ blood-eyed human.¡± Desperate, I struggled to unsheathe my katana from behind me. The human saw it as pathetic and took action, taking two steps forward and kicked me in the chest, forcing all of the air out of my lungs. I screamed in pain and slouched to the ground, the left side of my face submerged in snow. The human reached and grabbed to the comm. device, ripping it from its grasp on my dreads. The camera faced his gruesome gas mask. With his voice muffled, I could barely make out what he was saying before I passed out. Odd enough, I heard a female tinge in the human¡¯s voice. ¡°Sorry, but your alien friend is not available at this time. Please leave a message after the gunshot to the head.¡± My brain was too tired to figure out what he said, but it was obvious: Oh¡­ screw¡­ me. The human pulled out his sidearm, aimed it at my head, and pulled the trigger.
Battleship Endeavor, Bridge Creos Orbital Docking Platform 12FC 5:03 PM Terra Firma Pacific Time All of us¡ªthe pilots, strategists, weapons supervisors, ground unit commanders, navigators, and myself¡ªsaw the horror before us on the bridge¡¯s main view screen. The black masked human made his small, menacing speech while taking up the camera¡¯s view, then pulled out a black pistol from under the jacket, aimed it at my friend beyond the frame, and fired. The sound vibrated through the bridge and it made everybody shutter and cry out. Without mercy, the human threw the camera against Lunar Spear¡¯s hull, severing the video feed. Connection Lost. The entire bridge went into an unprofessional uproar in sadness and fear. The lead communications officer and recent recruit of Nova Company, Private Arilla Pico, suddenly raised one of her six limbs to her mouth, leaned to the side, and hurled her supper all over the floor. She was very sensitive to the sounds of ground unit battles, but bless her for controlling radio and Slipspace chatter faster than anybody else on the ship. ¡°Henfa Pi,¡± cursed the male Octocre named commander Nodus Kantra, the senior tactical advisor and lead shadow walker commander, in a low-pitched voice. He stood a few feet to my right and was gripping the chair of the non-present senior engineer. ¡°This is not right. They just killed him, right there with in cold blood. Guess the stories from the Archives were true.¡± ¡°Distress beacon is decreasing in signal strength, captain,¡± Private Pico said as she wiped her mouth. That made everybody fall silent. I was not taking it well. I still sat in my command chair, slouched over and gripping the arm rests with all the strength I could muster. The monitor at my own console showed the same message. I just witnessed the death of my friend, a friend that I, and the rest of Nova Company, knew for a long time; a young Halcunac mercenary, full of energy and endurance, killed by the human violence on Terra Firma. My black eyes were wide, my body shook from the shock, my knuckles turned white, and my left foot was going stiff. One distressed bag of unstable emotions, ready to crack from the pressure. I leaned back. Pico kept calling out the signal¡¯s deterioration. Then the signal went dead, like a heart stopping in the emergency room. Pico¡¯s voice shook with every breath of air. ¡°The¡­ the Lunar Spear¡¯s beacon is gone, captain. Corporal Jaruka Teal¡­ is lost.¡± She broke out in tears. Her crying and the dead signal filled the bridge. Poor girl, wonder if she knew him. I slouched more, releasing my grip on the chair to wipe my face. My knuckles creaked. Thoughts of calling Jaruka¡¯s oldest sister with the news would be most troublesome, not to mention a possible Galactic Council uproar if word got out. My assistant, Irna, came next to me and laid her hand on my shoulder. It made me depressed losing him, but I thanked her for assuring me, for what it was worth. ¡°I got a heartbeat!¡± Someone yelled. ¡°That crazy coot did something right!¡± I peered from my hand¡¯s comfort to see the Mucanti senior medical officer, Sergeant Russ Decathan, jumping from his seat. The bridge had eight command centers, each reserved for the high-ranking officers of the Endeavor, including a wizard energy overseer. Three rectangular glass windows, each a meter thick, gave the view of the ship¡¯s front convex end, the covered ports of the defense cannons and lasers, the oversized dock clamps, and the windows of the space station. Next to us was the carrier ship Assassin, going through the last of its repairs, fully aware of the recent events. The sergeant was the only person who appeared oddly excited. ¡°What are you talking about, sergeant?¡± I asked, feeling exhausted. ¡°We just saw him get killed on camera. What more do you need to know?¡± ¡°Permission to speak and explain, sir?¡± He said turning to face me. I rested my arms on the armrests, still feeling grief. Whatever Decathan was addressing, or why he said that there was a heartbeat, it would not fix anything. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Well, let me first say that all of you are missing one crucial clue. While Jaruka was loading his rifle and us hearing Private Pico¡¯s childish screaming every time an explosion happened¡­ no offense, miss.¡± Pico nodded. ¡°The video went dead for a second, but audio was still working. I heard him, clear as day, say he used my prototype that I gave him before he left for that hellhole.¡± Kantra shifted and remembered. ¡°Slipspace Tracker Serum?¡± He said. ¡°I thought that technology was still with your R&D team?¡± Everybody else was left out, except me. I knew what he meant. ¡°That was over a year ago when half the bugs were gone. I just failed to mention it was ready for testing, and Jaruka seemed to be the perfect candidate. Once those nanites entered his bloodstream and began transmitting his vitals, I went to work locking on to the secure Slipspace frequency while the rest of you witnessed that horror.¡± He raised his chitin-shelled arm to his chest, hit himself in self-congratulations, and grinned behind his white mandibles. ¡°From what I can read, I¡¯m getting a true, steady heart beat, brain patterns, blood composition, the works. Am I a miracle worker or what?¡± I raised my head up and straightened my posture. I knew Decathan liked to run his mouth and loves to gloat at his accomplishments, but he had a point. I¡¯d seen the technology and I had been impressed during the initial tests. Taking a GSD, shrinking it to a third the size of a medical nanite, and sync them all to broadcast a signal of the host¡¯s stats and location turned out to be an engineer¡¯s dream, and nightmare. I, Captain Obi, other battleship captains, and select admirals witnessed a somewhat successful test. It stopped after the first subject, a Lurosian gunslinger, started hearing music stations and personal civilian conversations in his head. I cleared my throat and said, ¡°First, you are a miracle worker, but big mouthed. And second, you must not keep this sort of information hidden from us anymore. Take more responsibility from now on.¡± My hand now gripped my small grey chin. Others on the bridge exhaled in relief of the good news and felt a little hope. ¡°So, he¡¯s alive on Terra Firma, where does that leave us?¡± ¡°In the belly of a volcano controlled by magma goblins,¡± Kantra answered. I turned with my brow creased to see the Octocre, arms across his chest and the spikes on his back rattling. His shadow was shifting in and out of our realm. Whenever he is disturbed, he shows it. The bridge went silent again. ¡°That depends. Explain,¡± I ordered him. He began to pace between me and the empty senior engineer station, odd that Wringheart didn¡¯t show up. ¡°Don¡¯t you see it, captain? Jaruka is alive but beaten by a fairly strong human in black. On top of that, the humans mysteriously survived an asteroid strike with no signs of post-strike destruction around the ship. The Lunar Spear is marooned on a Red Flagged, Protected planet, carrying hundreds of thousands of capas worth of tech far more advanced that the human¡¯s, and may I ask what is his current medical condition, Decathan?¡± He pointed at the Mucanti. Decathan peered over the incoming data then looked back. ¡°Ah¡­ blood content reads high levels of tranquilizers, brain waves are steady, and heart is working below the norm. In a matter of speaking, he¡¯s in a coma.¡± Kantra continued. ¡°And he is now captured behind enemy lines, a prisoner of war, sleeping. Tazas. They did not kill him for the sake of sport. They wanted him alive.¡± All of a sudden, I saw what he meant. It was clear as day in my mind, but it made every organ in my gut twist in a hundred different knots. Everybody else shuttered in sequence, including Irna. When you hear the same vocal reaction from twelve different species, it is like a poorly executed choir song. ¡°Interrogation,¡± I muttered. ¡°Correct. Not for being a classic asteroid hitchhiker, but they will grill and torture him¡­¡± I felt his presence come closer to me, ¡°¡­until he spills out how the Lunar Spear¡¯s technology works, including the fusion engine and the Drive. They live off of reverse engineering.¡± The air felt stagnant. ¡°By the¡­ Pillars¡­,¡± Irna said. ¡°Kantra,¡± I started, ¡°are you guessing or suspecting that they will attempt to study the ship to gain a closer date to human expansion?¡± The worst fear any civilian and citizen of the Republic has ever known about Terra Firma and its dominant inhabitants. It leads to predictions, stories, scenarios, and death whenever it comes up. In the education system, Red Flagged Protected planets are the last subject to study before graduating. ¡°Suspecting, sir, on the dot. If I¡¯m right, then it¡¯s too late to attempt anything for Jaruka.¡± I saw an escort vessel pass over the bridge and glide to the gates. Kantra was right; I didn¡¯t like it, not when the battle group¡¯s reputation was on the line. Thinking for a couple of seconds and deciding what to do, I shot out of my chair, courage sweeping through me. ¡°Crashing on Terra Firma wasn¡¯t what Jaruka wanted. We must honor his word!¡± I yelled. ¡°What?¡± Pico said looking up at me. ¡°Yes, you heard me. We¡¯re going to rescue Corporal Teal!¡± Pico gasped, as did everybody else. ¡°Ah, no offense, sir, but do you remember what you said to him? We can¡¯t, its Republic law.¡± ¡°Forget what I just said, private. We¡¯re doing it. Know this, I have connections, ¡®high¡¯ connections in the government to mitigate those laws.¡± I looked over the rest of the crew except Kantra, because I imagined he was either infuriated with me or on my side. Their faces produced the same, silent outburst: Are you out of your damn mind? The weapons coordinator was about to speak but I raised my arm to prevent him. ¡°Look, if Decathan is right about Jaruka being alive, we might have a chance to turn this nightmare around. The humans have a way to leave their home world that will take Kai knows how long to figure out, then concur Creos if desperate. I too despise their species and I¡¯m sure you do. Do you want humans in a Council seat or anywhere else besides their home world?¡± ¡°No!¡± they shouted. Good enough convincing them. ¡°That¡¯s right, crew.¡± I pointed at Pico and Irna. ¡°Irna, cancel all upcoming missions for the time being and I want both of you to go to the Assassin personally to tell Captain Obi to be ready for a War Room meeting. I don¡¯t care if he has to take his two-day meditation, just do it.¡± They both nodded. ¡°Weapons.¡± The officers in charge erected in attention. ¡°Look over our inventory and prep the ship for a P.O.W. heavy duty rescue. Get with Kantra and understand everything about the planet, especially the country of Jaruka¡¯s location. Decathan, you and your team must inoculate everybody with disease immunities in the next twelve hours. That gives us a week to be ready.¡± The medical officer nodded. ¡°It will be done before you know it, sir.¡± ¡°Once were set, I, Kantra, Decathan, and select officers will meet in the War Room when we have solid data of Terra Firma. I believe we can do this. We went through some hairy missions before but this might be a challenge. Jaruka is our main focus, to get him before their bullets do. Before we part, what is our motto for all Nova soldiers?¡± ¡°Bring on the pain!¡± Kantra said before cracking his knuckles and his shadow quivering around him. The crew cheered in favor, others snickered. I rolled my eyes. I always hated that quote, but Kantra liked it for some reason. ¡°I meant the other one.¡± ¡°You mess with one Nova, you mess with our wake.¡± Irna said with no pause. Everybody cheered at her¡ªusing the supernova metaphor¡ªand smiled, leaving Kantra out of the loop. ¡°Exactly, Irna. Jaruka Teal is part of our battle group, our family, a brother among brothers and sisters, and we must protect our family no matter what. This is a level three rescue operation. Make me proud. To your stations!¡± The bridge snarled, howled, cheered and went to work, moving in a pace with no trace of sadness. I sat back in my chair again, heart pumping and smiling, seeing my crew fueled with determination. Kantra went to his station and rallied his troops to meet in the hanger. I touched my computer screen to make a ship wide announcement, including the Assassin. Not one word of what we learned mustn¡¯t get out, security was a priority. Before I talked, I whispered to myself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jaruka, we¡¯re coming for you.¡± Chapter 5 Scott and Katie¡¯s Apartment Big Bear Lake, California 5:47 PM I¡¯ve never felt so much fear in my life. Seeing my face in the bathroom mirror, then the glowing tattoo on my shoulder, it was certain the events from earlier weren¡¯t hallucinations or dreams. I pinched my cheek to make sure that I wasn¡¯t asleep. My shirt was tossed into the trash from the burn marks and shed skin so I wore a tank top, but I still stared at my tattoo. I ran my fingers over the Celtic pattern on my shoulder. To my eye, it looked like a bird¡¯s wing, running vertical from my shoulder to the middle of my upper arm. The edges felt raised like a three-dimensional image, sharp but rounded. Within the blue-green color, it was patterned as marble, almost alive as I pressed on it. Funny thing is it had the same style as my pendent. I kept looking at it for a while, waiting for the cell phones and cable to come back. There was nothing for us to do but wait, hide our tattoos from the neighbors, and hope for the best. I wondered a lot about my family, the winery, and my friends. I wept a little remembering their faces. God, I thought, first Helen, then the crystals, now this? What else is there? I¡¯m not a religious woman, but a little faith can¡¯t hurt, right? Loud and anxious knocking came from the locked door, along with Ashley¡¯s distressed voice. ¡°Come on, Katie. You¡¯ve been in there for over an hour. Please come out, this isn¡¯t funny.¡± Mike and Ashley arrived a while ago after getting out of the rubble. As the crystals fell, they both huddled under Ashley¡¯s ticket booth. They too had been hit with the orbs and had left her in shock after waking up. They came bearing the bad news of the bar having been destroyed. When we showed them the tattoos, Ashley freaked out more than Mike. I had never seen her so scared. ¡°I-I¡¯m coming,¡± I said and covered my tattoo with an unused bandana. I grabbed my cell phone and it still showed no signal. The phone company must be taking their sweet time to fix it. I opened the door to see Ashley, standing with her arms folded, expressing deep concern. Her black hair was tangled and her uniform torn and dirty. Ashley was looking directly at the bandana, she still didn¡¯t accept the changes, and looked like she was about to cry. I hugged her tightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m just¡­ distracted.¡± ¡°Stop it,¡± Ashley demanded and pushed me away. ¡°Just stop it. I¡¯m too afraid to touch that thing.¡± She pointed at my bandana. ¡°Ashley, I¡¯m scared too, but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to collapse to the floor. And with you shaking, I¡¯m not handling it well either.¡± I blinked, my voice had come out harsh. Ashley looked away and grasped her cross pendent. The gold and pewter gleamed from the light in the living room. ¡°I¡¯m ready to go home; I don¡¯t need this, Ashley. Scott is stressed too.¡± Scott was outside with the car, checking to make sure the crystals didn¡¯t break something vital. ¡°Katie, my beliefs are being tested! This is breaking me in uncomfortable ways.¡± Ashley sniffed. ¡°Oh boy,¡± I said and pulled her into a hug again. Tears streamed down her face and I felt them on my un-tattooed shoulder. ¡°Things will be all right. You just have to give it some hope.¡± ¡°Easy for¡­ you to say,¡± she sniffled. ¡°I should be handing this, but I¡¯m not. This sucks.¡± My cell phone beeped and I looked at it. My heart lifted upon seeing five bars across the top. I smiled as voicemail and email came, regrettably, all from my mother and father. Ashley was still crying. ¡°Hey, hey. Please don¡¯t go on, you¡¯ll make me cry too.¡± I held back tears. She pulled away and wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve. ¡°You know, I¡¯m envious of you. You¡¯re so strong and focused and hard working. It¡¯s amazing you¡¯re still with Scott all these years.¡± ¡°You have no idea,¡± I added. ¡°You sit on the couch. I can make you hot cocoa if you like, but I need to call my family first. Okay?¡± She nodded, thanking me and went to sit down. I made hot cocoa and she accepted it with a smile. Living in the mountains changes you. In the wintertime, there are two thoughts that go through every person¡¯s head that lives in a mountain community: the road and weather conditions. Ashley told me that the first week we moved there. Thinking about the roads, I called the number for the road conditions. The news was not good and I told Ashley and she looked at me in confusion. I dialed the winery¡¯s number and was about to press the call button when I heard a familiar, but angry voice. It made us yelp. ¡°I don¡¯t believe this,¡± Scott yelled. I walked to the balcony.
I chucked a coffee cup sized crystal into the air and it smashed against the complex¡¯s brick wall. Have you ever had a moment when you think it will be a good day, but then hours later it blows up in your face? It did for us three times, but I had two more. The crystal that I had thrown had come out of a hole in the car¡¯s ceiling and had gone straight through the rear. There was a second one wedged into the engine block. I don¡¯t know much about cars, but the big puddle of oil mixed with snow made me feel sick. The fact that it was still snowing didn¡¯t help the situation. Mike was the one that had pulled out the crystals. His Canadian flannel jacket was soaked from the snow, and his Dodger cap was fixed tightly to his head. His grief-filled eyes were aimed at me. ¡°Our only way of getting off this mountain is gone. We¡¯re stranded, Mike. Stranded! What are we gonna do now?¡± I yelled. ¡°Scott, you can get another car,¡± Mike said while getting up, grunting. ¡°Rent a car or steal one is what I would do.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah right, like I¡¯m gonna trust those guys down the street with my credit card. Even if I do steal one, the cops down the hill will certainly stop us.¡± ¡°They¡¯re more concerned about riots and vandalism. Your story will check out, I¡¯m sure of it. I will lend you my truck if I have to.¡± ¡°Thanks but no. You need that truck.¡± I pointed at it, parked twenty feet from mine and slightly askew from the garage. A stray puff of wind blew snow at me and I closed my jacket tighter. Some say that people with fat tend to handle the cold better, but I beg to differ. Mike huffed, ¡°Ah, take it. I wanted to get rid of that piece of shit for a while now. Always wanted a Jeep for myself, with or without a loan.¡± I snickered a little but still wasn¡¯t happy. ¡°Scott?¡± I looked up to see Katie on the balcony leaning over the rail. She was strong enough to handle the cold for a bit, but she still covered her tattoo. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the car?¡± ¡°The car¡¯s rear axle is severed and the engine block is totaled,¡± Mike answered. ¡°Sorry, but you two are stuck.¡± Katie cursed, ¡°We have to think of something else, but I have good news and bad news.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the good news?¡± I asked. ¡°The cell phones are back. I¡¯m calling my parents right now.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°And the bad news?¡± Katie sighed, ¡°Caltrans and highway patrol closed down all three roads out of here.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± Mike gasped. ¡°That¡¯s unheard of. They got to at least let the flatlanders through for safety reasons.¡± Flatlanders, that¡¯s what they call people from down the hill, even Katie and me. Big Bear has three highways leading in and out of the mountain. The western road runs past Arrowhead. The other two are longer; the southeast road goes to Yucaipa and Redlands, and the northeast road goes to Lucern Valley. ¡°They¡¯re not letting anybody off or on, Mike, not even delivery trucks. They¡¯re saying that there are landslides on all three roads and they don¡¯t have an estimate on when they¡¯ll be open.¡± ¡°Great, just perfect,¡± I said, kicking the snow. Katie called her parents. ¡°Come inside so we can talk to them.¡± She left the balcony and slid the door closed. The holes had been patched with printer paper and tape. ¡°The least she could do is wear a jacket,¡± I commented, I noticed a few people watching. I hoped the bandana wasn¡¯t too obvious. Just as I was about to trot through the snow, Mike grabbed my shoulder to stop me. I turned to look at him. ¡°Let me see that tattoo again,¡± he said in a fatherly tone. I sighed, hid behind my car from anyone watching, and pulled off my right hand glove. Mike examined it, he rubbed his fingers over the raised and glowing tattoo. Everything about the tattoo disturbed me: the color, the shape of a dogs head within the Celtic tribal design, how it was raised from my skin, and the constantly shifting pattern. I refrained from telling him that I had almost taken a steak knife to it to cut it out, but Katie had stopped me before the blade sliced my skin. Mike shook his head and hummed to himself. ¡°I may not be a doctor, but from common sense, I think this is leading to something big.¡± ¡°You think?¡± I said as I pulled my hand back. ¡°As if the crystals weren¡¯t enough. I still believe I¡¯m going to die and this is some odd mark for death.¡± I showed him the tattoo one last time before I slipped my glove back on. ¡°Yeah, it might lead to that outcome, maybe not, but you two might not be the only ones in the world who has one. How did Katie handle it before we came? She seems pretty calm with it.¡± She was to tell you the truth. The bird¡¯s wing on her tattoo was far more detailed than the dog on mine. I nodded, ¡°Katie freaked out too, but she calmed down quicker than me. She thinks the tattoos are magical, but I have my doubts.¡± ¡°Magic? Yeah right. Whatever she thinks is hers and hers alone.¡± ¡°You never know,¡± I said with uncertainty. ¡°Scott, are you coming or not? They¡¯re on the phone right now,¡± Katie called out to me from the top of the stairs before disappearing back inside. I told her I was coming and went up the snow brushed steps, pondering what Mike said. I do love Katie very much, from her hips, her style of dress, to her hair. There was one buried obsession that made her very special, and different from me, and that was her relentless fascination with magic and the supernatural. You can blame her big brother, Robert, for that. At a young age, she bought New Age books and fake magical items to study them. It was her secret hobby and ¡ªI kid you not¡ªI didn¡¯t know about it until our junior year in high school. Back when I was living in a spare guest room at the winery, now my own room, Katie showed me her collection, and it was like something out of an old trunk straight from the Harry Potter movies. Books both new and old, yoga books and videos, gemstones and crystals used for spells and incantations, an actual wand handmade from oak, and some clothes she wore for Halloween and costume parties, including a genuine witch¡¯s hat. She told me that she keeps it as a fantasy. Katie stopped adding to her collection when she graduated and moved for college, but occasionally I catch her peeking into the trunk. On our second date, she bought the Celtic pendants and had them custom inscribed with a Gaelic inscription. Hers was barr¨®g cr¨ªonnacht ¡°embrace wisdom,¡± while mine said marthan¨®ir ¡°survivor.¡± I wear them as a symbol of love and to hold back my gruesome memories. Yeah, I get it, I¡¯m dating a hot and sexy magic nerd. Bring it. But still, magic is something far more complex than cars. Mike went inside first, leaving me to close the door. He went straight for Ashley on the couch. She was sitting on the couch farthest away from the crystal-damaged armrest and had her hands folded with her elbows on her knees and her hands on mouth. The level of distress on Ashley¡¯s face was unbearable. She relaxed and leaned on Mike when he sat down next to her. Katie was on the cell phone, standing next to the dining table, and trying to be as reassuring as possible to whomever on the other end. ¡°No Mom we¡­ we¡¯re going to be home don¡­ don¡¯t cry please.¡± Katie noticed me as I came to her side and asked what her mom had said. ¡°Just the roads and the accumulating snow,¡± she said while covering the phone¡¯s receiver with her hand. ¡°Put it on speaker, Katie.¡± She nodded and pressed a button, then set the phone onto the table. The screen had Brenda Walsh¡¯s Caller ID and current picture. Her long dark brown hair bound in a loose ponytail with a pair of loose locks framing her sharp features made her look like she was in her late thirties. Katie had inherited mostly all her mother¡¯s looks, but her dark brown eyes were from her father. ¡°Okay, Mom, we¡¯re both here,¡± Katie said, and I placed my hand on her shoulder, not touching her tattoo. ¡°Good. I can¡¯t believe those jerks closed the roads without thinking,¡± said Brenda, recovering from a sob session. Her voice was heavy with anger and sorrow, I figured that they had both yelled at each other for our mistake. ¡°What¡¯s happening down there Brenda? Did you and the others get hit by an orb?¡± I asked. ¡°Y-Yes, we all did, but it¡¯s turned into a madhouse. Downtown, massive riots hit the stores and restaurants, people stealing cars and food from each other, plus the gangs in LA are crowding the streets starting fights at random. Not to mention the religious folks. The entire world became crazy when we woke up. Right now Jonathan had to grab his shotgun and guard the warehouse to keep people from stealing the wine.¡± ¡°Are Robert and Jacob okay?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Yes, they¡¯re both fine. Jacob is shaken a bit and staying close to me. God, what in the blazes were those things that attacked us?¡± ¡°How should I know? What is the news saying? Our TV is out.¡± ¡°Jonathan kept the TV on all day, sweetie, but besides people going religiously insane overseas by this, they showed a few people with these odd tattoos on their bodies.¡± Katie and I looked at each other, and my right hand tensed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means, but it scared me that one guy got it on video burning out of the skin. I fainted, Katie. Fainted.¡± ¡°Ah, Mom we¡­¡± I interrupted Katie with a nudge. I knew her mother well. Whenever something stressful happens, like the time Katie broke her wrist in high school, Brenda turns into an overprotective grizzly bear. ¡°What?¡± Katie asked me. I shook my head and used my mouth to motion words to her. Don¡¯t tell her, just saying, I said. She understood, remembering how her Mom gets, and nodded. One less thing for her parents to freak out about until we got home. ¡°Katie, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Brenda asked. ¡°Nothing, Mom, thought I saw the TV flicker. Look, I promise, once the roads are clear we will be home. Don¡¯t worry Mom, we¡¯ll be fine.¡± Another voice came, it sounded like Jonathan on the other end. ¡°Brenda, I need you and Robert to help. Some hooligans got into the warehouse.¡± ¡°Oh, no. Katie I have to go now but please don¡¯t do anything without thinking first. Stay close to Scott.¡± ¡°I will Mom.¡±. We said goodbye and the phone shut off. If Jonathan got on the phone too, his tone towards us would have been very harsh, harsher to me for bringing Katie with me. Katie ran her fingers on the phone and then embraced me and I raised an arm over her back. ¡°The good thing is they¡¯re safe,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll get home, Katie, even if Mike¡¯s truck is the answer.¡± ¡°I hate lying to them,¡± she whispered. I heard new voices chime in and Mike told us that the cable was back on the TV. ¡°Oh good, turn up the sound,¡± I told him. All four of us spent the next two hours doing nothing but watching the news, eating leftovers, and waiting for the roads to open. Every news station said reported the same thing, some with new information as others followed, but the news of Southern California was our most concern. Brenda was right, everybody had gone crazy. One reporter in Los Angeles was at an on-site location, getting a hands-on experience with a ten-story crystal wedged into the beach. He was the first one to nickname the event. ¡°The Wave¡±. I forgot his name, but I know that it rhymed with bacon. As obvious as it was, everybody else adopted the name. Also the riots. So many riots in the streets. Other than our home, reports came from Vatican City and other places of Christian worship. They showed St. Peter Square with Christians praying, happy to be alive, and the Pope blessed the world for safety and good fortune. No crystals were on the ground but I spotted three SUV sized crystals twenty yards away from the cathedral¡¯s main entrance, all grouped like cactus as construction crews tried to dig them out of the stone. Somebody must¡¯ve cleaned up the loose crystals. The major cities were hit the worst, theorists claimed that the Wave sent more crystals to areas of the world with higher populations, hence the cities of London, Paris, New York, Moscow, Sydney, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Mumbai looked like dazzling junkyards. Countries that had the higher populations of the world, well, they lost more lives than anyone else. There were buildings demolished, monolithic crystals stuck in the streets and buildings, people running and screaming, ocean vessels semi or fully sunk at the docks, and major suburban areas reporting deaths of into the hundreds, even thousands. India and China, who knows. It would¡¯ve been helpful to show the footage from when we all were in comas. The strangest part was that the rest of the world was covered in storm clouds, Big Bear did have the snowstorm, but down the hill there were rain storms that nearly flooded the streets and freeways. Oklahoma was experiencing a freak appearance of tornadoes, Egypt was receiving rain in amounts unheard of in centuries, and the barren deserts of Australia had storm action, even hail. It was either a result of the Wave¡¯s or some sort of invisible radiation. I definitely felt the air clearing with each slow breath. As for ground zero¡ªit was impossible to see, thick clouds circled around and ships were unable to penetrate it due to high currents driving them away. They expected it would be a while before the weather settled and exploration could commence. All the news was too much, but I still watched. But one report, among the many related ones, was on five minutes before eight, and that special report hit Katie and me like a brick to the chest. It was an on-site interview at Pioneer Square in Seattle and it was that moment that revealed the true reason behind the crystals, the orbs, the tattoo¡¯s, and the change in my people¡¯s destiny. Chapter 6 7:56 PM 5 hours, 53 minutes after tattoos emerged The Seattle reporter was appealing for her age, maybe a lot younger than the anchors at the studio. In her tight, dark red suit and holding a black umbrella open, shielding her from the intense downpour of the Pacific northwest rain, she talked to a woman whose bed was on the benches of the crystal-littered Pioneer Square. I don¡¯t know how to describe her without insulting anybody, but she was big, like two teenagers¡¯ combined weight big. She was a black woman with donated clothes that were either too big or too tight all under a raincoat, wore no makeup, her black hair wound in dreads and tied in a bundle, an unrecognizable accent full of slurs, and she held a handbag full of all of her possessions. She had a glowing African tattoo that covered the right side of her face and neck. Katie was sitting on my lap with my arms wrapped over her belly. ¡°At least you two didn¡¯t get it on your faces,¡± Mike pointed out. ¡°Mike, hush, it¡¯s still going,¡± Ashley said. The woman was explaining to the reporter how she was the first in the city to get her tattoo, and how much it had hurt six hours ago. As the reporter was ending the interview the woman¡¯s tattoo grew brighter and she complained that her face and stomach were burning with pain. I curiously cocked my head to the side and we all leaned closer. In a minute she had collapsed onto the sidewalk, seizing and convulsing uncontrollably. The screams and curses she made caused me to hug Katie tighter and she gripped my scarred arms. The woman¡¯s tattoo grew brighter and exploded, erupting with a bluish-white marbleized liquid growing and sticking to her body like glue. I yelled as it happened and felt my insides shift. More liquid came from the rest of her body, dissolving and burning the clothes off her back. The reporter, cameraman and other witnesses pulled back, freaking out. The marbleizing woman crawled to the fence screaming for her life as a strange circle on the ground surrounded her. The liquid covered her entire obese, naked body as violent winds appeared. Everything was blindingly bright, and debris flew when a stray rod from the fence smashed through the camera, ending the video. The television cut back to CNN as everybody was scrambling to get more information. ¡°Shut it off,¡± I said calmly. ¡°Shut it off, Mike.¡± Mike grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned off the television. The apartment was quiet except for the sound of our breathing. Mike and Ashley looked at Katie and me, their hands gripping each other¡¯s tightly, and their bodies shaking slightly. Katie and I exchanged looks, our faces stunned, and we looked down at each other¡¯s tattoos. ¡°Katie, what time is it?¡± I asked quietly. She looked at the clock on the wall over the door, ¡°Eight-o-one.¡± I gulped and my mind went into panic mode. ¡°My¡­ god.¡± It was two minutes after eight, and my hand and chest winced from explosive pain. One powerful burst of squeezing pain in my gut made me scream. Katie slid off my lap as I coughed. My right hand lit up with pain and I was unable to move the fingers. ¡°Scott, what¡¯s¡­ ahh,¡± Katie grunted gripping her shoulder and stomach, then slumped to the floor. Ashley became petrified. ¡°Dear God, it¡¯s happening!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ outside,¡± I grunted. ¡°Must get¡­ outside.¡± I grabbed Katie¡¯s hand and pulled her up, ignoring her plea of pain. My tattooed hand felt it was on fire, and pain jabbed through my palm. Not asking Mike for help, I jerked the door open and stood over the stairs. The cold air and snowstorm did nil for my comfort. My vision was blurred from the strain but I could see light from the fixtures mounted on the wall, and the orange glow from the ski resort¡¯s lights in the clouds. Another sharp stab of pain hit my gut and caused me to let go of Katie before I tumbled down the steps. I landed in a pillow of snow, face up, and screaming in horror from several bruises. Katie followed, controlling herself enough to stay upright and descend the stairs while keeping a hold of the handrail. I heard voices all around me, and saw shadows of people coming to see the commotion. Everything sounded muffled to me. ¡°Scott, calm the fuck down. Did you break anything?¡± Mike talked louder than the rest, he must¡¯ve run down after me and let Ashley take care of Katie. No bones were broken, but the pain in my stomach and hand grew, going from unbearably hot to an electric shock. Mike dragged me and propped me against the Element¡¯s front bumper. ¡°Get, ah¡­ away from me!¡± I screamed with my teeth clenched. ¡°You¡¯re going to die if you don¡¯t da¡­ get away!¡± My right hand began to shake uncontrollably. In my clouded vision I picked could see Katie in the snow on her back, screaming and convulsing. Ashley was on the stairs, staying far away from us and screaming at Mike to get away. My chest felt like everything inside of me was moving, and raging raging hell against one another. My uniform shirt felt tight and I looked down at my large belly, it was moving on its own and I had an awful thought that it was going to erupt. Using my stable left hand, I lifted my shirt up. Something was moving inside of me, slithering through my organs and planting itself below my heart. ¡°Oh, god, no!¡± My hearing began to fade, still barely catching Katie¡¯s voice. I looked at her and saw her tattoo getting brighter and brighter, my tattoo was getting more intense as well. The mark on my hand had become its own light source in the night; my veins and arteries were engorged all over, deepening to a deep, dark blue. All of a sudden, an unseen force pushed the crippled car right out from under me, causing my convulsing body to fall back onto the snow-covered street. The car stopped twenty yards away, crashing into a building¡¯s corner. The same force that sent the car screeching away hit Mike, and he was sent flying, nearly hitting the backside of his truck with his head. Then the moment I feared happened. My tattoo erupted with white hot pain as a fountain of the blue liquid covered my hand, shrinking around into a tight glove. I heard Katie scream as her tattoo erupted and the blue liquid worked its way up her neck and down her arm. It acted as a symbiote, feeling warm and smooth against my skin, moving menacingly and relentlessly to cover me. The blue kept growing to cover my whole arm, gripping the hairs and cells. I managed to rip some of it off with my left hand, but the blue grabbed onto my fingers and began growing up my other arm. Both growths reached my shoulders and chest, and dissolved my shirt into nothing. Isolated eruptions came from my legs, feet, and back, dissolving cotton and leather like my shirt before it. They felt more painful than the first. My lower half was smurfed and kept growing until I looked like I wore a skin tight catsuit, every crevice of my body touched. I kept on screaming until my throat was dry and burned from exhaustion. The same circle from before appeared, it surrounded me and grew brighter in the snow. I blinked to clear my vision and saw a double circle with familiar Celtic symbols within the ring, the same as my pendent as it disappeared under the liquid. The last image I saw before the liquid swallowed my head was Katie, now consumed, naked, and seizing uncontrollably before the circle created a cocoon of blue light. The liquid covered her mouth, but did not shut it. The liquid closed over my head and eyes before I made one last scream of agony, making one last impression on the universe before my body blew up and killed whoever was too close to me. The suit made me feel claustrophobic and I lost control of my body. This is it, I thought, I¡¯m going to die. Please, God, don¡¯t take my life. Give me a second chance! I waited for the white tunnel.
In the darkness, my heartbeat was the only sound. I saw no white light, no angels playing golden harps, no monastery monks singing, no gates for me to open, nothing. Just the sound of me¡­ alive. The pain was gone. It didn¡¯t feel right that I was alive while dead. I managed to settle my senses enough to find that I was face down on a cool, smooth surface. I opened my eyes and was blinded a little from bright light. I sat up straight to take in a breath of cool air. The light died down enough for me to see a white and black marble floor, flawless, no cracks or imperfections. It felt real. My clothes were undamaged and the tattoo was still on my hand. I looked around at the big round room that I occupied. The room was lit with woks belching flames, black pillars with brown stripes along their sides were perched to hold up the dome ceiling. Everything was black and white marble. Between the pillars were windows overlooking a lush green countryside in the high noon sun, with grey rocks in rolling hills. The marble ceiling held a Celtic symbol I did not recognize. ¡°Where am I?¡± I said to the emptiness, my voice echoed against the marble. ¡°Is this heaven, or a dream?¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°What? Who said that?¡± A deep male voice called from behind me. ¡°Eh, must be hearing things again.¡± I whirled around to stare down a narrow hallway leading to another room in the same structure, and where the voice had come from. It was the only place for me to go and so I thought maybe there was a door out of here from there. I hoped that whoever spoke up on the other side could explain this place and how I could get back home. I got up and walked to the voice, curious and cautious of everything. I was awestruck by the detail of the building, it was as if the whole structure was carved out of a single block of marble with the utmost care. Between the white and black marble, I felt no seams as I grazed my fingers over the pillars. I entered the hallway, leaving only a few inches of space between my arms and the walls. I blinked erratically, inspecting the walls, lined with Celtic symbols in different colors of marble, all similar in tribal design. One part was a battle scene, causing my spine to shiver. It was a man, humanoid, clad in armor, holding his arm up and shooting lightning bolts at a bug-like creature. Within the symbols, I could pick out the same as was on my pendant. I reached to my neck and the silver pendant was still there. It must be a temple, I thought. The Celts didn¡¯t have something remarkable as this¡ªIreland and Scotland don¡¯t have marble as far as I know¡ªand if it was heaven, where is everybody? I entered the other circular room, it was bigger than the last, and cluttered with familiar items: leather bound books, papers heaped in piles on the floor, a wide window taking up half of the room to let natural light pass through, and the center had a group of steps stacked like a wedding cake. In the center there was a tree-like pedestal holding a thick book bound in green and black leather. I could not find the source of the voice, but did hear some sort of low mumbling and whining coming from the other side of the steps. ¡°Oh, no,¡± the voice screamed, ¡°how can this be happening to Scott? Holy shit, did his back crack and reshape? Is he dying from this? Man, I think I¡¯m getting sick.¡± I stepped onto the steps to peer over at a glowing circle carved into the floor displaying a blue, obese, convulsing body. I shuttered when I saw who it was¡ªme. I saw myself in pain, yet I felt nothing. At the edge of the circle sat a dog with its back turned; a brown and white Siberian husky with a black Celtic tribal symbol on its back. Its curled tail twitched in nervousness. ¡°Sir, where are you?¡± I asked, looking around the clutter of books and papers. ¡°Huh?¡± Huffed the voice. I then turned to the voice, from the dog. The dog¡¯s head turned to me, it¡¯s albino eyes locking onto mine. It was curious at first, and then looked stunned as his mouth dropped. Eyes bugging, he said one word. ¡°Scott?¡± Hear me out: when you¡¯re in a strange building and you come across a talking animal, witnessing whatever the hell is going on, you have every given right to freak out. I turned and ran. I heard the husky scuttle on the slick marble and come after me saying, ¡°Hey, wait a minute, we need to talk.¡± ¡°No talk,¡± I yelled as I jumped over a stack of books. Once I was three feet from the hallway and thinking about breaking the windows to escape, something heavy plowed into my back. I careened and crashed into a tower of papers, but I felt no paper cuts on my face. I turned over, removing papers from my face when the dog pounced onto my chest to knock the wind out of me, its head directly over mine. It started to sniff my chest and neck frantically. It gasped and started licking me, thick saliva coated my face. I thought oh shit, I¡¯m this mutt¡¯s dinner, but it talked again with a big fat grin showing off its white fangs, sharp to tear through flesh. ¡°Scott, is it really you?¡± I wanted to get away but I was too stunned to move. ¡°It is you!¡± It started rubbing itself against me like a damp towel in the summer heat. ¡°Oh, it is so long since I¡¯ve seen you, Scott. My host, my master, and my good buddy buddy finally present in his Inner Sanctum at long last. I can¡¯t be dreaming, it has to be real. It has to.¡± The dog¡¯s fur smothered me, keeping me silent. It began to sob in glee. ¡°I-I thought I would never see you in person again. This is a dream come true.¡± What the? What¡¯s wrong with this dog? ¡°Get off me you freak,¡± I yelled. I pushed the dog off of me and I was free to stand up. It collected itself and sat on a clutter of parchments to face me, a grin was still painted on its face. ¡°Now just, just stay the hell away from me, dog,¡± I said, backing up into a defensive karate position. ¡°I am ready to defend myself if you do that sick move you did on me.¡± Its ears lowered, ¡°Scott, don¡¯t you remember me? I¡¯m your totem, Keeji. How can you not remember me?¡± I blinked, ¡°Totem? What are you talking about? You better tell me what is happening here or else I will wail on you like there¡¯s no tomorrow.¡± ¡°Aw, don¡¯t be so dramatic, I won¡¯t hurt you. I¡¯m your spirit guide, your conscious, the little annoying voice in your head. You know, that sort of thing. You just couldn¡¯t hear me screaming at you for the past twenty-three years of your life.¡± It had to be a dream. Dogs don¡¯t talk, that¡¯s a real world fact, plus he had said the exact same number of years as how old I am. ¡°Look, whoever you are, I do not care. I want some solid answers from you of what¡¯s happening to me.¡± I looked around and picked up an object. ¡°If not, this will go straight for your head.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s funny,¡± Keeji laughed, ¡°you¡¯re willing to beat me with a book on your embarrassing childhood moments? Classic.¡± Curious, I looked at the cover: Scott¡¯s Embarrassing Moments, Bathroom Edition¡ªAges 0-5. ¡°What the?¡± ¡°Titled it myself.¡± I shook my head and tossed the book aside, ¡°This has got to be a horrible nightmare.¡± ¡°If it was a nightmare, you¡¯d be awake in a cold sweat and staining the sheets. Besides, it is you who finally found a way into your own mind to find me.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. I was too busy feeling my body be torn apart and become a living bomb.¡± ¡°Bomb? Scott you¡¯re still alive, I think, I don¡¯t know. I can try kicking you in the nuts just because. Go see what is happening to your body¡¯s image over there. Trust me, I¡¯m more petrified than you.¡± Keeji pointed to the circle with his muzzle. I looked down at him with a questioning eye, but sidestepped to the circle, making sure that the dog did not pounce on me again. The silent screaming image of me still made me wince. My eyes scanned the blue body, but something was amiss. When my body was on all fours and whipping its head around, it started to act like it was throwing up. I cursed as I saw the image becoming thin and muscular, beer belly disappearing, forming into the likeness of an athlete. I still didn¡¯t feel it, but the sight made my nerves twitch from imagining the pain. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s peculiar,¡± Keeji said. He stood next to the pedestal. ¡°Wait a minute, Scott look at your ass!¡± He meant the image. The top of my crack on the image was bulging out and my spine lengthened, forming a three-foot tail with plated armor on top in a matter of seconds. More of the same plates appeared along my spine, neck, forearms, and shins. ¡°Jeez, you¡¯re transforming into an anthro lizard!¡± Keeji yelled in panic. I don¡¯t know where he got that first word. I had never heard of it, nor would I want to know. He was wrong, by the way. The last bit of the change was my ears, they grew and molded into elongated elf ears. My image then threw itself on its back and the convulsions eased, only to lessen as a small bulge in the center of my torso shrank. The Inner Sanctum began to shake beneath my feet and a strong wind from nowhere disturbed the loose papers. Keeji whimpered where he stood, looking uneasy and vulnerable. The wind blew upwards and made me look at the ceiling, painted with a maelstrom symbol. The solid marble cracked and twisted to form a colorful vortex. I felt lighter and my clothes flapped against my chest, the vortex was sucking me in. Keeji shrieked and used his front paws to hug the base of the pedestal. ¡°Oh, please, I¡¯m too young to die,¡± he protested, the wind became stronger and his back side sailed into the air, his claws digging into the wood with deep marks as he screamed for dear life. I too grabbed a hold of it; the book lay undisturbed. My feet were lifted towards the vortex. Teeth clenched and grunting under my breath, I glanced at the book. It was dark green leather, decorated with silver and brown accents and handmade etches of a thick forest¡ªquite beautiful if you ever get a chance to look at it. Celtic vines bordered the cover and it was shut closed tight by a silver lock. Keeji lost his grip and went flailing into the vortex, but not before he ran himself into my face and jerked my head back. My grip was gone. He howled and flailed his legs while I cursed at him. Inside I felt the familiar pain rush at me, hitting my nerves as hard and direct like as a train. The pain was excruciating, a lot more painful that than the liquid suit. But as what I saw from the blue body, I felt the changes, all at once. Screaming, I blacked out again, hearing the husky howl once more.
I woke up on my back, my throat was dry and my lungs were exhausted. My eyes were still forced shut by the suit, but it loosened and tore itself from my face like a spa mask. As I blinked, I could see the clouded night sky, I could feel the snowfall tickle my face. It felt soothing after the gut-wrenching pain. More of the suit left my body and I just barely gained control of my limbs, they shook from lack of energy. Instead of the pieces dissolving, they levitated above me for a second and then rushed to an identical but smaller circle to my right side, and collected into a floating blue orb. The ground inside my circle was clean and dry of snow, the blacktop felt warm from the transformation. The orb grew and molded into something grotesque but familiar. Once the entire suit was gone, I was naked, exposing everything to the world. The circle¡¯s glow died, but its mark was burned into the pavement. My nose was instantly filled with the hideous smell of burned fat. To my left and on my back I felt liquefied body fat¡ªmy body fat¡ªmixed with putrid black stuff. Puking was beyond me. Even worse, I heard voices from other people. I attempted to sit up but couldn¡¯t. I rolled onto my right side to use my arm for support. Keeji¡¯s floating body was three quarters done; I was seeing all his internal organs, bones, skin, and pelt grow right before me. Once his head was complete, he was washed in a sea of light and dropped onto the street, taking in his first breaths of air in the real world. He looked around, then to me with glowing blue eyes. Keeji was frightened and started cursing. The people were too. Sitting I stared at my improvements. I didn¡¯t care if people looked; there was no way to run from it. I was thin, hairless and still had the same skin tone as before, but I had developed muscle everywhere, even an impressive six pack, leaving no evidence of obesity. Somewhere inside, I was happy to not have to deal with a beer belly any more, but that was snuffed by my fear. From my wrists to my elbows, shins too, scale plates embedded in the muscle surrounded them and felt firm to the touch. My right hand was free of the tattoo. The scars of my past, sadly, were still on my skin accenting the plates and abs. My hair grew out and hung down to my shoulders and over my eyes. As I pulled the hair from my face, my hands grazed over my new, elongated ears extending to the back of my head. What surprised me more was my fifth limb; a pale, scale-plated tail lying restless in the snow. By will, it moved and my brain went into overhaul of the new and alien sensation. The only item unharmed from the transformation was my Celtic pendant and even I couldn¡¯t understand how that happened. ¡°Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,¡± Mike said. I gazed at Mike and Ashley sitting on the stairs and gripping each other tight. Both sets of eyes were stunned; Ashley¡¯s eyes were half buried in Mike¡¯s jacket and red from tears, her body shook from primal horror. More people came closer to me, including Mr. Conner and his wife. They both ran to their apartment. Then my brain turned to the screaming in front of me. Katie, still in the blue suit, fell silent and collapsed to the street. Her transformed body stopped moving and I feared the worst. With little strength while my body shook, I crawled over to her. The snow touched my bare skin, but I didn¡¯t care about the cold. The circle¡¯s glow was dissipating and her suit began to give away, revealing a transformed woman with barely any energy to move. ¡°Katie!¡± Chapter 7 When the sticky goo engulfed my head, I believed without a doubt that I was a goner. Screaming at the top of my lungs, I wanted everything to stop; the pain, the misery, the public embarrassment. I cried so hard I thought I was about to blow my vocal cords. Ever heard of somebody doing that? Not me. But the worst thought in my head was of my parents finding out that I died. Died. Then again, things weren¡¯t what they seemed. I went from feeling my muscles burst to utter weightlessness, the pain was suddenly nonexistent. Did I finally die? It didn¡¯t feel like it. There was no tunnel of light but I did hear wind rushing past my ears. I didn¡¯t hear Scott, that made me concerned. I opened my eyes. Above me was a blue sky and scattered white clouds, below was a thick, endless, redwood forest, devoid of hills and civilization. The forest was coming at me. Instinctively, I shrieked and flailed my arms in free fall. Straight down, and thanks to the sudden adrenalin rush, I picked out the form of a house and a colorful garden, but directly below me was a pond. I fell past the canopy, nearly crashing into the branches, then, with no prior preparation; I splashed into the pond head first. Ouch. Water rushed into my lungs as it burned my chest. Disoriented, I couldn¡¯t tell which was up or down within the deep, dark pond. The water was ice cold and it quickly seeped through my skin and down to my bones. The fear of drowning kept me moving. I saw a circle of light, and instinct pushed me to kick and swim towards the it and I broke through the water¡¯s surface. I reached for the edge and felt smooth, interlocking stones. I coughed and slowly breathed again. There was no way that I was going to stay in that water any longer, so I pulled myself out, using the stones as steps. The next thing I knew I was on my back coughing once more. I opened my eyes to look at the sky again. A circle was cut out of the canopies over the lot. I sat up, very slowly, to check myself for injuries. I was certain that I had crashed into the water and my clothes were drenched, but as I looked at myself, I was dry and unharmed. How was that possible? The tattoo was still on my shoulder, glowing as before. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s weird,¡± I said to myself. I stood up looking around, I was in the middle of a secluded lot with a grass-covered yard. There were flower patches with the biggest red roses I¡¯ve ever seen,marigolds, daisies, and a variety of poppies. A small log cabin was situated at the edge of the forest with a porch and couch swing. Curious, I peered down the ten foot wide well, and couldn¡¯t figure out the depth. I took a breath and the air smelled of trees and fresh cut grass, it was so intoxicating that I could have stayed there for the whole day. It wasn¡¯t heaven for sure; everything looked too peaceful, secure, and tranquil. Still, I had to find out where I was. ¡°Hello,¡± I yelled. ¡°Anybody here?¡± No answer. Thinking there was somebody in the cabin, I walked towards it, still looking around the beautiful grounds. I could imagine some lucky guy owning that place, maybe a rich one who prides on his privacy. Then I stopped short of the cabin, looking at one spot that could top the weird shit list of the day. I saw a blue human body, a woman, silently screaming, convulsing in pain, and contained in a glowing stone circle embedded in the grass. My jaw dropped when I recognized that it was me in there. ¡°What the fuck?¡± I felt compelled to inch towards it. I was seeing me¡­ in pain. It was illogical that I could be at two places at once, except it could¡¯ve been a hologram, a really good one, but nothing about it was technological. Stopping a foot from the circle, I brought my arms up to hug myself. From the quiet, convulsing body, I could imagine the sounds coming from the mouth. I noticed that some things were changing on it, making me feel more uncomfortable. Odd plates formed under the skin. I, the body, turned a little and I saw the same thing along the¡­ well ¡°my¡± spine. I thought that I was seeing things when my ears elongated and a tail grew. I felt revolted, but didn¡¯t have the heart to look away. Why wasn¡¯t my body, the one I was in, clothed and unharmed, and not experiencing the pain? For a moment I felt like I wasn¡¯t alone. A presence, so to speak. I moved my eyes from the circle and saw a creature beside me. On top a simple perch attached to a wooden pole sat a beautiful red-tailed hawk. The perch hadn¡¯t been there a minute ago, it had just suddenly appeared with no warning. I gasped and backed away, but my reaction didn¡¯t startle the bird. Its brown wings, light brown chest dotted with spots, the long tail, and sharp primal eyes made a striking statement. The bird stared hard at the blue body, just when the plates were formed and the ears stopped growing. The bird was bigger than my head. I blinked, not expecting it to not look at me. It wasn¡¯t a sculpture of a hawk, the chest heaved as it breathed. ¡°Hello?¡± I said to the animal. There was no response, not even a small flinch of the wings or talons. I didn¡¯t risk poking it for attention. I looked back at the circle and muttered, ¡°Stranger and stranger.¡± ¡°Forgive me for not speaking, Katie, I¡¯m in deep thought at the moment.¡± I froze. The voice was female, but held tremendous power in her words. I looked back, hoping to god that it wasn¡¯t where it came from. ¡°Come on now, don¡¯t be that way,¡± the bird looked at me like a caring parent, its beak sounded out words perfectly. ¡°After all, deep down inside, you know the answer to all of this strangeness.¡± Its, or her eyes, locked onto mine. My knees buckled and I fell onto my butt. I was dumbstruck, the bird was speaking fluent English with no difficulty. ¡°Wha? How? Why?¡± I tried to talk, but the words escaped me. The bird spoke again. ¡°I know that seeing me talk is a bit of a shock to your nerves, but it¡¯s all real, Katie.¡± She stared down at me like a god, a master, and a freak. The talons wrapped on the perch were sharp enough to tear through my delicate flesh. I finally spoke, ¡°How¡­ Who are you? How do you know me?¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Great, now I¡¯m talking to an animal. Was Doctor Doolittle on Mom¡¯s side of the family? ¡°My my. It¡¯s because I¡¯m part of you. I¡¯m your totem, Arana, the one that embodies your conscious, your will power, and your knowledge protector.¡± She unfurled her wings, five feet of animal grace. ¡°And I¡¯ve waited since you were born to speak to you, face to face.¡± My mouth felt dry from my breathing. The grass under my hands was moist and my butt became wet. What do you do when you confront a spirit animal? Yes, I knew what they were when I was more into my hobby. Stories and practices have been involved to call forth an individual¡¯s animal, by drugs or deep, focused meditations. I stared at mine, a red-tailed hawk. I had once read about calling spirit animals, but failed every time in my sophomore year. Just a piece of a spirit animal¡¯s voice would bring me to my knees with the realization that magic was real. Yet there I was, acting like an idiot, but thinking like a curious child. ¡°Magic.¡± My voice came out shaky. ¡°It is real. Please tell me, this has something to do with magic.¡± What I said made me feel great. Arana was still at first, she probably wanted to have a dramatic effect, but she made a single nod and smiled. ¡°I knew it!¡± I picked myself up and brushed the grass off of my jeans. My hands were shaking from the news. ¡°This is amazing,¡± I said, ¡°I knew magic was real. All those years teetering through those books and waving my wand in my bedroom late at night wasn¡¯t a waste.¡± All those precious memories came back and I felt extremely happy. ¡°Wait until Mom and Dad hear about this.¡± ¡°You might want to reconsider, Katie,¡± Arana said. ¡°You might not live to see them again.¡± I stopped prancing around the grass, ¡°What?¡± She pointed her wing at the circle. ¡°Do you see? This is magic, but a different breed. I have no idea what is happening to your body. You''re coming out as three different species rolled into one.¡± I turned back to the circle. The image of my body seemed to approach the end of its transformation. A long, three-foot tail stuck out of my spine, lined with armor. My lower arms and legs had that same armor plating. My new ears twitched. My face, or the image¡¯s face, was scrunched up hard, and my jaw was about to pop out of joint. The muscles relaxed and it fell to the floor, lifeless. At an odd angle of looking at my own rump, I clearly noticed that the body was more defined in strength and beauty. ¡°See?¡± Arana asked. ¡°Unknown magic.¡± ¡°But, it¡¯s a transformation,¡± I added to a working theory. ¡°It¡¯s magical.¡± ¡°The magic smells different. It''s teaming with life, primal energy, and I don¡¯t think that once you come out of this, you might not survive.¡± I brought my arms up close to my chest. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°Suit yourself. For what this phenomenon is, that new book I¡¯ve skimmed in the cabin has the answers. We must slow down and think this through, and take time to learn to defend yourself.¡± Her wing came under her beak. What book? The trees rocked from gusts of wind all of a sudden, the canopies swayed back and forth. Wind blew from all directions, and the smell of the flowers intensified. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± I asked loud over the wind. ¡°I don¡¯t know, this never happened before,¡± Arana called out, her feathers flapped with the wind and she looked scared on her perch. Then, invisible hands yanked her up, catching her off guard, and shot into the sky through the forest opening. She was screeched like a real hawk. I felt my body lifted up, as my feet dangled over the grass. My stomach jumped when I shot straight up, yelling, feeling myself frightened all over again. Arana disappeared through the clouds, and then me. A vortex of many colors surrounded me. That was when I felt the familiar pain again, the pain of my bones breaking, my nerves on fire, and unknown things begin to rise. In that second of torture, I screamed, ¡°Mommy.¡±
8:09 PM I returned, feeling limp. I felt so damn weak. So weak that by the time the goo floated off my face and the rest of my naked body, I was wading in and out of consciousness. Sounds were like mud. None of them were pleasant; people were afraid, very afraid. My eyes still worked, they were weak, seeing everything going on. The strips of goo floated out of sight towards the apartment stairs. I heard Scott¡¯s weak voice calling my name. I felt the winter wind come at me and it made my bare skin prickle. ¡°Mike, help us!¡± He commanded. I could only clear my throat from with my low strength. I felt strong arms pull me up. My eyes blurred after I caught sight of a mob of people with frightening expressions. Women shaking heads, men cursing, many running to the comfort of their homes¡ªthey saw me, naked, exposed, and vulnerable. Kill me. ¡°Katie, please wake up!¡± Scott yelled. My eyes were shut but I managed to moan. He hugged me tight, but the hug felt really wrong and I couldn¡¯t pin down the reason. ¡°Ah, yes. Yes. Mike, get over here with the blanket. Help me get her on her feet.¡± ¡°Mike, don¡¯t!¡± That shrill shout was Ashley, I was sure of it. ¡°Let go of me, Ashley. They need me.¡± ¡°Now, Mike!¡± Yelled Scott, hugging me tighter. Why was he not a limp doll like me? And what was with the intense warmth coming from him? The shouts from the witnesses became restless as I heard their harsh words. I wanted to get out of there. Wind and snow picked up and I felt a heavy blanket drape over me. I smelled the fabric and it was the spare fleece blanket that Scott keeps with him. A dog barked close by with intense fury, snarling in between, and the people shrieked. ¡°Get on the other side, Mike,¡± Scott asked, and I heard feet pound on the driveway. Hands gripped under my arms, lifting me. ¡°Katie, move your legs,¡± Scott whispered. Groaning a little, I focused on my legs. They felt like jelly, the bottoms of my feet felt cold, but I had to lean on Scott for support. The shouting grew, none of it forgiving. ¡°Is this the future of the human race?¡± One stranger exclaimed. Mike and Scott pushed me up the stairs, one challenging step after another. Without warning, I felt something punch me in the chest and I cried out. It came from inside me, like something blew and thrust against my rib cage. I slumped onto the stairs, my bare knees scraped against the snow covered steps. Scott yelled, cursing and grinding his teeth. Each snowflake prickled against my skin. The electric shock was so great I didn¡¯t have any tears to shed. What is wrong with me? Scott was breathing hard. ¡°Shit. What was that?¡± ¡°Scott, you alright?¡± Mike asked. ¡°Forget it. Gotta get inside. Gotta get safe.¡± He picked me up, faster than before and his grip was a lot stronger. He was never that strong before. Something crashed above us and Mike let go of me, ¡°Back the fuck off, people, or I¡¯ll call the cops.¡± ¡°Mr. Sanders,¡± a voice said, it was female and stern. ¡°Protect Scott and Katie at all times.¡± It was Arana, no doubt. I had more questions as to why she was in the real world. Footsteps darted away once we reached the top, opened the door, entered, and closed it shut. Inside the apartment, more footsteps thundered up the stairs, getting closer and closer to the door. Please, go away, I thought. Mike yelled, threatening them to get away. Some stopped. I felt Scott¡¯s stance weakening, and he nearly fell to the floor. I trailed my hands to his chest to try to help him. My eyes shot open from the strange sensation; I felt smooth, muscular skin under my fingertips. I cracked my eyes open, seeing a strong chest. It had to be a dream, it certainly wasn¡¯t Scott¡¯s body, there was no way. A gunshot went off outside and I could hear the people scream through the walls. I heard their feet galloping away like a herd of frantic sheep. ¡°Must get to bed. So damn tired,¡± Scott huffed. We dragged our feet to the bedroom as I nearly tripped on my toes. I whimpered as I started to shake from exhaustion, starting from my stomach to my arms. Staying awake took most of my energy. The bedroom door was closed, leaving us alone in the dark room. Another shock of pain hit me, followed by a horrendous scream from my throat. Scott screamed too, grunting in agony, and the pain sent both of us tumbling onto the bed with the blanket still covering us. The comfy sheets, blankets, and pillows felt so soft against my skin, lessening my pain after lying on the pavement. Face down, buried in a plump pillow, and feeling a muscular arm on my back, I finally felt safe. Another thrust of chest pain and I was asleep. Come to think of it, I couldn¡¯t remember the last time my hearing was so good. What happened to me? Chapter 8 Scott and Katie¡¯s Apartment December 22, 2012 8:02 AM It was real. It felt too real to be a dream. There was no reason to deny that the pain and misery inflicted on my body that night were real. The pain¡­ I had to see if I had eaten anything moldy from the fridge that would have contributed to the dream. Why was I thinking that? It was like my mind was spent trying to figure out what was real and what was not. The unknown sensations made all the different thoughts hard to process as I slept. All at once my brain just said, ¡°screw it,¡± and accepted it. I didn¡¯t strangely. I was the first to wake up; I was lying down on my back. Taking in a slow breath, I caught a whiff of the Old Spice on Scott¡¯s thick fleece blanket. It was covering my face and I enjoyed it. I moaned a little and quivered, then realized that I was also under the bed¡¯s blankets. Wait. That doesn¡¯t make sense, I thought. I was on my face when I went out. Who tucked me in? With little strength, I raised my hands to my face and opened my eyes to the darkness. I pulled down the blanket with little effort and looked up at the bedroom¡¯s ceiling fan with clouded vision. I stopped moving and my heart sped up when I heard a gasp. ¡°Ms. Walsh is awake.¡± The woman¡¯s voice sounded tired at first but quickly became alert and shaky, scared maybe. I didn¡¯t like it. I shuddered and yelped feeling something¡­ weird brush against my leg. I pulled the blanket back over me when I remembered that I had been naked since last night, but I had reason to believe that somebody, meaning her, had handled me while I was unconscious. I could have screamed for that embarrassing ordeal, and then, remembering the transformation, that she had gotten a good look at me¡­ ¡°Eh¡­ go away,¡± I mumbled. ¡°Ms. Walsh, don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here to help. I¡¯m a nurse from the local hospital. The sheriff called me in to watch over you and Scott.¡± She spoke sincerely and low to me through the fabric. ¡°Are you feeling any pain? Do you need any assistance?¡± Before I stuck my hand out to shush her away, muffled flapping of wings came and a familiar voice spoke. ¡°Nurse Whitman, we will be the judge of that. Fetch her some water.¡± She shrieked and ran out, for both the following of orders or freaked out by talking animals, although they weren¡¯t animals per se. The door closed. ¡°Katie, how are you feeling?¡± Arana spoke through the blanket with a level to not frighten me. I heard her land on the night stand next to me. The thing under me moved again. As I fully woke up, I began to feel more sensations. With the foreign object under me it was hard not to squirm so pathetically. ¡°Katie, you need to speak. If not I¡¯ll tell the sheriff and Mike to make you.¡± I sighed and followed her words, not wanting any conflicts. I pulled down the blanket. Arana the hawk stood on the edge of the nightstand, her sharp talons digging into the wood. My eyes cleared up but saw something rather strange within Arana¡¯s eyes. Her irises were glowing bright blue but still displayed great wisdom. How did she come here? Is that what happens when they appear in this world? The nurse came back with a coffee cup of water. ¡°Water,¡± it came out of my mouth a raspy whisper rather than normal speech. She fed me very carefully, but I caught her looking at the sides of my head. She must¡¯ve had a long night from the look of the deep bags under her eyes, and her unkempt blond hair. I took the cup into my hands and drank the rest, already feeling better from the ice cold water. Arana nodded and looked away, ¡°Go tell Mike you oaf.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± a second voice said, it was definitely male but I couldn¡¯t see where it came from. ¡°Wait¡­ I¡¯m not an oaf.¡± ¡°Stop denying it and tell him.¡± Mike came and walked to my side of the bed, ¡°At least one is awake, I was beginning to worry.¡± I kept my head uncovered; I heard other voices at the door, but none I could pick out. Arana kept them out of the room so as to give us some space. I looked up at Mike and he looked like he hadn¡¯t slept at all. His hair was pressed and oily and smelled odor from his day old uniform he still wore. He looked at me and gulped. ¡°Geeze,¡± he whispered. I said nothing. Mike kept on staring at me and it made my body tense. He got the message and backed away. I looked at the bedroom door. A man dressed in a sheriff¡¯s uniform stood next to the blond nurse, both differentiating in age. He had a short buzz cut with gray hair around his ears. The nurse was in hospital scrubs and had her hair cut short and pulled back with a headband. Both looked the same as Mike¡ªscared. A brown and white husky stood next to the door with the same eyes as Arana¡¯s. That must be Scott¡¯s totem, I thought. Scott was still asleep and still completely covered by the blankets. Then I felt really embarrassed, causing me to blush and pull up the blanket. ¡°Leave us alone.¡± ¡°Miss,¡± said the sheriff. ¡°You need to know what¡¯s been happ¡­¡± ¡°Just go, all of you,¡± I interrupted harshly. ¡°I need a moment.¡± Arana repeated my words with sympathy and the sheriff agreed. ¡°Let us know when you are ready to talk, miss.¡± They left including the dog, but Arana stayed to speak before leaving. ¡°Before you uncover your boyfriend, Katie, be prepared. You might not handle what happened to him,¡± she flew away. I almost got hit by her wing. She told the dog to close the door. My stomach growled in the quiet of the bedroom. Sitting up I felt the thing move from my legs and plop behind me. Looking behind me, and yelping, I saw my tail, lined with the same armor plating as my arms and legs, batting slowly on the pillow. Strange sensation, that¡¯s all I can say. My head dipped and long hair fell over my eyes, scaring me a little. It went past my shoulders and stopped at the middle of my torso. I have never had long hair, it got in the way whenever I worked at the winery or played sports. I pushed back the hair and stopped to feel my ears. They were long, pointed, and extended to the back of my head like an elf¡¯s, or for that matter, I am that elf, or whatever I was. They felt real, natural, and moved on their own. Something about it made me want to see the rest. I untangled myself and went straight for the door, locking it. Taking in a long breath and exhaling slowly, I looked down at my naked body. What I saw made me want to, but didn¡¯t, scream my lights out and cause an avalanche. My arms and legs had armor plating around my shins and forearms. Three overlapping plates laid under my skin and, possibly part of my bones and muscles as natural bracers. I pressed on them and they felt firm, almost sponge or cartilage like. I looked at my tail and grabbed it, feeling the strength and grace of my new appendage. I tugged it, feeling it well attached to my spine. Again, weird sensation. Under the tail was smooth skin. I reached behind to feel the base and froze as the armor traveled from the base of the tail up and along my spine, stopping short of my neck. ¡°What am I?¡± I asked myself. I needed to see a mirror but it was in the bathroom. I glanced at the lump in the bed and Scott was still asleep. ¡°What did Arana mean by be prepared?¡± I had enough gawking at myself and grabbed my robe. Closing it with the belt, I didn¡¯t count the tail as it pressed against the inside. I walked to Scott¡¯s side of the bed, remembered Arana¡¯s words, and slowly pulled to covers.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Scott¡¯s head was first. Like me his black hair was past his shoulders and his elf ears stuck out like antennas in a mess of bed head. I blinked when I saw that his cheeks were thin, no pudginess, and his chin was better defined, even sharp. Pulling down more of the blanket, I dropped it just above his waist and stepped back. I cupped my mouth and whispered, ¡°Good lord.¡± When I touched him on the chest last night, I thought I was hallucinating. I saw the undeniable truth. Scott had the biggest of changes¡ªall the body fat was gone, replaced by muscle, strong muscle. A six-pack. Thick biceps. Strong chest. I couldn¡¯t remember the last time I had seen a strong man in person, and there I was, looking over my new and improved boyfriend. Feeling turned on I shook my head and went back to business. I placed my hand on his shoulder and shook him, ¡°Scott, wake up.¡± It only took a few shakes to open his eyes. He coughed for a second then face me. His eyes met mine. ¡°Morning,¡± he said, then it hit him. ¡°Holy crap.¡± He sat up and looked at himself, feeling himself. The hair was flung in every direction, but I noticed the rest of his body was hairless. He seemed to be taking it well, I had expected him to go off and faint. ¡°And I thought it was all a bad nightmare.¡± I nodded. ¡°How are you feeling¡­ besides the stomach?¡± ¡°Off the record,¡± he started, ¡°I have no clue. My strength is bigger than before, and I have this to mess with my mind.¡± Scott grabbed his tail and shook it, then let go as it flapped against the pillow. ¡°What do you think what happened since we¡­ mutated, or something?¡± ¡°Beats me, the cop was gonna say something until I told him we need to be alone.¡± Scott blinked. ¡°A cop? Great, just what we need. Who else is here?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a nurse from the hospital and Mike.¡± ¡°Mike stayed? Wow.¡± He combed back his hair to expose his ears, ¡°What about Ashley?¡± ¡°Come to think of it I don¡¯t know.¡± I looked at the closed door then back at Scott, ¡°Come on, we can¡¯t stay in here, they might knock any time.¡± I felt disappointed when Scott told me to close my eyes. He was right, I had to for the sake of my well-being. We wouldn¡¯t want me seeing him striking a pose, later finding myself on the floor with that image burned in my mind. Although, remembering his chest settled me a little, or nerved me. Just to be clear, I wasn¡¯t feeling like myself. I opened my eyes when he said it was okay. He cursed that the robe didn¡¯t fit him anymore, looking like an oversized trench coat. Once we we¡¯re mostly satisfied, Scott opened the door and I imagined the worst.
To be honest, I didn¡¯t want to talk to anybody, I just wanted to stay in the bedroom and freak out over my body, but Katie had a point. A cop was in the apartment; he can do almost anything for answers, maybe he could have put us in a jail cell for protection. What he would do considering our condition was unpredictable, if he wasn¡¯t one of those guys. Even with that said, the tail kept bugging me. I was starved, a hell of a lot stronger, and I was afraid of going into a sprint. In my old body, I knew it from the toes to my hair. In this one, I couldn¡¯t trust a single cell. Why oh why there more people in the apartment was beyond me, Mike had some explaining to do. I saw Mike, a middle aged sheriff with the disposition of a trained gunman and detective, and an aged nurse with blond hair. Mike looked at us with a half shocked expression on top of staying up all night I guessed. The others, however, were not taking it well. The nurse gulped loud enough to be heard and the sheriff tensed up. At the dinner table were our totems. Keeji sat on the floor looking at us with his tongue hanging out, just like a real dog. The bird that was Katie¡¯s totem, I suspected, had perched itself on a chair with a serious look in her glowing blue eyes. The eyes from both totems creeped me out and I wondered if they would ever stop glowing. Ashley was nowhere, which begged the question as to what happened to her. ¡°Ah, hi,¡± I started. Everything felt wrong, including the focused eyes on us. ¡°Morning,¡± Mike said low. Katie came close and I wrapped my arm over around her shoulders. ¡°So, uh,¡± I said to Mike, ¡°wanna explain why they are here and what happened last night?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t call them, he came.¡± Mike nudged his head to the sheriff, ¡°And she came at his request. All three of us protected you guys until you woke up.¡± I nodded, thanking him, then looked addressed the sheriff. ¡°Sheriff, let me be the first to say that whatever you¡¯re thinking, you won¡¯t have any trouble with us. We are victims more than criminals. We still don¡¯t know what really happened to us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that, sir,¡± the sheriff said; he extended his hand to me. ¡°Your¡­ totems¡­ briefed me. Name¡¯s Sheriff Phil McDermit.¡± He was hesitant when mentioning the totems, the whole ¡°not used to talking animals¡± feeling lingered. I shook his hand and introduced ourselves. ¡°And you?¡± Katie asked the nurse. She gulped again, ¡°Nurse Betty, Betty Whitman. I¡¯ve been watching you and your boyfriend¡¯s health since last night. I still can¡¯t get over what has happened to you. From that much trauma I heard about, you two would¡¯ve been vegetables.¡± She kept looking up and down us with less fear and more fascination. ¡°Join the club,¡± I added. Maybe she did. ¡°And I guess you were the one that got us under the bed¡¯s blankets?¡± ¡°Well, me and Mr. Sanders here, then spent the night watching the place. Perfect health I might add.¡± Betty looked at Mike and he nodded, ¡°It seemed kind of pathetic to leave you two slumping like that.¡± The sheriff cleared his throat. ¡°So once you were settled, your... animal friends talked. Have to say that the bird is the most knowledgeable, although she was a few times hesitant on a couple of questions.¡± I turned to look at the bird, ¡°I¡¯m worried about the dog, he isn¡¯t right.¡± ¡°I do have a name, officer, and its Arana,¡± she said, ¡°Fifth time.¡± Keeji didn¡¯t talk, he just stared at us with his tongue sticking out. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I paused, ¡°Anything else?¡± Mike scratched his head, ¡°After you two went inside, the entire complex went into an uproar. People screaming, cars driving out to nowhere, and some just fainting in the middle of the road. Before I knew it they were having ideas that it was all a religious event, a bad one. I was about to kill somebody until Phil came.¡± ¡°I heard a gun go off.¡± ¡°That was me, sir, to break up the commotion on the stairs,¡± McDermit said, ¡°Had to arrest a few.¡± Katie came closer to me, getting a little too personal with my new chest, and Mike¡¯s perspective wasn¡¯t what she wanted to hear. Closing my eyes and sighing was all that I could do to not go further imagining the fight, ¡°But why haven¡¯t you two acted like those afraid of us?¡± ¡°Because like you we¡¯re scared too,¡± Betty said, ¡°I mean you two are the first in a series of transformations, the only ones in the whole mountain, not to mention what¡¯s happening down the hill. More are showing up by the minute. It¡¯s a political and ethical mine field down there, you can¡¯t even be safe in your own home, or worse, trust each other who has a tattoo or not. Other than that, I¡¯m more interested about you Mr. Dunne. Mike told me you were overweight. There was a pile of body fat in the street and had to be thrown out. The smell made people sick.¡± So that explains why I looked like I was throwing up? ¡°So no hack and slash sort of thing from you?¡± Katie asked. Betty nodded. McDermit shook his head, ¡°Right now isn¡¯t the time to start probing the couple, we already know a lot from the news. Mike told me what your goals are and I promised to keep you two safe as long as it takes.¡± ¡°Promised?¡± I asked, ¡°Cops have hard times keeping promises from my view.¡± ¡°But old high school friends do.¡± With that Mike and McDermit performed a casual fist pump. Catching me off guard, I peered at Katie and she too looked lost. The cop went back to being professional. Katie let go of me. ¡°We need to get back to Temecula. That¡¯s all we want right now.¡± I nodded, ¡°Oh, are the roads open now?¡± McDermit placed both hands on his belt, his right hand resting too close to his sidearm. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± he said, ¡°Caltranz is very adamant to keep the roads closed for in and out bound traffic until further notice. My superior at the department is on their side and tells us to not make any deals with concerned citizens. Airlift is not possible, the airport¡¯s runway is damaged and the weather doesn¡¯t seem to settle any time soon. Everybody is stuck here for the time being.¡± ¡°Wow, what about when they open?¡± ¡°By their clocks, tomorrow morning.¡± Me and Katie exhaled in relief, but I had a thought, ¡°Oh, right, we don¡¯t have a car.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Mike said, ¡°we¡¯ll figure it out later.¡± Nurse Betty, sounding friendlier, ¡°Do you need me to check on your health?¡± ¡°Uh, some other time,¡± Katie said turning red, ¡°I need to get rid of this extra hair and eat some food.¡± ¡°Can you give us a chance to be alone?¡± I asked the cop and the nurse. They nodded and respectfully left, but I told Mike to stay. ¡°We¡¯ll be outside,¡± Betty said and the door closed. Mike folded his arms for being with us. ¡°Okay, Mike, spill it,¡± I said, ¡°Where¡¯s Ashley?¡± His mouth quivered and he hesitated to speak. From that, I knew that something was wrong. ¡°She¡¯s at the house. I¡¯d rather not talk about it.¡± His voice sounded depressed and his eyes looked down. I was stunned by his reaction, it was the saddest I had ever seen him. The whole time we were talking, he had left Ashley out of the loop, and as we brought her up, he was uncomfortable. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Like I said, not talking about it.¡± His voice sounded serious. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m backing off.¡± I raised my hands up and felt my tail twitch under the robe. No chance changing a veteran¡¯s mind. To break the awkward silence, Katie said, ¡°I need something to eat.¡± I nodded and she dashed to the fridge. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll leave you two alone for an hour,¡± Mike said, ¡°I need to take care of some stuff back home.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Are you gonna be back? Better have answers when you do.¡± I asked. Mike nodded. ¡°Also, care to do something for me?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± I spread my arms out and looked down at my flat and fit body under the big robe, the sleeves falling farther down my arms. ¡°Wanna hook me up with new clothes? I can pay you.¡± And just like that he smiled, for the first time in the whole day. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll do that. No prob.¡± We shook hands and he went to the door but stopped to look back at us. ¡°Stupid, almost forgot. I¡¯m not to brag but Katie is in trouble.¡± Katie turned from the open refrigerator grasping an apple, ¡°What is it?¡± Mike rubbed his chin, ¡°This will be the death of me. Your parents called last night on your cell.¡± He bit his lip. ¡°They know what happened last night. I told them everything.¡± Katie¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°Crap.¡± Chapter 9 Scott and Katie¡¯s Apartment 8:59 AM An hour later I was getting worried where Mike was. It does not take that long to get a shirt and a pair of pants, just grab and go with no hesitation. When I was having breakfast, I was wondering if he did get them and was stopped, maybe the locals were asking questions about us, but it was unlikely since the complex¡¯s tenants were the only witnesses that night. Or maybe he went to his house in Fawnskin and had trouble with Ashley. Who knows what happened to her, but if Mike wouldn¡¯t tell us what his wife did, maybe our totems knew and would tell us. If not, then I was out of luck. I didn¡¯t count on how hungry we were. Katie and I cooked four-egg cheese omelets, toast, sliced apples, other fruit, and coffee. With that much food we felt much better. We attempted to sit in new positions with our tails to our sides but I was annoyed that I was unable to lean back. We were more open with Keeji and Arana. We asked questions and they answered, but it turned out that Arana was holding back information. Katie was persistent with Arana to about learning more, but was stopped short every time. ¡°Come on, Arana, I know I¡¯m magical, but I can¡¯t tell if I am. You¡¯ve got to give me some slack.¡± Arana was across the table, sitting on the chair¡¯s back like it was a tree limb. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t tell you until you are ready.¡± Katie rolled her eyes and finished her breakfast. ¡°So,¡± I began, ¡°since I¡¯m not all freaked out now, you¡¯ve been living in me since I was born, seeing what I saw, gathering all my memories into this ¡®Inner Sanctum,¡¯ and have no way to communicate but create feelings.¡± I blinked from the summation. ¡°Now that you¡¯re in the real world, you can affect the world just like us, and be annoying.¡± Keeji nodded while sitting in a chair between us, ¡°In a nutshell, yeah.¡± He appeared like a normal, polite person at the table. I can see complications in the near future. I shook my head, ¡°Trippy. Remind me to not go into my life.¡± Keeji nodded. As he knew me of my problems. Katie coughed on her last sip of coffee, ¡°Agreed. Scott, wanna get in the shower first?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait, someone needs to watch the door.¡± As she went into the bathroom I caught sight of her tail pressing against the inside of her robe, an obvious point that I had no choice but to get used to it. She closed the door and started the shower. I leaned forward and pushed my plate away. ¡°Okay,¡± I started, ¡°now that I can somewhat trust you two, you need to level with me. What happened between Mike and Ashley?¡± From their opening mouths I thought I was finally going to get my answer, but then they looked at each other as if neither wanted to be the first to break the news to me. ¡°Come on guys, it¡¯s important. Did Ashley get hurt in the struggle? Was she taken by the police? I need to know, secrets irritate me.¡± ¡°I know, Scott,¡± Keeji said, ¡°don¡¯t remind me. The truth is¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Arana interrupted, ¡°we made a deal and we¡¯re sticking to it.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that. He¡¯s not here, at least we can give Scott a hint.¡± Arana grunted as she unfurled one wing and covered her face, ¡°Seems you already forgot what she did to you.¡± I sighed and shook my head, ¡°At least tell me she¡¯s alive.¡± Arana looked at me and said, ¡°She is.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s a start, now why isn¡¯t she here?¡± Seems their promise was stronger. It was their first twelve hours in the real world and they were already conspiring against us. As Arana mentioned that little clue, Keeji seemed to remember something with a sudden eye movement. He raised his right paw and rubbed his cheek, looking away. That hinted something. ¡°Fine, be that way,¡± I said getting up from my chair, ¡°I¡¯ll wait until Mike gets back. I¡¯ll be over there watching the world burn.¡± I grabbed my phone and flipped through my messages after I had neglected the constant ringing. All the missed calls were from Katie¡¯s parents and Joyce the landlord. She too had tried to see us last night after hearing the rumors, but was blocked by Mike and the sheriff. I called her number and as I sat down on the couch, I forgot about the tail and sat on it. Cursing I pulled it out to lay it beside my leg. ¡°Friggin¡¯ tail.¡± I reached Joyce¡¯s voicemail and left a message asking about terminating our lease and whatever we could do to stay until the roads opened. I didn¡¯t call Brenda and Jonathan without Katie, translating their emotions would have been difficult alone. Me calling Katie¡¯s parents would be tough enough without having to hear Jonathan¡¯s bantering. Most of their messages were calling us liars. They had treated me with care for two years as I took care their second born child. After the Wave, I just felt like a total jerk. I turned on the TV and flipped every news channel. They were broadcasting reports in endless loops, sometimes it was the same from three different stations. Massive religious movements emerged to control the few but growing transformations while a small number of groups viewed the crystals as a major godsend. Monolith crystals were disrupting the traffic flow in major cities, and that was all on the local channels. One demolition crew, Fox News reported, blew up one to start repairs, but three workers were killed from fallen debris. India and China were experiencing the greatest loss of life from fallen crystal deaths. There was a sea of crystals and blood across the land, as one anchorwoman described it. When the first transformation appeared three miles outside Dubai, she was immediately killed by the construction workers out of fear. They caught on camera her doberman totem dissolving into the same blue liquid that it was made from. I nearly lost my breakfast. There were strange weather patterns all over the world; areas of heavy drought or no rain ever were getting poured on for countless hours. Egypt was experiencing a ¡°desert flood¡± for the first time, leaving thousands homeless and some dying. The storm over Big Bear was weakening as they said. As an interest for me, U.S. Government representatives arrived in D.C. to assess the mutations, trying to come up with a plan to either control or stop them. I gave them a week to give up because I figured that it would be a while until I got my old body back, but I didn¡¯t mind keeping the muscles or flat stomach. The rate of the transformations seemed so random. One place would have one or two popping up, while another place would have ten. One anchorman interviewed a theorist and she came up an idea that if the ¡°infestation¡± continued, as she so nicely put it, the entire human race would be transformed four years after the Wave. Talk about putting the president under more stress. One story after another, all saying the exact hidden and relatable message: the world survived and we lived, barely. Katie would no doubt freeze from the gruesome, horrific, and depressing images of loved ones lost, tattoos emerging, and transformations in people¡¯s backyards. One transformation occurred in the middle of a packed freeway in Los Angeles just minutes after I sat down. France showed one transformation in an old bakery built after World War II,the energy dome nearly destroyed the whole historical building. Remember the woman in Seattle? I saw her again, but she came out of her embarrassing ordeal with a body worthy of a model in Milan. It was post-9/11 drama all over again. It would be weeks before we had any other news besides the ugly and depressing stuff that morning. Arana and Keeji came back; the hawk landed on the coffee table, her talons scraped the wood surface. She looked at the TV, then to me, shook her head and said, ¡°On the subject of leaving the mountain, how will you protect yourselves?¡± I heard the shower shut off and the glass doors sliding open. ¡°I have my father¡¯s pistol in the bedroom.¡± ¡°Yes, I know, it¡¯s in the closet, top shelf,¡± Keeji nodded resulting in me rolling my eyes. ¡°But will that be enough to fend off an army?¡± Arana asked. I covered my face with my hands, I hadn¡¯t thought of that. With the gun I had one clip. Another reason was that I hadn¡¯t cleaned the pistol. My eyes focused on the balcony blinds. Getting up I told them, ¡°I¡¯ll wing it. Might as well steal another gun for the trip home then ditch it.¡± ¡°That sounds a little out of character, Scott,¡± Keeji said as he shifted uneasy. ¡°And is that a good idea to peek outside? You might get seen.¡± ¡°I¡¯m desperate, need to see what¡¯s out there.¡± I pulled the blinds open just to have only my eyes exposed to the outside world. The sun was high in the sky, shining as bright as I never seen it before. There were times when a storm rolled and would have the same effect, but this was like all the smog in the air was gone. Healthy atmosphere I imagined. The fresh snow was brighter as well, covering every nook and cranny of the complex and the surrounding forest. Some crystals stuck out and cast purple shadows. Down on the driveway my car was gone, towed away thanks to the sheriff, but there was still engine oil left on the street. Standing there I thought that Mike would be driving into the street with the truck that we would have to borrow the next day. I couldn¡¯t see our circles in the road because of the balcony, I thought that they were all cleaned up from what Nurse Betty said, and I could imagine the smell of the rotting body fat. Rotten eggs mixed with spoiled compost, I guessed. I picked out the cop car blocking our stairs with McDermit standing close. I didn¡¯t see where Betty had gone, but McDermit sure wasn¡¯t alone. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± I muttered as I pulled the blind further. Three men stood in front of McDermit, stiff and in control, a little too in control. They wore black business suits with white shirts, black ties and sunglasses. It was odd that they weren¡¯t dressed for winter, and even stranger was how they seemed so casual. One, I believed to be the leader, was a dark skinned man with a very short buzz cut. Muscle bulged under the tight suit, maybe Marine material. The other two were a middle-age good looking woman with long blond hair tied in a tight ponytail, military posture with no hint of sass, and a Hispanic man that looked younger while and carried a briefcase. The leader looked up at my balcony, meeting my eyes, and waved with a mischievous, evil smile. My heart sped up and I cursed and backed away from the curtain. I let go of the blinds and they swung on their hinges. My skin crawled from the sudden rush of blood and my tail swayed in a nervous manner. ¡°Scott, what happened?¡± Keeji asked. I didn¡¯t answer; fearing the worst, I ran to the door and locked it, sliding the deadbolt into place. ¡°Sonofabitch,¡± I said, ¡°what was that all about?¡± From how they dressed to the way they talked, they appeared to be the spitting image of those secret agents from sci-fi movies. No, really, they did look like it. Besides, the roads were closed. How did they get there? Nothing was making sense, reasons jumped in my mind that I couldn¡¯t pin down. But an idea clicked: the government was figuring out the transformation problem. They were probably asking questions of who we are and are still in the building. Katie¡¯s concerned voice and the twitch of my tail snapped me out of it. ¡°Scott, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I do as well,¡± Arana added. I took a few breaths to calm myself down as I turned to Katie. She was at the bathroom door wrapped in a towel, hand clutched on the bundle over her bust, hair flat and damp with her ears stuck out, and her tail was free and it wagged slow like a cat¡¯s. The totems looked concerned. ¡°I¡­¡± I was breathing hard, ¡°I was¡­ looking outside and¡­ saw someone that does not belong here.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± Katie asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you will like it.¡± ¡°Tell me in the bathroom, I need you to help cut my hair.¡± She turned and went, I followed and told the totems to watch the door. Katie and I are a ¡°hands on¡± kind of couple, we conduct more contact to feel better and improve our love, and the same time give each other space when needed. Sometimes it¡¯s cuddling, reviewing Katie¡¯s writings before they are sent, and a little dancing, but personal hygiene is very seldom thanks to her parents with the exception of hair. We allow it because she used to do my hair when I was getting back on my feet, heck, it constituted as our second date in high school. She does her hair too on rare occasions. By that time it will be a regular deal just so that the barbers get used to elf ears. I know it sounds weird but it¡¯s what we did so back off. Deal with it. I told her to sit on the toilet while I fetched the comb and sheers. Katie grabbed a second towel and wrapped it over her shoulders like a poncho to catch the small flecks of hair. I couldn¡¯t help but see her avoiding to look at my body. Wonder if she¡¯s struggling to get used to my new look? I, however, noticed some changes on her besides the obvious: her skin looked smoother and freckle free, beads of water still trickled down her legs and shoulders. From an angle, I recognized that she had an improved body, quite possibly her old high school volleyball figure, strong and lean. The semi-invisible scar above her left knee was still there. Her face was clean like she spent the whole day at the spa, that was one benefit I appreciated. I placed my hand on her shoulder and my suspicions of feeling silk skin were right. I made a mental note to ask Arana about my scars and why they didn¡¯t disappear. ¡°I need to re-pierce my ears when we get back,¡± she said with a short laugh, but still vaguely serious. ¡°So, what¡¯s going on? You seem scared back there.¡± I stood at her right side, ready to cut her long, overgrown hair. ¡°I still am. How do you want me to cut it?¡± ¡°The same as before. Not really caring if it looks good or not. And don¡¯t change the subject.¡± She gave me a look and pointed a finger at me. ¡°Alright, here I go.¡± I took the hair on her right and re-imagined the style before her transformation. I angled it so that when finished, she would have long hair in front, an inch past her shoulders, framing her cute sensual face, and short in the back and fluffed. Essentially it is an inverted bob. Think of Akima without the purple hair. ¡°Looked outside when you were showering,¡± I started. ¡°McDermit is still guarding the place. The news is full of transformation reports. But there were people talking to him.¡± Katie¡¯s ears moved a little, ¡°Were you seen?¡± ¡°Mostly, but¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± I twisted her head to the left and went on, ¡°Three people wearing black business suits were talking to the sheriff.¡± ¡°What?¡± She said, confused by her tone. ¡°Men in black,¡± I simplified. ¡°Can¡¯t tell if they are government or not.¡± Without warning she jerked her head towards me with wide eyes, and the scissors were knocked out of my hand, ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Hey, watch it, I almost cut your ear off.¡± ¡°Scott, this is a big problem. Not only we are stranded, we have suspicious government agents spying on us. This is beginning to suck more than before.¡± You see why I like her? I picked the scissors off the floor and sighed, ¡°I realize that. The sheriff looked determined to not let them in, and they agreed. Now let me finish this side.¡± I resumed my cutting. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t seem right. The roads are closed. How can they possibly be up here instead of down the hill?¡± I used the comb to gather hair in the back and clipped it off, remembering the bunched up look as best I could. ¡°Maybe somebody got word of our transformation and wants to investigate it,¡± Katie said. ¡°And ours is special for some reason? Something doesn¡¯t feel right about them.¡± I finished her right side and made my way to her left, doing the same cuts as before. Once the front was quickly done, Katie snapped her fingers, ¡°Wait, what about Deryl?¡± I stopped as I exposed her ear. I hadn¡¯t heard that name for a few months. Deryl Porter is a very important person to the Walsh family and mine, including my parents. He was stationed on the same aircraft carrier as my parents during his Marine days. Growing up, I treated him as my unrelated uncle and godfather. The reason Katie¡¯s idea had any merit was that Deryl is a US Marshal stationed in California. I shook my head, ¡°Hardly doubt he will remember us. You know what his job does to his mind.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t hurt to find out. He might already know and sent them here to get us. Maybe Mom and Dad called him. Maybe¡­¡± ¡°Katie,¡± I interrupted saying her name hard. She stopped at looked up at me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for yelling, but the boss of the three looked at me, like a hunter. I can tell he can break my neck with one arm, and tell they are not with Deryl. I¡¯m sure of it. And if they did call him, why hasn¡¯t Deryl called me? ¡°Most importantly, if those agents are from him, we could be in a helicopter by now. They haven''t knocked on our door, so they might be falling back for God knows what.¡± I pinched her chin, ¡°We can¡¯t trust them. I¡¯m serious.¡± Katie turned away, but nodded to agree with me, biting her lip, ¡°But can you at least call him? He is in the government, but he¡¯s family.¡± As hard it was, I nodded. Deryl is family. I didn¡¯t feel like fighting any more so I got my phone and dialed his cell phone. I got dial tone, but got a recorded message. ¡°You¡¯ve reached Deryl Portal, US Marshal. Leave a message.¡± His voice lacked color, but he really is a bright guy.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Got the answering machine. Let me try Grace.¡± I dialed his wife¡¯s number, but it was disconnected. ¡°Crap. No luck there.¡± I finished her haircut by snipping the last strand, ¡°I think I got it.¡± I then bundled the towel full of hair off her shoulders and set it on a corner of the sink. She still grasped on her towel. ¡°Mind if you can do me? The usual hack job?¡± Katie nodded. Since I too didn¡¯t like long hair, might as well make it workable. So without further ado, here is Scott Dunne¡¯s method of a homemade haircut: pull all of it back into a tight ponytail, but enough to leave slack, position it at the top of my neck, and let Katie sheer off the bundle. It all went straight to the hair covered towels, and she only had to do a little adjusting for my ears. Just as we began to feel comfortable the first time since the Wave, Katie¡¯s phone rang on top of the sink. Katie froze and gasped, staring at it. I was near the sink and could pick out Robert¡¯s Caller ID. Even as the oldest of the Walsh family children, he still had that heavy metal goth phase he stuck with. In the picture his gelled hair was combed to give a lift and made his young face more attractive and alluring. The black t-shirt showed he was, and is still today, a Ramones fan. Under all that rock and roll attitude, he has one incredible palette for wine. The phone went silent but we still didn¡¯t move. The totems came back to the room and Arana asked if everything was all right. ¡°We¡¯re fine,¡± Katie lied. Arana shook her head and Keeji sighed. The phone vibrated and displayed a voicemail icon. Katie looked at me and I heard her swallow; she grabbed the phone, finger¡¯s trembling, and played the message through the speakers. It crackled, and then we heard a drawn out sigh of annoyance. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me,¡± said Robert¡¯s voice. ¡°Guess what. I got my lucky shovel out and almost clipped a guy stealing the money from the store¡¯s register. But it doesn¡¯t matter now since you¡¯re still stuck in the mountains. Not calling us. Ignoring our messages, even Mom¡¯s¡­¡± He paused, then spoke again, I detected anger. ¡°This must be the twentieth message, Katie. I know you¡¯re standing there, looking at your cell. We know what happened, you can¡¯t keep this from us. ¡°I¡¯m your brother for Pete sake and it¡¯s your responsibility to tell us the truth. It is time to woman up and do the right thing. Call me back.¡± The message ended and Katie dipped her head forward and lowered her phone. ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of this,¡± Katie said. ¡°Me too,¡± I said, pulling her into a hug and stroking her hair. To break another second of silence I pulled away, ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and clean up. How about we call them together?¡± ¡°I¡¯m more afraid what they will say.¡± Then, as her spirits dropped, her ears followed, like a cat¡¯s. I was waiting to hear her whimper like one. ¡°Hey, you all right?¡± I asked her. She wiped her nose with her arm and looked at me, ¡°Yeah, yeah I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll watch the door.¡±
Before he closed the door and had the totems leave, I took one good look at Scott under the bright bathroom lights. To not raise suspicion, I kept on my ¡°depressed and homesick¡± face, it wasn¡¯t too far from my true feelings. If you never knew him, you would have sworn that he came from Venice Beach, working out five times a week and making drinks in nightclubs. A definite test would be if he swam a mile and finished without being out of breath. Then my knees will go weak as he comes out, wearing only his trunks, and beads of water travel down the right places. Listen to me, my internal flirty girl side is controlling my emotions. I couldn¡¯t hold it anymore, resulting me biting my lip. He caught it, smiled, and closed the door. Besides feeling the high of hormones I was glad that I had short hair again. I ran my fingers through it, feeling the nearly dry strands while sighing, still thinking of Scott. With the ears I can see new and hot styles in the horizon, not to mention teenage influence. I thought Jacob could be part of it, depending if he will accept a life as a freak. Robert will, if he doesn¡¯t go overboard. Mom and Dad? Who knows. I turned to see Arana on the chair again, having both her glowing eyes appear amused. Keeji sat below her, eyes the same. Both staring at me. ¡°What?¡± I asked, bringing the towel tighter to me. Arana shook her head, ¡°You know what,¡± she answered with a sly, ¡°admit it. You are going crazy over him, ready to snap and glomp into him, and to Keeji¡¯s close scrutiny, Scott¡¯s enjoying the attention. You looking at him and I notice a deeper shade of red on your face and your tail swaying in quick jerks as I suspect looking at his six-pack.¡± I didn¡¯t want to risk telling the darn bird the truth, but she had it in spades. Tail expressions are trouble. ¡°Oh please, you¡­you¡¯re crazy. You both crazy.¡± ¡°I know you, Katie, I¡¯ve been in your head. That tells me you¡¯re lying.¡± The corners of her beak formed a smile. Shaking my head I went to the bedroom, but I heard Keeji asking Arana to prove a lame brain perverted experiment and heard Scott laughing before closing the door. Thank goodness Arana disagreed, she understands my limits on weirdness. Those two are gonna be the death of me, I thought and got dressed. Even though getting dressed is the same, the tail was a problem, and a workaround. I put on my panties and jeans, but tried them under my tail¡ªit didn¡¯t work mind you. While the topside is plated and hard, the bottom side is skin, new skin, easy to scratch. To my dismay I made modifications: I found the poultry cutters in the kitchen and cut holes in my pants and underwear, not too small to be a struggle and not too big for anybody to peek. I got them on and they felt loose around my waist. Never did check my weight. Oh well, nothing but a belt won¡¯t fix. I found a belt and tugged it tight. Next I put on my shoes, a bra (loose but filled), and a long sleeved layered maroon-white shirt with attached hood, my favorite shirt. An idea formed and I rolled my sleeves to my elbows exposing the plates. I looked rather good, sexy even. Make way for the modern elf¡­ thing. Knocking from the door jolted me from my reflection. ¡°Hey Katie, I heard a truck pull up,¡± Keeji called out. ¡°It¡¯s Mike¡¯s from the engine sputtering.¡± ¡°Okay, be right there,¡± I told him, I felt enthusiastic all a sudden. I went out of the bedroom, ran to the front door, and looked through the peephole. I could only see the small second floor pathway and several steps of the stairs, but the shadow and the pounding up the steps was Mike for sure. He held a bag of what I presumed to be Scott¡¯s new clothes. His head was hung low, he looked even more depressed than earlier. This isn¡¯t good. I unlocked the door and opened it. As he came in and set the bag down I said, ¡°For a moment we thought you weren¡¯t gonna come back.¡± I locked the door again. ¡°I¡¯m grateful I¡¯m out of the house, away from her and¡­¡± He stopped, his eyes lit up for first time in a while, and I appreciated that he saw something good for once, if seeing a mutant clean and dressed counts. ¡°Wow. You cut your hair.¡± ¡°Thanks for noticing,¡± I thanked him. ¡°So why the wait?¡± Mike¡¯s hands went to his waist while he shook his head in disappointment.¡°Come on,¡± I pressed. ¡°You promised to tell us. How is she?¡± Mike sighed. ¡°Ashley still has her head up her ass from this whole mess. After the store I went to the house and saw her grasping the old baseball bat. I can¡¯t believe it was years since we fought this hard.¡± I folded my arms, ¡°You know, you can tell us the truth. Ever since we woke up you¡¯ve been angry and closed off from us mentioning her. It¡¯s not healthy.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t, it¡¯s too disturbing. How she sees you two now is like she¡¯s a completely different person, the same as the folks on the news.¡± I was getting tired of Mike¡¯s attitude already. I grabbed the bag from him and headed to the bathroom. Scott was already done with the shower when I knocked the door. ¡°Look, listen Mike. Ashley is our friend. I know what the news was saying, people not accepting the changes and so on. I might as well call her myself. Or even better, I¡¯ll march into the house with Scott and his karate feet.¡± The bathroom door opened and Scott poked his head out. ¡°I¡¯m with her, Mike, this has got to stop.¡± He took the bag and closed the door. ¡°And you made us promise to keep quiet until you come back,¡± Arana added. ¡°Is their curiosity not important then their safety?¡± Mike looked overwhelmed by our questions. His eyes darted to all four of us, and then he pushed his left foot a step back. I blinked. Could it be that he was expecting any one of us to come after him? When he realized that we weren¡¯t going to attack, he relaxed. ¡°Alright,¡± he sighed. ¡°You tell them, hawk. It¡¯s hard for me to say it.¡± I turned as Arana rolled her eyes. Scott came out too, dressed but without shoes. The clothes Mike had chosen were blue jeans, a little big as they were about to fall, and a green buttoned shirt somewhat tight against his chest. He didn¡¯t have time to cut a hole for his tail and had to hold his pants with one hand. ¡°Finally,¡± Arana started. ¡°At the very second I materialized in your world and as Mike helped you two inside, Ashley was speaking hysterics so much that when I spoke to calm her down, she ran into the mob and off the complex screaming.¡± Scott stood next to Keeji, ¡°Well that can explain a bit of her attitude. Nothing shocking there I can pick out.¡± ¡°It gets worse,¡± Arana continued. ¡°Once the mob scattered, Mr. McDermit¡¯s partner retrieved her. I followed and found her almost to the post office. He had to shove her into the car and drive her back.¡± I had never met McDermit¡¯s partner, which made me wonder where he was. ¡°How¡¯s the partner handling this?¡± Scott asked. ¡°Officer Jensen is afraid like Ashley but McDermit ordered him to stay, most likely still in the car. I think he¡¯s still out there right now. And I¡¯d like to add that he would have shot me if it wasn¡¯t for Keeji.¡± Keeji laughed. ¡°Yeah, I got him scared really good. Wimp dropped his gun.¡± Deep inside myself, and it wasn¡¯t like me to think this, but I wished that I was awake to see the action. ¡°Now bear with us. Ashley came back, she begged to go home and not go inside, saying she can¡¯t be in the same building as you two. She was thrashing like a wild woman.¡± She paused and stared at both of us. ¡°She called you demons.¡± Mike let out a sigh and shook his head, internally cursing, but that didn¡¯t compare to Scott¡¯s and my reaction. I had theories of what the answer might have been, then when Arana said the truth, and my mind couldn¡¯t process it. I gasped and covered my mouth in total shock. I wanted to meet Ashley face to face and slap her. Scott cursed. ¡°See. I knew there was a reason. Ashley thinks we¡¯re untrustworthy freaks. Just fantastic.¡± Mike spoke up, getting up his confidence enough to share his emotions. ¡°Told you. I¡¯ve tried to snap her out of it. I told her that you¡¯re not bad or corrupted, just the same as before from my assumption and every time she refused. She called you demons for Christ sake.¡± Mike¡¯s stance became edgy all of a sudden, scratching his head enough to mess up his hair. ¡°It pushed me to slap her.¡± My tail jerked. I was ready to go on a rampage. Keeji started to whimper, and sadness formed in his eyes. ¡°And before they left, I talked to her to make friends¡­ and she kicked me in the face.¡± His body whirled around and leaned on Scott¡¯s leg. Scott instinctively leaned over and rubbed Keeji¡¯s neck. Ashley¡¯s a sweetheart towards animals, even the squirrels. I know, the totems aren¡¯t real animals and they imitate them, but I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of Keeji whacked on the muzzle. I heard footsteps and low voices on the other side of the wall, and it seemed like everybody else did as well. One was McDermit from his protective tone, the other was a woman and was about to scream her head off to him in her complex. ¡°And speak of the devil,¡± Arana grumbled. Mike went to the door while I skipped over to Scott, expecting the worst. He unlocked the door and I saw the sheriff, along with another with a needy mouth. McDermit¡¯s head peeked through the door, ¡°Ah, Ms. Rodriguez is here. I¡¯ve told her to leave but she¡¯s the landlord. She says she needs to look inside.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Joyce,¡± Scott nodded. ¡°Yeah let her in, but tell her to brace herself.¡± McDermit nodded and went back out. Joyce pushed the door open and it hit the kitchen¡¯s countertop. She had charcoal black hair, long and frizzed by the moist air outside, she was an inch taller than me, and had a hefty body. I¡¯ve seen her all the time in business attire, but that day she just wore jeans, shirt, a thin jacket, and tennis shoes. My mind directed to thoughts of seeing her after a transformation. ¡°My god what a day I¡¯ve¡­ SANTA MIERDA!¡± She screamed and fell over from the sight of us, falling on her back, right on the lip between the carpet and the wood hallway. Luckily, here head didn¡¯t hit the floor. The three men went to her aid and I stood there shrieking, afraid that our appearance had made any permanent damage. ¡°Oh, geeze, Joyce you all right?¡± I asked. Joyce shook her head, her face frozen. ¡°My God, it is even freakier than the television.¡± ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Scott nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get you up.¡± She kept looking up and down Scott as she got to her feet. ¡°Is that you, Scott? You look incredible.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m getting that a lot lately. Thanks for getting my message.¡± ¡°De nada,¡± she said brushing herself off, then stared at me. ¡°And look at you. I can¡¯t get used to seeing tails on people but you sure do make it work.¡± Best complement I had all day. ¡°Well¡­ thanks,¡± I managed. ¡°So where were you? I never thought about you until you came.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because my phone at my house was cut by a crystal.¡± She became frustrated as she explained, ¡°God, then I dropped my phone on the fireplace stone. Then, this morning, I found out that a tree fell and crushed my car¡¯s front end, crystal cut it and took time to break. I mean, it was a hassle just to get here, but I did hear your message on my friend¡¯s phone.¡± ¡°Well you had the least worst car accident,¡± Scott sighed. ¡°Mine was skewered through the engine and sent off to the scrap yard. We¡¯re stranded until the roads open.¡± ¡°That sucks, my brother-in-law is the same. He can¡¯t go to work. I¡¯m so sorry about what happened last night. I wish I had been here to stop the mess.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t do anything, the transformation was uncontrollable,¡± I added. ¡°None of it was good to look at.¡± Joyce shook her head, and then spotted the totems at the dinner table. She blinked, probably seeing Arana, but gasped. ¡°Wow, are these the¡­ the totems, right?¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve seen others winding up with lizards, alligators, house cats and all sort, but not a hawk like this one.¡± Arana bowed her head and thanked Joyce, ¡°Much obliged. Name is Arana, Katie is my host.¡± Joyce smiled, ¡°I like her, she¡¯s polite.¡± Keeji sneezed, ¡°Keeji¡¯s the name.¡± ¡°Aww you¡¯re so adorable, you little fuzz ball. Eyes creep me out, but the dumb cute face gets me.¡± Is she falling in love with our situation? I thought. Scott must have been thinking the same thing that I was from the look on his face, ¡°That¡¯s great and all, Joyce, but what about my message? Can it be done or not?¡± Joyce turned from attempting to pet Keeji, ¡°What? Oh yes, the lease. I might be able to hold you until tomorrow. And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not like those selfish pendejos in LA kicking the transformed out. Seen too much of that lately.¡± ¡°Yes, I get it, but can we sign the papers today?¡± Joyce took a second to think. ¡°Yeah, of course.¡± ¡°Good, can you bring them over here? We can¡¯t risk going out.¡± The landlord nodded. ¡°Sure, no problem. Anything to help.¡± Scott thanked her. ¡°I¡¯m a little lost, Joyce. You seem so cool about us. Why the sudden affection for this?¡± Joyce let out a small chuckle that made her chest bob, ¡°Well, I¡¯m grateful that this happened. Back home I too was freaked out of dying. Then as the first transformed came up, meaning you, I¡¯m starting to think that this is something else. This is a sign of good change. Who knows what else Asteroid Helen brought.¡± She was happy like the first day we moved in, except that she was appreciating our transformation a little too much. It made me a tad uncomfortable. ¡°Believe me, Joyce,¡± I said, ¡°it is good¡­ in a way, and it¡¯s not easy after the tattoo¡¯s appear. I know that Mom and Dad will freak when they see us.¡± ¡°More likely they will freak out more from Scott,¡± Joyce added. ¡°By the way, they called me too and talked. Makes me mad they called you a liar.¡± I pinched the bridge of my nose. Keeji huffed, feeling my misery. ¡°I¡¯ll make my way to the office for the papers. Just sit tight.¡± She went out the door and Mike relocked it. Mike looked perplexed as he leaned on the door, ¡°I might be losing it from the stale bagel and bland coffee this morning for breakfast, but does it seem odd to you she¡¯s acting so normal in comparison to everybody else?¡± Scott and I nodded. ¡°She always acts this way,¡± I shrugged, ¡°but this is sounding too¡­ accepting.¡± ¡°I see, but what about how she sees you? To me it tips me off that something strange happened to her before she came.¡± Scott shifted his weight, ¡°This might be wrong, but what if those agents got to her first?¡± Complex questions with no way of answering. A nervous feeling swept through me that Scott might be on to something. She came in scared to death and falling, then all a sudden she turns normal and completely accepting for who we are? My tail got the message and already it wrapped around my right leg. ¡°Terrific,¡± Keeji grumbled. ¡°We really have no one to trust.¡± ¡°What do we do now? What can we do?¡± I asked. Scott folded his arms and went into deep thought, ¡°We can¡¯t leave without a ride, we don¡¯t know what¡¯s waiting for us, our landlord might be on the agent¡¯s side, and by the second, more and more people don¡¯t like where the world is going. All I can think of is pack our things and wait.¡± I nodded, ¡°I think it is best to get the gun out, honey.¡± Scott nodded in agreement. Arana coughed, but the tone made us pay attention. ¡°Yes, but you have to reconsider the possibilities.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°How can you be sure that a gun can protect you?¡± Arana asked. ¡°The world is turning into a dangerous place, humans turning violent over illogical motives. I fear that if we leave the safety of this building, we are at greater risk not making it home.¡± I gulped and she continued. ¡°With that in mind we must rethink our strategy.¡± I didn¡¯t get what she was referring to, or maybe I did, so I let her speak. Arana shook her wings. ¡°Remember what I said, about not talking about the magic part?¡± I nodded. ¡°Well, lately I¡¯ve been recalling what I read from the new book in our Inner Sanctum. Some writings are daunting by comparison, even gruesome and was afraid of even telling you its secrets.¡± ¡°Wait a minute, back up,¡± Scott stopped her. ¡°Are you talking about the book on the pedestal?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s in your Inner Sanctum, but by your understanding, it seems so,¡± Arana nodded. ¡°That book appeared the second the orb hit you, Katie, and I spent several hours skimming the complex pages. One detail I remember is how I can get back into your mind.¡± Keeji¡¯s ears perked and looked happy. ¡°And how are you gonna do that?¡± Mike stole the words from me. ¡°Like this.¡± Arana opened her wings and jumped right at me like a hawk would to tear my stomach apart. I shrieked, shielded myself from her, and Scott was about to pull me away. Is she crazy? I cowered in terror, but I didn¡¯t feel the sharp talons on my skin or the high pitch hawk screech. Feeling lost, I opened my eyes. Arana had stopped mid-flight and began to glow instantly with white and blue light, the same as what she was made of. Her body lost shape and writhed into a single stream of blue light, aimed towards my body. I backed up and fell; but I felt the energy enter my chest, almost like an electrical shock, but not enough to cause pain. All the light entered me and the feeling went away. ¡°Katie, what happened? You alright?¡± Scott and Mike knelt beside me. ¡°I-I think so.¡± My heart was beating so fast, and when I looked down I found no marks on my clothes. Keeji came walked over to us and looked all over me for traces of Arana. ¡°I have got to sit down with her and learn this shit,¡± he joked. Then I jumped when I heard her voice again, it boomed in my head in total surround sound. Everything is fine, I¡¯m back in your head, Arana said. Strange, that portal wasn¡¯t there before. Now where did that book go? I kept looking for the source, but to them it must have looked like I was losing my mind. ¡°Do you guys hear her?¡± I asked. Scott blinked. ¡°Hear what?¡± Found it. Now let¡¯s see if this works. The feeling around my chest started again, and I looked down as small electrical pricks tickled my skin. Streams of energy began to form over me, then without warning, the pricks became surges of energy. Light burst out of me and flew in streams at Mike. He dodged the light as it hit the wall by the dinner table, then fell on it with a loud thud. The light cleared to reveal a very thick book, it looked old, weathered, and was sealed tight by a lock. Another wave of energy filled me as Arana came out; she collected herself over the same chair. Her familiar red-tailed hawk shape returned and the light dissipated, the Celtic tattoo on her chest dimmed from blue to black, and her eyes opened to the same glow as before, ¡°Honestly, I thought it would never work.¡± ¡°Never work?¡± Scott yelled. ¡°You attacked Katie without warning you jerk!¡± ¡°Pish Posh. If it didn¡¯t work, I would¡¯ve punished myself.¡± As the two fought, and Keeji just maintained a dumb stare at the spectacle, I got up and looked at the book. I held my breath the whole time; it was textbook size by comparison to anything I had ever owned. The hard cover felt like leather, dyed to a deep red color. On the front and over the spine were detailed borders and symbols of Celtic artistry. It was locked tight with a chrome lock that needed an old fashioned key to open, but after looking carefully at the lock, I saw that it had the same symbol as my pendent. If I was right, and asked the right questions to Arana, then the red leather book was my personal spellbook. The question was, does the book have my entire collection of magical knowledge from fairy tales and mysticism texts in my trunk back home, or something different entirely? The two kept talking, and I spoke, ¡°Scott, hold up, look at this.¡± He stopped and looked over to the book. ¡°Wait a minute. Mine looks totally different from hers.¡± Arana turned and jumped down to the table from the chair. ¡°From the look in your eyes, Katie, it seems that you know exactly what it is.¡± I nodded slowly saying, ¡°It is a spellbook. Isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You can touch it if you like.¡± I extended my hand to the book and grazed my fingers over the three-dimensional designs. When my fingers touched the lock, a spark erupted from my fingertips and the lock opened with a loud click. I pulled my hand back and didn¡¯t see any scorch marks on my fingers. ¡°That was freaky,¡± I exclaimed. My heart was beating hard with anticipation; I was ready to be caught in Scott¡¯s strong arms. He even took the words right out of my mouth. ¡°This has got to be the next craziest thing I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Scott blinked. Keeji made his way between us, still quiet. ¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± Mike added. Arana jumped on the book before I opened it. ¡°And more will come. There are things in here I want to review very carefully before you read them, which means we need to make a deal. To make this as smooth as possible, packing your valuables is important. We need to leave in case there is trouble. Once the packing is done, we will get together and understand what this book explains. What do you say?¡± At first I wanted to push Arana away, grab the book, hide in the closet, and read until my eyes hurt. She was making a deal with me and Scott and I didn¡¯t like being prevented to learn. At a time when another mob might be coming for us again, we just had one gun and one magazine. She was right¡ªwe had no other way to protect ourselves. I said, ¡°If you say so, guess I can wait for a while.¡± ¡°Ah, Katie,¡± Scott said, ¡°are you sure you want to agree to this? I mean, oh come on, you know me that I never liked magic. For me this is too much. It might be a trap.¡± Keeji huffed and looked up, ¡°Oh come on my butt, I¡¯m more interested than you. I¡¯m ready to find out how to merge back.¡± Scott rolled his eyes. ¡°I vote for packing then learning,¡± I said. ¡°You have to admit, she is smart.¡± ¡°But how smart? Sometimes she¡¯s calling all the shots,¡± Scott told me. ¡°Doesn¡¯t bother me. She is my guide you know, a part of me. At least let Keeji learn so he can shut up about it.¡± Keeji smiled. Mike leaned a hand on the table, taking consideration, ¡°Whatever she says is true. All we¡¯re doing is bickering about the possibility that magic exists. That transformation might just be the tip of the iceberg. And Ashley¡­¡± He paused after mentioning his wife. ¡°Might as well stick around and understand what I¡¯m running into.¡± ¡°So is it settled then?¡± Arana asked. I looked at all four of them. Scott¡ªnot believing this¡ªbut had doubts of going through the plan. Keeji¡¯s tail, wagging and thumping against the floor, showed his eagerness to do the same ¡°merge move¡± as Arana. Mike was fighting to believe in all this, and by his eyes wondering if he would do the same once he got his tattoo. There was only one answer. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°Let¡¯s do it. Scott, help me with the boxes in the closet.¡± I felt like I was in control of myself, eager to complete my task. Scott nodded and followed. ¡°Alright then. Keeji, stay with me. You need to study too. I have a feeling Scott¡¯s book is the same as Katie¡¯s,¡± Arana told Keeji as she jumped off the book and opened to the first page. Keeji jumped on the chair and became Arana¡¯s temporary student. ¡°Might as well help out too,¡± Mike said. It was like we were back to our original plan from yesterday, even though there are two animals reading a book in the living room while Scott, Mike, and I pack whatever we brought last summer. I thought of something important and pulled my cell phone out. I had a feeling they had to call us sooner or later, so to ease their pain I texted Robert. Sorry for not calling. Still freaked out from last night. Don¡¯t call me yet, I¡¯ll call you. Tell Mom and Dad I¡¯m sorry for lying. Give us more time. I hit send and a few minutes later Robert replied: You better. Chapter 10 Nova Company Battleship Endeavor Cruiser Supply Dock 74DIQ, Home to the Rusty Dagger Pub, Creos 11:09 AM Terra Firma Pacific Time I slammed my hands on my desk, the monitors barely shook from my frustration. ¡°Listen here, secretary, I know we haven¡¯t had good terms getting to know each other but this is important. This message must reach Trygo, your boss, immediately.¡± One of the things that I dislike about my friend is that I have to deal with too many security checks to speak with him. No matter how many government officials know about Nova Company, I have to follow protocol. I don¡¯t blame them; everybody else in the Republic has too. ¡°It is a matter of galactic security and you sir are ignoring it all.¡± ¡°Captain Secambre, there is no need to raise your voice. He is in a closed-off meeting right now. I cannot guarantee you that he will get it,¡± the male Grimlac insectiod stated plainly. I had trouble pronouncing his seven syllable name. ¡°The fact stands that if you don¡¯t restrain yourself, things will go sour for you.¡± He was on the center monitor on my desk, hunched over with his antennas twitching in annoyance with me. I stood with my patience wearing thin. ¡°Well if you don¡¯t get it to him in three seconds, I will send my top gunslingers to get his attention. Now do it. I¡¯ll call back in half an hour to make sure.¡± The sections of armor on his face shifted to express his frustration. Before he spoke I shut down the call and the monitor went blank. My heart was racing and my head was pulsing with tension. Reaching my friend for the past fifteen hours was grueling and¡ª ¡°I need a drink,¡± I said in my empty cabin. Feeling my legs give way I sat back in my chair and tried to calm down. First rubbing my large forehead, then reaching for the glass of liquor. It was down in one gulp, my cheeks twitched and my throat burned from the alcohol. The aftertaste was berries and caramelized sugar. The strong cocktail is the Endeavor¡¯s special brew¡ªRed Stuff¡ªmade on premise in the galley, but not suited for continuous consumption, although its strength calmed me down from after my outbursts. People are confused about what Nova Company really does for a living from our limited appearances in the media. Critics label us, sometimes, as a bunch of mercenaries, unwanted former soldiers and officers, and renegades who take missions that official military groups consider risky. In other words, missions that would get the official groups¡¯ hands a little too dirty. They also say we have no form of discipline or mental control when we go to war. What a ridiculous excuse. I will clear the confusion right now. Nova Company is a privately owned and funded covert-ops military battle group that is composed of individuals from a variety of backgrounds and species, a mix of magical and non-magical soldiers and officers. We perform high-risk missions such as covert takedowns, dictator exterminations, reconnaissance for strategy intelligence, isolated battles in space and planet surface, and get a chance to fight alongside the Republic Army. Whatever the media says, they are far from the truth. We recruit runaways, military dropouts, and the shutdowns for a second chance in their career, depending on certain factors. We remold them to be better than before and have a better life, but we also acquire newcomers with no military background. For our ranks, we look for talented and skilled individuals in mortal or magical combat, engineering, sorcery, summoning¡ªanybody you can think of from both sides of the spectrum, including the bioluminescent Beden noble wizards. Once sworn in, they train at our main base, Quisal, the terra-formed moon in the Qualdan system, in ways of strict discipline, self-control, weapons training, spell casting, and anything in between. Grueling work in order to be the best; thirty percent of new recruits fail the entrance qualifications, ten percent fail basic training, and another ten percent for suffering injuries. The rest are Nova soldiers. I intentionally made it that hard, and that¡¯s why we are the most respected and difficult to join. Of course they have to make it to their chosen class. Gunslingers are our equivalent to basic soldiers; either magic or non-magic, they are trained to use weapons to the highest efficiency on the battlefield. Jaruka Teal is a gunslinger, and a sword wielder too by his personal request. Wizards, sorcerers, and summoners are our magic-only classes, but are required to have a physical weapon as well. Engineers, medics, pilots, and commanders are stationed in the ships and carriers, as well as on the battlefield. Shadow walkers, like Commander Nodus Kantra, are our special-ops class, the hybrid between magic and non-magic beings, unique to Nova. They are put through three years of training and a dangerous procedure to become a being of shadow. Everybody else works on the ships just like any crew would. We don¡¯t fool around when a mission is active, even the planning of Jaruka¡¯s rescue from Terra Firma, but off-mission, the crew and soldiers get loose, relax, and obviously party hard. Can¡¯t have a great battle group without shaking out the cumulated stress. Peledan Beach was Endeavor¡¯s last break before leaving, and we paid for the damages. Besides the admirals taking care of the political aspects and watching over twelve thousand souls within the fleet, I myself am the grand architect. I like to be on the field of battle, not in the admiral¡¯s chambers. It makes me aware of what my battle group does for a living. It¡¯s been operational for fifty years and I¡¯ll be damned if it collapses on itself or is taken from me. I opened my eyes from the short fury of my drink to spin in my seat and look out at the space station. The Endeavor and the Assassin were docked at a military supply market, one of many for the crew to grab items. This particular dock has a popular watering hole the crew likes. I encourage them to supply most of their gear for ¡°personal¡± ways to fight, as long as it complies with Nova Company regulations. Both magical and technological they can get anything from concussion crystals, handheld pistols and rifles, enchanted pendants, high-explosive grenades, potions, and unique armor add-ons. I ordered them to stock up on armor to deflect projectile weapons of what the archives detail about the human¡¯s arsenal. Who knows what else the humans created the last time the surveyors passed by the planet. A window into the market was opened to me and I saw supply crates, merchant tents, food stalls, and species of different sizes and shapes. Other ships were docked too. Two docks down was an Alendalzen cargo cruiser made entirely out of a tree and powered by magic. Stick around, it gets weirder. A bleep on my desk alerted me. It was from Irna. ¡°Secambre, sir, Captain Obi has arrived,¡± Irna said through the intercom. ¡°Be cautious, he¡¯s¡­ hey don¡¯t¡­ let go of that¡­¡± I heard scuffling and Obi¡¯s voice screeched through, ¡°Let me inside, Brill, before I blow that door down!¡± That¡¯s what I get for waking him up in the middle of his meditation; he turns bitter and cranky. A nice faerie by the way, you just have to watch it when he is on a rampage. Sure makes me wonder if the recruiters hired him for his knowledge in aerial combat, or his attitude to boost moral towards the pilots. I sighed, ¡°Come in, Obi, I was expecting you.¡± A loud bang made the intercom go silent. The door hissed open, making me turn to face Obi, and I braced braced myself for his foul mood. When it comes to enrolling new recruits, we care deeply on their strengths, how educated they are, body structure for physical checks, magic systems, the works. Essentially it comes down to one notion: if you can carry a gun or magical weapon and go through enough mental condition to not fall from the pressures of war, or faint from the sight of blood, you might survive a raid or two. Personality on the other hand is out of our control. We get what we paid for. For Captain Gorin Obi, a Mezen faerie of the Mezani star system, his foot tall and thin body is great for tight crawl spaces, but we all have to deal with his attitude, even though he knows how to command an aerial attack close to an A.I. while on a hangover. Obi flew in my quarters quickly before I set my glass down on the desk. His four wings shined a deep red, a magical side effect for displaying his current mood. They change when he¡¯s happy, asleep, or something else entirely. His green uniform was clean and he was not wearing his hat, showing off his bald scalp covered in ritualistic tattoos. He landed on my desk with his tripodic legs thumping on the glass. ¡°I knew it. I knew it,¡± he blared. ¡°I knew that greedy good for nothing dread head was going to slip up sooner or later.¡± He had a certain dominance on my desk from his foot-tall stature, but I out rank him even though we both are captains. ¡°Calm down, Obi. He had every intention to reject the job, but you have to admit, he had his reasons. He¡¯s not greedy, just out of the job three months before.¡± ¡°Spare me the lecture, Brill, there was work. Lieutenant Benis was recruiting new gunslingers and Jaruka rejected the job before he left. I suppose you ran a background check on his so called ¡®client¡¯?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, several times. Jaruka contracted under a wealthy Gnogal executive, Benali. He works a survey group, but hires outsiders to conduct the surveys with Benali¡¯s supplied technology. I had to do a little more digging when he accepted. You know this.¡± Obi started strolling from one end of my three monitors to the other, ¡°From the wrinkles on your head, you had no such luck I bet.¡± ¡°Exactly. Everything ended with the asteroid. Nothing in the media of its existence. It just¡­ showed up. Jaruka still couldn¡¯t figure it out until¡­ it was too late.¡± My feet twitched, recalling my experience after thinking that Jaruka was killed by human gunfire. ¡°Beyond what his record said, I ran into a wall on Benali¡¯s past. The company disappeared. I wish Lieutenant Wringheart was here to help, had to send a team to find her.¡± ¡°Serves him right. This is what ghost companies do, Secambre. They hire people off from space and they screw them in a way to not leave a trail. I¡¯ve seen these happen before, Jaruka should¡¯ve come to me instead of you. They probably withdrawn Jaruka¡¯s savings already and made a break for it.¡± He then flipped my empty glass and sat on it, without caring to ask for permission. ¡°Can¡¯t believe that idiot took the job.¡± No doubt he was fed up with Jaruka, he never liked him. Not because Jaruka beats him all the time at cards, but to Obi¡¯s culture, Halcunacs tend to be the loose end on diplomatic affairs. I think it¡¯s the height issue. ¡°Jaruka sent me copies of the survey reports all the time,¡± I continued. ¡°No fluctuations in data until the last one before he crashed on the planet¡¯s surface. I have it up right now, been reviewing it while contacting my friend on the surface.¡± I grabbed the left most monitor and turned it towards Obi. He leaned over and squinted at the digital read-out. ¡°I understand most of it: a shift in gravity and a few trails of electromagnetic energy, but everything else is gibberish. I have another team examining it closely.¡± Obi kept looking at it. ¡°Irna and that new comm. girl briefed me, and I¡¯m unfamiliar with geology. Magic might cause it but I can¡¯t pin point any trails of energy from the spatial spectrum matrix. Who else knows of this?¡± ¡°Just this ship and yours. I want to keep the chatter isolated from the rest of the fleet and the admirals, even the galaxy.¡± The faerie chuckled. ¡°Admiral Balthazar will get you for this.¡± His wings changed color for half a second. ¡°That rust bucket ship of his must be scrapped to parts by now and studied by those pollution breathers.¡± His species is easily sensitive to air pollution. Whenever he goes, somewhere of industrial boom or not, he wears a hazard suit shaped as a bubble etched with levitation magic. ¡°Still,¡± he continued, ¡°that legend when humans go bloodthirsty seeing extraterrestrials seems pretty close to being true or not. Not that I want to see that.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s the reason why we are rescuing him from the humans before he becomes their test subject and humans adapt the Lunar Spear into their technology.¡± He turned around to face me with hard eyes. ¡°Any idea they already started? He might be dead already.¡± I shook my head disagreeing with him, ¡°He¡¯s not. His vital signs have been steady the whole time. The humans aren¡¯t aware of the nanotechnology. Decathan says the tranquilizer in his system is dissolving and he will be waking up soon. I have a hunch they will put him under again.¡± Obi nodded, ¡°Decathan¡¯s invention is amazing I say. So what¡¯s this plan to get him out?¡± I didn¡¯t have one, I had Kantra coming up with a draft for the War Room, but I briefed him more than the plan. I had gained access to the Republic¡¯s survey program in charge of watching over planets under the PCP Act, including Red Flagged. It turns out that after the asteroid struck the planet, all Slipspace and Hyperspace transmissions from the unmanned relay station on their single moon suddenly went dark. The cause was still unknown. I figured it would take them a while to get approval to enter protected space, investigate the cause, and repair it. Besides reminding him of the rescue, Jaruka might be considered a traitor to galactic law, and he might be marked for public execution. My heart felt heavy after mentioning that theory. Obi stood up from the glass and looked away, out towards the station. His wings changed color again for a second. ¡°Brill, I understand what will happen if they gain control of that technology. I hate those humans as much as you, and afraid if they could never be stopped, but I never trusted Corporal Teal, nor even liked his attitude and unorthodox gunslinger style, and not to mention his own people sheltering themselves more and more these days.¡± Most of the recruits in Nova hate him, but a lot like him too. We treat him as a brother with a troubled and shadowed childhood. I know where he came from and the culture he grew up in so I rarely talk about it. It brings up too much drama, and drama kills. ¡°But he is a good strategist in covert missions and ground tactics on planets. One good read of the land¡¯s geology and he can use it as a weapon without any prior knowledge. That is rare considering its impossible to recruit Halcunac warriors at this time. After all, he comes, fights with us, and goes off for his own work.¡± ¡°Like what? After he does have jobs, he spends most of his time in his ship glassblowing and selling his work in markets.¡± He paused. ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is how the golden prairie sake did he get approval to enter Protected space, or knows so much about Terra Firma?¡± Obi got me; I had to tell him. I sighed, ¡°Back when he was in the Academy. One of his favorite fields was culture psychology. Pre-First Contact worlds interested him the most. He made reports and scenarios of how they commence First Contact, depending on evolutionary charts and social status. Apparently Terra Firma was, and still, his most interested subject, and the most hated.¡± The fearie squinted at me after I mentioned the last word. ¡°Does that seem a little coincidental they chose him just on that?¡± ¡°Apparently, not without solid evidence besides the reports.¡± I got up and headed to the small wet bar to pour another glass of the strong elixir. ¡°But have you given any thought what will happen if we don¡¯t rescue him, Gorin?¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°No, not for a second. All I want is that big guy against the Council for performing this selfish stunt and move on.¡± As I filled my glass, a small drop escaped from the pitcher, floating in mid air without gravity¡¯s grip. It flew past me and to Obi, where he magically controlled the drop and it landed in the glass he had previously shrunk behind my back. I slid the wet bar back into the wall and walked back to the desk. ¡°Don¡¯t be so self-centered. Hear me out. Once somebody finds out what is happening, they will look over his records, including the recipients, meaning us. They will also put us under trail for conspiring with a man committing treason, if they go that far.¡± I sat back in my chair and the glass came an inch from my small mouth. ¡°He will get the death sentence and Nova Company will pay the same price, leaving everybody out of the job or in prison.¡± Obi¡¯s face was like stone. He has been part of Nova for seven years and he loves his job, whether or not he admits it, his eyes displayed that losing his job was out of the question. ¡°And where does that leave you, the brains behind Nova¡¯s existence?¡± He asked while swirling his drink to bring out the aroma. ¡°I stand right next to Jaruka for the firing squad.¡± I stared down at the floor, picking out the subtle patterns and imperfections of the tile, ¡°I¡¯d rather not leave Jaruka there and suffer, nor do I want Nova to die. It¡¯s something I can¡¯t bear to loose, not this time, not when humans have the means to reach the stars.¡± I took a long drink, emptying the glass and let the alcohol and spices cringe my throat for a five-second ride. Obi looked at his, wings changing color to a relaxing hue. It¡¯s hard persuading others to be on my side of things, no matter what rank they are. I had Obi by the ears, but will he cooperate when our plan becomes a reality? He took a small sip and his cheeks puckered, coughing afterwards. ¡°Wow,¡± he said regaining his senses. ¡°That¡¯s some strong stuff.¡± ¡°Fermented mushroom schnapps with spices from the Whitepebble Beach Groves. The best stuff before a firefight.¡± My species has an opposite reaction to alcohol, we use it as a medicinal potion for relieving stress and chronic headaches. ¡°Honestly I never like this stuff. You and your assault types.¡± I chuckled and set my empty glass on the desk. He did too and reverted the glass back to normal size. ¡°So, why do you need the Assassin for this mission?¡± His put his hands on his hips, just above his three legs. ¡°You¡¯re the closest Nova vessel capable of aerial defense. This ship needs protection once we¡¯re in the atmosphere. Did anything get damaged from the last one?¡± I was referring to the take down mission before Jaruka lost contact. ¡°Engineer¡¯s report one star fighter destroyed, pilot survived, and several with minor damages. We¡¯re full on ammunition and supplies. So since I¡¯m with you, might as well wait for orders.¡± ¡°Good, good, because when we have everything on my ship we will head to the fuel docks while we are in the War Room. Will you be here for the time being?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll inform my crew of my absence and carry out their orders, and to be following you on this hair-brain scheme.¡± I nodded. An icon of an incoming call flashed on the monitor, and I smiled at the ID and personal emblem. ¡°Oh, and since this involves a Red Flagged planet under the Act, I managed to send a message to an informant so to gain permission to enter restricted space. He will be joining us as well.¡± Obi¡¯s stance shifted to let me answer. ¡°And who might that be? A lowlife with forged permits?¡± He asked. The call window materialized revealing a Creosion face covered in quills and longer ones along the sides of his face. He looked tired from either the last Council trial or maybe he had stayed up all night again from work, the quills drooped from all three white eyes as a result of any taxing work. The man I roomed with during my university years has been my secret weapon for political affairs and all things law. ¡°This is Councilman Trygo Denverbay,¡± he introduced himself. ¡°Ah, greetings Brill, it¡¯s been a long time since we spoke.¡± His voice made me think that he had eaten a megaphone set to high bass. Obi saw him and made a high shriek, tripping where he stood. It is common for people to be scared of Council members. ¡°Same here, Trygo, same here,¡± I said with a big smile. ¡°Might I suggest getting a new secretary, took me a while to break him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that.¡± Denverbay looked away; I assume that he glared hard at his secretary. ¡°De¡­ De¡­ Denverbay?!¡± Obi stuttered in fear as he tried to speak, ¡°You¡¯re bringing the Hammer into this? He could shut Nova down!¡± ¡°I¡¯m flattered you now my nickname, little faerie,¡± Denverbay answered, looking straight at him. ¡°Obi,¡± I pulled his attention back to me, ¡°leave us in privacy.¡± He did, without arguing. Obi looked at the monitor, and then to me, expressing the same face the bridge gave me. Shaking in his uniform he unfurled his wings colored deep copper and flew out of my quarters. The door hissed open slightly and closed. Denverbay let out a short breath, ¡°This better be good for pulling me away from my job.¡± ¡°Sorry about that, Trygo, but whatever it is can wait. This, my friend, is more important.¡± I leaned back in my chair. ¡°Shall I start at the beginning or summarize?¡±
San Bernardino Mountains Over 11 miles west of Big Bear Lake, California 12:17 PM It felt like seconds in the dark, but between the gas-filled fog the day before to the time I woke up, I was aware that I still hated my life. What was in that stuff? I didn¡¯t feel lost, lethargic, or suffered from minor amnesia. Once the stuff cleared my system I screamed at myself, without making a sound, that humans had captured me. Awareness came back that I was in a moving truck (that¡¯s what they call their civilian cargo vehicles, right?), my body was unbound and spread on the floor like a rag doll, and two human guards were mouthing off in useless chatter. ¡°Can¡¯t wait ¡®till this shit ends,¡± Guard One sighed, young and not broken in. ¡°I¡¯m tellin¡¯ you, once this crap has blown over, me and my girl are moving to Florida.¡± He laughed and a clunking sound followed. Metal against wood. ¡°I seriously hope, pal,¡± Guard Two said; his voice was higher but held age, annoying me. ¡°Might as well kill yourself to leave the army. We¡¯re mere inches from touching big green. We are in this for life, buddy, so get used to it.¡± I heard Guard One make a displeased sound. ¡°Screw you, we¡¯re doing it. I don¡¯t care if they shank me in the middle of a nightclub. This¡­ right here, is too much, man. Too. Much.¡± Man they need to shut up. Before this I had actually woken up an hour ago, but played dead to not gain attention. Their chatter felt like knives to my brain. Mostly all they talked about was useless. Nothing about the asteroid, or military action, or who their leaders are, or how they survived the asteroid strike. Not even their names. They ¡®acted¡¯ like it was a minor occurrence and I came an opportune time to ruin their day. I wanted to shut those two pricks up, I¡¯d had enough. I opened my eyes for the first time into the interior of the truck. Two guards had their backs facing me, holding onto the parallel shelves on either side to restrict swaying to the truck¡¯s turns. I couldn¡¯t see what was up there. It was a few feet wider than my workshop but with bare walls, wicked looking metal brackets under the shelves, and two fluorescent tube lights above for the only light. The guards were covered head to toe in black ops gear with face masks and blacked-out goggles. Each carried a side arm and a projectile rifle, M4-Carbine from Archive specs, assuming Guard One used his as a cane, the barrel against the wood flooring. Casual conversation¡ªnothing of human military fashion or discipline. Okay, big guy, I thought, your tolerance with these monsters is over. Get your ass up and wreak havoc. Guard Two turned to me and I closed my eyes. My eye closest to the floor and out of sight was left open. His mask and goggles irritated me. ¡°Wanna see if this freak is still breathing? He did suck down more chloroform gas than they thought,¡± he asked his partner. ¡°We have our orders, pal. One mark on his body from us and were toast.¡± Guard Two shook his head, maybe rolling his eyes, and went back to his normal mood, ¡°Killed in a club my ass.¡± I¡¯ll be making the marks you crogers. I blinked as I saw my chance of escape. Guard Two had a long knife strapped on his thigh in its own sheath. Thoughts popped into my head me that I could use it. He went back to his friend, still talking of useless crap, but I began moving my body without silently. If there was one thing to be learned from sparingly hanging out with Kantra and his band of shadow walkers, it¡¯s how to be smooth and decisive, ready to make a kill. The wood felt old against my fingers. I took shallow, quiet breaths to get my legs under me, prone to pounce. The truck made a sharp, uphill turn to make me lean on one leg to not roll. The guards seem to be unaffected by the shift of gravity when the truck shifted gears. I had to be careful to not step on the floor wrong. I extended my right hand, but from my mind, a random but insane idea came up. Why was I unbound? Nothing seemed right from how they treated prisoners of war. The lights, the guards, the truck¡ªnothing wasn¡¯t what I¡¯ve read about humans matched. I should be tied to a flagpole and be burned for not following ¡°God¡¯s image.¡± The two dunderheads still haven¡¯t said anything useful, but kept on the distraction for me. They could be diverting from the truth because of it. Aware of my presence and they were ordered to irritate me with useless words. Maybe they are using an undisclosed tactic the Archives never recorded, one that is crafted for space travelers. Maybe¡­ Screw it, no more stalling. My hand kept going for the handle of the knife. It looked like it was tight against the sheath but a strap ran through the bottom and around his leg to prevent jerking. I counted to three before I ripped the knife out, a glimmer of stainless steel against fluorescent light. Guard One jerked his head from the sudden feeling, but I screamed and shoved the knife in his back, piercing skin, muscle, and his kidney. He belched an ear-piercing yell, but I gripped his chin, twisted his head to the left, and broke his neck. His body fell to the floor in a heap. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Guard Two yelled as he pointed his M4 at me. With quick action I pushed the gun away and pinned him to the wall. Too afraid to fight or too stunned, he pulled the trigger and the cocking action sent bullets through the roof as I dodged from the line of fire. My ear holes rang and the smell of urine and gunpowder filled the air, but that didn¡¯t stop me. I balled my right hand into a fist, sailed it to his stomach to knock the air out, and then I started pounding his face. First at his nose with a loud crunch, then angled six solid hits at his lower jaw, his finger leaving the trigger. The bone cracked as it was rendered to rubble. One smash to the temple ended it and he fell as lifeless mass. ¡°Next time, be more creative with your conversations, you almost made me puke!¡± I yelled. I didn¡¯t care of their dead bodies heard me, I wanted their souls to. The truck suddenly stopped, I gripped on the shelf to not fall. I heard a rattling behind me, turned, and saw my rifle and sword sliding towards me. ¡°Galvanto, come to daddy.¡± Those idiots left my weapons in the same vehicle I was in. What sort of game are they playing? No matter, just get them and make a break for it. A window into the driver¡¯s cabin was shaded but I did see I was still in the snow-covered mountains. Two humans were there, scrambling to get out, followed by one human screaming into a communication device on the other side of the wall. ¡°Stop, stop! Big green is awake, I repeat, big green is awake!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right, I am awake,¡± I said, ¡°and I¡¯m mad as hell.¡± The sword, still in its sheath, went on my back. I looped my rifle¡¯s strap over me. More vehicles outside screeched to a halt on their rubber wheels, doors slammed and guns loading to fire at the truck. It was my guess, but I had a way to cause confusion. Under my rifle, just above the handle, I pressed the button that activates the rifle¡¯s custom feature, cannon mode. The wide barrel came apart in its own magnetic field and widen, they slowly circulate around a glass cylinder. Each section had its own magnetic generator to triple the power of the plasma. All it takes is three plasma bullets and a careful shot. I aimed the transformed weapon directly at the double doors kneeling. ¡°Alright you monsters, let¡¯s see how you handle this.¡± Shouting happened outside. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot unless it is necessary,¡± a woman ordered. ¡°We need him alive. You there, open the doors.¡± I heard the sucker say, ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± and hurried. I flipped the switch for the generator to charge, feeling the warmth on my arm and hearing it hum. I loaded three plasma bullets. Green light formed at the open barrel. Someone cut the fluorescent lights, leaving me in a haze of green light. I heard metal pound and the doors creaked open. Once I saw a vertical line of white light, black cars all in a caravan, several military vehicles, and one poor gas masked soul pulling the doors open, I gripped the gun tighter, pulled the trigger, and with all my fury screamed, ¡°EAT THIS!¡± Lightning circled around and inside the cylinder and a giant green plasma ball erupted, the jerk almost made me slide back. It sailed at the soldier, obliterating everything above his waist, then passed into the first black vehicle, then the next, and the next, and the next. By then the plasma destroyed four of them with the fifth blowing up in a shower of melting metal. Shockwaves hit me as well as the soldiers. ¡°Move dammit,¡± I ordered myself. I flung the gun behind me, the strap tightening for a secure grip on my chest, and off I went. ¡°Escape, take two.¡± My eyes stung from the outside light and the bright snow. The fire made me sweat but I felt better from the winter air. I saw humans getting up and shaking their heads, but I had no time to let them find me. The road was carved into the mountain and the truck stopped next to a cliff protected by a metal shield held by wooden blocks. I looked down and it was too steep for a safe getaway. ¡°Screw that idea.¡± I looked to the other side and it was another cliff of the same angle, but had trees and rocks sticking out of the snow. ¡°Might as well head up.¡± ¡°Stop him, he must not escape,¡± a female voice said behind me. My boots made contact with the snow-covered ground and I dashed by a fallen tree¡­and a purple crystal? I jumped up and began my ascent until bullet¡¯s started pinging against the rocks, many muffled by the snow. My heart pounded. ¡°Keep your focus, keep moving, and don¡¯t stop.¡± Looking at the top of the cliff I figured it was a hundred feet, maybe double. I had to get away, I had to be safe for a rescue team. There was only that¡ªsafety. The snow made me slip a few times, but then I used the trees and exposed rocks for grip, now fully camouflaged in the thick brush. I ducked behind a wide tree for safety and to catch my breath as the bullets flew passed me, they seem to lesson as I went out of sight. I peered to the side when I saw soldiers climb after me, but suddenly they stopped in their tracks and jerked around like robots. None continued to pursue me. ¡°What the¡­,¡± I said but then I found out why. All the soldiers stared at one soldier in the midst of the demolished cars, flailing his arms and screaming like a lunatic. He took off his¡­ I mean, her mask and goggles. Her face expressed excruciating pain and agony, and certainly none of my doing because she seemed unhurt. She collapsed on the street, covering her abdomen with her arms as if she¡¯s suffering from a major stomachache. ¡°Oh, God, please stop it,¡± she screamed. Sh2e was the first human I¡¯ve seen without concealment, and from her auburn hair cut to a buzz and her face of a city girl, I understood she wasn¡¯t bred for war. It was more like she belonged in a pricy house than pulling the trigger. She began undoing her bulletproof vest, jacket, and lifted her shirt. I thought I was getting a show, but what I saw was something I¡¯ve never seen before, something no human should ever have. ¡°Great Goddess of Beleredes!¡± On her flat stomach was a tattoo, but it was forming under her skin. The skin covering it was boiling like magma. She fell on her back wreathing in pain as the skin was falling off and revealing a blue and white marble tattoo. The glowing design was recognizable but meaningless. As much as I can describe it looked like a tangle of lines followed by a whirlpool symbol circling her navel. She gasped and blinked at her surroundings, but her face showed a different expression. Not of a battle driven warrior or a crazed maniac bent to kill every man around her, she showed fear like an innocent little girl. Yeah, I said it, innocence, from a human. ¡°Wha-what is this? Where am I?¡± She said in a soft and sweet voice. ¡°Like, why am I wearing this stuff? Oh God, did I survive a car crash or something?¡± She kept asking more questions to the soldiers as they stood like statues. I developed an odd fascination with her. Her emotions were new to me, and new from my understanding of them. They never expressed that kind of fear, ever. What sort of game are they playing? Is it a game? From the burning cars, a woman in a black pressed suit walked out. From my height I had trouble noticing her looks, but definitely a thin woman with blond hair bound in a loose ponytail behind her head, but had a powerful stride. Her face was young and like stone. The woman approached, looming over the girl with her hands on her hips. ¡°Please,¡± the female soldier pleaded, ¡°please tell me what¡¯s happening? Where¡¯s my hubby? What is going on?¡± Blondie just stared at her, not speaking. Then in a blink of an eye she pulled out her side arm, a black pistol too big for her, and fired. The girl never had a chance. Blood and brains blew on the other side of the girl¡¯s head and on the street. A clean bullet hole centered on her forehead with a face locked in confusion. The strange tattoo on the corpse faded to pitch black. ¡°That¡¯s new,¡± I said. Blondie must¡¯ve heard me as she whipped the gun towards the cliff and fired a single bullet. She didn¡¯t look up, just kept staring at the corps. Fire exploded in my right shoulder and almost lost my grip on the tree. Trying not to fall I looked and saw a hole through my tunic, blood already spilled out. I turned back to Blondie and she was looking at me with a playful smile. ¡°Crack shot,¡± I whispered. She fired again, hitting the same spot. Unheard of, but I saw stars. From two bullets lodged in my shoulder, the white-hot pain was enough to cause me to lose my balance. I guess from my vantage point I was a good thirty feet above the street. I rolled down, hitting trees, bushes, hidden crystals, and rocks. It felt like I was being punched by a drunk Tisano ocean angler, the ones using all ten of its limbs, wielding clubs. I finally came to rest on a fallen tree, my face buried in the snow. I groaned and I tried to get up, but was impossible. I heard heavy boots crunching on the snow, then two pairs of feet coming towards me, not wearing boots. I was in too much pain to make a fuss. ¡°Jessica, I thought you said he was bound to the truck,¡± a deep male voice said. At least I found out one human¡¯s name. Guess it¡¯s Blondie. ¡°Don¡¯t be a pushover, Roland, this was my idea. You wouldn¡¯t approve anyway.¡± Assuming Jessica was talking, her voice was that of a leader. I recognized the accent as Eastern American. ¡°I wanted to make sure he isn¡¯t packing anything else like mind control, telekinesis, and other sort. Obviously the alien has no special talents. He will suit for titanium shackles.¡± She laughed in a maniacal tone. ¡°You and your nature. Shall I inform the General? This latest body count has taken a toll, not to mention all our Expeditions are gone.¡± ¡°Transportation, yes, but record the loss of muscle a minor fatality. There are plenty of Marines to recruit.¡± I felt Jessica come closer to me. A hand touched my other shoulder and she rolled me on my back. A skin dread covered one eye and the world was blurred, but I saw Jessica with little vision I had left. Everything about her was disturbing. ¡°Drag him back to the truck, take the bullets out, and stitch his shoulder up. I¡¯ll administer the tranquilizer myself.¡± Her mouth curled into a playful smile, followed by a short giggle. Great, I thought, I¡¯m this bitch¡¯s plaything. If she makes a pass for my pants there will be hell to pay. Chapter 11 Scott and Katie¡¯s Apartment 12:44 PM ¡°And you want me to do what exactly?¡± Nurse Betty arrived after we had piled the last of the our boxes near the door. Don¡¯t think twice about us, we care for our material possessions, especially post-Wave. Arana needed Betty, and she reacted like I did¡ªa little freaked out and very confused. ¡°Let me reiterate my words, Betty,¡± Arana said. ¡°What I need you to do is monitor Katie and Scott¡¯s vitals as they cast their first spells. That is it. Here is what to look for¡­¡± Seeing Betty and the two totems at the kitchen counter reminded me of some cartoon scene. I stood back watching to watch them, being worried about everything. I was still trying to accept magic. A genuine spellbook had formed out of Katie¡¯s chest after Arana somehow returned to her Inner Sanctum. The totems were reading about spells and incantations and whatnot from the spellbook. Us, meaning me and Katie, were not allowed to read it. I knew that I would be learning things besides how to control my tail swipes. ¡°I still think this won¡¯t work,¡± I muttered. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Katie asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been overhearing them talk and the stuff they say is still blowing my mind. I¡¯m surprised what we are called now from what she found.¡± She paused. ¡°Terrans. Isn¡¯t that cool?¡± She was more enthusiastic about the whole magic thing than I was, gleeful, these were probably the same reactions as when she was playing with the stuff in the her trunk. ¡°Oh, are we okay on the lease?¡± She ate a spoonful of strawberry yogurt, the fridge was the only thing left to clean out and Joyce let us slide on that part. Joyce had come by with the papers for me to sign a while ago, along with a check for the remaining balance and then she left. She was more ¡°different¡± than before. Joyce had accepted our new look and did her job, but it was a ¡°leave before shit goes down¡± mood¡ªit didn¡¯t feel right. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re good. Listen, this might not be safe. What if something bad happens?¡± ¡°Like Arana said, Scott, it will be safe. It¡¯s this or run out of bullets. I¡¯m up for it and you should be as well.¡± She took another bite and the air felt heavy as she made gave a heavy sigh. ¡°I got a text from Mom. She wants us to video chat.¡± I shook my head, ¡°Great.¡± ¡°Besides that, do you remember what Betty said?¡± I nodded. ¡°The hospital brought in a brutally beaten woman to intensive care. She was unconscious, Scott, almost dead. What¡¯s worse is she¡¯s a mutant¡­ I mean terran. She had no way to defend herself, or she did and panicked. Scott, I want to do this, not end up in a hospital bed. I want to learn to defend myself as you did with karate.¡± I shook my head again, ¡°Wish there was another way.¡± My cell phone rang in my pocket. Katie¡¯s parents were texting me too, mostly asking how she¡¯s doing and about our bodies, but I wished that they wouldn¡¯t call me a liar. I answered, ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Scott is that you?¡± I blinked in response to the familiar voice. ¡°Deryl?¡± It came out louder than I wanted, Betty and the totems looked up. ¡°Oh my god, I¡¯ve been trying to get a hold of you all morning.¡± I went to the bedroom with Katie following behind me. ¡°Getting my cell phone smashed from a falling crystal and destroyed telephone lines in all of Pomona isn¡¯t a good day,¡± Deryl explained. ¡°What¡¯s happening down there?¡± I asked while turning on the speaker. ¡°The news has bee¡­¡± ¡°No, Scott,¡± he interrupted. ¡°First I need to know.¡± His words came out harsh. ¡°I finally got hold of Katie¡¯s parents. Is it true, Scott, did you and Katie transform?¡± I was nervous when he said it, and Katie and I looked at each other. Deryl is my surrogate concerned parent. He has his own family, but he¡¯s still my godfather and still filled with military spunk. Katie and I were planning to break the news of the transformation to Jonathan and Brenda, but I didn¡¯t factor in Deryl. For the record, I didn¡¯t want to leave him hanging. Still, Deryl Porter is a U.S. Marshal, he knows people. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered nervously. ¡°Yes, both of us.¡± ¡°How long ago?¡± ¡°Since yesterday, six hours the minute we woke up.¡± Deryl cursed with more energy than I expected and it startled us. I heard tires screech through the speakers and I asked him what happened. ¡°Bitch nearly made me careen off the freeway. I¡¯m pulled over now.¡± I heard the gearshift lock. ¡°Wait, why aren¡¯t you with Grace and the girls?¡± Katie asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been driving in and out of the city trying what little I can to settle the situation. Car crash in one place, riot chase in another, then keeping the prisons from breaking down¡­ God, why? Why you two? Katie, your parents have been leaving messages. They are foaming, Katie. Scott what was going through your head leaving Temecula?¡± ¡°Deryl, we thought that the asteroid wasn¡¯t going to crash and the myth would blow over,¡± I rationalized. ¡°Of course, and look where it got you.¡± Deryl paused. ¡°Have you called them, Katie?¡± ¡°We¡¯re about to.¡± ¡°Better do it soon, Brenda and Jonathan are out of their minds,¡± he answered. I wondered if Robert and Jacob felt bad about us aside from the texts? I know Jacob can be a bit of a hot head and a coward, but Robert might, most of this stuff is right up his alley. ¡°Wanna hear our story?¡± I asked. Deryl started to lecture me, but I didn¡¯t want to hear it. ¡°Hey, listen. After we woke up, CalTranz shut down all three roads out of Big Bear. The sheriff that¡¯s protecting us said they aren¡¯t allowing anybody on or off the mountain. On top of that we have spirit guides as talking animals hanging out in the kitchen, our ¡®tails¡¯ have a mind of their own, I lost weight like nobodies business, and in a few minutes were about to cast spells for the heck of it.¡± Katie butted in to speak for its defense. ¡°And get this. We are called terrans from overhearing Katie¡¯s totem reading through a book that formed out of her chest. ¡°Right now I¡¯m not in the mood for a pointless lecture. What I want is a little compassion from you. Hope would be even better. I¡¯m having a hard time believing all this. So give us a friggin¡¯ break, man.¡± I took a few short breaths in between my ranting. Deryl didn¡¯t interrupt for a moment, then spoke. ¡°You know, kid, I keep forgetting how you act so much like your father. Sorry, I can imagine the condition you¡¯re in. But wait a sec, why did CalTranz close the roads?¡± Now he was interested. ¡°They say rockslide,¡± I explained shortly. ¡°It fits but that doesn¡¯t mean traffic stops at all.¡± ¡°And the weird part was his partners blocking 330 say they saw a massive explosion. Nobody could tell what was happening and we had suspicions that maybe something else happened besides a bulldozer¡¯s transmission bust.¡± Deryl, from a long hum coming through my cell, sounded interested. ¡°Peculiar, very peculiar.¡± Katie brought the phone closer to her. ¡°So can you do something about us? Like, send a helicopter? Our car is totaled. Please, Deryl, you¡¯re in the government. Pull your strings.¡± The phone came back to me. ¡°Katie, even if I could, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s impossible. Right now the army and National Guard deployed everybody to the major cities while air traffic is grounded. And if I did, others in that town will see it and take an advantage of it. My superiors are working me to the wall and at the same time Grace wants me home. I¡¯m sorry, but you two are on your own.¡± I shook my head with disappointment and grumbled, ¡°Super.¡± Deryl cleared his throat, ¡°No surprise you found out the name. Terran, I mean. News got wind of it and everybody is calling the transformed that. A few are showing weird symptoms of glowing tattoos to expel¡­ something from their hands. Damage beyond imagining¡­.¡± He took another pause, but this one made me edgy. ¡°Scott, do you still have your father¡¯s pistol?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good, keep it on you. Stick it in your pocket, your jacket, your butt crack, I don¡¯t care. Just be wary of everything.¡± I blinked from his changed tone, ¡°Hey, you sound nervous there.¡± He sighed so loud I felt chills in my spine. When he does that, that¡¯s when the bad news comes, the uncomfortable news. ¡°C¡¯mon what¡¯s wrong,¡± I pressed. ¡°My partners in LA are gathering intelligence how Congress is planning to do with you and a hundred terrans in the country. It¡¯s a closed-door meeting, no press. Sketchy info, but good bits come through. My advice, Scott¡ªstay low and out of sight from major cities and suspicious folk. Wear disguises when heading home. If I can pull some strings I¡¯ll send an escort. Do you get me Scott?¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Yes, I do. Every bit of it,¡± I answered, even though it was already exactly what I had planned to do. ¡°Okay. And you Katie, call your parents before they have heart attacks, especially your mother,¡± Deryl reminded us. ¡°Got it,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°Alright, keep in touch, kid.¡± He hung up. I took a good moment to calculate my godfather¡¯s demands, even though they sounded more like military orders than family advice. ¡°If he was in Homeland Security, we wouldn¡¯t have this conversation,¡± I said, but not even saying that could loosen the tension in the room. We went back to the kitchen. The totems and Betty were still there and they seemed to have overheard at least some parts of the conversation. ¡°So what¡¯s the verdict?¡± Keeji asked, ¡°Are we getting airlifted out of here?¡± ¡°Nope, we¡¯re here until tomorrow. I¡¯ll have to clean the gun,¡± I said, and Keeji whimpered. Katie went for her bag sitting next to the front door, and pulled out her MacBook. She turned on the laptop and set it up onto the coffee table, I was happy momentarily that I hadn¡¯t cancelled the internet yet. ¡°You ready, Katie?¡± I asked her with my hand on her shoulder. She nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with; this knot in my stomach won¡¯t stop hurting.¡± I kissed her forehead for good luck and gave Keeji the stink eye when he gawked. After ignoring the countless messages from friends, Katie double clicked the username ¡°WalshEstateWinery,¡± chose video call, and hid from the webcam¡¯s view. ¡°Follow my lead,¡± she told me and I didn¡¯t ask why, I knew. Here comes drama.
I had one plan to break the news: introduce my new body, Scott¡¯s body, Arana, and Keeji¡ªvery slowly. After Deryl told me to call them, that was all I could think of as a plan. Yes, I know, it wasn¡¯t the best that I could come up with, but the text messages from my family were getting too harsh. At least Mom calmed down and apologized, through a text message. Kinda funny. Scott, the totems, and I stood out of the webcam¡¯s sight. All that could be seen from the other side were the boxes and the front door. That¡¯s when someone knocked on the door just as the chat started, figures. ¡°Oh no,¡± I sighed,. ¡°Betty, please check it out, we can¡¯t show ourselves this soon.¡± Betty nodded and went to the door. Mike came in, looking more frustrated than last time. ¡°Who are you?¡± Someone said, indicating my mother noticed Mike. Mike saw the laptop and squinted. What the?¡­ Oh, Mrs. Walsh. It¡¯s Mike, Mike Sanders, Scott¡¯s friend. You remember?¡± Mom remembered and said hi. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Mike, get over here,¡± Scott hissed. Still confused, Mike came over to us. We quickly summed up what we were going to do, then stepped aside to the totems. ¡°Katie where are you?¡± Mom asked through the computer. ¡°I¡¯m here, Mom, I¡¯m just off to the side.¡± I took a peak at the screen. Actually, I expected all four to be huddling on the couch, but Mom and Dad were the only ones there. Mom sat in the middle and it killed me to see her hopeful eyes. Her hair was undone and draped over her Christmas sweater. I hated that thing, always did. Dad sat next to her with one arm over her shoulders. He looked like he hadn¡¯t slept for days; the denim work shirt needed washing. The graying-out brown hair and strong chin is what I like most about him, other than that he¡¯s a vinecology genius. Dad is always the protector and provider of the family, the strong one, but he looked nervous, maybe a bit eager to see me since it had been over four months since I left. ¡°Boys she¡¯s on,¡± Mom called out, I heard footsteps thunder through the laptop as my brothers crowded onto the couch. Robert, the oldest, sat next to Dad. He¡¯s a death metal fan and a freelance spectrologist on top of being a winemaker so he dresses both grunge and middle class. His black hair was disheveled without gel. Jacob my little brother was behind them, looking innocent and slightly shaken up. His Nintendo DS was in his hand, ready for him to run away and play video games. At any given moment he still has time for it, even in the middle of a global catastrophe. I could bet that he wouldn¡¯t take our change well. ¡°Honey, I want to see you. Look I¡¯m sorry for all the things I said. We¡¯re all sorry. I wasn¡¯t myself lately and I treated you so badly.¡± She sucked in air. ¡°Just¡­ let me see. Please.¡± ¡°Mom¡¯s right, Katie, I¡¯m sick and tired of this. Time to grow up,¡± Robert interjected. I bit my lip and extended my hand, palm open. The webcam picked it up, and I pulled it back. You could say that I was nervous. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Robert scoffed, ¡°A hand? C¡¯mon at least show us the rest.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying, Robert,¡± Scott said slowly, ¡°it¡¯s harder for us than you think.¡± I saw Arana still on the kitchen counter looking at me. Her right wing was out and circled it, indicating she wanted me to get on with it. I gulped. ¡°Alright,¡± I said. ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t freak out.¡± I turned away from Scott, praying that things would be okay, and took three steps in front of the webcam. My tail was wrapped tight around my leg. I faced my family and thought; this is such a big mistake. Here was the order of reactions; Mom gasped hysterically, Dad shuttered and muttered some incoherent curse word, Robert cocked his head to the side with dumbstruck eyes, and Jacob dropped his DS with a slack jaw. ¡°Dear God,¡± Mom wept, ¡°oh, my¡­ Oh my sweet, sweet baby girl. Oh why, why?¡± Mom leaned on Dad. ¡°Holy,¡± Dad said agape, ¡°Katie, you have a tail!¡± No kidding. ¡°Mom please, don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t cry,¡± I told her, ¡°it¡¯ll be all right. I¡¯m still the same Katie as always.¡± ¡°No, Katie, it¡¯s not okay. I will never see you the same way again.¡± Tears formed in her eyes and Dad held her tight. I was starting to cry too and it didn¡¯t take them long to notice. ¡°Wow. Guys look at her ears, they¡¯re drooping like a cat¡¯s,¡± Jacob commented, and pointed at me. ¡°Hey, hey, hey, don¡¯t start, Jacob,¡± Scott said but still out of view, ¡°there is no need to treat her like this. We¡¯ve been through a lot so watch your mouth.¡± Jacob didn¡¯t fuss, just kept on staring at me. ¡°I told them the best I could, Scott, but God damn this is some freaky stuff I¡¯m seeing,¡± Robert said incredulously. I felt a little brightened from Scott¡¯s protectiveness and I wiped my nose with my sleeve. Mom tried to calm down but the crying was still there. ¡°Is Scott coming?¡± I looked at him, Scott nodded. ¡°Okay, he¡¯s ready, but remember what I said. He changed a lot,¡± I reminded them as I motioned Scott over. I hugged him hard to feel his security, his rock hard chest soothing me. As expected¡ªand I imagined this would happen¡ªwas that my family¡¯s jaws dropped. Yeah, treat their own daughter and sister like a freak, but treat the man we housed and fed for two years like the afternoon breaking news. They were silent for a moment until Robert broke the ice. ¡°Wow. Scott you¡­ damn.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Scott said and eyed me for a second. I blushed. ¡°So are you gonna lay off Katie?¡± Dad snapped out of it. ¡°Uh, yeah. Um¡­ Sorry Katie. Mom is too.¡± He shook her and she nodded. ¡°But I¡¯m still mad at you two. You¡¯ve made us worried sick since yesterday. Now, I was having trouble believing the messages you¡¯ve sent and I¡¯m convinced. My daughter will never be human again.¡± My tail relaxed, becoming limp from my sudden brush of sadness. My brothers gasped when they caught it, Jacob ran away telling them he went for a drink. What a wimp. Mom collected herself while straightening the sweater. ¡°I wish you two just listened to me the day you went back to the mountains, but you believed the asteroid would not crash. You told me and I bought it. I¡¯m very, very disappointed in you, Katie, especially Scott.¡± I imagined the sadness turning into a punch in the stomach. ¡°So am I, Mom, I messed up.¡± I wondered if there is a spell to turn back time in my spellbook. ¡°You were right, Mom. It¡¯s my fault¡­ our fault. Scott wanted to go and I went along for the ride. I rebelled like an idiot. And look where it got me.¡± I showed them my arms, my legs, my tail, and my ears. ¡°For the record, we can stop being hateful,¡± Dad spoke up. ¡°You realize you made a bad choice, and I should¡¯ve been more persuasive to make you stay. But¡­ maybe with the roads closed, it¡¯s for the best. I overheard someone with the same thing got caught in a gang fight. Haven¡¯t heard anything new from the hospital. Temecula and Murrieta are flipped between what¡¯s crazy and what¡¯s real. Even the churches are packed.¡± ¡°Anything else besides the TV news?¡± Scott asked. ¡°Nothing much. What about your situation? Last I heard your friend Mike and a sheriff is watching the place?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Mr. Walsh,¡± Mike chimed in, ¡°we¡¯re jobless now so there¡¯s no point to leave my friend alone.¡± Betty came and to the webcam and said, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m also here. I¡¯ve been watching their health. They are in great shape, including Scott.¡± My parents thanked her, but Dad blinked from remembering something. ¡°What about Mike¡¯s wife? Where is she?¡± We turned to Mike as he was rubbing his neck. He told us that he was going to check up on her before he left, but it seemed that he didn¡¯t handle it. Mike faced my parents. ¡°She¡¯s too wound up about this. I let her be until she can cope with Scott and Katie¡¯s changes. Been a rough night for her.¡± He refrained from telling the whole truth, which meant that he¡¯s either fed up with Ashley or didn¡¯t want Mom and Dad to think of anything else. ¡°I see. Hope to see her back on her feet.¡± Robert snapped his fingers from a quick thought. ¡°Oh wait, that¡¯s it, I¡¯ve heard the transformed have talking animals. I suppose you guys have them?¡± Keeji howled, ¡°Finally! Somebody remembers.¡± Keeji¡¯s tail wagged so hard it was beating against the floor. ¡°Okay, you can come now,¡± Scott nearly laughed. ¡°Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy,¡± Keeji cheered. He got up and ran; eyes wide and tongue flapping against his cheek. A little bit too excited, he scurried passed us and ran headfirst into the wall. He howled and rolled on the floor rubbing his muzzle. We didn¡¯t move, gasp, or laugh, just watched how pathetic it all was. ¡°What¡­ was that?¡± Dad asked. ¡°I¡¯m okay, I¡¯m okay,¡± Keeji said slightly muffled, he sat between us producing a goofy grin to my family with a short hint of a bloody nose. ¡°Wow, look at him,¡± Mom said with a sudden change in mood. Did Scott¡¯s totem make Mom happy? Must be the cute factor. ¡°Name¡¯s Keeji miss, Scott¡¯s totem and buddy-buddy,¡± Keeji beamed. Dad and Robert snorted a laugh and grinned. Scott face-palmed. Then Dad started to chuckle, ¡°I¡¯ve always said Scott had certain husky qualities. A bit of a goof if you ask me.¡± ¡°You have no idea,¡± Scott muttered. ¡°What about yours, Katie?¡± Mom asked. I looked at Arana, but she wasn¡¯t ready. She pointed at the chair at the dinner table. ¡°Oh right, give me a second,¡± I told my family. I got the chair and set it next to me, we all backed away for Arana to fly. Nothing like a full-grown hawk flying indoors. She landed on the chair¡¯s back with grace and faced my MacBook. ¡°Woah,¡± they all said. Looks like I really got their attention. Robert told Jacob to stop being so scared and come back. Jacob protested as he came, looked at us, then at the totems with absolute shock. Keeji said hi with that goofy grin of his and Jacob¡¯s eyes rolled back and he fainted. I didn¡¯t know if I should have laughed or been worried for my little brother. ¡°Darn it, I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Robert said while shaking his head and getting up. ¡°Man I hope he didn¡¯t hurt himself,¡± Keeji said and Scott scratched him on the head. Arana sighed. ¡°Okay, Mom,¡± I conceded, ¡°You know what happened to us. Now can you not panic too much and leave us be?¡± ¡°Yes, Katie, I will. I know I¡¯ve been hard before,¡± she apologized. ¡°Although it wouldn¡¯t hurt to check up on us once in a while.¡± I nodded, agreeing with her. We settled on a routine update for the phone. ¡°When do the roads open?¡± Dad asked. ¡°Sometime tomorrow. Mike is offering his truck to us. Once we know we start covering our heads and hiding these two in the boxes,¡± I told them. Arana sighed again. ¡°At least you two are safe. For better or for worse, be grateful to be alive. I¡¯m ready to dive in that laptop and hug you right now.¡± With Dad saying that, I was able to relax. I hugged Scott, still looking at the laptop, feeling a wealth of sadness already creeping upon us. God, I missed my family. Their quirkiness. Their laughter. The wonderful wine we make. I still had a bottle of our famous Cliffhangar Port in the kitchen pantry. Somewhere down the line, I told myself to pop its cork soon, maybe in the bed snuggling with Scott. A single tear formed and I wiped it away. ¡°Thanks, Dad.¡± Mom had started to weep too. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Walsh,¡± Arana started, ¡°count on me to protect your daughter.¡± They paused a little from Arana¡¯s voice. Mom said awkwardly, ¡°Thanks uh¡­ what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Arana.¡± ¡°Arana. I like it.¡± We couldn¡¯t be on there long, so still feeling sad I waved goodbye. ¡°I¡¯m homesick,¡± I said. Mom and Dad smiled and nodded. My throat felt dry and my nose started running, ¡°I promise to call you back.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± Mom asked and I did with an internet pinky swear. The four of us waved, my family waved, Keeji licked the webcam vigorously, and I ended the call. Keeji whimpered. Scott rubbed my shoulders and my tail wrapped around him. He didn¡¯t yelp at all. We stood there for a while. I didn¡¯t care if Mike and Betty were still watching. It felt like all the stress in me was lifted and I felt better about myself. Once I calmed down to when I was smiling, I told Arana I was ready. Ready to fulfill my childhood dream: casting magic. Chapter 12 Scott and Katie¡¯s Apartment 1:30 PM Scott and I felt like robots with all the wires stuck onto our bodies. Betty did her job well; she brought two portable EKG machines for each of us and had set them on the coffee table. The machine on the left was mine, and it showed my heartbeat going rather fast, enough to pound out of my chest. I blamed it on the butterflies in my stomach as I thought, I can¡¯t believe it; I¡¯m going to learn magic. I hoped Scott thought the same as he set the cords to the side. Each one was attached to the space on our chests and arms just above our elbows. Betty took our temps first, everything was normal, to human standards that is. ¡°Do you think this is a bit much?¡± Scott asked as his left leg shook with agitation, but Betty didn¡¯t answer. Mike brought out two glasses of cold water for us to drink after the test was finished. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this is happening,¡± Scott said with a nervous smile. ¡°Sure hope this doesn¡¯t involve a treadmill test.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell if he was being serious or joking around. ¡°Nothing like that, Scott.¡± Arana stood on the spellbook, my spellbook, on the coffee table, and each talon made indentations into the leather cover. ¡°I¡¯m only covering what¡¯s needed.¡± Mike and Keeji stood near the boxes seeming as confused as Scott was. Once Betty had finished setting everything up, she joined Mike and Keeji and as Arana started. My heart skipped a beat in anticipation. ¡°The first thing you need to know is that terran magic is unlike anything you¡¯ve read in books,¡± Arana said with her glowing blue eyes aimed at Scott and I on the couch. She tapped the book with her talon. ¡°From what this book says, magic does not come from your spirit, your soul, or your body¡¯s natural energy. It¡¯s neither invisible nor electric based. It is a purified energy source in liquid form called mana, blue and white marble-like color with a consistency of blood or latex paint.¡± ¡°Liquid?¡± I asked, already reminded of last night. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re talking about that stuff that changed us?¡± Scott asked, the same thing that I was. Arana nodded, ¡°Afraid so. But this is not made of your blood or replaced your blood. The book says that it has a direct connection to your nervous system, the fastest way to transfer energy and messages.¡± ¡°I thought you said it¡¯s not the body¡¯s natural energy? The nervous system has energy. Why so different?¡± ¡°The nervous system energy is separated. The nerves only carry the mana.¡± Arana hopped off the book and opened it with her beak. I started gobbling up all the imagery she passed, and she stopped on one section of very detailed anatomy sketches. ¡°The mana is stored in a container called the Mana Heart, located directly below your first one.¡± Her right wing extended to the picture of a terran chest depicting the hearts. Above was the four-chamber heart, but directly below was a perfectly round ball. It was all black with blue veins. Then Arana pointed at my chest where it lay, an inch below my bust. ¡°I have no idea how a new organ can fit in your bodies but I¡¯m assuming it is part of your diaphragm or shrunk your stomach. It can hold tremendous pressure and stores it until needed. Although there is no simple way to tell how to measure it without casting spells.¡± I rubbed the spot to feel where it was, but I couldn¡¯t feel it. I¡¯ve always read about magic systems strictly linked to the body¡¯s natural energy, or the energy around us, but a stand-alone energy container and nervous system-like delivery method was kind of freaky, and awesome. This new body seemed more and more incredible every time I learned something new about it. I still didn¡¯t think learning magic was a bad idea, on the other hand, Scott was scratching his chest and had gulped loud enough to be heard. ¡°Jesus,¡± Mike blinked, ¡°Arana, are you saying there is a new organ in their chests? Betty, are you hearing this?¡± Betty nodded, slowly, as she scribbled into a notepad on the kitchen counter. ¡°History in the making,¡± Betty whispered. Arana nodded. Scott shook his head slightly, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. We would feel bloated from¡­ wait. That must be when we were feeling something punching us in the chest.¡± Keeji flicked his ear. ¡°Yeah I remember. Happened at the same time and you guys almost rolled off the stairs.¡± Arana folded her wing. ¡°It was the heart making mana for the first time, as I recall. Once the heart reaches maximum capacity, production stops to prevent overflow.¡± I was beside myself from all of it, realizing how incredible it all sounded. ¡°Is the mana active?¡± I asked leaning forward and resting my elbows on my lap. If it was active, I would be worried about casting spells. Who knew if this stuff acted like gasoline? One spark and your gone. ¡°On the contrary, no. It¡¯s more harmless than peanut butter. But when it¡¯s ¡®charged¡¯ as the book states, it is active and very powerful. How much power is unknown.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s comforting. Jump the gun and see what happens. Next this whole building is in cinders,¡± Scott said, sounding sarcastic and frightened. Arana nodded and Scott sighed, knowing too well he hated it already. I leaned back and sighed, any attempt to sum all of it up proved daunting. I didn¡¯t know if I could perform magic now that I realized I¡¯m I was a ticking time bomb. I looked down at the book, still open to the Mana Heart section. I skimmed through the aged parchment, trying to make more sense of everything, and tuned out everyone else. From my days pretending to be a witch, the urge to read the book was great. It¡¯s my nature, curiosity kills me. It became interesting, really interesting, so I sat the book on my lap. I mean come on, I¡¯m reading from a leather-bound book that materialized from my chest, and from my mind, holding secrets of magic. My magic. Every chapter I skimmed was like a refresher, everything I had learned was there, updated to terran physiology. Some of the stuff was either unbelievable or unorthodox: rune crafting for unique spells and rituals, diagrams of performing quick-use spells, potion recipes from enchantments to mana regeneration, item enchantments, and all sorts. A lot were confusing, unrecognizable even. One section was on body transformations and I had thoughts about removing my tail. Not that I would want to, I love mine. I found more diagrams of the added body pieces, how the armor plating on my limbs were laid out and what it was made of (dense cartilage), nervous system maps of far denser layouts, including a fully illustrated representation of the Mana Heart. Grossest. Thing. I¡¯ve ever laid my eyes on. Scott coughed at the picture. Yet something was¡­ unsettling. The Wave made understanding it more complicated. So how can all this come from a crystal? How was I ¡°enlightened¡± with magical wisdom, but didn¡¯t know about it? I had to investigate further back home how it all fit. ¡°Looks like a blue cancer cell feeding off the spinal cord,¡± Scott summed, I hadn¡¯t noticed him leaning over to see it. I kept flipping the pages; reading over more spells. ¡°Amazing. Imagine Robert getting obsessed, Scott.¡± I closed the book and set it back on the table. ¡°I wonder if yours is the same?¡± Scott shook his head, ¡°I figure I don¡¯t want to know.¡± Keeji came closer and examined the book. ¡°Bet a silver dollar his is thinner than Katie¡¯s.¡± He followed the bet with a hissed snicker. ¡°I have trouble understanding magic, Keeji, that doesn¡¯t mean I ignore it.¡± ¡°Okay, have it your way, but it would be nice for me to go back home,¡± Keeji stepped back. Arana spoke up, ¡°Katie, you seem flustered.¡± I sighed and set the book back on the table, ¡°Well, the truth is. I don¡¯t know. This all sounds thrilling and dangerous. I¡¯m having thoughts I might blow up.¡± ¡°Katie, that¡¯s ridiculous. I know you and you have the calm mind to keep yourself under control. Also, the book says that when focused properly, the magic will reach that level. For you, you¡¯re not ready to reach that level of concentration. It¡¯s your choice to continue.¡± I thought about it some more, if I wanted to fulfill my dream. Scott was concerned about it all and I respected his judgment, but he never understood my hobby. I licked my lips to ease the dry feeling and said, ¡°Will it hurt?¡± Arana shrugged, she didn¡¯t know either. Don¡¯t back out of this, Katie, you can do this, I thought. Hands sweating, nerves twitching¡ªit was the moment of truth. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s make some magic.¡± Arana bowed, ¡°Hold out your right hand, we¡¯re going to perform a simple technique.¡± I did as she said, ignoring Scott shift in his seat. ¡°So what is the spell? Fire? Water? Something to fix the mountain roads?¡± ¡°You will only feel the magic to understand the power. No need to burn down the building on the first try.¡± Good point. ¡°Now as the book says, every spell, incantation, charm, and ritual of terran magic rely on the trigger spell, the activation of your mana.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I nodded. Mike assumed that it was like turning on a generator. ¡°Exactly. So in order to do this you have to follow the process step by step.¡± Arana opened the book again to the desired section, ¡°Focus on your hand to feel a tingling sensation and say or think the word in your ancestor¡¯s language.¡± I stared into Arana¡¯s eyes. ¡°Th-That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. Simple.¡± Now everything was moving fast around me. Eighteen hours ago Scott and I were outside painfully transforming into terrans and meeting our totems. It was unbelievable what I was about to do, and I felt like crying in happiness. Somebody slap me. I kept my hand out, and Scott butted in, ¡°Are you sure this won¡¯t hurt her? Because if this¡­ demonstration does there will be hell to pay?¡± ¡°You doubt this history making venture?¡± Arana asked. ¡°I have my reasons.¡± ¡°Scott, stop stalling and let her do it,¡± Mike spoke up. His tail was flapping, still agitated by the idea. Scott looked at me and shook his head, ¡°Katie, I know you want to do this. To make sure nothing bad happens, I¡¯ll go hide behind the chair.¡± He took off the EKG leads, got up, and went as Keeji followed leaving me alone. Yeah, I felt down about that, but don¡¯t blame him. I was fine with it. Arana looked at me hard. ¡°Use the same breathing exercises from those yoga classes and trunk books to clear your mind and focus.¡± I took three slow breaths, pushing back all my worries aside, and let my mind¡¯s eye focus on my open hand. Keep reading, you will know this soon. I kept my eyes open to not miss a thing. A tingling sensation occurred in my hand and past my wrist. People say it¡¯s muscle, but feels different, like ¡°feeling¡± it with your mind. ¡°When you believe you have a good focus,¡± Arana continued, ¡°say the word ¡®luchtaigh¡¯ with passion.¡± Wow, Gaelic, that¡¯s been a while. Looks like choosing our pendants to my favorite language in the world was a good choice. I kept my focus, feeling the growing strain in my muscles. I glanced at Scott, gripping on the counter, and Keeji, peeking his brown furry head from the fridge, witnessing an important moment of my life. Scott nodded as if saying, ¡°Be careful.¡± I looked at my hand and whispered, ¡°luchtaigh.¡± I had no idea what would happen. Fireworks? A glow? No. In fact, nothing happened and I felt disappointed. ¡°Louder,¡± Arana demanded. ¡°Luchtaigh!¡± I had emotion behind it. For a brief second, nothing happened, again. I thought, did I screw up on the pronunciation? I know I didn¡¯t screw it up, I used to speak it. Is Arana protecting me or not trusting me? Then, it happened. It started as a short jolt of electricity in the center of my chest. Then a large release of pressure like a water valve opening up¡ªwhich felt good¡ªtraveling up my spine and down my arm. Pleasure enthralled me. What expected to be a glowing hand was wrong. My skin cracked with glowing veins of blue and white marble as what Arana said. The veins shaped, overlapped, angled, enlarged, and circled into familiar Celtic tattoo designs. They pulsed with power as my muscles twitched. I felt the energy, incredible energy; a culmination of all the collective energies of the universe. Pleasure grew, only then that this was real. Everything was real. Merlin, eat your heart out.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Unfortunately I didn¡¯t look at it like a deer meeting headlights. I got scared. I screamed and shook my arm from the sudden surge of alien energy. My focus diminished. I saw my arm go back to normal, the tattoos vanishing, leaving behind trails of steam. Everybody yelped, then crowded around me. Betty checked my pulse, Mike¡¯s jaw dropped, and Scott was quiet. ¡°I¡¯m okay, I think,¡± I told them. I didn¡¯t feel any shakes, jitters, or stomach cramps. Everything was fine. ¡°Incredible,¡± Mike muttered. Scott wasn¡¯t impressed. He kept examining my arm, looking for the tattoos. Nothing except my smooth skin. ¡°Katie, are you sure?¡± ¡°Totally. I was scared but geeze that felt weird,¡± I replied. Arana coughed to get my attention, ¡°It¡¯s natural to be scared, Katie, but how did it feel?¡± ¡°How did it feel?¡± I repeated. ¡°At first it felt great, but then it felt¡­ like I can do anything with it. Anything.¡± I paused, looking at my hand. With a smile I said, ¡°Let¡¯s do that again.¡± ¡°What?¡± Scott said agape. ¡°After all that? I almost keeled over, Katie.¡± ¡°Hey, this is my choice, not yours.¡± If you can tell that I became addicted to magic, then it¡¯s probably too late to talk me out of it. Arana tried like Scott, but I pressed on. I didn¡¯t care about the sudden jump of my heartbeat, I cared about the feeling. I told everybody to back off,and they did, but Scott stayed and sat by me. And again I charged my mana, hoping to keep it on as long as I can. Hand out, focus back up, said the word, and the familiar feeling came back without problems. Mom and Dad always called me a fast learner and I lived up to that statement. I kept it going for five minutes. Scott stared at my glowing arm as the color shifted. Then something odd happened. In a minute, little droplets of mana seeped through the tattoos and wisps of energy flowed out like steam. Drops fell on the carpet and table, some in the water as it too glowed and shimmered. They were like little glowing lightbulbs lasting for three seconds until they extinguished and dissolved. ¡°Unreal,¡± Scott muttered. ¡°You can say that again,¡± I said before relaxing. I felt out of breath keeping it up, but still didn¡¯t shake. I felt a closer connection with the primal energy. It was a good thing that we didn¡¯t show this to my parents, but I wished Robert could have seen it. I relaxed and the demonstration ended. ¡°Not bad, not bad,¡± Arana beamed. ¡°What are her vitals, nurse?¡± Betty examined the machines, ¡°I¡¯m still stunned from this. I¡¯m seeing a ten to fifteen BPS jump every time she ¡®charges¡¯ her mana. Everything else is stable,¡± she said then fell quiet. ¡°I-I can go on. Just one more,¡± I said to Arana. ¡°No, Katie, you done enough,¡± Arana disagreed, ¡°you¡¯re exhausted, clearly not used to this. You need to relax for a bit and let Scott learn too.¡± She eyed him, but Scott shook his head. I shook mine too, not wanting to listen. ¡°I¡¯m doing it again,¡± I demanded. This time I had both hands out. I should¡¯ve stopped but the rush got me. My dreams were getting the worst of me, the addiction was strong. I focused on both arms and said the word. They each glowed the same, each one having a different tattoo pattern than the other each palm held a round dot of mana in the center. Everybody told me to stop, but as I loosened my focus when Scott poked me, something went wrong. My mind accelerated and I lost consciousness, rolling my eyes up and jolting backwards. I started seeing things. People I didn¡¯t know sped past my sight like race cars, all with overpowering emotions, while I felt stronger gravity pulling on my body. I saw a woman at a convenience store on her cell phone gripped tightly in her hand. She spoke to her daughter in Arrowhead, telling her that mommy would be home as soon as the road opens. I heard she wanted her to hide in the closet at home, but shrieked when she heard a deep female voice. The daughter¡¯s tiger totem, Orvilday, promised to protect her until they meet. The mother¡¯s eye shadow coated her cheeks as she then fainted on the linoleum floor. It jumped to Ashley at her house. My friend laid on the couch, with the Bible wedged in her arms. She looked so tired but refused to sleep. Sadness filled within, I wondered if I would ever be able to show my face to her ever again. She rolled to the other side and I shrieked when I saw a chef¡¯s knife in her hand. The last person I saw was, surprisingly, Tom Herb, the local homeless religious nut. He was walking down the snow-covered back road with an open bottle concealed in a brown paper bag. The picket sign he carried all the time was gone. He staggered all over the place and mumbled incoherently like he was being spied on, taking large gulps of liquor. To think the last person I wanted to see was the town¡¯s drunk, religious freak. He screamed. ¡°God! I need you. I need your guidance! Please take me to Heaven. I don¡¯t want to be part of this Rapture anymore! I took care of that demon, that¡¯s enough to save me, right?¡± His voice echoed. He turned around as I saw how disgusting he became since two days ago. His clothes were soaked to the brim and he shivered from the cold. His eyes were filled with fear and remorse, and his neck was covered in white whiskers. I had hated that guy since I had moved there. I gasped when I saw his hands and arms stained with blood. His gaze met mine, like I was standing there. I froze. I blinked heavily when he raised a finger at me, like he saw me, the said with a growl, ¡°Demon!¡± Instantly he raised the bottle and chucked it at me. I shrieked as everything dissolved to a sea of brilliant color. The colors were soothing apart from the feeling that my body was being shoved somewhere else. I felt tears fall down my cheeks from the brilliance. I wiped it with my still glowing hands. I didn¡¯t understand what happened, but it was the greatest experience yet. As one famous boy once said¡ªI love magic.
It was not beautiful, man, not at all. Seeing her Katie convulsing on the couch with her eyes rolling back and her hands smoking up and dripping with mana she looked like a drug addict. I violently shook her. ¡°Dammit, Katie, wake up!¡± I screamed. ¡°Arana, I thought you said this wouldn¡¯t hurt her?¡± ¡°Apparently she went ahead of herself,¡± Arana said hurried. ¡°Snap her out of it before she goes deeper.¡± Betty screamed as she looked at Katie¡¯s EKG, ¡°Oh my God, her heartbeat went flat!¡± Yeah, I lost it and I went crazy. I kept shaking her shoulders. Her arms still glowed as her limbs began shaking uncontrollably. I spoke her name really loud to help wake her up. ¡°Katie!¡± I yelled, ¡°Katie, wake up dear!¡± She was still unresponsive, her mouth quivering, whispering something impossible to hear. I had promised her parents I wouldn¡¯t let anything harm her and this started. I kept shaking her and calling her name until Arana told me to not break her neck. I told her to shove it. I cried out her name one last time, ¡°Katie!¡± Suddenly her arms stopped glowing, her body stopped convulsing, she woke up, and gasped for air. It scared me and made me back away. Katie started to cough. Not this again. ¡°Katie, are you all right?¡± I asked. Then she leaned back and grimaced. Ah shit, the spell hurt her. ¡°Tail,¡± she said gritting her teeth, ¡°Scott, you¡¯re on my tail!¡± I looked down, when I had panicked and started shook her, my knee landed square on Katie¡¯s tail between the couch cushions, right against the wood frame. I leaned away and sat down. Katie started coughing again and looked really out of it for a second. Betty came around and examined her from her heartbeat to her breathing. The EKG machine beeping from the sudden flat line made Betty¡¯s skin turn pail. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, she should be dead now,¡± she commented. ¡°Katie, are you feeling any pain?¡± Katie blinked and shook her head, ¡°Besides the tail, everything is fine, really.¡± she said. It seemed like it, Katie looked the same as before she charged her mana. Droplets of sweat formed on her forehead. ¡°Scott, hand her the glass of water,¡± Arana told me. I grabbed my glass and held it to make her drink. She drank it all and slumped, sighing. ¡°Incredible,¡± she whispered. ¡°Incredible?¡± I glared with irritation, ¡°Incredible? Katie, you looked like you were having a stroke. Do you realize you scared the living shit out of me? What would Brenda and Jonathan feel if I brought home your body?¡± My tail expressed my anger, swaying and wagging so much I almost swatted Mike. ¡°Scott, I¡¯m fine, really. God, what was that?¡± I was clueless what she meant. ¡°Clearly she knows how to cast spells, presumably on herself,¡± Arana interjected, ¡°Katie, tell me. What was going on in your head after you said the words?¡± Katie was still rubbing her tail from my knee indent but was thinking. ¡°Well, I did what you said,¡± she began, ¡°keep kept my mind clear, said the word, and kept my focus on as long as I could. God this is insane, it felt like I had the power of the universe in my hands.¡± I started to doubt that this Katie was the same Katie as before, I was feeling uncomfortable about her ¡°cheery¡± mood describing the magic. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened but I was suddenly seeing people and hearing voices. I swear I didn¡¯t do anything else. This sounds incredibly crazy I guess.¡± ¡°Well yeah, you think?¡± Mike chimed. ¡°Anyway¡­ I¡¯m really confused. I saw three people that lasted the longest. Mike, I saw Ashley. I saw her in shambles. I nearly cried seeing her on the couch.¡± Mike gasped and backed away, clearly understanding what Katie said. ¡°Then I saw some woman crying for her terran daughter then¡­ I saw Tom.¡± She rubbed her forehead. That reminded me so much of my problem. Seeing things in your mind without control can be downright evil. Believe me, I went down that road, but it had nothing to do with magic. Yet I couldn¡¯t understand Mike¡¯s reaction. What did she really see? Then I said, ¡°Wait, who¡¯s Tom?¡± I asked, but from her eyes, she told me without saying. ¡°Wait. Tom? Tom the deadbeat religious nut?¡± Katie nodded. ¡°The same, but drunk, maybe. He was screaming on the street, drinking, and yelling. Kinda crazy if you ask me. He turned around and his clothes were covered in blood.¡± She gagged a bit, ¡°This might sound unbelievable, but he saw me. Standing there, looking at him. He went into a terrifying rage and came after me, calling me ¡®Demon.¡¯ Next thing I knew I felt my tail in pain.¡± That got my attention. Looks like Tom took a humongous blow from the Wave than Ashley. Katie¡¯s eyes told me the whole truth and I didn¡¯t think twice that it was a lie. It was hard to believe it all. She leaned on me, then I stared down at Arana. ¡°Care to explain, Arana?¡± A wing went under her beak and she pondered, humming, ¡°Sounds familiar. Did you feel any weightlessness, sudden experiences with gravity?¡± Katie nodded and said, ¡°Yeah. How did you know?¡± Arana hummed again and I got anxious, ¡°Seeing people. One saw you. Different voices.¡± She then consulted the book, a little obnoxious. I knew she had the the answer but come on, Katie almost gave me a heart attack. ¡°Ah, found it,¡± Arana said, looking at a particular page. ¡°You casted a remote viewing spell.¡± ¡°Remote viewing,¡± Mike repeated. ¡°Is that the kind of stuff science-fiction says about spies with psychic powers and can spy on people without being there?¡± I¡¯ve read an article about it once, as Katie pressed me too, but didn¡¯t care to consider it. ¡°Yes but highly concentrated. Katie didn¡¯t have focus so she just spied on random people. I can¡¯t really explain how Tom saw her.¡± ¡°Oh, great,¡± I said with a deep sigh of disappointment, ¡°the first minute practicing magic, and my girlfriend becomes a paranormal peeping-tom.¡± Katie told me to not exaggerate, as I do. ¡°But seriously, I don¡¯t want to do that again,¡± Katie shook her head. ¡°I swear. Although, I can¡¯t shake the feeling how Tom saw me. The look on his face¡­¡± Betty shook her head, then turned as someone realizing something slowly. ¡°Ms. Walsh, what do you mean by Tom covered in blood?¡± ¡°Like I said, Betty. He looked like he butchered a cow. Seriously, I¡¯m not making this stuff up.¡± Betty kept on blinking as she rose to her feet. Something about it made me worried, ¡°Is McDemit still out there?¡± Mike nodded, ¡°Yeah, of course. He never left.¡± ¡°Can you tell the sheriff to look for Tom, I have a very bad hunch,¡± Betty muttered. ¡°Betty what are you getting at?¡± I asked and she nodded. She scratched her hair. ¡°That woman I told you about arrived at the hospital half dead. She lost a lot of blood. Nobody could find the attacker, but I suspect that selfish man did it. You two stay here; I need to talk to him too.¡± She left us alone with the slam of the door. I had growing worries that if we ever saw Tom, we needed to run as fast as we could. ¡°So do you believe me, Scott?¡± Katie asked me. , ¡°Now do you believe that magic is real?¡± ¡°Believe? I have trouble believing what happened,¡± I scoffed. ¡°To me, there is no way how you ¡®saw¡¯ these people and Ashley. I see this differently than you. What I saw is my girlfriend having a magic induced seizure. Who knows what else you can do or what¡¯s in that book. I am convinced magic is real, but I¡¯m more afraid of when I start charging mine. What if I get a seizure? What if my mind locks up like before?¡± ¡°Scott,¡± Katie screamed. I shut up, ending my tirade. ¡°You¡¯re panicking. It is normal. You¡¯re still against my views of things, but bear with me on this one. Magic will help us. Look, we¡¯ll just practice on two spells. The two of us. We can take it nice and slow just like our first date. Trust me; I will never do that spell ever again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still going through with this?¡± ¡°Scott, stop. This is me doing what I dreamed about. I¡¯m doing this to protect myself.¡± ¡°Fine, but do you think Tom can¡¯t find you? That sick bastard knows this town.¡± Keeji jerked his head between us. ¡°I¡¯m with Katie, Scott, I¡¯ve seen him through your thoughts and I too hate this guy. Don¡¯t be hatin¡¯ me, but I want you in tiptop magic fighting shape. Plus I really like to go back to our Inner Sanctum.¡± His tail kept on wagging, hoping I say yes. ¡°What the dog said,¡± Arana agreed. ¡°For better or for worse, it has to be done.¡± I was outvoted. I was the only one not liking the idea. Katie and the totems were badgering me to agree that it was the right thing to do, and as insane as it was, they were right, no matter how much I disagreed. Betty and Mike would be on Katie¡¯s side too I guessed. Whatever happened with having doubt of the unknown? I was literally cornered by my own friends. I told them I needed a moment to think as they went ahead without me. Katie decided on casting an offense spell. Katie focused on charging her mana to get easier at it, Arana read the book for the specific spells, and Keeji learned from Arana how to reenter my body. He nodded and agreed like a dummy. God if only my mother and father were here. May not be the good thing to ask for, but anything goes right? After being alone for four years without my parents, except the inheritance for college, was easy after they died. I wanted to do things I had planned from the very beginning and this happened. The move. The degree. The secret ring hiding in my backpack for Katie. After my parents died, recovering from it was near impossible. Their death killed my spirit, and I thank Katie for saving me. Now magic, it seemed, was dividing us. It scared me to be left out. There are a lot of people, like me, who think that magic is something that should never be meddled with. They¡¯re pretty much the same way when dealing with new technology: afraid to touch it because either it could consume their lives, or they don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll blow up after pressing the On button. I was the guy that if magic consumed me, I would never recover. I sat down at the kitchen table and tried to calm myself after our short fight, I started cleaning my Dad¡¯s pistol, a SIG Sauer P226. With his materialistic and patriotic ideals, he had a guy engrave the U.S. Navy symbol on each side of the handle with white enamel to make it pop. You might have thought that he was a Navy Seal just from the gun. He wasn¡¯t, he was a normal everyday radar technician onboard a carrier for five years. In fact that¡¯s how my Mom and Dad met. She worked in logistics alongside my Dad, coordinating troops and aircraft during Desert Storm, even though they were part of two different divisions. Too bad Dad didn¡¯t keep the gun after he retired and married Mom, so he bought the same one and called it the ¡°one memory he will never forget.¡± He had taught me how to clean and shoot it, and they had both told me stories of their service, even Deryl. As I counted the bullets in the two magazines I saved, all twenty of them, and made sure the spring was still good, I hated myself that Katie and the gang were right. I watch her holding a charge, then start to casting a fireball. Arana told her to keep it in her hands. What started as a ball of blue mana, it then transformed instantaneously to pure flame in golf ball size. How it changed eluded me. The look on Katie¡¯s face was priceless. I hadn¡¯t seen her make that kind of face since high school. Once she had made the fireball and extinguished it, they moved on to making a shield. Making sure to not perform the last stunt, she charged both of her hands, spread out with her palms open before her, and used her imagination to think of a wall. My jaw dropped when one sluggishly formed; a vertical Celtic symbol covered oval that flickered in and out of existence. Mana flowed from her hands to form it, but her unstable concentration shifted from the brilliance. Alas, she didn¡¯t accomplish it, but she was huffing hard like no tomorrow, still smiling. I caught her clapping and jumping like a little girl. To believe she knew how magic worked scared the crap out of me. Oh and Mike, Betty, and Sheriff McDermit the spectacle, and McDermit nearly fainted. Although, I did try to charge my mana, just to be curious. Don¡¯t judge me, I had thoughts too. I laid my right hand out of view. Keeji noticed me and while keeping quiet he helped hide it with his body. I didn¡¯t know what to do, so I said the word Katie said, with feeling. Nothing happened. Instantly, Katie caught me. She smiled. Guess who got lessons. Chapter 13 Battleship Endeavor, Infirmary Wing Cruiser Supply Dock 74DIQ, Creos 3:07 PM Terra Firma Pacific Time My pace was faster than normal due to the amount of check offs in every sector of the ship for battle-ready state, but I was in a real hurry when I heard news from Sergeant Russ Decathan in the infirmary. In reality, the news was overall annoying. They found Senior Engineer Lieutenant Wringheart, but where she was found was embarrassing. Soldiers and wizards noticed the extra creases on my forehead. Arriving at the near-empty infirmary, the hiss of the hatch startled the nearby Beden medic while he was recalibrating the healing runes and computers of one of the gurneys. Ensign Xil ¡®Qual, nicknamed Comet, is an all true magical being just by looking at her. Beden bodies are composed of rune-covered rocks hovering over a bioluminescent mass-less body of cosmic energy; hers is a light red. Two dominant levitating rocks worked as arms with four spikes as fingers and two glowing oval eyes embedded in a slanted back cone head. Down below were rows of rocks shaped as a skirt allowing the body to float. She yelped in a shrill, rickety voice from two vibrating rocks considered her ¡°neck.¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± I asked tapping my boot. On cue I heard an awful sound of someone throwing up a wet lung in the distance, then coughing vigorously. Comet pointed at the curtain-covered gurney with two shadows behind it. Vital signs already chirping. ¡°Follow the sound of the sick cat, Captain,¡± Comet said simply. I nodded and went, telling her to carry on. I cracked my neck, getting ready to yell and use my powers if necessary. I saw Decathan¡¯s shadow inside followed by his voice, ¡°By gads, what did you eat?¡± He asked. ¡°Something blue and impossible to pronounce. Oh my stomach¡­¡± a second voice said, coming from the bulky shadow lying on the gurney. I recognized the individual as Wringheart. Sometimes it¡¯s hard to be shorter than everybody else on the ship, things like taking time to pull curtains are cumbersome. I tapped into my telekinesis to pull away the curtain and felt a slight headache as I rarely use it. Decathan looked up and stood at attention, saluting with one clawed hand, ¡°Captain on the deck!¡± ¡°At ease,¡± I said and glared at the sick body in bed. ¡°Lieutenant Manis Wringheart, I hope you have a good explanation for your absence, your drunk-in-public routine, and your insidious drinking binge because this is uncalled for!¡± Among the species the battle group has, Wringheart¡¯s species is almost the rarest to recruit when concerning what they provide. She¡¯s a Vyroka and they¡¯re not hard to spot in a public place as they are called a lot of times ¡°taurs.¡± They are humanoids with an animal upper body with a quadruped animal-like lower body. Of their twenty-nine colonies, each one has their own species and different fur patterns and colors, then accounting the different genial features they inherit. Wringheart is a canine-type Vyroka with dominant brown and red fur along with dark blue stripes running along her back and legs, wide blue rings down her tail, and under her muzzle. I was looking at her back; her uniform was filthy and wrinkled all over. I smelled something familiar like sulfur and mold, but I digressed. Groaning she rolled to face me. Her canine-like head was sharp and curvy for a female, but everything else looked disgusting. Her short blue hair was unkempt and wild, lips and teeth coated in vomit, and her red eyes showed thick capillaries. Her tongue hung out, coated with something green and foamy. ¡°Honestly, Wringheart, this is ridiculous,¡± I stressed. ¡°This makes it the twenty-fifth time?¡± Decathan corrected me with twenty-nine. She inhaled, and more so like she was crying for a while. ¡°Sorry, captain,¡± she coughed. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ oh man my head. I¡¯m having a rough time coping.¡± ¡°Coping? We have no time to cope. We¡¯ve been looking all over for you, and not surprisingly, found you torso deep in a dumpster behind a bar. I¡¯d rather have you thrown out of this fleet for your attitude.¡± ¡°Captain, I can explain.¡± She covered her muzzle to hold back another vomit moment. ¡°I¡¯ll tell him,¡± Decathan volunteered. He asked if he could, and I allowed it concerning that Wringheart might blow whatever at me. After giving her a potion to cure her ailments, he cleared his throat and said, ¡°You know Private Wizard Zaco and his little brother Cit? The ones that just died last mission?¡± How could I not? I just filed their deaths. ¡°Turns out that those two and Wringheart are best friends and drinking buddies. It hit her hard, sir. Others at the bar complained and kicked her out.¡± ¡°Ah, frick,¡± I cursed. Wringheart closed her eyes and shook her head. ¡°We hung out together all the time, it broke my heart.¡± ¡°And this was your reason why we couldn¡¯t contact you?¡± I asked. She nodded, ¡°My excuse to consume their drinks as memorial.¡± Why oh why. Wringheart¡¯s way, and her colony¡¯s tradition, is to drink in honor of their fallen comrades. Supposedly it had started somewhere between the Border Wars and a dead fighter¡¯s birthday, I¡¯m not really sure. I can count back the times she done it, when the Endeavor was docked and resting, and during missions, just like Jaruka¡¯s rescue. It¡¯s exasperating, one soldier needs a fix on a piece of tech and she¡¯s too drunk to think. No party animal, all she does is drink, sing depressing folk songs, drink again, and make attempts to get thrown out. All in the effort to honor the dead. Yet I can¡¯t boot her from Nova; her kind is valuable to the fleet. I mean it, what I said to her was a scare tactic. Their kind, across all colonies, are gifted with the knowledge and experience with all things technological. Wizards of technology. It¡¯s their birthright to have such genetic knowledge, and every military group, factory, company, and world needs one. Ever imagine their standard test for the gift is building a circuit board calculator at age two? I¡¯m permitted to allow five in the fleet, Vyrokan dictation states it, and five is enough considering their antics. ¡°Wringheart what will I do with you?¡± I asked. She perched herself on her elbows. ¡°I can¡¯t help it, sir. And it¡¯s my fault for leaving my communicator behind, I was pretty shaken up.¡± Sometimes I wonder why I regretted recruiting the taur. Every other Vyroka is good except her. ¡°You¡¯re lucky we¡¯re on mission. Any idea what has happened in the last day?¡± Combing back her hair she shook her head, ¡°The gunslingers told me nothing, or they did and I didn¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Good because this is a matter of galactic security.¡± Both Wringheart¡¯s puffed canine ears perked in interest. I summed up the previous events as best I could. It wasn¡¯t that hard, telling her that the special nanites she and Decathan collaborated functioned and worked as planned made her day, then she was disappointed that she wasn''t there to activate them. I told her the story about Jaruka, and she screamed when I mentioned Terra Firma, so much so she fell off the gurney and knocked her head on a pipe. She groaned and rubbed her forehead, lower body sprawled over, and said, ¡°Terra Firma! Are you serious? I thought Jaruka was joking?!¡± I felt lost. ¡°He¡¯s been on it for three months, how could you believe it was a joke?¡± I asked. She picked herself up using the gurney for leverage. All four canine legs supported her lower body and she stood four inches over me. More of her uniform was a mess and most not covering her plump furry orbs. ¡°For starters he¡¯s an asshole, I¡¯ll never forgive him for what he did to Corporal Diremoon. And second, Terra Firma is a deathtrap with all those humans, sir. Jaruka isn¡¯t the kind of guy to hang close to that planet. But amazingly they turn out some great stories and movies like wildfire. Have you seen¡­¡± There were things I didn¡¯t want to know, like how she has knowledge of human things. I changed the subject. ¡°Spare me the human¡¯s pop culture facts, this is more important. Right now, Decathan is watching Jaruka¡¯s vitals live. Jaruka¡¯s all drugged out, unconscious, and mobile. There was one instance he woke up for a while but that¡¯s it.¡± I jammed a thin finger at her. ¡°So while we are preparing for a rescue mission into uncharted scenarios on a Red Flagged planet filled with unstable, egotistical, red eyed humans bent on destroying everything they touch, hoping to prevent a galaxy-wide war, you were in a bar, drinking your lights out. I hope you are ready to contribute your talents or else I will dangle your furry ass in front an airlock!¡± She raised her hands, ¡°Okay, Okay, I get the point. Take a swig of whisky. At least I¡¯m here, right?¡± She brushed herself and adjusted her uniform, her tick bushy tail smoothed out. She was ready and determined. ¡°Obviously karma got the best of that dread head. For starters, how are the nanites?¡± Decathan came around the bed, trowing away the vomit-covered apron. ¡°They¡¯re having some kernel issues and the Slipspace location software seems to jump coordinates a few times, but the vital systems are intact.¡± ¡°I can fix that, easy update,¡± Wringheart nodded. Now we¡¯re getting somewhere. ¡°Wringheart, hear me out because this is important,¡± I interrupted. ¡°You need to do whatever you have to do, major or minor, to get this ship up and running, especially the nanite update.¡± She nodded once. ¡°Now the biggest. I need a favor from both of you. Do you recall the benchmark test with the gunslinger?¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Wringheart nodded again and Decathan said, ¡°How could I not forget? That bug was discovered by accident.¡± ¡°Good because I want it replicated with the update.¡± Wringheart¡¯s ears drooped, ¡°The receiver bug? Sir, forgive me, but will that give Jaruka brain damage from human radio signals?¡± I groaned, ¡°I¡¯m not saying that, I want you to turn those nanites into microphones to outside sound. Is it possible?¡± She cupped her muzzle to think. ¡°The bug is inactive, but still there. It¡¯s no big deal, really, I can access the code, modify it, and hope it doesn¡¯t annoy him. You know me, I never throw my inventions away.¡± No kidding, she recycles old and broken systems to make them ten times better. ¡°Then I have to code the nanites to rewire themselves without¡­¡± ¡°I get it, but can it be done to allow continuous recordings?¡± Both were shocked and it seemed that it could be next to impossible to conduct. ¡°Recordings? Why do we need those?¡± Decathan said with a short scratch of his exoskeleton head, and paused. ¡°Yo-You don¡¯t think Jaruka will be arrested for killing humans without authorization, right? It¡¯s just a hunch.¡± ¡°Might so, its possible,¡± Wringheart swallowed, ¡°for that I have to make power consumption efficient. I say¡­ ten percent less than measured. But you know me, Jaruka needs to be punished.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not going to prison, I¡¯m making sure of it. The recordings will be leverage.¡± I sounded tense for what I went through with Councilman Denverbay. They don¡¯t know it and I was successful keeping his involvement in the black from the crew. Denverbay talked of the situation and he urgently wanted to be in the War Room when ready, but he made allocations about Jaruka and a possible crime. I needed ground cover before Denverbay made his decision. ¡°So clean up, get checked off with Decathan, and work on the nanites as fast as you can,¡± I told Wringheart. ¡°You two are to be in the War Room once we¡¯re done with prep. You have your orders, now carry them.¡± I saluted and both followed. That called for another drink, a bigger one, but I was hoping¡ªreally hoping¡ªthat whatever we get from recording Jaruka¡¯s surroundings, that I might levitate an early death sentence and get to the bottom of Terra Firma¡¯s condition.
Scott and Katie¡¯s Apartment 3:52 PM Magic is cool and practical when used carefully, but that doesn¡¯t mean I could cast squat. Katie and Arana¡¯s lessons helped me understand it, although, nothing worked. What had happened previously made me tired as hell, and gave me a headache. My right hand felt tired and I was almost out of breath from holding it during unsuccessful attempts. ¡°It isn¡¯t working,¡± Mike shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m tellin¡¯ you, he¡¯s not a magic person.¡± ¡°Patience, Mike, he will get it,¡± Arana argued, ¡°eventually.¡± I didn¡¯t take that as a complement. As effort, Katie was massaging my shoulders to help loosen me up. Trying to make one successful charge for an hour had made me tired. She¡¯s so affectionate to me. ¡°I think we¡¯re rushing it for him,¡± Katie added. ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s hard for him to understand concepts, like when he was learning the ropes of wine making. He¡¯ll get it.¡± ¡°Yes and no,¡± I said looking up at her, ¡°I get it, I get all of it, but I¡¯m distracted.¡± Not to mention the voice in my head. ¡°Should we give him space to focus more?¡± Mike suggested. Obviously all three forgot. Now for the most part I was skeptical to attempt it; Katie persuaded me to go ahead. And it happened. And I couldn¡¯t stop it. Keeji, that nutty totem of mine, never stopped talking, and singing. Home, home, I¡¯m home¡­ sweet¡­ home. On and on it went. The headache grew and it showed on my face. I kept holding and shaking my head during breaks. ¡°Have you guys forgot already? It¡¯s not any of those,¡± I said with strain in my voice. Everybody stopped talking. I leaned over the table, trying to ignore the annoying and irritating singing from Keeji. ¡°It¡¯s Keeji. Ever since he figured out how to get back into my head he¡¯s been nothing but a cheery broken record. I¡¯m ready to smack myself to make him stop.¡± Mike, Katie, and Arana let out a sound like they hadn¡¯t realized it before. Katie held the longest. ¡°Right, I forgot. Now I feel stupid,¡± she said, obviously. Keeji laughed, You can¡¯t hurt me, Scott, you will only hurt yourself. It was so wrong as he talked, like invasion of privacy. Who does this doofus think he is? Yoda? ¡°Maybe I will and see what happens. Now shut up, I¡¯m trying to concentrate.¡± I looked at the wall, a potential relief for my inner torture. I can¡¯t help myself, man. I¡¯m home. I can come in whenever I want and you can¡¯t stop me. ¡°Keeji, I¡¯m doing this for Katie!¡± I can see that. ¡°Then how about you get out?¡± Oh yeah, I know it looks like I¡¯m talking to myself as the others didn¡¯t hear the dog, but I wanted it to stop. No! ¡°Oh come on,¡± I exclaimed. God, it is like I¡¯m dealing with an immature child. I heard that. I coughed and made sounds of disgust, and then Keeji made a sound I knew was similar to sticking his tongue out. That reminds me, don¡¯t think to yourself while your totem is inside, they hear everything. I hoped that if some other terran on earth finds a way to change totems, I would be first in line. Before I yelled again, I paused, and looked around the apartment. It was uncomfortably quiet. All three were looking at me odd, almost backing away. Mike looked cautious and scared. Arana covered her beak, holding laughter no doubt. Katie understood me and was aware of a problem. ¡°Um,¡± I started. ¡°Okay. We discovered a whole new level of crazy.¡± ¡°I can see that,¡± Mike nodded. ¡°I can see so many complications if this happens to me.¡± Katie thought the same. ¡°You can say that again. Imagine the misunderstanding. Imagine my brothers picking on me.¡± ¡°I can imagine Jacob faulting in a baseball game,¡± I added, but I wasn''t sure if I wanted to laugh to see that troublemaker suffer like I did. Arana concluded that there was only one way to make me do one successful charge. Keeji was already whimpering. Arana told me to lean forward. The hawk hopped off the chair and to my side, her claws were inches from my Dad¡¯s gun. I leaned in a little more than all a sudden Arana screamed in my ear, forcing Keeji to come out. I heard Keeji scream in terror, and surprisingly, he listened. Shimmers and streams of blue light came out of my body, collected into a dog¡¯s body in mid air, they solidified, and Keeji fell onto the kitchen floor with an oof. ¡°Alright, alright, you win, sheesh,¡± he said and walked off to hide behind Katie. She scratched the back of his ears. I rubbed my ear and said, ¡°You could at least warn me, Arana, that almost blew my eardrum.¡± ¡°I¡¯m irritated, Scott,¡± she summed. ¡°This time, you will get it.¡± Once the commotion settled, we went back to work. The routine was the same for Katie, nothing different. I extended my right hand, focused until I felt a tingling sensation, said the word loud and clear, and hoped for the best. It took me a while to understand the focusing, but Katie had explained it well. I focused on my palm as best I could. At that point Keeji would start singing, but Arana glared at him. Good bird. And that time, it worked. I felt energy, strange energy, coming from my stomach and travel to my hand. It felt like what you hear when nails scrape against a chalkboard and goose bumps form afterwards. I gasped as I saw glowing blue lines form on my hand, growing outward. It wasn¡¯t exactly the same intensity as Katie¡¯s, but I did feel the raw energy of the universe. Yet despite that, and remembering Katie¡¯s first experience that scared me to death, the charge was flickering. Trying so hard to keep my hand lit, the magic was dying. I felt it stop and the tattoos vanished. I held my breath the whole time and released afterwards. Arana spoke after the short pause, ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s something.¡± ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Katie asked me. I leaned back in my chair feeling what I said, ¡°Satisfied, at last. But let¡¯s face it, I¡¯m not good as you, Katie, I¡¯ll have a hard time keeping it going with you seizing in my mind.¡± Keeji huffed. ¡°You¡¯ll control it, don¡¯t let the magic control you,¡± Arana quoted. Katie was saying we have all the time for me to practice, and was looking forward to it, but she was cut off when Mike cursed. I was so sidetracked from the charging that I had ignored Mike. He had the balcony shades open. ¡°Mike what are you doing, people will see us,¡± I yelled and headed over. Five other apartments, plus those huge houses on the mountain can see our balcony window. ¡°Did you guys hear the screaming and shouting? There¡¯s a mob forming and¡­ Oh, shit they overpowered Phil!¡± He backed away from the window. Katie and I looked at each other curiously. We went to the blinds and pulled them just a little. I cursed at what Mike saw. Sheriff Phil McDermit was being overrun by crazed locals. He fought on, even pointing his gun, but was surprised by an attack from behind by a baseball bat. He fell forward and a couple of burley men held him down. The driveway had two dozen pissed off people, some with weapons like snow shovels and sports equipment. I didn¡¯t see any guns. There were people I recognized from next door, the rest were strangers, and every face showed fear and hatred. One pointed at us and said, ¡°Get them!¡± ¡°Crap,¡± I said and stepped back. Katie screamed as footsteps thundered up the stairs. I grabbed Katie and told her to lock herself in the bathroom. Swallowing hard she nodded and ran. Arana followed by entering her body through her back. ¡°I won¡¯t let them get me!¡± Keeji yelled and ran at me. His body glowed and pulled apart to enter me. The electric shock was something I still didn¡¯t get used to. Mike braced himself against the front door. ¡°I was afraid this would happen. Get that gun of yours!¡± I jumped over the coffee table and snagged the gun. I fumbled with the magazine¡ªI hadn¡¯t touched it in years, or even practiced, so I was really rusty. Before I had it loaded, the door was kicked open. Mike was pushed by the three-men crew barging in, unable to fend off the enforcing attack. The gun wasn¡¯t ready, Keeji was screaming in my head, and Katie was telling me to come. And I just learned how to charge magic, dammit. What rotten luck, and more rotten when one man threw a beer bottle at me. I ducked in time, letting it shatter against the wall. I turned away and started for the bedroom with my heart pounding in my chest. Getting there failed when somebody grabbed my tail and tugged. I fell and two more men pinned me. ¡°Let me go you jerks, this is not right!¡± I screamed. I looked to see two more heading to the bedroom, and Katie screaming. So much for those lessons, Katie didn¡¯t have a chance to fight. One tugged harder on my tail, and another pulled on one of my ears. One gasped and said, ¡°No kiddin¡¯ he was right. This guy is the real deal.¡± Katie screamed louder as she was dragged by her feet and tail. ¡°Get them outside,¡± one said, ¡°these demons are toast.¡± Now the demon reference got popular? Struggling in their grasp, I saw Mike getting kicked severely by two middle-aged men. Both called him a traitor for holding fugitives¡­ and demons. Why would they say that? He was picked up¡ªchest bruised and a few red lines on his blue shirt¡ªand dragged outside. I was stood up, trying to get free, but no good. Outside it was a mess. People screamed and shouted for us to get out. My captors and Katie¡¯s forced us down the stairs, clean from the snow. Feeling the cold air was a wake-up call, making my skin prickle. The sky was partly cloudy with the sun already setting. Hands behind my back, they could have popped out of joint at any second. Scott, I don¡¯t like this, Keeji said, I had dreams this would happen. ¡°Shut up and let me think,¡± I muttered. ¡°What did you say, freak?¡± One guy said, he expressed sheer hate for me, but I told him nothing. I was forced to sit on my knees on the driveway, and Katie too, near our burned transformation circles, partly covered with scattered snow. Our only protection from the sheriff was leaning on the deputy SUV unconscious. Katie knelt beside me with her arms painfully pinned behind her back, she screamed that she did not want to die. Mike was shoved to the asphalt, beaten and unable to get up. More screaming came and I saw Joyce get dragged by two men, both wearing Grizzly Summit uniforms. They dropped her on Mike, but kept sitting, afraid of fighting back. People around me looked at us for the first time since yesterday. I bet some never seen a terran up close and personal. Each one branded a weapon, ready for the worst. From their eyes, they were looking to blame something, someone, and they didn¡¯t care. I told them to let me go or else, even tried to pry myself free and use my karate, but they kept their grip. Then I saw one guy coming from our apartment, my Dad¡¯s gun in his hands. I gritted my teeth and told him to put it down, he ignored me and kept walking, but who he was walking to made my eyes wide with fear. Oh, and not to mention the rank, alcohol smell mixed with a dirty, mud and blood-covered green raincoat. The man gave my Dad¡¯s Sig Sauer to Tom Herb. He palmed it, took a good look at me, longer at Katie with vengeance, and said, ¡°Make peace with God you monsters from Hell.¡± Wish I took the magic thing a little serious. Chapter 14 Sandalwood Apartment Complex Big Bear Lake, California 4:07 PM Apocalypses can make a person think irrationally right? It was my first riot, and Katie and I were the center of attention. The locals, making threats at us, made me so angry I could high-kick all of them. My arms were tightly held by the guy behind me, and I swear I felt a sharp object on my back. ¡°Oh my God, look at them, there freaks, just like the others on the TV,¡± one man with a slur hollered in the crowd. ¡°Tom was right all along,¡± another said, which that depends what he was right about. ¡°Drive them out of town, down to the bottom of the lake!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to turn into a demon,¡± a woman said holding a crowbar. ¡°Leave them alone they¡¯re still human!¡± That was from Joyce, but stopped talking as her captors kicked her in the stomach. She didn¡¯t talk anymore. ¡°Please, Tom, this is madness, let us go!¡± I yelled. ¡°We did nothing wrong. What you¡¯re doing is absolutely pointless. How the hell do you know where we live?¡± I jerked my arms and the sharp object dug deeper into my back. ¡°I have feelings you will. Don¡¯t know when, but it must stop before it continues,¡± said Tom. He was inches from Katie, still on the driveway, eyeing her like a future door prize. She was ready to bite him if he touched her face. ¡°As for your home, it wasn¡¯t hard. Listening to others is what I do best.¡± His right hand gripped my father¡¯s gun with white knuckles. It seemed apparent he knows how to operate one. ¡°Tom, you got this all wrong. We are not bad people or demons or whatever. We¡¯re just victims. Getting off this mountain and back home is all we want. Call off this mob and leave us be.¡± An evil grin appeared on Tom¡¯s face and he came closer to me, towering over me. ¡°Exactly. Back to the fiery depths of Hell, back with your entire demon family. That¡¯s the price you pay for killing the innocent couple last night.¡± ¡°Kill? We didn¡¯t kill anybody.¡± Tom was nuts before the asteroid crash, but this topped it, over the top crazy. ¡°Why, you¡¯re are wearing their skins. Did you forget?¡± He smirked in an awful way, close to an animal. He was accusing us of stealing our own skins. How ridiculous is that? I felt like spitting at him. As he leaned in saying that, I had reason to believe he was drunk, and his beliefs were clouded. I smelled vodka, or brandy in his breath, and his stance swayed. I noticed something else. The grey hair obscured Tom¡¯s sight, but passed the dirt, the grime, the oil, and the murderous look on his face, his eyes were bloodshot. Alcohol doesn¡¯t cause that. Staying up late might, but it was consuming his whites. What else was he on? Tom turned to the mob; the people seemed to be on the same boat as him. ¡°See people,¡± he started, ¡°this is what I¡¯ve been warning about since Helen¡¯s discovery. I try, day after day, to get the message across, yet you ignored my words. Today, you are all wrong, and I¡¯m right. Not only did it come, crash, shower us with its demonic crystals, and get infected by some unknown entity, our bodies have become vulnerable to demon influence and possession and we must stop it before it spreads even further into our souls.¡± The mob cheered to his gaudy garbage. Tom pointed at us, ¡°Ignore what the media is saying. These two did not transform. They were possessed and mutated by demons from the stars. And those animals they stand by. , They they are changelings. Nymphs. Deciders. Tricksters. They die when the demons die. Never trust them no matter how friendly they appear.¡± He dragged his feet toward Katie, ¡°And this¡­ bitch right here, tried to influence me not too long ago, trying to turn me into one of them,¡± he yelled and pointed. Katie gasped, realizing her remote viewing spell backfired. I can see how disappointed and inexperienced she felt. More so, the gun was scaring her to death. ¡°What have you been sniffing, Tom?¡± Katie said after grimacing from her arm¡¯s pain, ¡°I was testing my powers. It was an accident. Come on, you¡¯re doing this to get attention. You¡¯re playing with people¡¯s fears and misconception on this silly theory you dumb drunk.¡± Keeji whimpered in my head. Oh, Scott, I don¡¯t like where this is going. She has to shut up or else. Don¡¯t I already know that? Can¡¯t risk telling her without getting stabbed. Katie kept on talking, ¡°You are wasting our time. We want to go home. You know what you are, Tom? A bigot. You are a selfless, disgusting, closed-minded bigot and¡­¡± ¡°Shut up, bitch!¡± Tom interrupted, but Katie went on. Where did she get this confidence? Was it the magic? I couldn¡¯t believe what she was doing and if she kept on, something bad would happen, and it did. Tom punched her in the face. Katie got it so hard she dropped into the snow screaming, but the guy behind her never released his grip. I screamed and wanted to take revenge. ¡°You monster! I will get you for that!¡± I yelled with a snarl. ¡°You wish,¡± he said smirking. I saw Katie being picked up and my rage accelerated. A huge welt on the side of her face was growing black and blue. She was in tears and sniffing, I was devastated. It was too much to bear. I looked over the mob and some faces I saw showed changed opinions. Of course it changed, hitting a girl is not right. More worried faces sprung as Tom approached Joyce and Mike. Then, at the corner of my eye, Katie did something I didn¡¯t expect. She winked at me. That can¡¯t be good. ¡°We¡¯re not traitors,¡± Mike yelled, ¡°you are the traitors, following this yahoo and his ideals. Look around, this is pointless, and we¡¯re starting a war already.¡± He protected Joyce as best he could after seeing what happened to Katie. ¡°The Iraq War was pointless,¡± Tom defended, the barrel of the gun almost pointing at my friends. Then to be devious, he scraped the barrel against Joyce¡¯s cheek, enough to make me imagine driving this guy¡¯s skull into the concrete. ¡°This will be a war with purpose. A holy war, to destroy evil and keep the human race pure and protected.¡± Sounds like a true asshole. I tried thinking ways to get back at Tom without getting killed when my girlfriend started laughing. You have to stop everything and stare at her laughing in the snow. She must be crying by now, but not, either she was about to die, lost her mind, or whatever. Tom slowly turned to look, I told her to stop it, and she kept going. ¡°Typical,¡± she said while laughing, ¡°just typical. You think this will be stopped with a cleansing. The world is changing, Tom, and you¡¯re scared shitless from it.¡± She still smiled. ¡°Do you even care that everybody, everybody, on earth got hit by those orbs yesterday? Including you?¡± I saw in his bloodshot eyes that he knows she¡¯s right, but tries to deny it. His hand with the gun was shaking and his fingers flexed. ¡°You better shut up, demon,¡± he said as he paced back and forth, thinking about what to do next and as people told him to shoot us. What¡¯s with him stalling? ¡°Shooting us won¡¯t solve anything,¡± she continued, ¡°and soon enough, you will be like us, in this position. What will you do then?¡± Tom stopped, ¡°None of your business. I can tell that you¡¯re using black magic. Don¡¯t let their sorcery cloud your minds!¡± ¡°Fat chance,¡± I grimaced, ¡°Katie and I are not doing anything. I can barely cast my¡­¡± Tom pointed the gun at me, the weapon shaking with his arm. ¡°No more delays,¡± Tom spat. ¡°Any last words before you go back to Hell?¡± Katie had the last words as she kept cool about my position. ¡°A question. You heard we have talking animals. Where did they run off too, huh?¡± Once totally focused to kill us, Tom let out a massive gasp, realizing the truth, and his mission was stopped. ¡°Shit! Did you see any animals in there?¡± He told the people behind us. They shook their heads, one of them saying they never heard of the totems. Keeji whimpered in my head. Tom barked at them to look again. He eyed me and yelled, ¡°Where are those changelings?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to know,¡± I spat. ¡°I do,¡± Katie said, she waited to gain a lot of attention with Tom by performing that awkward silence. ¡°Trust me, they¡¯re here. ARANA NOW!¡± Streams of energy bolted out of her back scaring the guy behind him, yet his grip was still on. The energy flowed to her hands, not making the tattoos appear, then there were moves I couldn¡¯t quite place from the panicking commotion, but as the guy let go of Katie, he was screaming, clutching his blood-smeared hand, and missing a finger. With Katie free and a thrust of her chest, the streams burst forth. Arana formed, shrieking like a true hawk, with open wings, spread out talons, and a face of a fighter. ¡°Nobody punches my host and gets away with it,¡± Arana yelled. Tom was stunned through the whole thing, then became startled to feel Arana¡¯s talons digging into his wrist, making the gun fall on the driveway. He screamed and flailed his arm to dislodge the bird, but she had a stronger grip. She attacked him more. Once the crowd started screaming and running, Keeji said, aw, no fair, I want a piece of the action. I felt his energy collect on my lower back and then my captor screamed and let go. I felt Keeji¡¯s weight as he launched out of my back and plowed into him. I grimaced. I turned to see the guy¡¯s wrist oozing with blood as Keeji snarled at him. His nose was inches from the man¡¯s face. I felt a rush of adrenaline and had to let some of the steam out. One man that caught me in the apartment began running at me with a baseball bat. In a second I readied myself and remembered my prior knowledge of karate. I planted my stance. He lunged for me and swung the bat down. With my new terran strength, I dodged the blow faster than I calculated. I hunched and laid a punch in the guy¡¯s stomach. The blow was strong, and he fell backwards into the snow after I kicked his legs away. Another guy came bearing his fists, and I took him down with an elbow to the chest, another elbow to the face, and a hand chop on his shoulder. He scuttled away in fright from the pain. From that short moment of fighting, I felt like a new man. I felt unstoppable. Katie crawled away to Mike and Joyce, then cheered Arana on while covering the bruise on her face. Keeji joined in, barking at the mob and comically insulting Tom. Within the sea of people, they were unable to help Tom from Arana¡¯s constant attacks. The jerk¡¯s face had more bloody cuts than a raw steak and fresh blood splattered over his previously blood-soaked coat. I grabbed my gun and shoved it in my jacket pocket. I looked up spotting one of Katie¡¯s captors clicking a pocket knife open heading to my girlfriend and friends. My inner hero took over and I ran after him, screaming to get his attention. Next thing I knew he had spotted me, charged after me, and I punched him in the chest. What came next made me cover my eyes from an intense beam of light, then a full-on rush of electricity through my body. After the light died, I saw the guy taking the blow, flying over Katie and the others, and slamming back first into the sheriff¡¯s SUV. I gasped from sudden loss of energy. Then I saw it. My right arm, from the tips of my fingers to my elbow, was ablaze with blue tattoos. The blue light was bright and brimming with energy, and I felt that energy. Pure, primal energy. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Joyce cursed. ¡°Scott, how are you doing that?¡± ¡°Beats me,¡± I shrugged. I didn¡¯t know how, really. Unfortunately I had no time to gawk at it so I had to shut it off. Also unfortunately, I didn¡¯t know how. Katie cheered for me, but what now? This isn¡¯t good. Then I heard Katie scream. She covered her mouth looking over the crowd. The mob¡¯s voices went from panic to excitement, and my mouth dropped from why. I might¡¯ve felt Katie¡¯s heart drop. Tom, holding a baseball bat, looked down at Arana on the street. Arana was sprawled on her back and barely moving on her own accord. Her head was twisted at an unseen angle, her left wing severely broken with broken bones sticking out of the feathers, and her tattooed chest was smashed. She managed to look at Katie and talk, but the sound was blood entering her lungs¡ªI believed it was Katie¡¯s name¡ªright to the point when Tom drove his heel onto Arana¡¯s head.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I¡¯ve heard of animal cruelty, but this is too much. I stopped Katie from running after him. ¡°No!¡± She screamed and began to cry. I felt her pain and felt sadness grow inside me. She buried her face in my chest and we both collapsed on the ground ¡°You¡­ You killed Arana,¡± Keeji said as he step in front of us with a loose jaw. ¡°You bastard!¡± Tom was panting and gritting his teeth as he looked down at the body. Parts of his hair was torn out of his scalp with fresh blood dying his white hair. His left cheek had a deep slash from the corner of his mouth to his ear. Shreds of his green coat laid on the ground. His right wrist was too torn up to loose function in his hand. Give props to Arana, she did well to fuck him up. Arana¡¯s body was motionless, Tom picked his boot away from something that scared him. Arana¡¯s body began to glow and loose shape. Feathers and flesh transformed to energy and flowed at Katie, entering her chest. She felt it between sobs, then fell silent, feeling the energy. I couldn¡¯t understand what was happening, yet it seemed that it was a good thing, whatever it was. Most of the mob fell silent from the murder. Once all the energy was in, Katie¡¯s skin began glowing blue, Celtic runes appeared all over her skin, including her face and tail. They displayed a subtle effect, like a lava lamp with the marble texture. The bruise on her face disappeared. She opened her eyes and her iris¡¯ were as bright as her tattoos. ¡°Scott¡­ what happened to me?¡± She said. Boy does it get better and better. And it wasn¡¯t enough for Tom to stop, ¡°What the fuck did you do, demon? Tell me!¡± He yelled at us. We didn¡¯t have anything to say. ¡°Please, stop this, I beg you,¡± I told him. ¡°NO MORE STALLING, TIME TO DIE!¡± He charged forth, baseball bat ready to crack my skull. A few of his die-hard followers did too, hell bent to start a blood bath with us. I did not want to die, and not let my friends get caught in the crossfire. Every one of their eyes displayed the same message¡ªvengeance¡ªand I wanted it all to stop. Everybody, including the children, will change soon, and they have no choice. They are scared, scared of change, and the reckless actions just like that one, there will be more just like it. My arm was still charging mana. The gun was in my pocket and I needed more time to use it. There was one way, and that was my magic. I raised my arm and opened my fist, palm facing the charging killers, and screamed, ¡°GO AWAY!¡± Without any idea of a spell and can¡¯t recall the words Katie used, I winged it by imagining a wall: an impenetrable force field protecting my soon-to-be-wife, my co-worker, the landlord, and my totem. If I ever get a chance to live to marry Katie and thank Joyce and McDermit and Mike for keeping us safe, no doubt I will thank them with cases of wine and party invitations. Nevertheless, I was new to spell casting and there was bound to be a mistake, which it did. What happened was instead of a shield, a sudden increase in air pressure appeared on my palm. The air around me grew thinner as it was all sucked to my hand with wind kicking up the snow. Mixing with drops of mana, it formed into this softball-sized orb. My hand and arm tensed and shook. The dense air made the mana swirl to make the marble glow brighter. Tom and the mob didn¡¯t care to stop. With a jerk of my arm, I released the ball of wind and mana at Tom¡¯s gut, followed by an explosion. They were kicked back and flown fifty feet backwards. Some slid on the ground, some crashed into other people, but Tom flew the farthest, out towards the street. A rippling shockwave of wind blew the snow, obscuring my vision and shattering all the windows. People screamed and thinking smart, they ran away. Snow kept falling on us, leaving my group unharmed. ¡°My God,¡± Katie commented. My jaw was hanging. My arm started going back to normal and steam emitted from the disappearing tattoos like an exhausted engine. I felt exhausted and gasped for air and the same time, felt overwhelmed., ¡°Whoa,¡±I said. For us, at that moment, it was the perfect time to leave. Before long, I got our computers, our suitcases, and us into Mike¡¯s truck. Everything else we left behind. I thanked Joyce for everything and apologized for the damages. She was too stunned to react¡ªI hoped she meant well while we left. Mike made sure McDermit was taken care of as he called 911, without telling about himself or us. Keeji road in front of me wedged between my kegs, while Katie was on my lap covered with my flannel blanket. The tattoos still hadn¡¯t settled. Mike drove off as I spotted Tom. He looked dazed, beaten, and hung over, but I noticed a piece of victory. The left side of his face branded a glowing tattoo, the symbol unrecognizable. I whispered ¡°welcome to our world¡± with a smirk. I spotted three men on the side of the road and recognized them as the men in black last morning. The middle one, the leader, waved us goodbye, and I felt intense chills in my spine from his smile. I gripped hard on my gun in my jacket. Nothing is safe anymore.
Fawnskin, California En route to Mike and Ashley Sander¡¯s house 4:54 PM I lost Arana. How could I do something so stupid, so immature? It was a good idea¡­ at first. With everything going on¡ªtrying to get away and teach Tom a thing or two¡ªI never thought that I would lose Arana to Tom¡¯s foot. I hated him even more then and I hoped karma would teach him a thing or two. I paid for my mistake, in Mike¡¯s truck, in Scott¡¯s strong arms, with my body lit up like a Christmas tree under Scott¡¯s blanket. The worst part: the book doesn¡¯t say anything about it. I had it clenched under my arms but there was no point looking when I was grieving for my loss. ¡°I don¡¯t see anybody following us,¡± Mike said and made a sharp right turn. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know what¡¯s happening to Katie?¡± ¡°Just drive, Mike,¡± Scott said firmly. The gun was rested on my knee, in his hand, ready for anything. Keeji whimpered and asked me if I was alright, or to say something. I just sobbed, nothing else. The glowing tattoo¡¯s after Arana¡¯s strange death became a curse. Everywhere¡ªon my skin and shining through my clothes¡ªmade it more so that I was truly a freak. I felt neither magic or Arana¡¯s presence after she absorbed into me. I looked down and my body was a mess of tribal Celtic patriotism, but when I closed my eyes, it was even worse. Imagine the layout of a laser tag area with all that black light paint and the dandruff and teeth glowing from the purple bulbs. Now picture that paint replacing all the color of the world, including displaying terran nervous systems. My body, with my eyes closed, showed a dense network of nerves and tattoos in brilliant blue color. I ¡°saw¡± my fist-sized mana heart pulsing slowly. Scott¡¯s mana heart was inches from my face. I could kiss it for saving us. Mike¡¯s body was a black silhouette with a red heart and Keeji was described as a mass of shiny blue mist. Beyond the truck¡ªand adding x-ray vision¡ªmore silhouettes with grey outlines and the crystals in the forest glowing like purple light bulbs raced passed us. Eyes open and my vision is normal, close them and its ¡°black light world.¡± I worried that it would be like that forever. Mike made several turns, passing houses and businesses. He came to a stop far from the city and with my eyes closed I recognized his house. I could never forget the windows running across his living room and kitchen for that wide view of the forest, the bent garage door, and the wood carving of a bear eating a salmon guarding the front door. I had always loved that statue. The Christmas lights along the edge of the roof shined white, but I knew his were multicolor. The blanket was pulled from my face and Scott looked down at me. He still wasn¡¯t used to my condition, especially my eyes. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± he said calmly. ¡°Still with me?¡± I missed Arana. I attempted a simple nod and wiped my tears away. ¡°Ashley is gonna have a storm for this,¡± Mike sighed and winced, rubbing his thigh from a bruise, and said, ¡°God this hurts. You sure you want to be here? She isn¡¯t herself.¡± ¡°We got no choice, we have nowhere else to go. She has to deal with it,¡± Scott explained. Mike nodded, ¡°True. Hate to see anything else happen. Let¡¯s go before somebody sees us.¡± He cut the engine, got out, and waited for us. Scott looked at me again, ¡°You wanna wait here and let me talk to her, or go inside and face her?¡± He asked me, ¡°I¡¯ll keep you covered, if it helps.¡± He gave me a soothing peck on the forehead, just like I do to him. How thoughtful. It was a horrible idea to see her, Ashley had broken my heart without telling me in person or over the phone, all because of me transforming and scaring her to death. The spell made me see her as a total wreck with a chef¡¯s knife for protection; it¡¯s not what I want her to become. Last morning I had promised myself to see Ashley and change her mind before going home. I couldn¡¯t stay in the truck, people would have seen me. I didn¡¯t know how to use a gun, and so it was either to face Ashley or face a killer in the dark. Regrettably, I decided on the lesser of two evils. We got out but not until I got a good look at myself in the side view mirror. Seeing my iris¡¯ and the constantly fading and unfading tattoos were my painful reminder of Arana. I carried her essence in me, possibly for life. Covering my face with the blanket from sobbing again, Scott led me inside. I used my new vision for support, but Scott didn¡¯t know about it yet. Up the steps and through the door, I heard Mike curse up a storm. Then I heard Ashley and her anger-filled voice shake me like an earthquake. ¡°No, no, no. Hell no! Get them out of there. They are not welcome!¡± Her outlined face made me want to run away from her; that sight will stick with me forever. She held the knife in stabbing position, keeping herself planted in the living room. The distraught look in her eyes was heart wrenching. , ¡°I mean it, Mike, get them OUT!¡± ¡°Cut it out and listen!¡± Mike yelled. ¡°I¡¯ve had it with you, honey. Ever notice from my bruises that I got the shit kicked out of me?¡± ¡°Yeah, by them, I¡¯m sure of it.¡± She pointed her knife at me and Scott and it made me grind my teeth. ¡°You honestly believe they are responsible? They are our friends!¡± ¡°They¡¯re are not! Our friends are gone!¡± Ashley bashed, ¡°Look at the news. More are popping all over the place. I want them out of my life or so help me I will leave you!¡± I struggled swallowing from all the yelling, my gut told me it had to stop. Scott intervened, ¡°Ashley, this isn¡¯t like you. We¡¯re not the bad guys. Just calm down and we¡¯ll talk this through like we wanted.¡± He sounded very tired and not wanting to deal with more violence. The two of them kept talking reason to her but she still wouldn¡¯t listen, I just stood there silent. At one time, Keeji asked to tie her to the recliner. I mildly agreed with it myself. I had just about had it when Ashley accused us of corrupting Mike to our control. Is everybody on earth assuming we have enough power to control people? Obscured I say. We had become untrustworthy to her and she was willing to protect herself. Ashley asked about me and I froze. How could I intervene in this? My skin still had the tattoos, they could have made her faint and sleep for the night. But I was tired and exhausted from crying over Arana¡¯s death. They kept going as I thought of what to do. Scott left me out of the conversation as best he could. If I couldn¡¯t convince Tom, therefore seeing the tattoo on his face, then I could try to convince my best friend. With black light vision, I couldn¡¯t tell if she had bloodshot eyes, something I noticed very well. I had had enough and I told myself to screw it. I ripped the blanket off me, opened my eyes, and yelled, ¡°STOP IT!¡± Everybody stopped yelling and looked dead on at me, ablaze with blue tattoos and glowing eyes. Ashley went speechless and her jaw dropped. With her black hair the same as before, her grey hoodie and sweats were wrinkled from a day¡¯s worth of wear, what little comfort it gave. My appearance was so shocking she dropped the knife and let it rest on the shag carpet, missing her bare feet. I stormed past the men and dog, Ashley was backing up into the bar at the kitchen, too scared to use a barstool to fend me off. In seconds I grabbed her hoodie and with my terran strength pinned her to the bar. She protested to be free, but I stared into her eyes, and she knew it was impossible. I screamed at her, using words I¡¯m not proud of using. Ever. Using them on Ashley made my soul sour, and loosing Arana made my anger come alive. I told her she was alienating everybody around her and using religion like a coward. I told her how heartbroken I was and briefly told her what I¡¯m capable of. I even used my tail to touch her to make her really freak out, to see the roots of what she will be in the future. I thought that moment over and over and I still think I was horrible to her. She cried and randomly apologized, but it wasn¡¯t enough for my wild self. My dark side wanted her to really see me. Scott and Mike tried to pull me away and I told them to back off. Whatever they said to me my brain picked it up like Charlie Brown lalas. If it went on longer and more heated, Ashley would¡¯ve been on my enemy list for life, until Scott pulled my left hand and changed my attention. ¡°Katie, look at your hands!¡± Scott said. My intentions to start slapping Ashley went out the door after seeing what was happening. The glowing tattoos were fading, starting from my fingers and up my arms. Convinced that this was new, I let go of Ashley and let her slide to the floor, skin pale and hyperventilating from my outbursts. The fading tattoos appeared to be traveling to my head. When finished, I felt a short burst of energy from my spine. I closed my eyes and black light vision was gone. Thoughts of that hideous moment of my body aglow forever were expunged. ¡°You¡¯re back to normal,¡± Keeji smiled. ¡°Well, normal-ish.¡± Thanks Keeji. Then a familiar voice ringed in my head, it made me yelp and smile. Oh¡­ my head. Energy built on my shoulder and Arana streamed out and collected on the floor. Arana appeared in the same position before she died, except without blood or broken bones, it was more like a hangover. ¡°Uh¡­ That. Hurt,¡± she groaned. ¡°ARANA!¡± I said and kneeled before her. I felt joy once again as I touched her, making sure she was real. I picked her up and hugged her; she clenched her talons inward for safety. ¡°I thought I lost you. I can¡¯t believe you came back. It must be some revival spell or something.¡± Tears, happy tears, flowed down my cheeks. Arana groaned again and stirred in my arms. She needed a moment to speak. ¡°I believe that plan of ours needed more time to think over,¡± she said, pausing a few places. Then a longer pause and a low sigh of grief followed. I faced her and she looked annoyed, even glaring at Ashley. ¡°Alright, what happened?¡± Ashley was stunned and quiet, but Mike was by her side in case she freaked out again. We let Arana fly and land on the bar, shaking her head of any remaining fatigue, and listened carefully to our stories after she died. Arana was against coming to Mike¡¯s place, but we convinced her it was for the best, yet being near Ashley¡¯s close-minded attitude was hard for her to deal with. Keeji managed to growl at Ashley for hitting him, making her go to the bedroom with Mike. She still didn¡¯t apologize to us. So much for changing her mind. Later that night things seemed calm. I was worried how long they were in the bedroom talking and a couple hours later, Mike came out. ¡°She¡¯s asleep finally,¡± he said and dropped in the recliner. He even had the decency to hand me and Scott a bottle of beer, my first real drink. I still had my bottle of Port wine in the truck. I took a long swig of lager and leaned back in the couch with Scott. ¡°Thank you for everything, Mike¡± Scott said with a smile. ¡°I mean it; you¡¯ve done so much for us. I don¡¯t know how to repay you.¡± Mike produced a small smile and offered an idea, ¡°You can sweet talk Mr. Walsh for a life¡¯s supply of wine.¡± ¡°Ha ha, fat chance, Mike, Dad won¡¯t approve,¡± I smirked, ¡°but I¡¯ll think of something. Still, I can¡¯t stand seeing Ashley like this.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll get over it, I hope. That move you pulled really scared her,¡± Scott grimaced. ¡°Can I give you some advice, Katie?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± He leaned over to me, ¡°Don¡¯t do that again. It¡¯s bad enough that I have to see you go postal with magic. Made me worried sick.¡± Arana coughed, and I let her explain, ¡°At least Tom is in his place finally. He won¡¯t be disturbing us anytime soon¡± I nodded, agreeing with her. ¡°On the other hand,¡± Arana continued, ¡°I can¡¯t shake the feeling how Tom acted. Nothing about it seemed normal. He¡¯s not a leader, nobody listened to him before. How he got that big of a mob is another question. Then the bloodshot eyes, the gun shaking in his hand¡­¡± ¡°What are you getting at?¡± Mike asked and drank his beer. ¡°The hand holding Scott¡¯s gun was moving on its own, almost¡­ trying to let go of the gun. If I¡¯m right, I¡¯d say he was under something besides alcohol.¡± Scott hummed and added, ¡°Come to think of it, no amount of alcohol causes bloodshot eyes. That¡¯s caused by head trauma and burst capillaries, and he was alive and kicking. Good thing my first spell didn¡¯t kill him.¡± We agreed Scott¡¯s first spell was a blast, literally, but needed practice. Arana was disappointed in not seeing it. ¡°But what was the deal with me?¡± I asked. ¡°What was with you dying and the tattoos showing?¡± The hawk shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have that answer. That is something we have to be cautious about.¡± ¡°Were you alive?¡± I asked again. ¡°Not really. First I felt Tom¡¯s boot, and the next I was here.¡± If it happens again, I will have to find out its purpose. ¡°Great, more questions,¡± Scott shook his head. ¡°I need to keep a list of all these surprises.¡± It became too much to think about. We went to sleep, like real sleep since last night. Whatever happens tomorrow, it will all be good. We go home, and nothing else. Chapter 15 Battleship Endeavor En route to Creos single moon, Ebi 11:53 PM Terra Firma Pacific Time The Endeavor¡¯s crew was very energetic. They could almost smell the hour of rescuing Jaruka coming. The new recruits slacked in with their preparations as usual. I could tell they were afraid of making the slightest mistake and starting a fight with the veteran crew members as they breezed through their orders without stress. The corridors and passageways radiated with energy as Irna and I walked them. They brimmed with activity¡ªlaboratories with wizards and chemists creating health potions and stun gas, soldiers heading to their posts, and ensigns carting supply crates full of ammunition. I gave them confidence with my presence. Officers and others saluted us with either hands, paws, claws, pincers, or tentacles to their chests or forehead. Irna was oblivious to them as she read me reports from both ships. ¡°Obi and the Assassin are showing that they have received five Marin¡¯zal gunnery dropships in its arsenal,¡± she said, walking right beside me and able to avoid everybody else. ¡°The techs and mechanics modified them with sub-standard gauss rifles. Obi added nerve-freeze dispersers for defense purposes.¡± ¡°Excellent, I¡¯ll notify Kantra,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Ask Obi for permission to have two of them transported here. The more we can hot drop troops, the better.¡± I favor the nerve freezers to slow down enemy foot soldier attacks. With the dropship¡¯s superior armor plating, no human bullet or tank round could penetrate them. ¡°Certainly,¡± Irna agreed. I saluted a summoner and she saluted back as she carried crystal vials for her summoning magic made from soil and metal. It¡¯s always a plus to manipulate the enemy¡¯s artillery. ¡°What about our ground troops?¡± ¡°Battle ready and on standby.¡± Irna heard a beep and poked something on her touchpad. ¡°That¡¯s from the officers in the War Room. They¡¯re waiting.¡± ¡°I know. I had to get this first so¡­¡± I had to whisper in case someone picked it up, ¡°so Denverbay can join us.¡± I pulled an object from my pocket and held out a silver disk to Irna, an egg of nanotechnology woven with rune magics. ¡°Understand that he is the key to this mission and if we don¡¯t get clearance from him to enter protected space then there¡¯s no hope for Jaruka.¡± I hoped that my talk with him did the trick; I was concerned that he had asked specifically to be at the meeting. Denverbay was serious because I had mentioned Jaruka. A Quil¡¯Da heavy came running down the corridor making whoever was in front stand back and squish against the walls and open rooms. Yelling in a garbled voice, ¡°Ice grenades, coming through,¡± with black boxes in his arms protruding from his back. We ducked into a washroom to let him pass. It took him ten seconds for his long, worm-like body to go by until we resumed our walk. We neared the elevators. I was about to ask about how many operational battle armors we had, but I realized Irna wasn¡¯t standing beside me. Standing a few feet behind me, she looked deeply worried, her pointed ears drooped to perfect loops. ¡°Irna, is there something bothering you?¡± Standing almost seven feet tall, she towered over me by four, but always saw me as if I tower over her. She held her touchpad close to her chest and looked at the floor like she was nervous to go out with her friends. That look brought back memories the day I first met her on recruitment day. Irna was in traveling clothes, tattered from constant travel from planet to planet, coming to Nova with nothing but a stuffed duffle bag and a picture of her sisters. The elf grew to a sword master, then to second in command, but importantly, one great friend. She could be giving up on the mission just looking at her. ¡°P-Permission to speak freely, sir?¡± In regard to her feelings, I nodded. She came up shaking, ¡°Brill, you really think he will grant us his blessing? Between me and everybody else in the universe, he and the Council are close to gods. They can shut anybody down with a finger, even Nova. When he showed up on my monitor outside your quarters I fainted until Obi woke me up.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know him like I do, we went to the university together. We shared a dorm with slime people. He can be harsh on his judgments, but with the right persuasion, he can do what I ask.¡± I tried to be supportive as possible to her. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about Jaruka after he¡¯s rescued. Jaruka has a record, and he will use that against us. He can shut us down just like the Storm Riders for almost killing off a colony while on drugs.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that, Irna, it was hard changing his mind. Plus, that group had it coming and they took their punishment.¡± It took the entire Royal Navy to obliterate their fleet and operations. I shuddered at the memory. ¡°I don¡¯t. Captain, what I¡¯m saying is that I don¡¯t want Nova Company to be decommissioned by that guy. I can¡¯t go back to my parents and face the Calling. I just can¡¯t.¡± The Calling is her people¡¯s way of forced marriage and motherhood, a road she fears will drive her to madness. I stretched my hand out and touched her arm to give her some comfort, but I don¡¯t know if I really helped. ¡°Irna, Nova will never be decommissioned, I promise. Our involvement with Jaruka¡¯s kidnapping is entirely my fault and I will take the blame as the board covers me, if that will the case. The group will live on and you will still have a home.¡± I let go of her and went into the elevator. ¡°You have control of the ship. Once on Ebi, refuel and stock up on Slipspace crystals. We¡¯re gonna need all the crystals we can get to hold communications up.¡± Irna still looked bothered, ¡°Are you sure he will listen? He has a poor track record of listening to people.¡± I held the disk up with two fingers, ¡°Trust me, he will listen. Carry on, Irna.¡± She was still worried, but she managed to salute me with a shaky hand and walked off, her head was still down. I caught her shrugging with frustration as the doors closed. I sighed. I told the elevator, ¡°War Room,¡± and it revved to life. I¡¯ve seen what Irna was talking about. Over the years I¡¯ve seen what Denverbay done to battle groups, least to say he wasn¡¯t kind on his final decision, never leaving any room for redemption or mercy. He became that once he was voted in, it¡¯s his job. To me, he¡¯s still my political ally and friend. He has a family, a good one too. Standing in that elevator, looking at the disk, I planned out how to convince him. I just hoped that all the years being a councilman didn¡¯t impair his judgments, like my battle group and the evidence. ¡°Get to the heart before everybody else,¡± I murmured, I yearned for a drink. Seconds passed and the doors opened, revealing the large, spacious holo-room called the War Room. All around there were metal bleachers stacked like a stadiums for spectators or other group members to watch us delegate decisions. The middle held thirteen chairs of various sizes surrounding an oval holo-desk. Three chairs were occupied. Commander Nodus Kantra sat at the farthest left of the desk patiently eating his dinner while reading over his notes, grumbling between chewing. Captain Obi was there too pacing back and forth on the desk, his faerie wings were mixed colors of anger and irritation; he could be still stunned about Denverbay¡¯s involvement. Sergeant Russ Decathan and Lieutenant Manis Wringheart were working on the holo-desk jabbering about Jaruka¡¯s nanites and possible remote control capabilities. The weapons officers and others weren¡¯t needed, tactical was my priority. I leave the shooting up to the professionals. They heard the doors and snapped to attention, saluting. Kantra swallowed the rest of his blood noodles. ¡°It¡¯s about time, captain,¡± he grumbled, ¡°I was about to give up and get some sleep.¡± ¡°Sleep can wait. At ease,¡± I said and they lowered their arms. ¡°Sorry it took this long, I had to overlay Irna¡¯s orders for the refuel.¡± I sat at my own chair at the end of the table. ¡°To start off, have you studied Jaruka¡¯s footage, Wringheart?¡± The taur nodded and cleared her throat, ¡°Yes, sir, I have. It was rather jumpy but I got the gist of what happened, some of it made me sick of what those humans are capable of. I mean, they viciously destroyed Jaruka¡¯s home. Then that human in the suit. I got a really bad vibe from that human.¡± I nodded, ¡°I believe so. And what about the nanites?¡± ¡°Handled, sir,¡± Decathan said for Wringheart. ¡°The code is updated and the bugs were kicked. With your permission, we can activate the microphones.¡± ¡°Wait, what microphones?¡± Obi interjected. They reviewed the microphone feature and the problem with Obi on the first test sessions, but Obi didn¡¯t favor that. ¡°As much as I love you Wringheart for all the inventions you cook up, I¡¯m more worried of blowing Jaruka¡¯s ear drums with this, or a chunk of brain.¡± ¡°Nothing will come to harm to Jaruka, Obi, he¡¯ll be fine.¡± I thought I heard Wringheart whisper ¡°I hope,¡± but it must¡¯ve been my imagination. I pulled out the disk and Obi, as I expected, changed from being concerned about Jaruka¡¯s health to snicker at me and look away. ¡°We all know that Terra Firma is a Red Flagged planet guided by the Protection Act. It¡¯s not easy to rescue him without the proper permission from the Galactic Council. Unfortunately, that leaves a problem for Jaruka. Oh, that reminds me, Decathan show us Jaruka¡¯s current health.¡± He touched the table and a hologram window appeared in front of us with light green borders. He then pressed a few more keys and entered his access code to display the monitoring system linked with the Slipspace nanites in Jaruka¡¯s system. There were five rows of blood pressure, brain activity, chemical analysis of his blood, a constant stream of his beating heart performing very slowly, and his magic level at zero. To the left was a brief profile detailing his record with Nova. His picture, an outdated profile from twelve years ago, with his shoulder-length skin dreads tied up behind his head and a hint of irritation and bitterness in his black eyes, but his gold iris¡¯s stayed strong and proud as it was taken. He had never updated the picture. Decathan skimmed through the report, ¡°He¡¯s been stable for a while, sir. The drug levels in his system, much stronger than the gas, have been depleting for some time. Oh, and I discovered signs of torture from the pain sensors.¡± ¡°How bad?¡± He¡¯s alive and that¡¯s important, but Decathan¡¯s tone about the injuries didn¡¯t make me feel happy. ¡°Bruises on his face, back, and torso. Minor concussion, nanites say rocks or wood or something. Scars on his knees from being dragged I guess. ¡± I can imagine Jaruka killing humans for treating him like a punching bag. Damn humans and their primitive understanding of life. ¡°The nanites also register pressure around his wrists and ankles and low blood pressure in the arms.¡± Kantra hummed under his breath then leaned over the table. ¡°Shackled no doubt,¡± he guessed. ¡°Reminds me of my childhood before I became a man. Pretty impressive tech, Russ.¡± ¡°All thanks to this furry brainy genius.¡± Decathan nudged Wringheart with his armored shoulder and she smiled. ¡°What about location? Is he off the mountains yet?¡± I asked. ¡°No, still there,¡± Wringheart interjected, ¡°roughly twenty miles east of the crash site. From the maps, looks like a parking lot near a lake.¡± Those two have done so much with the nanite technology it was close to being implemented later in the century. , ¡°I¡¯m proud of you two. Good work.¡± They graciously accepted it. ¡°Now I think it is best we bring in a sixth party to help us acquire permission into restricted space.¡± ¡°I suppose you asked the help of an ambassador?¡± Kantra added. Obi was the first to interject. , ¡°Captain, think about what you¡¯re doing. This is career suicide. Why in all that is still good in the galaxy want to summon anybody but him?¡± Kantra and the rest became quizzical from Obi¡¯s blunt feelings. ¡°In regards, captain, he is the best we can get to gain access to that system without public alarm. If you want to step down from this mission, fine by me, but you¡¯re still coming. You have to realize the time it took to persuade him to show up. Keep your harsh judgments to yourself.¡± Obi never liked, and feared, Denverbay, both seeing him as a flesh-and-blood god and a politician. He shuttered, then his eyes leveled, wings turning red. I told him to move next to Kantra. He took it scornfully and did as I said. I silenced them before they even spoke why. I pressed two buttons on the side of the disk, then I threw it with a flick of my wrist over the table and into the bleachers with a metallic clank. Wringheart and the others recognized it. The disk suddenly shot and floated in mid-air with a red light appearing on top. It indicated that Denverbay was on standby so he can attach special headgear to make a connection. The red light turned green and the disk began to shape and mold into a ball. The Nano-Summoner, as it¡¯s called, is what I keep to myself at all times. Nova didn¡¯t make it, it is government-permitted tech used for political and military purposes. Sometime I imagine using it to lower the death rates of my infantry. It works very similar to a ritual summons, except it¡¯s both magic and technology, and much more expensive. The headgear that comes with it puts the wearer in a state of trance while the disk makes an exact copy of the wearer¡¯s body. A plus for integrating Slipspace communications if you don¡¯t want to leave your home. Three spikes grew from the bottom and quivered. Insect-like exoskeleton formed on the surface, lengthened, then worked on the lower body. Denverbay¡¯s tripod stance landed on the benches, gaining dark reds and purples of his species distinct pattern. Fabric formed from the nanites to become the start of black councilman robes, three yellow rings wrapped around the middle of his legs as a sign of marriage, mimicking the metal shine. The nanites kept growing, molding his torso and the rest of his robes; the all-too-familiar v-shaped crest of the galactic Council hung from a black shawl over his shoulders and down his spiked back. The robes finished with trails of blue and green lines then creating small badges of honor of his time in office. I noticed he gained a few the last time we met face to face. His three-elbow arms grew, ending with two three-fingered hands with claws, covered with long, wide sleeves. His round head gained spots of purple and yellow on his face. The quills over his eyes were straight and neat, the ones in his scalp moved to his accordance like long plain grass. For a Creosen, Trygo Denverbay still tries to look good for others. Everybody except Denverbay and me gasped in total fear and disgust. Obi still flinched from his presence. No need to bow for me, we have a strong friendship. ¡°Councilman Denverbay, it is so nice to see you again my old friend, and an honor to be on the Endeavor of Nova Company,¡± I addressed. He bowed at me and folded his arms behind him. His voice was deep and backed with power that if any closer he could mimic a giant, ¡°As do I, Captain Secambre, I am welcome.¡± He stepped down from the bleachers and approached the table, each talon making a dominant clank from the nanites. Left talon, back talon, right talon, back talon; a creepy insect-like pattern. ¡°Been on hold for quite some time. I wondered if you already forgotten me.¡± ¡°On top of the distractions around here, you were still on my mind.¡± I was about to give out introductions, but conflict stirred. Guess who had the guts to speak in the presence of a councilman without permission. ¡°This is outrageous!¡± Kantra exclaimed. Kicking his seat away, he jabbed a finger at me and said, ¡°Brill, you took it way too far this time. Summoning a council member is not what we need for this rescue mission, especially the Hammer. Decathan, back me up.¡± The spikes behind his back rattled with intensity of breaking apart as his shadow raged. Decathan was staring at Denverbay, unable to participate. Wringheart appeared to start fainting, or maybe the alcohol was still in her system. She didn¡¯t thank goodness. ¡°What? You guys are for it? Brill, I don¡¯t think you thought this through. This is currently the most blunt stunt you performed.¡± I was about to tell Kantra to stand down or else, but Denverbay did it for me, ¡°It seems that I¡¯ve upset you Octocre citizen. However, the captain did summon me for these reasons alone. I¡¯m only here for consultation for permits. Nothing else. Unless there¡¯s more to this story than you are referring and I¡¯ll rethink the permits limitations.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t give me that pre-peace talk. I still haven¡¯t forgiven you for those budget cuts.¡± I didn¡¯t know what Kantra was talking about, but it had to stop before things went off topic. His species are not fond of politics, and love to run their mouth off. ¡°Commander Nodus Kantra, I¡¯m ordering you to stand down. We have a councilman here and you talked out of line. That, my friend, is a sign of absolute disrespect for the lifeblood of our government. So sit back in your seat and let us not waist any more time. Understand?¡± I was in total control of myself since my friend was with me. Kantra knows that when I get mad, he gets treated by my psychic powers. He knows he has no other choice. He muttered, ¡°such a mistake this is,¡± and sat back down. I ushered Denverbay to speak. ¡°First I can forgive him for yelling, no need for punishment at this time. Everybody else in this room, set aside any differences you have of me. For what it¡¯s worth, these decisions are vital. This concerns a Red Flagged, Protected planet, most likely one with a very unstable, primitive species with much to learn. As of the events and recorded video captain provided me to review, I can concur that Darka Teal has¡­ yes you have a question.¡± Wringheart was raising a shaking paw, ¡°It¡¯s Jaruka, sir, Jaruka Teal.¡± ¡°My mistake¡­ Jaruka Teal sparked First Contact.¡± I listened carefully. Seems that convincing him worked. ¡°The fact that stands is we need to eliminate our presence on the planet and prevent any accelerated advancement in human technology. Mercenary Teal¡¯s rescue is priority, meaning they can use his Halcunac plant-based body for medical advancement, not to mention his dismantled ship. Captain Secambre will have to follow my orders to make this a smooth and somewhat clean operation. I¡¯ve also done my research and confirmed that the relay station on their single moon has been destroyed after this so called ¡®asteroid strike.¡¯ For Secambre¡¯s needs, I did provide us with the up-to-date topographic maps of Terra Firma.¡± When he said I will have to follow his orders, it made my stomach sink. If anything goes wrong, he could call us back and leave Jaruka marooned or else burned alive before we touch him. Also, he will have to call in the Royal Navy and several other Council-appointed battle groups to make certain the Lunar Spear¡¯s remains were rendered to carbonized rubble. But he¡¯s not like most selfish council members that care about their own personal decisions and beliefs; he¡¯s the kind of member that actually listens to both parties, the bad and good, and base his decisions on his notes. Irna was wrong about that. I hoped he was on our side if what he was talking was fake. Can¡¯t be too careful with any council member, even if it¡¯s my friend. ¡°Excellent, lets proceed,¡± I said. Denverbay accessed the database, tapping his clawed fingers on the table. Holo-panels appeared before him, selecting commands and file paths to broadcast the information. I out of courtesy lowered the lights to make the image shine. All too soon, colored lines and solid objects flowed through the room, some shimmered through our bodies. Clusters shaped as spikes formed and settled on the desk, gathering into a spherical shape. Each one showed unique surface textures. Took nearly fifty spikes to complete the Terra Firma hologram model. The oceans were sky blue, the mainlands and islands ranged between greens, reds, browns, and grays, topped with two polar ice caps. Clouds formed and flowed with the wind patterns. The holo-planet hovered over the desk. Back in the university I once gazed at Terra Firma¡¯s surface with amazement and awe, one stable planet boasting with beauty. Wringheart and I were on the same page. ¡°Beautiful,¡± she said in awe. ¡°A collage of every piece of the galaxy in one place. I fell jealous for of the humans, yet sad that the planet will be gone in a thousand years.¡± ¡°If only they listen and stop the carnage,¡± Obi said with a faraway look. Kantra had the honors of providing the planet¡¯s stats while shaking his head. He was still mad at Denverbay. ¡°Half hour before the station was destroyed. So much for knowing where the asteroid struck.¡± He got up and read over the report. ¡°Seven continents, seven seas, and over forty established countries. The major countries within their economic and military systems are China, United Kingdom, France, Japan, Australia, North and South America. North America is where Jaruka is located.¡± Each country he managed to pronounce was indicated with a red dot and data panel on the holographic globe. The North America dot was green for Jaruka¡¯s location. ¡°Current weapons technology for infantry and vehicles?¡± Wringheart asked. ¡°The classic kind. Ballistic. Projectile. Lead and gunpowder. Like yours without the goggles and zeppelins.¡± Wringheart rolled her eyes and Kantra continued, ¡°The most dominant is their nuclear technology in missile but I wasn¡¯t able to gain any intel of where they¡¯re located or how many.¡± ¡°Right, the missiles,¡± I said and Kantra nodded. I can understand the problem in the planning. ¡°Without those locations we could be flying in their atmosphere blind.¡± ¡°We do actually,¡± Denverbay said and Kantra looked up startled. ¡°True that information is restricted for public eyes, but I have access. I¡¯m letting your engineer do it for she knows how to operate this hologram a little better.¡± Wringheart thanked him and brought up a separate holo-panel, along with Denverbay¡¯s access codes. I¡¯m very surprised at how well Vyrokas move through technology. Not only that over two-thirds of their collective population are hard working technology geniuses, mechanics, programmers, and engineers, they treat it like magic, talking to it with their minds. ¡°Got it. Patching the locations now,¡± she said professionally. The backwater planet became blotched and plagued with yellow dots holding a single atom signifying nuclear danger. Most were in the heavily populated cities and farming lands, some were in the ocean, moving. We all gasped and produced nervous sounds. Obi let out a long whistle. ¡°Wow. Talk about being paranoid,¡± Wringheart joked. I nodded slowly, I guess getting Jaruka out got a little harder. ¡°Now¡­ indicate Jaruka¡¯s current location,¡± I said nervously. Wringheart did as commanded. The planet turned and zoomed on to North America, then further zoomed to the mountains in the country¡¯s southwest corner. Jaruka¡¯s dot was colored blue. To help see it better, I lowered the planet to table level to spread out the map. ¡°This looks troublesome,¡± Kantra shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m seeing a couple active bases around Jaruka¡¯s location and one coastal base with submarines carrying huge quantities of nuclear missiles. No way of sending ground troops with those high winds. We¡¯ll have to use wizards to summon him out of there and leave in like¡­ oh say, half hour.¡± ¡°Try ten minutes, sergeant,¡± I said shaking my head. ¡°We saw the video. Even with that small of a force, more will come in a matter of minutes, and quite possibly using a missile to take out us and their own. Besides, his DNA signature for a summons is out-of-date. It must be a manual operation.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Could be,¡± Denverbay said while tapping a claw on the desk, ¡°but a rescue attempt within that small town is impossible. They could be hiding a military force to ambush your team.¡± I was quiet while the rest thought of ways to get him. Nothing seemed right. ¡°Since it¡¯s a small tourist town, why haven¡¯t they left?¡± I asked. They paused to let me speak my mind. ¡°Jaruka should be in a military base by now if by human motives. That asteroid strike must be what¡¯s causing their halt.¡± ¡°Seems odd to me too,¡± Denverbay added. Decathan said, ¡°Jaruka did say it was snowing. Wish we had footage during the strike¡­¡± Denverbay raised his hand to interject, ¡°Wait. Something occurred to me. Captain, bring up that footage Jaruka recorded. I think we missed something.¡± I didn¡¯t want to ask why; I wanted to know what he remembered. I accessed the video feed. Each of us had a holo-panel of the event. Hearing Jaruka¡¯s distressed and angered voice shuddered me again. Denverbay made us watch from the time the camera was activated to the just before the tank shot it¡¯s first round. ¡°Pause,¡± Denverbay ordered. Seeing the army again enraged me, as did the others. But I saw something in Denverbay¡¯s eyes. He caught what he wanted. He then made the video replace the globe and display on the desk. He pointed at an object seven feet from the tank and jammed into the street. ¡°Zoom and enhance. What is that?¡± ¡°It¡­ looks like¡­ a crystal,¡± Wringheart said squinting. ¡°From the shape, I say it is over thirteen feet tall and jammed deep into solid asphalt. How could I miss that?¡± ¡°We all did,¡± I said. It¡¯s not apparent to the non-magical species see that as something alarming. Denverbay¡¯s concerns were no exception. ¡°Terra Firma¡¯s climate and magic level is incapable of growing crystals that big on the surface. Only caves and the planet¡¯s mantel is suitable for crystal growth,¡± Denverbay added. ¡°You sound like you know this planet, councilman,¡± Decathan noted. ¡°I did my research.¡± Denverbay went silent then spoke with interest, ¡°In essence, I say there is something else, something far darker than First Contact issues. We must investigate this thoroughly.¡± Several beeps came from Decathan¡¯s holo-panel. The medical officer scanned through it. In seconds he let out an excited curse. ¡°People, this might be some rotten timing for all of us, but from the depleting levels of drugs, Jaruka is waking up.¡± I shot up from my seat. ¡°Terrible timing indeed. For a time like this, consider this a perfect opportunity to understand the enemy. Wringheart, activate those microphones now.¡± In no time and thanks to Wringheart¡¯s quick computer skills, she produced sound. Not the clarity we hoped but no time to debug; I told her to record. I picked up sounds instantly: footsteps against wood, chains jangling, and the moans from a familiar friend and current POW.
Boulder Bay Park, unmarked white truck Big Bear Lake, California 12:29 AM I had no choice. The opportunity was there and I took it without listening to my gut. The only jobs available at that time were mineral mines, and that was last resort. The payment was real, the length of time was a concern for my sanity, but what mattered to me was stay floating. Man do I hate scams. Begs the question as to who tried to talk me out of it. Everybody from the Endeavor. Flash forward three months and humans captured me, still alive, and waiting to be tortured to death. By the time I was waking up from those stupid chemicals, a high-pitched shriek in my head woke me up. My body was twitching from the lack of nourishment, my stomach felt pulverized from the suit¡¯s shoes, a vein pulsed against my skull, and my back felt like I rolled down a hill of rocks and trees. Oh wait, I did. My eyes opened slowly, but all I saw was darkness. Further debunking, I was blindfold. I felt chains and cuffs around my wrists with my arms raised above my head, both against the wall. I felt nothing, the blood gone. I feared the worse. My ankles were shackled to the wall, and to be certain I couldn¡¯t escape, a wide collar was around my neck. I cursed and tried to pump my hands to move blood. They stung and felt like dead meat. My right shoulder burned with pain, and then remembered the bullets. My mouth was dry but felt saliva around my chin and neck. If I didn¡¯t know better, that position was familiar. I sighed, but stopped when I smelled something. Flowers. I was still in the truck so it came to me that I wasn¡¯t alone. A voice broke the silence and echoed in the truck, ¡°Well, well, well, look who¡¯s awake.¡± It was female, that voice I recognize. That Agent Jessica bitch that shot me was in the truck with me, watching me. Sure enough that pain in my shoulder registered as a painful throb. She clapped very slowly, like being amused at my predicament. Remember what you learned, Jaruka, I thought, don¡¯t tell them anything. I felt her come close to me, her breath fell on my face. Her pungent floral perfume got stronger. ¡°Let¡¯s take that blindfold off, I wanna to see those gorgeous eyes of yours.¡± She gripped it and tugged it down my face to rest on my neck. I was blinded by the interior lights but adjusted quickly. I got a good look at my captor. She kneeled on one leg, arms on one thigh, and staring at me with menacingly playful dark eyes. Jessica was thin but built as what they call Marines under her pressed black suit, with a good set of curves. Her long blond hair was tied into a tight bun behind her head, and for a government representative or whoever she worked for, she chose to wear makeup. She was the first human I had met. Something inside begged me to kill her before she touched me. Incapable of doing that, I was under her power. Everything else, she had the face of a predator, like those Kaluni female assassins I despise running into (long story behind them), displaying deep self-discipline and determination. Strong chin, plump cheeks, tanned skin, yet the eyes, I couldn¡¯t tell what color, not with the supplied light. No human has those type of eyes, there was no way to depict any iris signature. Hers were level with mine, changing to show curiosity. Keep cool. Don¡¯t let her think you¡¯ll break, I thought. I puffed up my chest to make a stand, a crude message that if she frees me, her delicate neck is the first to break. ¡°Incredible. I can get lost in those eyes,¡± she said calmly. ¡°An all black eyeball with a gold iris. Like¡­ leopard eyes. Too bad, mister. You¡¯re my pet for a while.¡± She giggled, like a demented child. Chills ran up my spine. I kept looking at her, being brave for certain doom. ¡°Piss off, human,¡± I said low in my native tongue, calm and control. ¡°I can tell you said something nasty to me, and I don¡¯t need a translator to understand emotions. I¡¯m sorry this has to be this way, but you did ask for it, so to speak. My men have no such manners these days.¡± She cleared her throat, ¡°Now I want you to be clear with me. From your eyes and those minute twitches from your ¡®dreads,¡¯ I know you understand my words. If I¡¯m right, you can speak them too. I¡¯ll start first.¡± She placed her hand on her chest. ¡°My name is Jessica Bane. What¡¯s yours?¡± She talked sweet, yet not hypnotic to make me obey. Good, but not good enough. So vile of her. ¡°Maybe this collar is preventing you from speaking. Lets loosen this up shall we?¡± Yeah¡­ lets. She unlatched the collar and I was able to move my neck from a cramp. Then out of nowhere I screamed and grimaced from a high-pitched screech appearing in my head. Jessica backed away but laughed like she¡¯d maimed me. a familiar male voice yelled. I had to scream and cheer, in my mind. It was really good to hear a voice again after the crap I¡¯ve been through. I knew what thinkspeak is, a technique for psychics to talk to other psychics. I¡¯ve done it before. For the record, Brill, you just made my day, I thought. ¡°There, isn¡¯t that better?¡± She smiled and I hoped Brill and whoever else saw this could hate her like I did. ¡°Now, come on, I know for certain you understand me. It¡¯s not hard to tell. Do you have a name or not?¡± I figured the voice was from Commander Kantra. Another voice, Wringheart¡¯s by remembrance, made it happen. I kept my mouth shut and still didn¡¯t play Jessica¡¯s game. ¡°One more time,¡± she said, then without notice her right hand went straight for my throat and started squeezing it, making me gag and choke. Her eyes shifted to pure rage and her voice went so deep it was like she was possessed, ¡°What¡­ is¡­ your¡­ name?¡± Wringheart spoke and I thought I heard something break. I barely took in any air. I wanted to die right there and end that pitiful and embarrassing existence. At a split second, I figured out that this was all wrong. Humans don¡¯t sound this way except acting or with a throat problem. Not even the strength. Something was up with this chick. She wants to play with me, and certainly she wants me alive. Then Brill¡¯s voice came in. He said to stay alive and do as told. What was he smoking? There were too little of choices. What else do I have to lose? My freedom? Yes, of course. Decathan demanded. Against Jessica¡¯s strength, I sucked in air while finding those particular words for their race¡¯s most dominant language. How do I know it? Nothing else to do on the Lunar Spear, had to do something else besides glassblowing. Had to learn their language over the news feeds if my ship was discovered on the asteroid, or learn a new trick for the ladies. See? Be prepared. Good enough opportunity to use it. ¡°My¡­ name¡­ is Jaruka Teal!¡± Jessica let go and I took big breaths and coughed. ¡°Happy now?!¡± I barked. Her complexion changed to a pleased and satisfied look. ¡°Nice, like the name already,¡± she said. ¡°Now since the language barrier is gone, I need to know a few things. For starters, who do you work for? Are you part of some armada planning to destroy earth? Most importantly, did you do something to Helen¡¯s sudden change in trajectory?¡± From her tone, I believed they know nothing. An armada? Yeah right, if an armada gained its blessing from the Galactic Council to eradicate all humans, the war would¡¯ve ended yesterday. And I knew who Helen was, the asteroid. Brill told me to lie. ¡°I-I don¡¯t work for nobody nor to take over your world,¡± I lied, not bringing up Nova Company. It was a struggle to speak human words, even if they were simple. ¡°Long story short, I¡¯m a mercenary and I was passing by your planet when I got caught in the gravitational pull. That is it.¡± I came out very hard and serious as I could. Good enough, I told them Brill said. Jessica sighed, rather disappointed. ¡°Okay, then tell me this ¡®mercenary.¡¯ About a half hour before it crashed, our satellites detected some strange energy signatures coming from the asteroids surface. At that time it was a clue, but it seems much more. Care to enlighten me?¡± Humans are not that far advanced to detect Slipspace or fusion energies, the Archives said so. I shuttered from thoughts that I might be in trouble. With a straight face I said, ¡°I do not know what you are talking about.¡± Then tried to throw her off. ¡°Maybe if you buy me some beer and let me watch you get humped by those goats I heard so much about, I¡¯ll reconsider.¡± I heard short laughter in my brain and a female coughing and knocking something over. It makes my day to cause a Vyroka to hysterically laugh and stop breathing. Jessica scoffed at me, ¡°Heh, whatever the reason is, I have time to pull it out. For instance.¡± She got up and brushed her knees. ¡°I can do this.¡± Now her strength was really odd, but I didn¡¯t expect how fast she was as she balled her fist and punch me in the face. My temple caught it, I cried out from my head ringing in pain. Some of my skin dreads dangled over my face. I regained my posture, breathing hard to think past the throbbing flesh. ¡°How about you tell me this, Mr. Teal.¡± She shook her punching hand again at me. ¡°Tell me the name of your home world and I will lighten the blow.¡± ¡°Bite me!¡± If anybody starts to have a grudge against my people, they will have to go through me. ¡°I will never tell you my origins!¡± Jessica didn¡¯t take it lightly and made an upper thrust punch under my chin¡ªI chipped a tooth¡ªand a kick in the chest. As I screamed, I heard Obi say, One of these days, Obi, one of these days. It must be Kantra, being morally pissed at my attitude. Whatever you say, I thought back. Fluid built up in my mouth with the taste of blood. I spat it on the floor, nowhere near the woman¡¯s perfect shiny shoes. She stared at my blood. ¡°Huh, red blood,¡± she said, ¡°that¡¯s something in common with us, even from a creature not in God¡¯s image.¡± I snickered, ¡°File a complaint.¡± I flinched when her hand came near me, and froze when she combed back my dreads to show my face. The stroke was smooth. First she pummeled me, then treating me with care? How creepy. Yes oh mighty red one. ¡°So Miss¡­ Jessica,¡± I started, holding back a growl, ¡°before I even want to answer more questions from you, how about I ask my own?¡± ¡°Seems proper to do so.¡± She stood straight and folded her arms. ¡°Okay, shoot, and they better be good or else.¡± She shook her fist at me. ¡°The asteroid. What happened to it? You and the rest of your kind, even me, should have died from the blast, but there wasn¡¯t.¡± Jessica hummed again. Does she have to pause every time? ¡°True. Something strange happened to Helen that caused a rising shift in power. Earth is on the verge of internal collapse of its inhabitants. I can¡¯t tell you the real details because I¡¯m leaving it on a need to know basis.¡± Bitch. Decathan said. ¡°Why not now?¡± ¡°Because you are chained to a truck, silly.¡± I noticed hesitation in her tone and a vein pulsing near her forehead. Jessica was, and I was betting on this, that she knows too well what I¡¯m capable of. ¡°Although after we gassed you,¡± she continued, ¡°I was amazed by the number of weapons on you. Seems by my estimation you were preparing to hide on our planet until a rescue party comes just with the stuff on your back. We can identify most of it, but this made me really curious. Quite possibly where you came from.¡± She reached over the shelf above me and I felt my rage rise and my gut wrench. Decathan mentioned. Jessica held my sword, my freaking katana in both hands. The strap fell in front of me, dangling from the sides of the sheath. I began to growl while her smile grew and grew. ¡°Marvelous piece, truly is, Mr. Teal,¡± she commented while her hands moved up and down the sword¡¯s leather and dark metal sheath. I shuttered and made my bonds shake as she unsheathed my baby in a brisk fashion, gazing at the single-edged blade, too big for her to swing and chop. ¡°Unknown metal, five feet long, tight leather grip, and sharper than a chef¡¯s knife.¡± She moaned and shook her head as if my sword was some form of rare food. ¡°Clearly this is something to look over deeply. On our planet this belongs to a Japanese emperor, a respected samurai, or a greedy collector. Well taken care of, for a dirty mercenary like yourself.¡± This bitch was touching my sword. Nobody touches it. She broke my prime rule. ¡°Better put that back before something bad happens to you,¡± I demanded. I tried pumping my fists to move blood and winced from how half-dead they felt. ¡°If you insist.¡± She sheathed it like a good girl. ¡°However, since you are my prisoner, swords don¡¯t tickle my fancy as an important weapon at this day of age. Primitive items that belongs in the Smithsonian.¡± Then, as a child not caring, she threw my baby on the floor behind her. Primitive my ass, that represents my crogen soul! I screamed and flailed anything that wasn¡¯t tied down. She backed away to let me yell in torture. The voices in my head gasped, including a sixth voice I couldn¡¯t place. ¡°You bitch. You monster. You will pay for that!¡± Amused, she laughed at my pain, ¡°Oh I doubt that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a promise you dolt.¡± ¡°Whatever, but this next piece is something we will benefit.¡± That devil went back to the shelf and retrieved the next weapon. She had to shift her stance from my plasma rifle¡¯s weight. We were told to not introduce technology more advanced than what they have for it can bring disaster to everyone. With humans and their unbridled imagination, that¡¯s danger in a can. If these suicidal maniacs combine plasma tech with their nuclear technology, on top of technology from my destroyed ship, they can start the foundations for Black Hole generators¡ªplanet eaters¡ªand they won¡¯t realize it until it¡¯s too late. Creos would be first on the list. I¡¯ll let that idea steep in your head for a while. The T31ZK Plasma Rifle was too big for her; she had to hold the strap in one hand and the other hand on the trigger handle. The magazine was still in and the weapon¡¯s charging system was dormant. If it was, I could''ve trick her so good to make her pull the trigger, sending plasma into her foot. ¡°Now this is remarkable. Oh ho, the scientists and technicians will have a field day when I present this to them at the base.¡± the voices exclaimed. The sixth voice growled, odd that this one was quiet for a while. ¡°Put. My gun. Down. I will shove that barrel up your ass if you don¡¯t,¡± I threatened her. Jessica didn¡¯t listen. She found the magazine and unclipped it from the housing with the lever on the side. Steam still seeped from the spent charge a while ago. And with her small fingers, she popped out a single green plasma bullet. Her eyes shined with all out bliss. Most of my ammunition is factory made, but I like to make my own in junction with my glassblowing craft for my rifle. All the stable plasma is encased in a glass shell then fused to an igniter button. When the bullet is electrified, it becomes a flying ball of bone-melting plasma through the air. Jessica just had to settle her curiosity of what I used. ¡°Imagine the weapons and technology we can create with just this rifle alone.¡± She made that hunger moan again. ¡°You might not live long to see it. You have no idea what you are messing with, Jessica.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± She put everything back together with sharp clicks¡ªprofessionally. Made me wonder what her background is. A musical tone came from her jacket. ¡°Oh darn, hang on a sec.¡± She put the gun back on the shelf before retrieving a small black box from her jacket pocket. I¡¯ve also kept tabs on the technology they possessed. What Jessica had is their communication device. Pretty ridiculous to name it after a little berry. Jessica walked away talking low. Brill asked. She is talking to someone. I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s her boss. I gave them a thick description of the inside of the truck including the shackles along the walls and fair description of Agent Jessica. I had to repeat ¡°truck¡± to Wringheart. They mentioned I woken up prior so I told them that, how I managed to kill a human without using my rifle. Kantra was impressed. I just realized about my shoulder and looked. Decathan took notes as I described the wound having ten stitches and something puss-like seeping out. Later I was told it was medical foam. A short pause followed. My dreads curled a little when I recognized the sixth person¡¯s deep voice. he said. I growled in my head, deeply annoyed. Denverbay. I should¡¯ve known Brill would lure in the big guns of the Republic. Brill you out done yourself this time. Kantra said so, whatever that meant. Denverbay continued. I smirked but didn¡¯t let Jessica catch it. So I¡¯m just an object to these monsters? I asked in the silence, I¡¯d rather be sent into a meat grinder than to be a tool to their advancement. Brill asked. I could smell the bureaucratic nonsense a mile away. Jessica hung up, stopping our quick brain session, and banged on the doors leading outside. ¡°Okay, let her in,¡± she yelled. Locks creaked and the truck¡¯s doors opened, stirring me of what¡¯s happening. Three guys were outside, one I suspected could bench press a forklift (that¡¯s a vehicle to lift boxes without magic). All three wore the same dark clothes as Jessica but wet from trudging through the snow. Beyond them I saw a lake and a couple of rock formations. I told Brill what was happening right to point when they flung a human body in the truck. ¡°What the crog?¡± I said in my language. Jessica glanced at me and went for the body. I cursed because I noticed something ¡°odd.¡± The human unconscious on the floor was not human; I described it as best I could to Brill and the others. It was female and had long blond hair. On the sides of her head were two perfect elf ears sticking out. More things I noticed like strange armor patterns on her arms and legs and¡­ tail. As Jessica dragged her, the thin robes covering her upper body were getting ripped. I knew them as hospital gowns. It clearly was that she was under heavy drugs because of the amount of bandages on her body, and a few little ones along her face. I counted several blotches of black and blue skin. Jessica dragged the woman to the locks and locked her in place. I was so fixated on the creature. So many ideas flowed through my mind. The agents might¡¯ve beaten her from the level of damage to her perfect body. So why the gown? Man I wished I knew more of this. Wringheart or Kantra thought of a dimensional being. I thought so too; she wasn¡¯t human after all. New species perhaps? ¡°Where are the others?¡± Jessica asked the dark skinned leader. ¡°You said you would be bringing four.¡± ¡°As if. We had to get her out first without alerting the nurses. Then we followed the deputies to the sheriff¡¯s office for that crazy lunatic that almost beat her to death. We tried to get him, but once he saw us he belched ¡®the Man will never have me,¡¯ then jacked the cop¡¯s gun and shot himself in the head. Poor crazy bastard.¡± He pulled a small brown cylinder from a small case and lit it, letting out puffs of smoke. ¡°What about the couple from the complex?¡± The guy held his miniature cigar between two fingers, ¡°We let them drive off because of the commotion the boyfriend caused. Their location is known and are protected by an Iraq War veteran and his wife.¡± He then looked at me, ¡°And looks like the big green bastard is awake. You sure he¡¯s locked up tight?¡± ¡°Positive, he¡¯s not going anywhere,¡± Jessica said with certainty and laughed. I couldn¡¯t take much more of it, ¡°Jessica, I demand you to tell me what is going on. Who is she? Is she part of the asteroid? Did that thing rip a dimensional gate from another world? Tell me woman, tell me right now!¡± ¡°Dag gone, he can speak our language,¡± the agent said. Jessica beamed at me, ¡°Relax, Jaruka, this is only a pest problem were starting to eradicate. Nothing to worry about.¡± She blindfolded the woman. ¡°Agent Roland, get a hold of our informants in Washington. Tell them to stand by to initiate Plan B. The General will commence it. I¡¯ll take care of this loud mouth.¡± Roland laughed a little, staring at me, and proceeded to close the doors but not all the way. All that¡¯s left was his musty tobacco smoke. I was left with the crazy woman again and the sleeping woman in chains. Now it reminded me of a familiar place. Jessica then pulled out a needle out of her pocket and held it up, freeing it from its safety casing and the air bubbles. The liquid inside was clear. ¡°Mr. Teal, I¡¯m sorry but I believe it is time for you to sleep for a while. A busy time is coming for us and I need you to behave like a good alien.¡± She kneeled before me, I rattled my bonds from fear. I didn¡¯t want to go to sleep again. Decathan saw this and was demanding me to break free. ¡°What¡¯s Plan B? Tell me NOW!¡± My voice got louder from the adrenaline rush. I thrashed and the pain in my arms was going away. ¡°In time, green man, in time. After all, we have plans for you.¡± Then quick as a second she grabbed a few dreads, pulled me close, and kissed me on the lips, catching me off guard. One second later she pulled away and shoved the needle into my neck, driving the plunger down and the liquid directly into my vein. I screamed for her to stop. Her mouth quivered into a menacing smile again, the smile of an accomplished hunter with her prey. She came close to my ear hole and whispered, ¡°Starting with blaming you for the Wave.¡± I stared slipping away again. Boy did I feel pissed off. And I was back into darkness, my friend¡¯s voices fading.
After Jaruka was comatose again, the only sound in the War Room was Denverbay¡¯s claw tapping on the desk. The rest of us were confused and speechless. We might¡¯ve had ideas of the future outcome, but it all looked grim. More questions; why does it have to be more? ¡°Ooookaaayyy.¡± Wringheart broke the awkward silence, ¡°Is it just me or does anybody else smell something off about this?¡± ¡°This is bad,¡± I said slowly, ¡°very, very bad.¡± ¡°Obviously, captain, we must take action,¡± Obi said next. ¡°I smell conspiracy too. Other than that they have the resources. We have to go now. Councilman, give us the permits now or we¡¯ll go without them!¡± To my surprise, Denverbay didn¡¯t answer. He kept staring at the planet hologram. His three eyes were different, way different, and I never seen them before to know what he was thinking. Denverbay, it seemed, was over his head. Kantra stepped up and took control of the room. ¡°I say we blow everything in a fifty mile radius at his exact spot, just to be sure we got them.¡± ¡°We need to make a quick decision, guys, I¡¯m reading the makeup on the drug and it¡¯s not as strong as the first,¡± Decathan addressed. ¡°His body can break it down. He¡¯ll wake up soon enough.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more interested in that strange elf girl, or whatever she is,¡± Wringheart added. ¡°Must be a key of some sort.¡± ¡°Wringheart, we can wait for that,¡± Kantra told her, then face me. ¡°Well captain, what do you suggest we do?¡± I had to think a while. I had to juggle between root ideas for a rescue and wonder what was that creature Jaruka saw. Picturing what it looked like was difficult. It¡¯s practically impossible for an asteroid to create a dimensional rift without the right ingredients. I looked at Denverbay, still thinking deeply. ¡°We must wait until he is not mobile and await the permits. I want to uphold Republic law,¡± I said, staring at my Creosian friend. ¡°For an idea, we¡¯ll perform a hot drop with the Endeavor itself. We¡¯re all ready as of supplies. Tell everybody to slow down and not exhaust themselves.¡± They sensed I was troubled. I don¡¯t blame them. ¡°We¡¯re now in intel gathering mode. I want whatever the nanites recorded and catalogued for evidence. Gather as many clues as you can, even the tiniest of sounds. No shred of information must not be ignored. All three of you are on it except Obi. He needs to send a few new dropships to us. Is that clear?¡± They nodded, nobody asked questions. ¡°Good, I¡¯ll be spending time with Denverbay for the permits and consulting the rescue plan with Kantra. You have your orders. Dismissed.¡± They saluted me and left. Wringheart didn¡¯t stop herself from setting her paw on my shoulder for reassurance before she went back to Engineering. Obi and Kantra looked at Denverbay one last time, shaking their heads. When they were gone, it was me and the councilman left. ¡°I assume that you¡¯re more troubled on this matter than ever,¡± I asked him. He didn¡¯t look at me. I could¡¯ve sworn he¡¯d said something, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what. ¡°Trygo, you okay?¡± Denverbay shook his head, ¡°Oh, right, sorry. Been thinking a lot.¡± He walked towards me, gliding on the floor. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that unknown party. You became very still all a sudden when he described her. I assume that it is what¡¯s troubling you. Am I right?¡± Denverbay glanced away, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Although, remember what we discussed. Jaruka broke the law, you know that.¡± I nodded, slowly. ¡°For all intent, when he comes back to Creos, he will have to go against the Council and defend himself for his crimes.¡± I sighed. Not the kind of words I wanted, he¡¯s adamant that Jaruka broke a sacred oath of the galaxy. ¡°I told you before, he was tricked. The client disappeared. He¡¯s not that kind of person, Jaruka makes up for his mistakes.¡± Denverbay stopped a few inches from me. ¡°I¡¯m aware of that, Brill. I¡¯ve read his psyche report. It was the first thing I read.¡± ¡°Then I suppose you know his history with his own people? He made a choice to pull himself from a cruel life and he can¡¯t go back despite that.¡± He nodded, ¡°And he dug himself another hole thanks to his ill-thought agreement. Republic law is absolute and he will be tried. He can¡¯t escape from it.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said reproachfully. ¡°And to think with all the magic and technology in this galaxy readily useable, it always boils down to politics.¡± My voice was suddenly drained of power. ¡°If only there was a backdoor.¡± Denverbay looked back at the planet¡¯s hologram, ¡°Whatever is happening on Terra Firma is indeed interesting. I have to go.¡± He looked back at me. ¡°Is there anything else you want me to review?¡± He asked. I shook my head and looked over the desk, ¡°Just get the permits ready. That¡¯s all I want now.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to come to my home to receive the physical permits and the current star charts. In the mean time, I¡¯ll consult his punishment.¡± He placed a clawed hand on my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, old friend. When this is over, let¡¯s catch up on our stories and a drink.¡± He pressed a button on his claw and the nanites retreated to the disk. It levitated than clanked on the table. I was alone for an hour, doing nothing but thinking about Jaruka¡¯s and Terra Firma¡¯s future. Blaming you for the Wave. ¡°What does it mean?¡± Irna called me that we have the Slipspace crystals. I left to get a drink at my quarters before seeing her at the station¡¯s platform. Chapter 16 Mike and Ashley¡¯s House Fawnskin, California December 23, 2012 7:03 AM I didn¡¯t dream because of being scared of that mob, I might have been too afraid to dream of anything. I wondered if there were similar mobs in LA, or Temecula perhaps, but I knew my family was safe; nobody would dare ransack a winery. Scott and I slept soundly in Mike¡¯s house with Sheriff McDermit¡ªfresh from the hospital with minor bruises¡ªback to guarding us from other crazy locals. I realized how comfortable Mike¡¯s couch was that night. It was as wide as a twin bed and with thick pillows so fluffy and comfy that I could get lost in plush. As I slowly woke up to a familiar smell, I found myself sandwiched between two cushions with Scott acting as a living shield, there was no doubt that I was well protected. Our legs and tails were entangled, and I cooed and smiled as I saw that he was awake first. ¡°Morning,¡± he said with one hand propping his head up and the other over my back. I yawned and returned the gesture, ¡°Are you gonna protect me like this from now on, or making sure I don¡¯t leave you?¡± ¡°Only if you want to.¡± He tucked some hair behind my ear; I noticed the morning sun was already out. ¡°Did you have trouble sleeping?¡± ¡°A little. Kept thinking of the mob, but I still slept. What about you¡­¡± I trailed off when I smelled pan-fried bacon. My stomach growled, and I think Scott heard it. ¡°Had to wake up from time to time.¡± He came closer to me to whisper, his eyes looked really tired. ¡°Had to make sure Ashley wasn¡¯t looming over us with a skillet.¡± A smirk appeared on my mouth, but it went away after thinking about Ashley. That bacon was calling to me. ¡°I can hear you two sweet talking back there,¡± Mike called out, ¡°If you two do it on my couch I will get sick.¡± A rush of embarrassment flushed through my face and Scott¡¯s, and we repressed snickers. Staying there was not our plan, and we pushed off the blanket and stretched. I yelped when I felt my tail pop. Yes, you heard me, our tails pop. Last night I was too focused on Ashley, now that I had calmed down, I appreciated what they had done to their house. Mike said that when he bought it, it was a run-down mountain-themed vacation rental and everything had to be repaired. For Mike¡¯s love of the mountains, he added on; antique snowshoes hung from the exposed banisters, there were handcrafted wooden walls and etchings over the frames, pine cones and polished rocks along the window shelves, and hand-me-down furniture from his family. The only modern changes were the kitchen, bathroom, and the addition of barstools. In the corner was a simple six foot Christmas tree: traditional ornaments with an angel on top, and a few labeled boxes with their names on them. A Frank Sinatra Christmas song would have been a nice touch. The view¨Cwow. Windows lined the whole living room, and gave us a partial view of the lake, neighboring houses, a gorgeous clear blue sky, and the sun peeking through the snow-covered pine trees. Even the crystals littering the landscape soaked up the sun¡¯s rays and casted surreal purple shadows. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought where you live is a temporary winter wonderland,¡± I said as I adjusted my wrinkled shirt. ¡°You should¡¯ve been here during the winter of 2010, unforgiving it was. Almost caved in the roof.¡± Mike turned over the sizzling bacon. We weren¡¯t in that storm, Mom had made us stay at the winery. ¡°And the sheriff is still out there. You think he¡¯d be cold as an icicle,¡± Scott said looking out at McDermit still parked and sitting outside drinking coffee. Mike set the cooked bacon onto a plate and finished the scrambled eggs. ¡°He¡¯s been out there since last night. We¡¯ve been talking on and off¡­ oh I almost forgot. The roads opened about an hour ago. The majority of flatlanders left already from Phil¡¯s knowledge.¡± ¡°Cool, that¡¯s just what I needed for the morning.¡± I almost felt like jumping for joy. It was quite possibly the greatest news ever for us. Finally, we could go home and stay there until we were safe to venture out. Scott let out a worried sigh and rubbed his head, ¡°What did Phil say about the apartment? Will he ding us for that?¡± Mike faced us, ¡°Not sure what he¡¯ll do. Might as well have that godfather of yours talk him out of it.¡± Scott started chuckling. If that be the case, we¡¯d just have to thank him with a case of wine. His partners never complain about the generosity, but a little part of me thought that the sheriff would question us for a while. Arana sat on the bar and atop my spellbook, reading its pages. She said ¡®morning¡¯ to us as we sat down in on the barstools, I ran my finger over Arana¡¯s chest, I think she liked it. ¡°Were you up all night?¡± Arana nodded, ¡°Indeed, and very exhausted,¡± she said and closed the book. ¡°Supposedly there¡¯s still no explanation to my death. Sorry if I didn¡¯t find it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be, we¡¯ll find the reason,¡± I assured her. ¡°But I found a spell for this book to re-enter your body without my help.¡± ¡°Wait, wait, give me a second,¡± Scott picked up paper and a pen. ¡°Gotta start somewhere to learn Gaelic.¡± I told him its good to start fast; he wanted to learn how to control his magic after his experience last night. As Mike finished up breakfast, Arana explained to us that to send our personal spellbooks books back into us, we must needed to place our hands on the cover, focus without feeling the mana, and speak filleadh aloud. I did and the book shimmered into blue light and was absorbed back into me, to bring it back out, speak tar amach. God I love magic, even my magick language is awesome. Scott wrote everything down and saved it so that when we got home he could practice with me. How sweet. Oh I nearly forgot about Keeji, he slept the whole night under Ashley¡¯s rocker. He was excited when he heard us talking and banged his head on the chair. He came over to us whimpering and Scott rubbed his head. Mom would love him, I just knew it. ¡°Anyway, dig in, this is the last time I¡¯ll see you guys in a while,¡± Mike said handing us our breakfast. He had his own breakfast of oatmeal and bananas. I looked at my plate and felt like one lucky girl. He made the basic of basics: scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, hot coffee, and fruit from the bowl of fresh fruit that he kept out atop the bar. Scott and I were delighted to have a good meal and we were munched enthusiastically. The eggs were fluffy, the bacon was crisp, and the coffee was smooth. In fact, the coffee tasted great, Mike said it was locally roasted down the hill. I could see that terran-enhanced taste buds would play a role back home. The totems had bites of food, just out of curiosity. Keeji ate a piece of toast and Arana nibbled on my eggs. They liked it on account that it was the first thing they had ever eaten, and with that, they didn¡¯t go any further. Totems don¡¯t eat for energy, it¡¯s a good thing too, they could run the earth¡¯s food supply dry. I was so into my meal that when Scott tapped me on my shoulder. Looking up, I stopped chewing and my jaw dropped with food still inside. I had to swallow to not be rude. No, it wasn¡¯t Keeji choking, it was Ashley, outside, looking at us. She didn¡¯t carry a skillet, or a baseball bat, or a gun. Both of her hands were in her hoodie¡¯s pockets. She looked the same as the night before, but I suspected that she¡¯d changed internally, hoping the dose of reality helped. If not, then it would all be over between us. As she tried to talk, she pinched her cross pendant, either for support or guidance. We never didn¡¯t speak, not even Mike. Keeji saw her, whimpered like a coward and hid behind Scott. I chair-walked beside Scott as to not squish Keeji¡¯s tail.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Ashley opened her mouth, closed it hesitantly, and then said with the flattest voice, ¡°Uh¡­ morning,¡± without a smile, as if she was afraid of being ridiculed. There was another uncomfortable pause. ¡°You okay?¡± Mike asked, ¡°It¡¯s okay, honey, they won¡¯t hurt you. Look if you don¡¯t want to do what we discussed, that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°No, no Mike I¡­ I can do it.¡± Those were the first non-threatening words she had said in a while and it made my jaw drop more. She paused again, anticipation hung in the air. ¡°Well?¡± Mike leaned on the kitchen counter. ¡°Are you?¡± Her eyes stayed on me, Scott, and the totems, she didn¡¯t even glance at Mike. Poor woman. She went straight for the kitchen cupboard, grabbed a glass, and filled it with water from the sink. She drank it all in one gulp, then stared back at us, her eyes definitely showed that she had changed. ¡°Lately,¡± she started, ¡°I-I¡¯ve been¡­ not myself. I thought I was thinking logically, that what I saw was the comings of the Rapture. The asteroid. The animals, like them.¡± Arana huffed and turned her back on Ashley. ¡°And even¡­ even you two. From the news I watched, I certainly believed it was a demon possession. It all fit with all those¡­ those, lightning orbs from the crystals.¡± ¡°Ashley we¡¯ve been through this before, those geriatric eggheads have no solid proof on that claim. The terrans are not devils in disguise,¡± Mike explained. ¡°I still think it,¡± Ashley shook her head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s not totally out of me.¡± She turned back to us, ¡°I was also afraid of becoming like you two. Being shunned by my friends, my family, my husband. I had panic attacks, and once feared of one breaking in and¡­ and¡­¡± I knew what she was trying to say, and I felt bad for her even more. ¡°Then I overheard your talk last night, about Tom. I hated him too. Just look at what he does to tourists. Deep down, my mind saw him as an activist to spread the truth. But what you guys said, and from Mike, I know now that he just wants to hurt my friends, both normal and¡­ terran.¡± She said terran like it was a disease. Scott broke our silence with by raising his hand, ¡°Hold it, I want to cut this short because I think you¡¯re having trouble apologizing. Am I right?¡± Ashley winced. Scott wanted this to move quicker and I didn¡¯t blame him. She paused, and then nodded. ¡°Then say it. I want to know if you accept this.¡± His tail went up and flicked the air. For some reason I was feeling a nasty fight coming on, I drank all my coffee to settle my nerves. Ashley bit her lip, whined a little, and said, ¡°Please forgive me. I¡¯m sorry for bashing you.¡± Then, from the corner of her eye, a tear formed, and she sniffled. That took a lot out of her. I don¡¯t know if she had ever asked for forgiveness, she either dealt with it or didn¡¯t. Somewhere in her talking, I thought that it wasn¡¯t directed to us, but to me. I folded my arms and leaned forward on the table. ¡°Ashley, before I say what you want me to say what you did really hurt us. Maybe you knew this, but we¡¯re all on the same boat for this transformation, but that doesn¡¯t mean you have to segregate us in the middle of a hurricane for frivolous reasons.¡± I was proud of my myself, even Scott and Arana kept quiet and didn¡¯t interject. I got up and walked over to Ashley, ¡°But since you believe what you said was wrong and hurtful¡­¡± She didn¡¯t back up and I touched her hands with a soft motion, to show her that I wouldn¡¯t hurt her. I smiled, ¡±I forgive you.¡± It was enough to make her smile again, the first one since the change. We hugged, I had to let her feel the plates along my back and felt her shudder at how creepy it was. I backed off to let Mike hug her harder, and he gave her a peck on the cheek. I heard him whisper, ¡°I¡¯m proud of you.¡± Watching it, I knew that the deed was done. Mom and Dad knew that we we¡¯re okay, Ashley was accepting the world¡¯s fate, and I felt at peace. I ignored Scott¡¯s phone ringing to savor the moment, but I yelped when he cursed at the caller. Something wasn¡¯t right.
I yahooed internally for Ashley¡¯s change of mind. I had been betting it was all going to blow up in our faces. My phone rang and recognized Deryl¡¯s number, I had to answer, but my eardrum nearly blew out from Deryl¡¯s high-pitched screaming. His words were all jumbled like he was out of breath from a run. ¡°Dammit, Deryl, don¡¯t do that. What are you screaming about?¡± I asked him. If I didn¡¯t have my coffee, I would¡¯ve been irritated by him. ¡°Get the hell to cover, Scott!¡± His shouting was so loud it almost blew his cell phone¡¯s microphone, ¡°You and Katie are in big trouble. They¡¯re heading over right now!¡± ¡°Wait? Who¡¯s heading over? If this is about the accident at the apartment, I can explain.¡± I walked off so I wouldn¡¯t get any verbal interference from Mike and the girls. ¡°No, no, not that. I¡¯m talking about scores of agents hunting people like you!¡± With my heightened hearing, I could hear huge amounts of commotion from the cell¡¯s background. There were muffled howls, then flat out clear words that they were trying to deny someone¡¯s entry. I asked him what¡¯s happening. ¡°That¡¯s it, Scott. We have a couple of terrans in custody and they are demanding to have them. God, kid, have you heard the news lately?¡± ¡°No, we just woke up,¡± I told him. I signaled Mike to turn on the television with the remote on the coffee table. He switched it to CNN on a pre-recorded press conference at the White House. ¡°Deryl, what did they say?¡± ¡°Scott, it¡¯s sick, it¡¯s unconstitutional. They¡­¡± Gunshots rang out and people screamed on the other end. Deryl yelled as more gunshots rang. ¡°Take them out!¡± It was the last thing I heard of him as the phone disconnected. ¡°Deryl? Deryl!?¡± Katie looked at me curious of my shocked expression. She might¡¯ve heard Deryl yell. I thought of the worse of Deryl, but I know he¡¯s a Marshal and Marine; he can take down the shooters without breaking a sweat. The terrans freeing themselves, or the ones taking them away. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong guys. I think people lost it.¡± ¡°Hey Mike,¡± Ashley said standing near the windows, ¡°who¡¯s the guy in black talking to the sheriff? Don¡¯t believe it¡¯s one of the neighbors.¡± ¡°Wait, guy in black?¡± A sickening feeling overwhelmed me. If she was saying what I assumed she was, then our escape plan was gone. All five of us went to the window. The plowed driveway with the truck holding our stuff was still there. McDermit was still at the end of the driveway guarding our exit. He was outside near his car talking to a guy in black, the same dude that had hung out in front of our apartment, and a blond girl in black, standing there silent. I can still remember that menacing smirk of his. ¡°What the hell is he doing here?¡± Katie asked. ¡°So is that the guy you talked about?¡± Mike asked. ¡°Definitely, that¡¯s the guy and girl from yesterday and last night. God, I don¡¯t feel right about this.¡± They were talking, asking the sheriff questions, possibly about why he was there. McDermit seemed uninterested and told him to leave. I looked at the television as CNN announced the Secretary of Defense approaching the pressroom¡¯s signature podium. Why did he come instead of the president? ¡°Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, I have an important and immediate announcement regarding the recent catastrophe that shook our planet¡¯s status quo.¡± Turning back to the window, the man and woman waved at the sheriff and walked off to a black SUV parked across the street. Keeji growled and his breath fogged up the window; I felt my heart sink from the look in the agent¡¯s eyes. My suspicions were correct. The blond agent, as fast as a kung fu master, whipped out her side arm, and shot McDermit in the head several times. The white patrol car got a large coat of red paint as the former sheriff¡¯s body fell out of sight. Everybody in the house screamed bloody murder. ¡°¡­the asteroid has made a horrible dent to our world, including the sudden attack of those orbs infecting every human on the face of the planet. You might¡¯ve noticed the saved surveillance videos on YouTube during the coma hour. As the Pentagon got word of Asteroid Helen¡¯s true intentions, Congress had to take measures to¡­¡± Black SUVs and a single white truck came roaring up the street. Soldiers wearing gas masks and grasping guns barged out of the cars and sprinted toward the house. Some stayed behind for cover, others went full assault on us and the neighbors. ¡°RUN!¡± I screamed. We tried running to safety, Arana knocked over the Christmas tree, and Mike took a bad fall and crashed down onto the wooden coffee table, crushing two of its legs. ¡°¡­regiments oversees witnessed the same fate and have already taken action. Our very own soldiers in our military are transforming at an alarming rate and have become a threat to our national security. The president is too preoccupied to address the nation as he is protected at a secure bunker so I¡¯m permitted to announce the agreement Congress settled.¡± ¡°Shit, Mike, you okay?¡± I ducked down in case they started firing bullets through the windows. ¡°Ah, my neck, I think it¡¯s broken,¡± he said grimacing, ¡°leave me, Scott. Take care of Katie.¡± ¡°To hell I won¡¯t leave you.¡± ¡°¡­each plan was scrutinized between both parties, and yet, only one solution was picked for the growing number of transformed. Most of our neighboring countries have already adopted a similar plan¡­¡± Every window shattered from explosions, making all of us duck to the floor from flying shards of glass. A couple of canisters fell on the couch and floor and started spewing while smoke. I inhaled some of it and was already felt woozy. Mike crawled out of the debris as Ashley came to his aid, to beg him to get up and run. Katie tried to charge her mana but stopped completely as a large black bag slammed into her chest and she fell backwards, grunting and gripping her stomach. I tried to imitate my first spell, feeling the same mana charging tingles. Suddenly my muscles felt weak and the tingle grew to pain. Clearly my nerves were shot from the gas. The noxious white smoke filled the living room. I started coughing loud and hard, having trouble breathing and staying awake. Tears covered my eyes from the stinging smoke, but I still managed to see black figures breaking down the front door and barging inside. One said to secure the freaks and talking animals, and take out the witnesses. Katie coughed on the smoke and fell asleep instantly near the fireplace. Two soldiers approached the weak totems, shoved a taser to paralyze them further, then stuffed them into separate body bags. My last glimpse of life was the television. ¡°¡­and that is why, effective immediately¡­¡± The secretary paused, briefly, then flinched, ¡°We are issuing a countrywide containment of all tattoo-bearing citizens and transformed. They will be transported to housing facilities for studies until we compile a complete explanation of this phenomenon and the foundation of a cure.¡± The press erupted in protest as he stepped down. It cut to reports of intense violence in major cities. I know the guy, I thought, he never flinches. Unless¡­ The menacing agent¡¯s foot hurled at my stomach and I went out cold. Chapter 17 Unmarked road, near Sedan Crater Nevada 1:17 PM I woke up the third time with my stomach growling for sustenance. This makes it what¡­ two days without food? Yeah, that¡¯s right. My first thought of food was to have deep-fried fish¡ªsucculent Coren bellyfish, smothered in a seasoned creme sauce, steamed vegetables and a house lager. Alas, I wasn¡¯t able to have that moment of comfort. I was still bound. I groaned as my stomach growled again, and I fully opened my eyes to the truck¡¯s floor. The collar was on my neck again. As I realized that the truck was moving and bouncing against the road, the cuffs were scratching further into my skin. Besides shaking from starvation, I felt warmer for some reason. Kantra¡¯s voice was a whisper in my head, he¡¯s the one I don¡¯t want to use as a wake-up call. Decathan grumbled disappointedly and heard coins clinging. I wondered what bet they had made. Thanks so much, Nodus, I thought back, now for reassurance all I need is you and your shadow walker powers to split these humans to dust. Kantra huffed. Decathan interjected, Boredom showed in his voice; I wish I could feel the same. And Denverbay is the head writer? I pressured, not hard to growl in my mind. I had never heard Kantra that distressed from a Councilman. I wonder what happened between them? The truck bounced and I muttered in pain from the neck brace. My arms were still above me and I felt nothing from them. Russ, are my arms okay? I thanked him. Tilting my head up, I blinked to adjust my eyes to the fluorescent lights. In front of me was the woman from before, still bound and clad in her gown. Her body was still beaten up and her cuts were showing signs of infection. Obviously these humans didn¡¯t care about her well-being, she was just something to dissect later on. She was wide-awake and was trying to get attention from Jessica sitting next to her on a crate, but it was fruitless. When she stopped and looked at me, I thought she was gonna have a heart attack as she gasped and asked who the hell I was. Still no answer from Jessica. Jessica saw me and smiled. What made it sick was she blew a kiss at me. What a devil, in a bad way. I gagged at the thought of her lips touching mine again, then beamed her a crazy man¡¯s stink eye. Jessica rolled her eyes and kept on ignoring blondie and went back to reading a thin book with pictures, but being a bitch as she was, she pushed blondie¡¯s head to press against her neck collar like an annoying bug. Blondie whined and shut up afterwards. On the other side of the truck, near the driver¡¯s end, was a bound human male. Awake and quiet, he appeared to have minimal bruises on his lower arms. From the muscle growth on his biceps I labeled him as a retired military man, he had characteristics that were hard to ignore, or a washed-out bar bouncer, whichever works. He looked straight at me with eyes of deep loss and evidence of dried tears, but didn¡¯t register the same reaction as blondie. His interest in me was unimportant. He looked at me for a second then down to the floor. The eyes struck me a little off. The standard reaction when humans see a being from another world was utter fear and speculation when humans see a being from another world, but he didn¡¯t care one bit. And why was he, a human civilian, in the truck with us? Agent Roland stood next to him hanging onto the overhead railing, and clasping on an assault rifle for emergencies. He saw me and spoke to Jessica, ¡°Told you that dosage was not enough. What do you wanna do?¡± ¡°Leave him be. Let the freaks deal with him,¡± Jessica said still reading. Kantra asked. Means that we¡¯ll get some dirt, Nodus. Any idea where I¡¯m heading? Kantra said. No I mean exactly my location, redskin. I¡¯ve studied Terra Firma¡¯s maps, don¡¯t leave me out of the loop. Kantra growled. Thank you. Man do I hate that guy. On my side of the truck I smelled unwashed humans. To my left were two creatures the same as blondie, wearing human civilian clothes. Tails were laid against their legs. Both looked young and ripe with life, possibly love partners by the look of the matching pendants around their necks. I had no problem guessing that they suffered the same drugs I had. Then the one next to me, the male, was groaned low from a long nap. His unkempt hairdo shielded most of his face while the female kept on sleeping. It would be hard to handle me being so close to them. ¡°Looks like the gas is wearing off as I predicted,¡± Jessica said after she turned a page. ¡°No thanks to you, greenie, all our anesthetic is gone. We¡¯ll need to see how fast you gained immunity.¡± Decathan chimed. Even if that¡¯s true, humans will find out and adapt. Trust me, if you¡¯re not aware of how humans think, watch all their movies and motion pictures in the ¡°science fiction¡± section. Those punks are smart and aren¡¯t aware of it. I lost track that I smirked and Jessica noticed. I stuck my tongue at her. If you two could only see what I¡¯m seeing, I thought. You might get a kick how ugly Jessica is, Nodus. I have a way to irritate his social life, especially Kantra¡¯s opposite-sex relationship issues. I reminded him of how ugly his first mate was. No I¡¯m serious. I have no problem talking to Wringheart to install retina scanners. She will do it in a heartbeat, I bet¡­ The male creature waking up cut me off. I ignored Kantra and Decathan asking what¡¯s happening. The male¡¯s tail began moving to relieve the pain in its joints. Roland caught wind of it and readied his rifle for anything. I was trying to come up with excuses when his tail landed on my thigh, no chance to brush it away. ¡°Uh¡­ my head,¡± he said, raising his head up. The collar held his neck secure and he hummed from the restraint. He opened his eyes, jerked his shackles, and his fear increased. Kantra ordered me to not move or make a sound but tell him everything, and I did. Thinking fast, I relaxed my head and used my skin dreads for cover, like I didn¡¯t care. ¡°Scott,¡± the shackled male human said. ¡°Scott calm down, I mean it. Don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡± The one named Scott didn¡¯t do what he was told. ¡°Mike? Ah, Mike, what the heck is going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what the Secretary told everybody. Just try to keep quiet. Look, Katie is waking up. Tell her what I said.¡± I felt Scott looking to his left, ¡°Oh, God, Katie, you okay dear?¡± The creatures speak the same language as the humans? Kantra thought so the same thing. Universal language for a parallel dimension perhaps? I could sense that he was trying to reach for her. ¡°Almost there¡­ Wait, give me a sec. I got an idea.¡± I saw his tail lift away, but stopped after a few inches, he saw his nonhuman next door neighbor. I still didn¡¯t look up. Scott cursed so loud he might¡¯ve woken a soldier out of a coma. He started to squirm where he sat, but the shackles on his ankles kept him planted. The woman in the gown shrieked while the one called Mike screamed at Scott to shut it. I heard the woman next to him wake up like a shot and scream at me. Scott was still begging them to explain everything. I could tell that Roland was getting agitated; he tapped his foot and flicked the rifle¡¯s trigger. ¡°Alright, I had enough. Roland, do what you want to shut them up,¡± Jessica ordered. ¡°You said it,¡± Roland agreed. And he set his rifle over us on the shelf and faced Scott. Scott ordered him to remove the shackles or else he would wail on his ass, but he got more than he bargained for. I heard a bone crunching punch with cries of pain, and then Roland went for Katie, making her cry. Roland screamed, ¡°Shut up you freaks or else you won¡¯t live past supper!¡± I winced at the sounds¡ªbeating up a dimensional being was a new low for humans. ¡°What the hell? Stop that, this is madness,¡± Mike cried out and lashed at his braces. Roland turned and glared at him. He pointed at Mike and the crying blonde, both fell silent. ¡°That goes the same to you two. Pipe down.¡± Roland went back to his spot. Kantra said at last. I gasped mentally. Of course, why haven¡¯t we thought of him before? Kantra called for him and in a second, I heard the atmosphere crackle through my mind, a side effect from shadow walker teleportation magic. Sketch asked in a sly tone. I had never personally met him but knew about him from word of mouth. Endeavor calls him Sketch because of his incredulous habit of ability to draw his spells on paper and use them as catalysts for magic. I even tried his species¡¯ food once, like their spice-filled stews, but I gag every time I breathe in their atmosphere of noxious gases. Because they are gifted with magic, the Zaktis are the perfect scouts for reconnaissance missions. Kantra ordered. Zaktis have advanced hearing and are able to hear extremely well to track animals on their planet. Sketch can read the vibrations in the sound, form a mental image of how the sound bounces against objects, and project it with a magical white haze with the opacity of fine sand. It¡¯s his signature spell, crafted by him, and practiced by him. It¡¯s so precise that it can pinpoint a heartbeat from a single mass. Correct, I thought. Do you see the woman sitting on the crate with her legs crossed? That¡¯s the sick bitch that kissed me before shoving a tranquilizer in my neck. Take note Russ, I want you to scrub my lips raw. Decathan laughed and ran his mouth off that it was the most ridiculous thing that he had heard from me yet. Decathan¡¯s people don¡¯t touch each other¡¯s lips, but rather¡­ eh, never mind. Kantra cleared his throat, Don¡¯t change the subject, Nodus. They are not human, believe me. Him making a wild assumption that didn¡¯t make sense made me shake my head. ¡°Scott, I¡¯m scared, and my shoulder hurts,¡± Katie moaned. ¡°You alright?¡± ¡°Jaw hurts, but I¡¯m fine,¡± Scott answered. ¡°Why would they agree to something as barbaric as this?¡± In response, Jessica got up, setting her reading material on the crate. She was inches from the rifle above me. ¡°Okay, since everybody is conscious, listen up.¡± ¡°Oh I do want to listen up,¡± Scott yelled. ¡°Like why the hell would the Secretary of Defense issue this plan, and who is this guy?¡± ¡°Good questions, but never interrupt me again. It wasn¡¯t the Secretary that issued it; it was the President himself that called it. He believes it¡¯s a good measure to ¡®quell the contamination.¡¯¡± ¡°Is he serious?¡± Mike said incredulously. ¡°That¡¯s not like him, he would never decide it. Well he did make some stupid ones the last four years, but nothing like this.¡± ¡°He did, Mr. Sanders. Get over it.¡± A certain tone in her voice said otherwise. Scott heaved his chest, ¡°Then what about him? What¡¯s his story?¡± I hate it when everything else was of more importance, yet my story is what takes interest and fogs up the vital details. ¡°This man is our guest and has juicy backstory. Ain¡¯t that right, Mr. Teal?¡± I growled to make my point and Scott tried to scoot away. ¡°Now, now, that¡¯s no way to act.¡± She approached me and grasped my dreads. The strength lift me up and banged my head against the wall. I stared at her with my jaw locked up. ¡°Is there something you want to get off your chest?¡± She wants me to speak their language. Forget it. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll help you.¡± She hunkered leaned down, closed her eyes, and puckered her lips. Inching closer, she moaned louder.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Awe, hell no! ¡°Get those nasty lips away from me or i will bite them off!¡± With that right in her face, she shot back, but still smiled like a psycho. Agent Roland chuckled but the captives screamed and gasped, not sure which one came first. She shook her head, ¡°Tisk, tisk, tisk. Such rage.¡± Decathan sighed. ¡°Anyway, as I was saying, you five are being transported to a facility safe from public eyes. It is necessary to understand what is happening and what can be done to slow it down.¡± ¡°And that gave you the right to attack me and my friends in my own house? Even when you¡­¡± Mike was silenced by Jessica¡¯s finger. ¡°Sir, it was necessary. We¡¯ve read reports that these two are unstable and can ¡®cast magical spells¡¯ or some other wild accusation. Measures had to be taken seriously, we had to silence to witnesses.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Katie said, looking pissed off, but her motives were less sinister than Jessica¡¯s. ¡°We can cast magic. I can do it right now to prove a point.¡± She shook her head to hold off crying I believed. ¡°Why did you kill McDermit like that?¡± Roland smirked in a chills-ran-up-my-spine look, ¡°It¡¯s my partner¡¯s fault, not mine, she has a problem with lesser authority.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still murder!¡± Mike exclaimed with rage boiling in his voice. ¡°You killed Ashley right in front of me!¡± Scott and Katie gasped. From their faces I gathered that they knew her. A friend that had housed them when they arrived to this dimension I thought, and Mike must be this Ashley¡¯s love partner. ¡°Wh-What?¡± Katie said shuddering. ¡°It¡¯s true, guys. I was the last to pass out. Ashley was about to run when she got caught in this bitch¡¯s line of fire. Then as she crawled away¡­ she came, laughed¡­ and shot her in the head.¡± Mike glared at Jessica with rivers of tears becoming glossy on his cheeks. ¡°She was my wife!¡± Roland, being a hot shot, lit another one of those cigarettes. ¡°That woman got in the way.¡± He blew a puff of smoke at Mike and made him scream in cold-blooded agony. Scott and Katie followed. I was bewildered by their emotions, but I didn¡¯t care. It was their life, not mine. I have my own crap to deal with. It was odd that Mike didn¡¯t stop screaming. His chest heaved as if something was tearing his flesh off, and the agents also noticed this behavior. It reminded me of that woman getting shot by Jessica¡­ getting that strange tattoo. Oh no. Jessica¡¯s wrist beeped and she looked down at it. ¡°Right on time.¡± She went to the front and rapped on the window. The doors opened. ¡°Quick, stop the truck. The civilian¡¯s alarm is going off!¡± The vehicle stopped suddenly, the scrapes on my limbs, neck, and my stitched shoulder felt the full force of the brakes. The level of screaming from Mike was just like the woman from before. The tattoos might be popping up in the civilian population, I thought. The truck bounced a little until it came to a complete stop. Jessica and Roland began unshackling Mike and hastily dragged him to the big double doors, then someone outside opened them. Nodus, are you getting this? I asked them. Kantra ordered Sketch to use up all his magic, even if he had to tap into his life force. Sketch confirmed to live for the mission. ¡°Ah! Please, somebody, STOP THE PAIN,¡± Mike screamed, a sharp sting of pain made him arch his back. Outside it was the afternoon, the sun was in my face, and we were in the middle of a vast rocky mountainous desert landscape. The agent threw the guy out like cheap meat and he landed hard, kicking up dust, then the truck moved up several feet from him. I could see Mike completely, and he was in a lot of pain. Scott and Katie were trying to see and barked at me to move back. ¡°Oh my god, not him too,¡± Scott said softly. Not him what? ¡°Jessica, I demand you to tell me what is going on. What is happening to that human!?¡± I yelled. ¡°Observe, Teal, everything will become clear,¡± Jessica said and faced Roland to say, ¡°get a pair of scrubs afterwards.¡± Two soldiers¡ªstill in masks but lighter armor to fit the different climate¡ªtook point and aimed their weapons at Mike at a distance. My guess was that he was going to attack them and they open fire. The human kept on thrashing and screaming, complaining that his whole body was on fire. Sketch, focus on the guy, I want Russ and Nodus to see this, I ordered with a hunch. Mike turned to us. On his arms I saw thick worm-like tendrils slither under his skin, even under his clothes. He screamed about whatever was making his chest hurt, he decided to rip his thick sweater off with his bare hands. What I saw verified my suspicions. A different styled bluish-white glowing tattoo was sprayed across his chest, the design vaguely resembling a bunched up creature. I cocked my head when it got brighter and brighter, making his voice grow in unison. There was one last shriek of plea from Mike until the unthinkable happened. The tattoo exploded with this bluish-white liquid, coating and sticking to his skin, and growing as if it was alive. The liquid ate his clothes and exposed his skin, then engulfed his entire head leaving his mouth and nose holes uncovered, followed by the rest of his body. Decathan exclaimed. I tried to thinkspeak, but I was too transfixed. A circle surrounded the human in the ground with unknown symbols and the same glow as the living liquid. Then a translucent dome formed over him; he kept whaling in pain and thrashed around like a mad man. The sight of it made me wish I had food in my gut to throw up, but not feel the raging hunger in me. Evidently I whispered, ¡°By the goddess,¡± in my native tongue. I held my breath. Sketch apologized. Kantra grumbled. I couldn¡¯t talk. I couldn¡¯t speak. It wasn¡¯t the sight that made me freeze, but what I felt coming from the dome. Now, technically I can¡¯t use magic. Yes I am a magical being, Halcunacs are magical to the core. Even though I can¡¯t perform it, I can still sense magical energies with sensitive glands in my brain. I felt a scary surge of energy from Mike that made me think that I was having a heart attack. That feeling lasted for a minute while I writhed quietly in my bonds. I¡¯ve known other species that get a moment of highness from magic. This wasn¡¯t that. I wanted to run from the energy, nothing about it felt right. When it subsided, I shook my head and looked back, only to see a horrible connection. Mike¡¯s body developed serious muscle growth in junction with developing the same armor patterns as the others. I could see the tail from his spine¡ªthe same armor pattern¡ªand wagging. The girth of his belly shrank in seconds to show off well-defined abs. I got an intense whiff of cooked fat coming from a massive puddle of black stuff to the side. The glow intensified, signaling that it was near completion. Being a magical being I had to learn the rudimentary ideals of magic, from the basic to the ridiculously advanced. It hit me that I recognized that form of magic. The human symbols in the circle, the liquid suit keeping his body from exploding from the chaotic energies, the subtle body changes like the elf-like ears: the magic is deemed illegal by the Department of Experimental Magicks. I¡¯ve seen it happen before on innocent people who want power but pay ultimate prices; literally destroying who they were originally, or dying in the process. Any attempt of producing that magic is subjected to immediate execution on site. Did that probe my cheating client gave me sent me false information? What sparked the asteroid¡¯s descent without magic? I hoped that if I live through this, the real answers would show up. A sharp ping in my head woke me from my trance. Kantra barked. I gathered my thoughts but it sounded like I was being enlightened. It¡¯s impossible, down right ridiculous. You¡¯re not gonna believe this, but the unknown creatures are the humans. It¡¯s a genetic magical transformation! That guy transformed into a high-class magical creature! They told me to slow down and repeat myself, which I hate doing. They were silent for an uncomfortable minute as Mike¡¯s body emerged from the suit. The suit pieces floated in the air and collected into a single mass. An animal was created, becoming more real than its counterpart, a snow rabbit from Terra Firma. Think of it as a ball of fluff with two long ears on its head and a bigger fluff of fur as its tail. It had glowing blue eyes, and it talked. Unlike anything I¡¯ve ever come across. Decanthan asked. I¡¯m dead crogen serious, Russ. This changes everything. Wait until Denverbay gets a load of this shit! He ordered me to talk to them for the sake of information. I had no other choice, but my morals against humans stuck. Jessica approached me. The bitch smiled and said, ¡°Now you know.¡± What have I gotten myself into?
1:40 PM Witnessing Mike¡¯s transformation reminded me how horrible ours was. It was far more disgusting and scary than seeing my body transform back in my Inner Sanctum¡¯s cabin, the screaming was the icing. It might have been be that he didn¡¯t know about the tattoo at all. Maybe that broken neck thing was a misunderstanding. Mike looked beat after the transformation, but my mouth dropped because of how young he now looked. His muscles were toned, his hair grew out to a dark brown sheen, and his beer belly was replaced with a six-pack like Scott¡¯s. He became a bodybuilder¡¯s poster boy. My anger rose as I saw those soldiers dress him in too-tight scrubs, they brought him back into the truck, and braced him to the wall as before. He looked severely weakened. Did I look like that when I came out? I thought. One soldier outside shoved the rabbit into a sack and took it to another truck, I guessed that it was the same place where Arana and Keeji were kept. The other soldier closed the doors to cut off the view of the desert, and locked them. The truck moved and the guys in black went back to where they were originally. They encouraged small talk if it didn¡¯t involve a face smashing. It looked like the perfect opportunity to distract everybody with my magic. My thoughts saw it playing out, but the truth was that it wasn¡¯t a good idea. That rifle in the guy¡¯s hands was so close to me that it snuffed any attempt to charge my mana. I had to stick to what they had said earlier. I took the risk of calling out to Mike, ¡°Mike, are you okay?¡± His skin was pale as printer paper and he shook from the total lack of energy. The green scrubs didn¡¯t fit him, they were tight around his thighs and chest. His tail was stuffed to the right side of his leg. He looked up at me with droopy eyes. ¡°Food, I need¡­ food,¡± he whispered. ¡°Ah hell, forgot,¡± one of the soldiers said quickly. Above me on the shelf he grabbed a bottle of some kind of orange smoothie stuff and a couple of wrapped protein bars. He fed them to Mike who savored the flavors, sounding a little better after every slurp and chew. The agent finished feeding Mike and went back standing near the driver side, hugged his rifle, and leaned on the wall for support from the bumpy road. Moments later Mike stopped shaking and took a few long breaths to calm down. ¡°Damn,¡± Mike moaned. ¡°Is that what it feels like? To have your whole body ripped apart and put back together?¡± Scott and I nodded and he shook his head in disbelief, ¡°I saw what you guys saw, but it was my old house in Sugarloaf. And I talked to my totem. Oh, God, he sounds just like my brother-in-law.¡± He paused, and stared straight at the blond agent, ¡°Wait until I get out of this and break your neck.¡± The agent didn¡¯t look, or even react. What a dick. Then Mike looked down and started crying. I wept too. God I miss Ashley. ¡°Mike, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Scott said softly. ¡°Ashley was a good woman. It¡¯s senseless for what happened to her.¡± ¡°She just apologized¡­ I¡¯m supposed to protect her and I wasn¡¯t able to. This fucking sucks.¡± Tell me about it. Mike grimaced and grunted as his chest convulsed for a second. He felt his new mana heart pump fresh mana for storage. Interesting enough, I saw a small blue glow emit from his chest like E.T. There were three seconds of illumination. I made note to check if that happens to me and Scott. Speaking of aliens, the guy next to Scott was no doubt one. I looked over my boyfriend to see the guy¡¯s head and arms, looking very serious as he stared at Mike. His eyes were all black with a bright gold iris, and they were filled with critical determination, sadness, and anger. The brown dreads (I thought it was hair, but it¡¯s wood) draped behind him, few were wrapped with bracelets of random colors, and there were a few were partially hiding his manly features. His face was human-like with a square nose and a strong jawline. The clothes looked human, but I doubt they were, his white tunic with the alien symbols looked puffy on the arms and the shirt on his chest was pressed down with a utility vest. Although, from my standpoint, he didn¡¯t seem like the kind of guy to invade earth. He seemed¡­ defeated and ripped off. I tried to think of why he was with us, and if he was connected with the Wave. He shook his head after getting a good look at Mike, and then he caught me staring at him. I¡¯m telling you, those eyes are powerful. They petrified me. I looked away and hid behind Scott. The alien snorted. I felt Scott¡¯s tail wrap around mine as if we were holding each others hands. He was worried about me and the green guy. He tried to come closer to me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got you,¡± he said and nudged at the alien. ¡°I have no problem casting a spell to get away from him.¡± Scott wasn¡¯t serious; he knew he¡¯d be shot if he did. ¡°So this is what a tail feels like,¡± Mike mumbled as he looked at his trapped tail, squirming against his thigh. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it,¡± Scott nearly smiled. ¡°Watch out when you sit. Hurts really bad when bent wrong.¡± Mike took note. The blonde woman near Jessica shook her head, looking rather distraught, ¡°I don¡¯t like it. I don¡¯t like my tail, my skin, my ears, and that mutant animal that keeps bothering me.¡± She sniffled, her face was streaked with dried tears. ¡°Ever since that asteroid crashed, my whole life blew up right before me.¡± I never saw terran ears as low as hers, not even my own, hers were almost lifeless. ¡°Hey, wait a minute,¡± Scott blinked. ¡°Yeah, I know you. You were at the bar. Remember me? When I came to see what was the matter?¡± She looked up with glossy eyes and a changed expression. ¡°Yeah. Yeah I remember you. God you changed you so much.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it.¡± I looked back and forth at the agents. So far so good. ¡°Since we have time, what happened to you?¡± Scott asked her. The woman felt like it was best; what else can we do in a truck? She was at her room at the resort with a couple girlfriends for the holiday vacation. They too had all their faith in Dr. Maggie Helen¡¯s calculations and promise. Surviving the Wave and getting hit by an orb; fearing for her life and praying to get home safely; transforming in the hotel room and scaring her friends, unaware of the news. I nearly cursed when she mentioned Tom bashing and beating her for being a demon and her leopard totem partially rescuing her. Roland butted in and said that Tom had killed himself before he was caught. The woman said good riddance. I don¡¯t know why I felt sorry for that asshole. Then as she was laying in a hospital bed being treated for her wounds¡ªthey were extensive and made my stomach churn¡ªshe was gassed by the agents and was taken to the truck, being as scared as we were not too long ago. I was sad for her, most of her scars were scabbed but I suspected severe infection. ¡°Jesus,¡± Scott said afterwards. ¡°You¡¯re lucky to be alive. Keep that in mind.¡± The woman nodded. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I asked her. ¡°Reba.¡± She sniffed again and flexed her hands. ¡°Reba Colton. From LA.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Reba, stick with us and keep your chin up. It¡¯s a lot better than it seems,¡± Scott assured her, but it didn¡¯t look like it brightened her spirits. ¡°I¡¯m Katie by the way. This is Scott and that¡¯s Mike,¡± I introduced ourselves. A low growl came from the green skinned man; I had forgotten that he was there, listening to the whole thing. ¡°And this whole time,¡± he said in perfect English, ¡°all of you are¡­ were originally human.¡± All of us looked at him, including the agents. From the look of it, the man got a hit of intense realization. ¡°What does that supposed to mean?¡± Scott said harshly. ¡°It changes things, you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± He moved his jaw to a scowl, and then didn¡¯t talk for the rest of the ride. What the heck did he mean by that? I had a bad feeling about whatever that meant. Just ideas, nothing more. He was dead quiet for the rest of the way as we all talked, trying to keep the stress down to minimum. Although, when I started talking about magic and what Mike and Reba are capable of, Roland and Jessica barked at me to not mention it. I followed without question. Not knowing the time made me feel jittery. It felt like hours, the road got bumpier and bumpier. Roland fed us with protein bars, and I knew that it was possibly the last meal of our lives. They tasted like cardboard with vanilla flavoring and the orange smoothie was Tang enhanced with B-vitamins and other nutrients. I realized that they probably had a very good reason for keeping us alive. Just when I thought the drive was going to last forever, Jessica¡¯s cell phone chirped. ¡°Jessica here,¡± she answered. ¡°Yes¡­ yes¡­ understood. I¡¯ll start running the rules to our guests?¡± There was a short pause, and then she nodded and hung up. She got up from her crate and stood in the middle of the truck, ¡°Okay, listen up, we are close to our destination in three minutes so it is best to follow these ground rules. I am only going to say this once. You will arrive at a hanger, then be escorted to registration stations. There you will be processed into the database and be taken to holding cells according to batch number, that means everybody in this truck will be in the same cell, including you.¡± She eyed the alien then walked to the doors, ¡°If you want to stay alive, you must be quiet and willing to follow what we say. The soldiers will shoot you if you don¡¯t cooperate in our no-tolerance zone. That includes your ¡®magic.¡¯ As for the alien, he gets special treatment with our commanding general.¡± What did she mean by special treatment? Torture maybe? The truck¡¯s bouncing smoothed out to compact asphalt, it was a relief for my knees. There were a few hard turns and we stopped, pulling my arms and legs against the braces. I heard helicopters, other trucks, soldiers, and innocent people screaming. This must be it, I thought. The double doors unlocked and swung open, revealing a tarmac and several dozen aircraft hangers. Masked solders were everywhere, there were weapons in their hands and they were ready for viral attacks. There were three other cars were behind us, one including the truck holding our totems captive. This wasn¡¯t a camp for terrans. I had been to military bases with Scott before, but I didn¡¯t recognize this one.. ¡°Oh dear God,¡± Scott muttered. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. What kind of containment measure is this?¡± Jessica rolled her eyes, ¡°Welcome to Area 51, freaks, your new home and your prison for the foreseeable future,¡± she said with outstretched arms like she was welcoming us to her home. ¡°File out!¡± Chapter 18 Area 51, Groom Lake, Nevada 4:17 PM Jessica purred behind me while pulling my arms behind my back, ¡°The General will loooove you.¡± She started humming a tune. It was hard not to whirl around and break her neck. The Archives have a massive profile of the shrouded Terra Firma American air base smack in the middle of the desert. Speculators, or the underground communes that are obsessed with Terra Firma lore, believe it is the link to fifty years of technological advancement and off-world secrecy. I call it Nomad¡¯s Land. The Sweatbox. Scum-filled backyard. Among all the landscape beauty of Terra Firma, Area 51 was one of many places I wanted to avoid. Believe it or not, I was there, standing on the tarmac and watching the military activity. The whole thing felt was like a dream. The mutants were out too, all with a look the same as mine. Decathan was right, the sudden rush of blood to my hands after two days suspended stung like hell. I bit my tongue to stop myself from screaming in atrophy. Roland handcuffed the others and they didn¡¯t put up a fight. I was the tallest of the group standing at six foot five. Mental images of flattening Jessica¡¯s head made me smile for a little bit. The whole base was active, unusually active, there was more activity than the files described. Everybody except the agents wore gas masks, fearing that the transformations were the result of an airborne virus and the agents really just had a death wish. Everybody carried semi-automatic rifles, loaded with armor-piercing rounds probably. Crystals infested the area, one so tall that it was spiking out a hanger¡¯s roof. Vehicles whizzed by, carrying more masked and disciplined soldiers. Tanks were parked at strategic locations to defend the base and to prevent escape attempts. I reviewed it all for Kantra¡¯s insight. He sighed that it seemed to be a cinch to get me. More white trucks came, an endless supply of mutants. Jessica told us to move and follow her, I spotted one man fighting with an agent¡¯s grip on his arm. He looked too old to walk but with his new body he came out sprinting. The agent, a young white man too good to be a celebrity, pulled out his sidearm and shot the mutant in the back. He sent three more shots to the head for good measure after catching up. In front of the truck were two massive flat bed trucks with jagged parts. I recognized the Lunar Spear¡¯s hull; my furniture and things in crates under a white tarp. It still leaked plasma and engine coolant. ¡°Bastards,¡± I grumbled. Jessica pushed me to keep moving, I noticed that she used my sheathed sword while Roland carried my rifle. We entered the hanger and there were more crates with meager names. Soldiers were there repairing vehicles, each of them wore goggles. They stopped to watch us¡ªme particular¡ªand then went back to work. We stopped at a pair of tables. Several armed soldiers emptied all our pockets. They took Scott and Katie¡¯s comm. devices, handed them to one soldier, and she smashed them with a hammer against steel for the trash. Their identification cards were taken despite Reba begging them not too. All of it went into a crate with our batch number and we were sent off into the stacks. Then they came to me. Humans took my grenades, my extra clips¡ªanything that could have been a weapon, even my hard soled boots. Yeah, the humans got a really good look at my three toed feet. The solid concrete felt ice cold. So much for shoving my boot up Jessica¡¯s ass. She personally carried my crate of gear with the sword strapped over her back. ¡°Keep moving. No stopping,¡± one soldier said to us. Our trek through the hanger continued and then stopped at two steel double doors, both opened like a ship¡¯s hatch and lead to a small compartment. ¡°Get in, all of you,¡± Jessica ordered. I was the last to enter, my back faced the doors and there were only a few inches of clearance from my crown to the roof. They closed and the cramped elevator descended, we went down into the bowels of the base. Katie and Reba were almost rubbing against me; if they were I might¡¯ve lost it. I peered out a window showing me the shaft and the counterweight. Then the shaft ended and I gasped. Below the base was a massive honeycomb of rooms converted to prison cells. There had to be over twenty levels of uncountable cells and they stretched out to the length of their runway. Below I spotted laboratories with humans examining mutants alive and dead. One section held a huge cage holding animals with glowing blue eyes, more were added by the crate full. The mutants gawked at it. The Archives didn¡¯t mention about this setup, I thought and described the layout to Kantra. he told me. The elevator stopped and the doors opened. The next room was filled with lines upon lines of mutants, ranging from the youngest to the oldest, with heavy security and surveillance equipment. Kids, teenagers, middle aged, seniors, bankers, politicians, rich people, poor people¡ªyou name it. Everybody had the same sad and depressed look on their faces, some asking questions with no answers or recycled answers to obvious questions. When the agents pushed me out, everybody saw me, and I got mixed responses. The mutants of course screamed and tried to run away, but the soldiers kept them in line by gun barrel. The military was, believe it or not, cheering for me. Like¡­ excited. One yelled, ¡°Hoozah, we have an alien.¡± Another one said, ¡°you¡¯re gonna get it, alien, it is our time,¡± while a soldier behind me said, ¡°after thirty years, we have a live one.¡± That last one tipped me off. Jessica¡¯s device rang again and she listened amongst the yelling. She nodded a couple of times, but chocked on her tongue to eye at one mutant next to me. ¡°Are you certain? Is it wise?¡­ Yes sir, understand.¡± She hung up and approached me. ¡°My boss wants to see you personally, Mr. Teal, and to see this man too.¡± A scream rang through the room. I smelled burnt skin as I saw a young mutant dragged off to the cells. He was holding his charred arm with a fresh four-digit brand on his wrist. ¡°You there. Come with us. The General want a word with you,¡± Jessica said, she grabbed Scott¡¯s arm and pulled him out of the group. ¡°No, I¡¯m not leaving Katie behind,¡± he yelled and tried to break free. ¡°You¡¯ll see her soon enough, this will only take a moment.¡± It struck me as suspicious that a leader of an air base wanted to see him too. We were lead away from the lines and down a lit corridor to a separate elevator. Once in, I was unable to hear any more screams. ¡°This is madness, there branding us like cattle,¡± Scott commented. Kantra pondered. We went up three floors to supposedly the administration offices and through several corridors. For a better rescue, I memorized the layout for Kantra. We stopped in front a white door with a silver name plate. ¡°Gen. Arnold Griffon¡± was etched into the plate. This must be it. Listen closely guys. ¡°What are you smiling about?¡± Jessica asked me. ¡°Oh just excited to meet the big man of the joint. He will be the first to die by my blade,¡± I growled. ¡°Heh, as if.¡± Roland knocked and I heard a man call out for us to come in. Another soldier from inside opened the door and we entered, the soldier stood outside on point. Brill¡¯s office had less valuables in it than Griffon¡¯s, but like him, he had a large window. The window overlooked the underground prison, not space itself. The office, however, was a perfect division of his personality. The left side was covered in colonial nautical artifacts and antiques dating back to human expansion to other continents. Magnetic compasses, hand drawn maps sealed in frames, miniature sail ships crammed into glass bottles (I have no idea how to make those), and precious coins from ancient human empires. The other side held weapons from every human era from primitive to present. I happened to whistle at his collection. One section made me question his motives; non-human plasma pistols, beam rifles, buckshot grenades, and elemental land mines. Where did he get that technology? In the center of the room was a massive desk with two chairs in front. The General swiveled around to face us with a ¡°welcoming¡± smile after watching the commotion. I call it menacing. The leather chair was too big for him and but probably not his ego, not to mention the gray crew cut atop his head seemed cheesy. Crows feet lined his eyes and the corners of his mouth. Everything else read ¡°utter badass¡± from his badge-covered uniform. But I did get a bad vibe from him, it was enough to make anybody¡¯s tails and tentacles lifeless for a week. ¡°By Jove,¡± Griffon said excitedly. ¡°In all the years running this base, I never thought I would wind up seeing a true blue extraterrestrial.¡± He lifted himself from the chair and walked around the desk. ¡°Such brass with this one. I can tell you have some exciting history to share. And look at you Scott, all grown up I see.¡± ¡°You better have a good reason for taking me away from Katie,¡± Scott bellowed. ¡°It¡¯s nothing drastic, Mr. Dunne, just simple re-acquaintance.¡± Scott sneered when Griffon said his last name. He stood a foot and a quarter shorter than me, but still built like a fighter. I couldn¡¯t tell how much muscle he packed. He faced me, ¡°This one is my greatest achievement. Agent Jessica, what was his name again?¡± ¡°Jaruka Teal, sir,¡± she answered. ¡°A mercenary for hire. These are his things, sir, as well as his rifle and sword.¡± She nudged at the crate. ¡°Sword? Odd. Place them on my desk.¡± The agents did as told. If I had a chance I could have scrambled to them and killed everybody in the room. Jessica eyed me when I thought of it. Please don¡¯t tell me she reads minds. Griffon approached the desk and ran his hand over my sword, ¡°A mercenary you say? Quite a catch. Never expected to be a mercenary, more like a runaway.¡± I looked away. Griffon asked if I can speak English and she answered. ¡°Tell me Jaruka, if I¡¯m pronouncing your name correctly, do you know what is happening?¡± I would¡¯ve kept my mouth shut, but the sight of Roland¡¯s gun butt poking me in the stitched shoulder was intimidating. , ¡°Bits and pieces, most of it clarified by this mutant¡¯s friends.¡± ¡°I assume your ride was comfortable?¡± ¡°Comfortable my ass, I can barely move my arms thanks to her. For the record, she even kissed me before knocking me out cold. What kind of sick freak does that to prisoners?¡± I caught Scott looking at her and gag. Jessica cleared her throat. ¡°She did?¡± Griffon peered at Jessica with a displeasing look, ¡°Pardon me for Jessica¡¯s ¡®unclean¡¯ mannerisms. She acquired some mental problems after serving as an interrogation officer back in Iraq.¡± That explains a lot, except the kissing thing. ¡°Why don¡¯t we skip this dry talk and get to the real deal, Griffon. Tell me what the hell is going on here or I¡¯ll start bashing heads against walls.¡± Griffon took that harsh, ¡°Very well. Please, have a seat.¡± He motioned to the two chairs facing the desk. Roland pushed me into mine; Scott was shoved into his by Jessica but he yelped like a small pet after accidentally sitting on his tail. I kept my eyes on Griffon as he filled a highball glass with aged liquor, sipping it as he walked to his chair. Snob. ¡°For starters, the asteroid acted very peculiar as it crashed. In spite of that, your presence on this planet has peeked my interests deeply. You see, our satellites and telescopes have been watching Helen for two years straight. The math showed it would no doubt overshoot us by miles, there was no point to fund any team to conduct any defense measures. Seems that ignoring the Mayan myth has got the best of us, more or less.¡± He was talking about the ancient Mayan calendar and the stories that muddled its true intentions. I¡¯d read about it back at the Academy. Look it up. It doesn¡¯t correlate to any world doom scenarios, just a cycle of ages. ¡°And in some weird and unexplainable coincidence, Helen changed course in minutes. A perfect ninety degrees to the Pacific ocean. Care to elaborate?¡± Kantra muttered, trying to speak if he controlled my voice box. ¡°I have no say,¡± I shrugged. ¡°I swear.¡± Griffon hummed. ¡°Hold on just a minute,¡± Scott intervened and we all looked at him, ¡°Are you saying that this¡­ whatever he is, has something to do with Helen?¡± He looked nervous. ¡°Yes indeed, Mr. Dunne, as a matter of¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s pronounced Dunne you idiot, like Frank Herbert¡¯s Dune.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my mistake. It¡¯s just been so long since I heard your name and old age gets me sometimes.¡± He let out a small chuckle and set his drink on the desk. Scott leaned forward with a serious look. Might as well intimidate the guy. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s been bugging me since I got here. I don¡¯t understand why you wanted to see me.¡± ¡°Are you sure? You don¡¯t want to hear his side of the story?¡± Griffon mildly pointed at me. ¡°When I¡¯m in a military situation or near someone with military power, or the fact that you knew me for some reason, that unnerves my gut. I can wait for his sorry ass story.¡± Me, Decathan, and Kantra were a little stunned at the mutant. Not knowing about an extraterrestrial¡¯s story is beyond me. As much as I wanted, I had to listen in. ¡°If you insist, Mr. Dunne. It¡¯s because I stumble on your family¡¯s history quite often.¡± I blinked. ¡°That¡¯s a lame excuse. Anybody can read about it,¡± Scott scoffed. ¡°My parents would¡¯ve warned me that we had a stalker.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. I knew your parents personally, more specifically, when they were U.S. war heroes,¡± Griffon talked like it was important to him. The general pulled out a thin plastic box and opened it like a clamshell. Humans called them laptops, very slow and clunky portable computers. I call them paperweights. He tapped the plastic keys and turned it around so we can see the screen. It showed two human profiles¡ªone male, one female¡ªthat looked to be in their mid-twenties by human aging measurements. The male had short black hair, strong chin, and bushy eyebrows, qualities Scott inherited. The female had dark brown hair down passed her shoulders, rounded face, red cheeks, and a short militaristic smile; couldn¡¯t find what Scott inherited. Both profiles had brown eyes. Below the pictures were words I couldn¡¯t make out, but each one had a different military symbol. The male was U.S. Navy. The female was U.S. Air Force. The traumatizing reaction from Scott was unexpected, startling me. The mutant started breathing harder and faster. Ducking his head down it seemed he was calming down his temper. His pointed ears were twitching and his tail whipped back and forth. It lasted for a minute until he raised his head. He looked mad. ¡°How the hell did you get those?¡± He asked with waves of sadness and anger. I suspected something worse, like exploding with anger or something. ¡°That is classified information. Not even government officers are allowed to see them.¡± ¡°I can do almost anything when I have the right connections. On the other hand, I¡¯ve had these for four years since the¡­ incident,¡± Griffon answered in an informative tone. ¡°I¡¯ve read these files over and over, Scott. Your family, both sides of your parents amazingly, have a long tradition of proud military family members, right at the start of the Civil War. Once eligible for the Metal of Honor, am I right?¡± Scott didn¡¯t answer. ¡°It¡¯s sad really, to loose them at a young age. When I heard that Herald and Vanessa Dunne died, it was like true heroes¡ªgood people¡ªwere taken from our country.¡± He turned the laptop around to gaze upon the faces. ¡°It makes me wonder to this day how you survived that tragedy. Seeing them, murdered right in front of you, blood all over you, on the most important day of your life. Powerless to stop it.¡± I saw it as some scare tactic to make Scott break from pressure. Griffon looked so intent on doing it, those hard green eyes and those well thought out sentences were from a good interrogator. For one thing, breaking him was the intended objective, but turned out differently than I imagined. Scott tipped his chair to the side, crashed to the floor, and had a full blown eye-rolling seizure. I could only sit there and witness his suffering.
Yeah¡­ It¡¯s kind of hard to explain what happened there, or for that matter, why. Every day I try to forget it. It¡¯s what screwed me up in the first place, hence the massive scars on my forearms and neck. You might say that when people experience a traumatic moment in their lives, it changes you, teaches you lessons, and sometimes cripples you. I fit in that third reason, but more life threatening. I never tell anybody about it. Katie, her family, and Deryl do their best not to rattle my damaged mind. Just¡­ so much pain. What¡¯s weird is that when I talk to doctors and psychologists, they can¡¯t explain why I go into relapse and suffer seizures if it¡¯s ever mentioned. All advancements in medicine never explained the phenomenon. Obviously this jackass General Griffon wanted to see that happen. I just blacked out, but it was enough to see images pass through my vision. Keep this in mind¡ªfor the record, I never tell anybody I don¡¯t trust about those visions or my past, not even you. Fortunately it lasted for just a minute with no brain damage. I came back to Griffon¡¯s office on the floor in my own pool of drool, gasping for air and shaking all over the place. Roland was over me checking my pulse and shining a light in my eyes. ¡°He¡¯ll live,¡± Roland nodded. I wanted to strangle him. He took a hold of my shoulder and my chair and pulled both up. I kept breathing hard. ¡°Just as the medical records said,¡± Griffon pondered. I calmed down a little bit and glared hard at the general. ¡°Y-You had no right to do that. I¡¯m very sensitive to that information, and what you did was uncalled for you psycho. When I tell Deryl¡­¡± ¡°Tell him what? You can¡¯t leave this base, Mr. Dunne, no one can. You and your girlfriend are staying here until we figure this out.¡± He leaned back and put away the laptop, ¡°But for your mental safety, I¡¯ll need to see how bad the damage is.¡± The agents didn¡¯t seem very concerned for me. I expected Jessica to have a little emotion, but she looked like she enjoyed my suffering. I wanted to know what she did in Iraq. I then remembered the alien sitting next to me. For him, he looked weirded out, like he saw something disgusting on television. I asked him what. ¡°Um¡­ What was that all about?¡± He asked. I looked away; he went on to bigger things and let me relax. ¡°Never mind. That doesn¡¯t explain everything,¡± he said. You still need to tell me what happened after the asteroid crashed.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, the past is much more interesting than the present for me.¡± I knew he was lying. He ate a cashew from a bowl on the desk, ¡°After it crashed, a bright white glow emanated from it and the force of the impact receded back, eliminating any form of tsunami. It defied any logic, science, and physics on earth.¡± No duh. ¡°It¡¯s best that I show you.¡± He pressed a button on the desk and a screen descended over the pirate artifacts, flickering to military surveillance. I saw the crystal crashes all over again; flowing out like a water ripple and watching the lighting orbs enter people. Jaruka gasped and cursed in a language I couldn¡¯t understand on separate instances on the video. It skipped ahead to footage I never seen. From LA to New York, everybody was asleep. The animals were alive, going on with life as usual. Then everybody woke up at once. It sent chills through me remembering that experience. The alien gulped, ¡°Weird. What about the crash site?¡± It switched it to an aerial view of ground-zero with navel ships from three major countries surrounding a massive purple dome. I saw a few battleships blast at it with no sign of damage. ¡°Theorists estimate it¡¯s some sort of repel dome,¡± Griffon explained. I had figured as much. ¡°Been like that for two days now. We are noticing signs of decay and with a mathematical estimation the dome will collapse in a couple of weeks. Makes the Big Island of Hawaii look pathetic in comparison.¡± ¡°The news didn¡¯t mention this,¡± I muttered. ¡°It¡¯s for public protection,¡± Griffon explained. ¡°As I showed you this, I¡¯ve been watching you Jaruka. You seem to react to these ¡®supernatural¡¯ occurrences as if you knew what they are.¡± Jaruka shot his attention back at him, ¡°Yes, but it will take more than a beating to make me talk. You humans are not ready to understand this kind of power.¡± ¡°Really? And you neglect any allegations that you are connected to all this?¡± Jessica cooed. God I wish he would stop wasting my time, I thought. Get to it. ¡°Back off, bitch,¡± Jaruka beamed with a jerk from his handcuffed wrists, some of his dreads obscured his eyes. Griffon only shook his head and stood, ¡°You see, part of watching the asteroid since October 2010, we made extensive scans on the surface for any anomalies. Private telescopes and satellites went though every guideline we could think of. Gas emissions. Electromagnetic disturbances. Radioactive elements. But we didn¡¯t count on an accidental discovery with UV lens filters and a coating of radioactive material that we made a pretty disturbing discovery.¡± He pressed a few more buttons to show a normal close-up, recorded video of Asteroid Helen. ¡°Here¡¯s normal view. Then here¡¯s the view with the filter.¡± It didn¡¯t change much, but I spotted a very small yellow glow from a corner of jagged spires. Griffon magnified to a high-definition shot. Before I made it out, Jaruka got up from his chair and went to the screen. The agents were stopped by Griffon to let him see it. As I saw Mr. Dreadlocks face, it was total horror, his black eyes were wide as golf balls. Griffon folded his arms, ¡°We aren¡¯t stupid, Jaruka Teal, we innovate. You are one horrible liar.¡± I looked back at the screen, ¡°What the¡­¡± I stuttered. ¡°Is that¡­ no it can¡¯t be.¡± Suddenly, all the pieces fell together. ¡°What were you doing up there?¡±
Kantra was having a fit, almost bursting my ear drums. Decathan was about to run out screaming bloody murder and I wanted to join him. For three crogen months, I had the cloaking on the Lunar Spear at max without fail. Fool proof dammit, not even their latest telescopes could have ever seen me. And they did. Griffon used radiation to read energy signatures. And they crogen did it! That psycho shifted the video from the shiny representation of my ship to a far more detailed layout with a clear view of the bridge. I saw my shadow drifting from one porthole to another, then see I saw myself appear in the bridge, sitting down and doing that annoying report check and send. Seeing those images dating back two months slowly infuriated me. My face was inches from the screen. ¡°Amazing what modern technology can uncover. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± Griffon asked, but I refused to answer. ¡°You were on that rock for a while, and you never left. Quite persistent and stubborn to me.¡± ¡°Very stubborn,¡± Jessica added. ¡°Persistant, stubborn and stupid,¡± Roland chimed. It skipped to several other clips. I was in my space suit welding a section of the hull. I saw myself cheering at a Howler Cycle regionals stream. In the bridge, I sawmyself talking with Brill just recently. Then, as the timestamp in the corner showed, I was leaving as the surface began breaking apart, looking pretty scared and pissed at my client. I heard Griffon creak in his chair. ¡°Luckily when you started leaving, we picked up huge readings of spacial distortions coming from the bow. Me and my fellow agents couldn¡¯t help but, how do I phrase this properly, ¡®bring you in for questioning¡¯ by just targeting that energy signature.¡± As the engines sputtered and the Slipspace Drive charged up for travel, the same green plasma ball grazed the top of the ship, spiraling out of control, and then the second one obliterated one of my thrusters, letting Terra Firma¡¯s gravitational pull suck me in. The screen went black, leaving me, a stunned and robbed mercenary thinking, please, let this be a dream. ¡°Pity, isn¡¯t it, Jaruka,¡± Griffon said simply. ¡°Everything you had and planned fell apart in mere seconds. We calculated your crash and quickly called up a strike force to retrieve you and your ship, once the Wave done its job. I dare say, with the world turning upside down, and governments about to crumble, you alone are the key to our plans.¡± I¡¯ve been blamed for many things, things that I didn¡¯t do. Everything I saw at that point was inhumane. They played and destroyed my emotional barriers. Down right evil. Just like my own people. Decathan asked. I heard Kantra sighing and placing his head on the table. You think I lost all hope. Think again. I had one idea left. Russ, increase blood flow in my arms. Don¡¯t start, don¡¯t you dare start. Do it now or we¡¯re done. I knew he got the message and my arms tingled in a strange way, then felt my muscles bulge a little. To prevent the humans figuring it out, I took a deep breath to suppress my outward rage and slowly turned to face the General and his cronies. Griffon¡¯s eyes were like ice, the agents calm, and Scott was stunned. ¡°And what plans are you referring?¡± I asked Griffon. I flexed my hands, none showing signs of fatigue. Quietly I started working on my handcuffs, pinched one link, and used all my strength to bend it, making it weak. ¡°Does it involve expanding to the stars?¡± ¡°Expansion?¡± Roland raised an eyebrow. In unison, they laughed at me. ¡°Man, you are way over your head.¡± My friends back home became very worried, Kantra¡¯s predictions were becoming useless. ¡°Then what is it?¡± ¡°Public execution and revenge of course,¡± Jessica answered. Griffon pocketed his hands, ¡°Humans love scapegoats. For the United States of America, that carries on to revenge. Once the commotion is down to a manageable level, we will reveal you to the world, exposing your involvement with Helen. You will be the image that will drive these citizens to war in the next six years, thanks to your ship¡¯s technology.¡± Great, just crogen great, it¡¯s my childhood all over again, I thought. ¡°I refuse to be your media pet.¡± ¡°Becoming one doesn¡¯t entitle you to a choice. Nobody will listen to you. Face it, you look like a hippy. Who would want to hear someone such as yourself?¡± ¡°They will. Let me make my peace before you go off and make up stories.¡± The link was bending faster, almost ready to snap apart. ¡°I was there conducting surveys on the asteroid for a client. For three months, nothing happened. I had to stay for full pay or half pay. I was beginning to believe the job was a ruse before this shit happened. I swear, on my mother¡¯s grave, I did nothing. Nothing! What will happen to me will destroy me¡­¡± I focused on Griffon¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­and it will solve nothing, not even a cure.¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Scott said finally, ¡°don¡¯t give me that crap. You ruined my life. My girlfriend¡¯s. Everybody else on earth. I hate you.¡± ¡°You have other things to hate besides me, kid.¡± One last bend, the link broke. I caught the link so it wouldn¡¯t fall. ¡°One last question. If you are excited to have me, what shot me down? What weapon did you use?¡± My last moments alive needed it, the evidence towards Terra Firma was vital. Kantra listened closely. ¡°If you say so. From the translations on the plaque, we used a Class-12 Plasma Defense Battery on our base. Can¡¯t really pronounce that name of the maker¡¯s species, but they certainly look weird from their ¡®centaur¡¯ bodies. How we got it? That¡¯s another story all together.¡± I could imagine Wringheart¡¯s ears steaming if she was listening. Griffon placed a hand on my sword still on the table, ¡°Expansion is beyond us. The cure for this disease is our priority. Once cured, and your carcass dispersed in several blocks, we will make the Galactic Council disconnect from Earth permanently and remember to not meddle in our business ever again.¡± Great goddess. They knew all along. Kantra exclaimed. I stared at the floor for a second. Now here come¡¯s the hard part. Denverbay, forgive me. ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± I grimaced, ¡°because in the next five seconds, you won¡¯t be able to see that happen.¡± I extended my arms and started charging after him, free to wreak havoc and slaughter those humans with my bare hands. ¡°DIE YOU EVIL SELFISH DIRTBAGS!¡± I screamed as I ran, jumping and sailing through the air, my hands aiming for Griffon¡¯s neck. It happened in slow motion, but the humans were quicker. Griffon ducked away so fast I couldn¡¯t keep track. Roland came forward and pulled out a handgun from his chest holster. I didn¡¯t care if they were gonna kill me there, or that Kantra and Decathan screaming at me to stop. Roland pulled the trigger. Bullets didn¡¯t hit me, but two silver darts connected to wires gripped to my wounded shoulder and lower chest. My vision turned white as electricity shout through me and tensed up all my muscles. I could hear my friend¡¯s voices dying in static and could hear small pops. I crashed on the desk and rolled to the other side, convulsing violently and screaming in agony as Roland held down the trigger. Roland was smiling. ¡°Dammit,¡± Griffon barked. ¡°Take him and Scott to their cell. Make sure the freak gets branded for records and make sure he stays stunned until he¡¯s in there.¡± The electricity stopped and I ceased convulsing, but I couldn¡¯t move a finger. Roland dragged me off as Jessica took hold of Scott. It took one punch to Scott¡¯s stomach to stop yelling. I looked back to see Griffon hanging my rifle and sword in his private collection, smiling gleefully with his ego. He looked back at me, his smile widened with perfect white teeth. ¡°You monster! When I get out, I¡¯ll kill you. Mark my words you croger!¡± I yelled. I thinkspeaked to my friends to hurry up. Nothing came. Worried, I did it again. Not a peep. Wait a minute, I thought, did Wringheart test the nanites for electric damage? I felt sick of the thought that I might be right. I was alone. Goddess, save me. Chapter 19 Holding Cell 34, Groom Lake, Nevada 6:02 PM My wrist felt like had I touched my Dad¡¯s outdoor grill: it burned, it smelled like charred skin, and it oozed slowly with blood. They, as I was screaming getting my brand, used a cruel device that¡¯s part office stamp and part hot iron. Fifty-two was my number and it showed as stencil lettering. Thank God we were lucky that it didn¡¯t puncture the veins. I kept on crying until I finally calmed down. I felt pain, both from the brand and my missing boyfriend. I could only imagine what they were doing to him. I wanted him in my arms so badly, to tell me that everything was alright, but it wasn¡¯t. In the middle of the prison, I heard people yelling and screaming for dear life. I almost puked when I saw a doctor, or a surgeon, or an examiner, take out a woman¡¯s mana heart and shove it in a jar. Imagining it was my heart being ripped out, I just fucking lost it, thinking my wonderful gift would be taken from me. Mike was so strong from his military background he saw his brand as a battle scar. He focused his efforts to examine Reba¡¯s unconscious body. I¡¯m no doctor; Mike had to point out the early stages of infection. ¡°I don¡¯t know my country anymore,¡± he said incredulously. ¡°You holding up, Katie?¡± I sat near the wall looking down at my brand and trying not to touch it. I ripped a piece from my shirt to bandage it up. I managed a short nod and said, ¡°Will this be our future?¡± Mike sighed like he didn¡¯t want to hear that. I didn¡¯t want to end up dead a hundred miles from the winery. Reba took it three times more than me. Called a demon. Nearly killed by Tom. Then when she cried herself to sleep after getting branded, I started to fear for her mental state. It reminded me so much of Scott. They didn¡¯t give her new clothes, just left her with the torn gown. I¡¯m homesick again, I thought. Then in a shine of hope, I heard Scott¡¯s voice. It got louder as he came closer to us. He came in view of the cell as two masked soldiers gripped his upper arms. He was complaining about his brand and that he needed medical attention. One soldier aimed his gun at us as he opened the door. The other punched my baby in the chest and he fell backwards. I crawled to him. ¡°Scott, I¡¯m so happy you¡¯re alive,¡± I said to him, partially hugging him. ¡°Come on, let me check you out.¡± I saw his wrist, the same as mine, and his number was seventy-one. No other injury showed ¡°Sonofabitch, that guy is one sick man,¡± Scott said with clenched teeth. Not knowing who, my gut noted me about a second voice, a voice I wished to never hear again. The alien was dragged by two other masked men and twitching uncontrollably, one holding down the stun gun¡¯s trigger. He was lead to our cell and kicked in the back. The alien fell hard on the concrete next to Scott, screaming as his face made contact, then covered with his dreads. The soldier pulled the wires out and said, ¡°Have fun now, ya here.¡± They locked it and walked off. ¡°You bastard, why do you have to be here?¡± Scott exclaimed at the alien. The alien got up on his weird looking legs and feet and looked square at my boyfriend, ¡°Oh yeah, like I had a choice to be with you four.¡± Those eyes showed major defeat. ¡°Scott, what went on?¡± Mike asked like he didn¡¯t care about Jaruka¡¯s presence. ¡°What went on? Oh I know exactly what,¡± Scott said and got up. He jabbed his finger at Jaruka. ¡°This sick alien was involved with Asteroid Helen all along. He was playing piggyback on the rock since last summer doing God knows what.¡± My first reaction was confusion at first, no living person can live on an asteroid from my understanding. ¡°Were you deaf in that office?¡± Jaruka barked, overlooking all of us, and he combed back his dreads to show the rage in his lower jaw. ¡°I¡¯m the real victim here, cheated out by a shady client I didn¡¯t want to meet. I did nothing and you know it, cadat.¡± I didn¡¯t know what it meant, but instinct told me it was an insult. ¡°Bullshit, you¡¯re just saying that to cover your ass. Griffon told me everything I needed to know. That¡¯s that.¡± Jaruka huffed and rolled his eyes, ¡°And practically ignore what happened to you? I bet that seizure you took loosened a few nerves in your skull.¡± ¡°Wait, what seizure?¡± I asked. Clearly he didn¡¯t listen to me and kept on talking. Take note¡ªwhen Scott has a seizure, alarms go off in my head. It¡¯s been a while since he had one. I got in front of Scott and made him back up, ¡°Hold up, Scott. Slow down for a second. Both of you aren¡¯t making sense. Take it slow and tell me what happened.¡± Scott¡¯s tail was wagging so hard I was afraid it would fall off. Still being hysterical, he explained it all. Yeah, I reacted more to Jaruka¡¯s involvement, my hunch why he was in the truck was true. Scott even saw video of his ship, a real life spaceship, being destroyed by this General Griffon¡¯s plasma cannon on the base. I asked him if it was staged and it wasn¡¯t. ¡°Staged?¡± Jaruka scoffed. ¡°Perfect. Just like any other human who wants to disprove the impossible.¡± He shook his head and went to an empty corner. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, this seems suspicious even at this time,¡± Mike said. He had been being quietly learning things collectively. ¡°Well, what about the seizure? Did your nose bleed afterwards?¡± I asked. He does get nosebleeds from seizures, most of the time. ¡°No, thank goodness, but besides that, he has my parent¡¯s files and used that against me.¡± I gasped while cupping my mouth. Mike didn¡¯t understand what we meant; we never told him the real story of Scott and his parents. ¡°Oh no, this is not good. He can use that as leverage,¡± I guessed. ¡°Maybe more. That rat had them since the incident,¡± Scott added, along with a head twitch. Scott might go into a deep depression if those files weren¡¯t deleted. I heard Jaruka¡¯s bare feet slid on the concrete. ¡°You¡¯re a wimp,¡± he beamed. We all stared at him. ¡°Come again? I didn¡¯t catch that.¡± Scott bared his teeth. ¡°You heard me you magical freak. You¡¯re the useless runt of the litter that never lives up to a military family¡¯s honor. Heck, I hardly doubt you know how to fire a weapon.¡± ¡°Oh that tears it!¡± Scott moved away to get up and close to Jaruka, but Mike intervened. ¡°Whoa whoa whoa, settle down, Scott.¡± Mike placed a hand on Scott¡¯s chest. ¡°Let¡¯s just think this through before we start throwing fists at each other. We don¡¯t know if he has acid blood.¡± Highly unlikely. ¡°I¡¯m mad at him too, but that doesn¡¯t mean we forego listening to his story first.¡± ¡°He lied, Mike, the whole time. Whatever he said about that survey job is bold face lies. I mean, what sort of idiot camps on an asteroid for a few months without leaving for money? You do.¡± Scott came closer, resulting in me tugging on his shoulder. ¡°Because in those eyes, I swear to God you want to kill all of us.¡± ¡°Scott, please stop, Reba will wake up,¡± I complained. Scott was so mad that my own voice wasn¡¯t enough to reach him. I told him I was interested in this mysterious survey job. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it; assume that all space people want to destroy all humans. How typical of you humans, jumping to conclusions based on scientific fact or science fiction movies. What ever happened to common sense?¡± Jaruka came closer as he waved his hands around, but stopped short as Mike laid a hand on his cargo vest. The look on his face was of being stung by a mosquito. I yelped really quietly, feeling an awful fight rising. Jaruka pushed Mike¡¯s hand away, and then punched him in the shoulder, causing the big man to fall next to Reba. If is tail wasn¡¯t out of his scrubs he would¡¯ve felt a lot of pain there. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever touch me!¡± Jaurka yelled. ¡°That does it!¡± Scott yelled and I lost my hold. I stood back in case I was caught in the fight. With Scott¡¯s knowledge of karate, he instantly went aggressive. His new body helped with an added boost of agility, making a quick blow to Jaruka¡¯s jaw. To him it was a minor hit, he popped his jaw like it was nothing. He smirked then quickly stepped at Scott for a punch, it looked really goofy with his weird legs. Scott dodged it and swiftly swung a chop on Jaruka''s lower neck. He huffed from that one, and then my boyfriend kicked one knee to loose his balance. Jaruka landed to kneel.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. I never practiced karate, but a kick in the jewels would suffice for me. Wait, does he have them? He coughed from the pulsing neck pain, "Good moves, kid. Reminds me of a ?ur''dar monk''s fighting methods. How about a change-up!?" As fast as I could blink, Jaruka swiveled on one hand and kicked Scott''s legs away with those strange cat-like feet. Jaruka, I guessed, was getting ready to drive his fist into Scott face when his head is lying on the concrete. I felt my knuckles whiten. Scott wasn''t ready for it, or was he? With quick thinking, and using his terran agility, Scott whipped his whole body around to land on all fours like a cat. When Jaruka faced him, Scott did too, and kicked Jaruka in the chest with both feet. I screamed as the alien flew across the cell, cracking the concrete wall with his back, and falling to the ground like a rag doll. ¡°That one¡¯s for Mike,¡± Scott said and laid down to catch his breath. Jaruka coughed and struggled back up, talking in this very strange Asian-Italian sounding language. That looked painful, but he was still able to fight, even though he had just been tased. Scott saw it and picked himself to insult him. It had to stop or else someone would get seriously hurt. Scott could die just from Jaruka¡¯s ¡°death grip¡± or whatever his kind uses. Thinking boldly and feeling my confidence surface, I started focusing my mana. A second in, my focus was gone by Mike¡¯s hand on my shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t do it,¡± Mike shook his head. ¡°Remember what they said. They might kill you just like the others.¡± Of course, I totally forgot about that problem. I nodded and relaxed my focus, but the verbal abuse from Scott and Jaruka was getting way too heated. The alien was making it personal, getting to the nitty gritty of human ideals. I took a big gulp, got in between them, and whistled as loud as I could. Too loud that the other inmates caught my attention. I wondered if they noticed the alien before. ¡°Stop it. The both of you!¡± I shouted. They stopped yelling. ¡°God you sound like my brothers during grape harvest. Just stop the fighting!¡± ¡°But Katie,¡± Scott started. ¡°But nothing, Scott, I¡¯m way to stressed out, my arm hurts like hell, and I don¡¯t want you in a body bag with his fist-prints all over you.¡± My outburst made him shudder and back off. He knows that when I¡¯m made it is best to leave me alone to expel excess steam. ¡°And you¡­¡± I jabbed my finger at Jaruka, still sitting on the floor rubbing his sore chest. ¡°You stay on that side of the room and if you come near us, you just hope your boys stay intact. We don¡¯t need you to make things worse.¡± Jaruka huffed and wiped a small drop of blood from his mouth, ¡°Heh, such brass. I was banking on you to use your magic, then again you value your life more.¡± He laid back against the wall, trying hard to not come after me. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stop. I don¡¯t need you guys. My life¡¯s ruined as it is.¡± ¡°I can guess.¡± Mike picked Scott up, ¡°Nothing has been making sense since I saw you back in the truck. We need to know too.¡± ¡°Know what? Nothing matters now. Soon almost half of these magical mutants are going to be dissected, including you four.¡± ¡°Is that a fact?¡± I asked. ¡°No, it was a flat out guess. What else did you expect, a shining moment of hope? Mine¡¯s gone. What¡¯s your excuse?¡± It seemed that I had to tap into my talents of journalism. Scott didn¡¯t want any part of it saying, ¡°Forget it, Katie, he¡¯s useless.¡± ¡°Not to me, there are so many things I want to ask him,¡± I told Scott with passion in my voice. ¡°Heh, good luck getting anything out of me,¡± Jaruka scoffed. ¡°I can¡¯t risk saying anything else to Griffon, he might move up my sentence.¡± That tipped me off. Clearly from that defensive talk, he was hiding something. ¡°Well then you better tell us what you can. It is best to know the truth before we die, right?¡± Scott touched me and I looked, ¡°Katie, you¡¯re not yourself. This is silly, leave him be. This magic must be messing with your mind.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be left out of the loop, Scott. I have the right to know. All the magic is doing is boosting my confidence.¡± Scott had no other way to talk me out of it. He lowered his hand. I turned back at Jaruka with a glare of a mad woman, ¡°After all, I¡¯m betting you want to know more of what happened to us right?¡± ¡°You have no idea how bad. It¡¯s amazing from all the magical energy flowing through you four; your bodies haven¡¯t exploded in the process.¡± Jaruka kept sitting from in defeat, ¡°And why do you want to know my story?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a journalism major, it¡¯s what I live for, and the occasional good bottle of homemade wine. We have time. Let¡¯s talk.¡±
Salajon Valley, Creos Councilman Denverbay¡¯s Home Office Thirty minutes prior¡­ ¡°Expansion is beyond us. The cure for this disease is our priority. Once cured, and your carcass dispersed in several blocks, we will make the Galactic Council disconnect from Earth permanently and remember to not meddle in our business ever again.¡± Humans knowing the existence of the Republic: it was a nightmare for Denverbay and me. Kantra didn¡¯t tell us the details, he just made us listen. It came through Denverbay¡¯s workstation as loud as it could. If I wasn¡¯t in a chair shaking, I would be loosing my balance and turning hysterical, ordering the Endeavor to fly there without me. The worst thing we feared could happen, happened. As we listened more, I kept watch on my documents. They were placed in a sealed brown envelope with the Galactic Council¡¯s wax seal. A single metal datakey was on top, containing registration codes, current star charts of the sector, and permission to allow us to enter without setting off the surrounding security protocols. I had thoughts of taking it without talking. ¡°Turn it off,¡± Denverbay shook his head. ¡°Turn it off now, that¡¯s enough.¡± My long-time Creosen friend looked nothing like the man I knew. Five years at the Academy with academic numbers rivaling mine, ten years in a Council seat earning the nickname ¡°Hammer¡± after he accidentally smashed over a hundred gavels during high-profile cases, and is my lead into the political aspects of war; I saw him so scared I thought he would relinquish his seat. Quills moved, one leg tapped the wood, all three eyes blinked randomly, and he kept rubbing his hands. It started as Kantra sent pictures of Sketch¡¯s projections. One look at the mutant made him silent for the rest of the time, the General made him jittery. ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s left until the nanites were destroyed, captain. We¡¯re still figuring out the cause,¡± Kantra said cooly. The Commander was rather hesitant in revealing the findings to Denverbay. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good idea. With those nanites destroyed, we had no clue if Jaruka was alive or dead. ¡°It is safe to say that Jaruka isn¡¯t going anywhere anytime soon. The mission statement is ready for you, captain.¡± ¡°Thank you for sharing that, commander,¡± I said as calmly as I could. ¡°Not to be rude, but how are the permits coming?¡± He asked. I peered at Denverbay, looking scared like ever. ¡°I¡¯m working on it. Tell the crew and the Assassin to be at their battle stations for the time being.¡± I was ready for anything; Denverbay was, I guessed, about to call the whole thing off. ¡°Call you later,¡± I said to Kantra and cut the connection. I just realized I had scared Kantra if it didn¡¯t go through. Denverbay still didn¡¯t talk; he kept looking down at his glass desk. ¡°This is why I hate waiting, Trygo,¡± I started. ¡°We delay, delay, finally get authorization, then when it¡¯s right to rescue him, everything stops to a grinding halt. This outcome is exactly how The Dalez War started. Nova wants to leave now.¡± My friend shot his three eyes at me for a second. He looked away to think and that didn¡¯t look good for me. ¡°Understand, Trygo. The humans will gain a revenge urge, accelerate their technology, and kill everything in their path believing every living soul in the galaxy is the enemy. It¡¯s unavoidable, Trygo. We saw this happening just from learning how they think. Matters must be me¡­¡± ¡°Stop right there, Brill,¡± he interrupted me and held up one hand for silence. Not wanting to wait any longer, I stood up and spoke my mind. ¡°No, you stop. Nova Company had their waiting period. If you don¡¯t tell me what has been scaring you since the meeting, then I shall take my things and go.¡± I approached the permits and datakey. My goal was coming into view. In no time at all, the crew will be roaring for battle. But as I did, Denverbay was faster. He slammed his hand on the bundle. I shot my arms back, and then stared straight at him. He glared with irritated eyes. He slid the bundle towards him and held them as he stood up from his seat, or stool for his tripodal stance. He wore normal robes, just to feel comfortable once in a while. Back rigid, he glided to the open window overlooking the small backyard of his estate. I was beginning to worry about the Republic¡¯s future, that Denverbay was stalling in order to let it all crash. Countless species, cultures, governments, and economies rely on the Republic on one thing: communication. At that moment, he almost let communication shatter. He looked out at the backyard, sort of a lush garden of their homegrown food, a corner of the garden held their animals, their protein. Outside I noticed Denverbay¡¯s mistress. Xima Tavel was hand knitting ceremonial robes for their little daughter¡¯s birthday. He took up the Councilman seat for not just upholding Republic order, but to protect the ones he loves. Like Xima, like me. His stance didn¡¯t change, even while I demanded his decision. No matter how much I talked, his deep concern for something was greater. The long, irritating silence ended. When he placed one hand on the window, staring deeply at his mistress, he said, ¡°Tell me, Brill, my old friend, how well do you honor an agreement?¡± My spine tingled for good things coming. ¡°If it¡¯s a classified agreement, branded with the Council code, I honor it with my life,¡± I answered. He nodded once, ¡°Good. Same old and respected honor. That¡¯s what I admire of Nova Company: you keep your promises. Brill, forgive me for my attitude. I¡¯m not myself. This matter troubled me than anything I ever dealt with.¡± ¡°Same for me and my crew,¡± I added. ¡°Will you give me my right to fight?¡± ¡°Not just yet.¡± He faced me and his eyes looked sullen. ¡°I very well understand this changes the outcome of the human¡¯s future. I had high doubts what the mercenary described, that a non-magical species is changing to a magical one. I say it¡¯s improbable, impossible, and ludicrous. But it¡¯s happening, right now. This could spell doom for us all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I said if you¡­¡± A single finger from him silenced me again. ¡°What matters most is lowering their impending advancement, but there¡¯s more to it.¡± Denverbay approached me and so was my ticket, ¡°As a Councilman, the duty requires sacrifice. The Act will fall eventually.¡± ¡°Lifting the Protection Act?¡± I asked. ¡°Trygo, you can¡¯t be serious.¡± He shook his head, ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening to that under developed species. ¡°We know a few things.¡± ¡°Still, they have too many problems to deal with before joining the Republic. It is your job to not let a revenge war spark.¡± With that, he handed me my documents. The envelope was big under my arms. The datakey was longer than my hand and glistened to the late morning sunlight. ¡°Listen to my words, Brill. Eliminate attacking enemies, by any means necessary. Rescue Jaruka and contact me when that¡¯s done. And whatever it takes, do not harm the human mutants.¡± ¡°Harm the mutants?¡± I felt skeptical what he wanted, mainly because I never heard of him wanting humans to survive. ¡°Don¡¯t ask why, Brill, just go, but here is what I really want¡­¡± Denverbay explained. I felt concerned for those last strict demands. As hard as they were, I had to promise him. Denverbay then handed me one last item: a sealed metal box. His access code was required to be opened. ¡°It¡¯s for Jaruka.¡± With the datakey and papers in my arm, I ran out. Chapter 20 Battleship Endeavor Orbital Dock Platform 172BI over Creos 7:16PM Terra Firma Pacific Time Arriving with the documents and datakey at Endeavor¡¯s hatchway, the word was passed around, and the crew cheered for a second. The crew knew full well that celebration could wait. As I donned my uniform, placed my hat on my hairless head, and took my seat on the bridge, I reviewed Kantra¡¯s mission statement. Solid, direct, and just like Kantra, admiring the traditional hot drop strategy. Although, there was one detail I wasn¡¯t comfortable with. ¡°You¡¯re really certain you want to use our Para virus?¡± I asked Wringheart. Once I mentioned it, the energy drinks she had consumed jumpstarted her jittery nerves. ¡°Captain, I¡¯m very certain,¡± she nodded. ¡°We need all the help, right? So why not the virus? It is simple to upload the virus into the human¡¯s data network and power grid. I can plug myself in to control it to target missile silos, ocean-based battleships, submarines, and of course those pesky fliers. Limiting nuclear launch is a must. By Kantra¡¯s calculations, the retrieval time will be lower than expected.¡± ¡°And he approved it without my consultation?¡± I rubbed my brow of how they slipped it passed me. ¡°We¡¯re low on time; he was enthusiastic over the last five trials.¡± Her brown and blue tail wagged in anticipation and all four feet were picking themselves up in spite of my disapproval. ¡°I can see that, but that virus is dangerous, even for a quick mission. I will approve the tactic, as long as you take initiatives that no missile will launch.¡± Wringheart congratulated herself, her bulbous chest bounced under her uniform. ¡°However, the Para virus is four times more advanced than the human¡¯s technologies. Will it somehow blow their computers?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fret, captain, I ran simulations while degrading the animal to be compatible. Count on me to be your silent protector as you beat those humans to living pulp.¡± Her paws folded together and she pleaded to me with those big red eyes. She needed to work on respecting authority. ¡°I¡¯ll even cripple their media feeds as a plus.¡± Using the virus was no easy task. Only a well-trained Vyroka can control it. Once she ¡°plugs¡± her brain into a computer, she can do almost anything. Too much power to handle. We use the Para virus very rarely, only in the direst of needs. Above all, she was right. I asked her about the missiles that are not part of the grid, the isolated silos. ¡°That was my first question, sir, I told Obi to watch for them,¡± Kantra added, standing where he was two days ago. Like I said: solid. ¡°Good enough. You have a go on the virus.¡± She cheered excitedly in my ear and I stifled a sigh. ¡°Can you keep the connection without losing control?¡± ¡°As long as nobody touches me for thirty hours with a nutrient IV, the connection will never falter,¡± she beamed. I nodded. It was enough for her to leave the bridge in full sprint to Engineering. I spotted our communications officer, Private Arilla Pico, peering at me, ¡°I¡¯m not too fond for her colony¡¯s way of life, but that poor girl will have a heart attack with that much energy drinks in her.¡± ¡°I second that. Just watch, she¡¯ll crash like an old wall,¡± Decanthan said at his station. I figured a bet would begin any time. ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead on the lieutenant¡¯s health, let¡¯s focus on our jobs,¡± I said, focused on the mission. ¡°Lets make one final systems check, people. Guidance and navigation?¡± ¡°Check,¡± Private Zamel replied in a gurgled tone. She sat next to the pilot, having control over the star charts. I gave her the data key for Terra Firma¡¯s location. ¡°Kinetic shields and magnetic barriers?¡± ¡°Powered at full output, sir,¡± Kantra affirmed. ¡°Weapon¡¯s systems?¡± The Ter¡¯ran, a crustacean type engineer, turned in his seat and spoke in a raspy voice, ¡°Primed and ready, captain.¡± I activated the comm. for the ship. ¡°Engineering, everything a go?¡± Wringheart¡¯s voice cracked through, ¡°The engines are purring and awaiting your command, sir. Shall I activate the Slipspace Drive while were at it?¡± ¡°Certainly,¡± I agreed. I made another connection for the Assassin, Obi¡¯s body filled the center screen. His command chair and touch monitors were shrunk to his size. ¡°Obi, you ready?¡± ¡°Brill, we are so ready we don¡¯t need to do systems checks. Lets get this over with before I grow old.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± I chuckled. I asked him if I could broadcast the mission statement to his crew and he agreed. ¡°Pilot, take us out to open space.¡± At the far end of the bridge sat an Octocren, similar to Kantra except without the shadow walker runes etched on his body. ¡°Aye eye,¡± he acknowledged. Far away as the bridge was, I could never hear the twin oscillating fusion engines, but their waves vibrated through the inertial dampeners and shake our seats and computers. All the checkpoints lit green, the front clamps of the orbital space station released, sending crystallized condensation and smoke into the vacuum of space, and I felt the ship move by the pilot¡¯s guiding hands. Ten seconds reversing then a slow starboard turn. Down the length of auto-adjusting platforms other ships of infinite shapes and designs were docked; cargo liners, other military cruisers, tourist and commuter vessels, and personal ships, ranging from technology based, crystal based, plant based, and some made entirely out of raw energy. Their crews and passengers were unaware of Nova¡¯s actions thank Kai. Imagine the turmoil the media would cover. Obi and his needy arrogance had the Assassin already out. Once Obi spotted us, he banked and followed our flight pattern as its four thrusters grew bright red. If you get a chance, count the number of fliers outside its hull for immediate flight. ¡°Three minutes until clear,¡± the navigator issued. She had no trouble deciphering the star patterns, and by surprise, Denverbay was calling. I accepted the call and his quill-decked face filled the frontal viewport. Everybody except me shuttered a little. ¡°Leaving?¡± He asked me. ¡°Like I said, we can¡¯t waste more time. It seems you¡¯ve calmed down from the state of your eyes. I¡¯m deeply humbled you granted us permission to enter protected space.¡± ¡°Do you still have the box for Jaruka?¡± He asked again. I nodded, ¡°In my quarters. Mind I ask what it holds?¡± ¡°Just find him. Understand?¡± My senses kicked in how fast he changed the subject. There was no time to debate on an alternate notion for Jaruka. It was for the best, for him, and for Terra Firma. I told Denverbay yes. Denverbay coughed, ¡°Then by the power of the Galactic Council and the Ancestors of the Stars, I grant you, your captains, your crew, and your fighting spirits, good luck and good hunting.¡± He disconnected to reveal Creos¡¯ neighboring star system. ¡°What box?¡± I turned seeing my assistant arriving. ¡°Ah Irna, just in time,¡± I smiled. ¡°Nothing to worry about.¡± Irna still wears her sword master uniform, minimal armor on the vital areas of her body, but nimble enough for great maneuverability. Both sides of her hips were two three-foot swords in their sheaths, each hand holding on the handle. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about,¡± she said with pursed lips. All too true. ¡°Fifty percent until Drive is charged, captain,¡± the Octocre pilot called out. Unlike the fusion engines, we can hear the Slipspace Drive charging, located three levels below the bridge, five massive magnetic rings circling around a special crystal¡ªthe heart of instant travel. On the Endeavor¡¯s port side, the Assassin was parallel. I could imagine the caged energy in that carrier, eager fighter pilots wanting a feel for Terra Firma air. Down below in the hanger, my soldiers were making their last preparations, one last prayer for luck. ¡°Ninety percent, captain,¡± the pilot said. ¡°Make the wormhole rupture on my mark,¡± I ordered. I made a connection to our neighbor ship and spliced the intercom to broadcast my voice. It had to be closed circuit between vessels. We cleared the space stations and into open space. Few ships passed by as some exited from Slipspace or FTL. ¡°Prepare for Slipspace travel. To your battle stations,¡± I said over the channel. The bridge crew braced themselves. ¡°As of now, this mission is deemed top secret by Councilman Trygo Denvarbay. Nobody outside the ships can know, not even your families.¡± The icon on my monitor chirped to signal a full charge of the Drive. I ordered a ten-second countdown. One section of the ship was parting, exposing a single cannon pointing to space. Once the wormhole was made, both ships will merge onto the path. Each second passed felt like a year. I felt great anticipation that we, Nova Company, were heading to Terra Firma. The word ¡°one¡± sounded off from Kantra and the cannon fired, vibrating the ship. A purple ball of energy sailed over the bow, reflecting its shine over the hull. Seconds passed and the ball imploded into nothing, then exploded in a shockwave of bright light. Both ships shuttered from the dimensional distortion; I could already feel the rift tugging on the ship with its own gravitational pull. I jabbed my finger at Slipspace and screamed, ¡°Engage, full throttle!¡± Engines fired at full output, our ships lurched forward then sucked into the rift, closing behind us. Slipspace is a parallel dimension, but consists of pure energy. It¡¯s unfathomable what energy is found in the dimension, but it allows all of us to borrow its energy for travel purposes and great feats in magical understanding. So much energy that it can congeal itself into objects of spheres and tentacles, with colors of the dominant purple, blues, whites, greens, and colors never seen by the living eye. For us Remuzen, like myself, we see Slipspace as a final resting place, the perfect Eden in the great expanse. As we travel, a wormhole is carved to our destination and we followed it at full speed. We would arrive at Terra Firma in around ten minutes. I started off the mission statement Kantra passed to me, but it didn¡¯t hurt to brief the unaware. ¡°In a few minutes, we will enter protected space under the Primitive Culture Protection Act, but the planet we¡¯re visiting is a Red Flagged planet called Terra Firma, home world of the humans. I know some of you are aware of their kind and that¡¯s fine, but don¡¯t assume anything. The people on that fertile rock are more dangerous than you imagine.¡± The lights from the dimension were toying with me, causing a small instance of motion sickness. I held strong. ¡°It is our job to enter the planet¡¯s atmosphere, retrieve Gunslinger Corporal Jaruka Teal from custody, collect all sorts of technology they have no right to own, and leave promptly. Also, we will do short but extensive examinations of the changes the asteroid caused. I hardly doubt nothing we will find will make the Department of Experimental Magicks envy in curiosity.¡± The new communications officer slowly faced me. The crystals became an interest to her. She never told me why. ¡°The plan of attack is an intense Type-D Hot Drop. Several regiments are designated by their call numbers assigned to all of you. Once we are out of Slipspace, join your regiment and file into either a dropship or drop pod. The Assassin will deploy fighters to give us cover while the carrier will use its Slipspace rift cannon to safely port any nuclear missiles we miss.¡± Obi had no problem with the plan, but one breath in the human air he¡¯ll die in seconds. ¡°Above all else: keep your mind clear and focused. Do not conduct anything that might jeopardize your life or your teammate¡¯s.¡± I cleared my dry throat as the navigator called out five minutes until the fleet reaches the wormhole¡¯s end. ¡°This might be a though mission because we have strict orders we must follow. If by chance you notice humans, but don¡¯t look like humans, do not harm them. Pointed ears, tails, different haircuts, I don¡¯t care. They are deemed neutral until otherwise. All other humans are enemies. If they threaten your life or others, terminate them by any means necessary. I am not repeating these orders. Shalta da¡¯ kel phey!¡± That¡¯s in an old language meaning good hunting. If the broadcast was a two-way, I would hear the crew howling for a fight with the humans. I cut the channel and made a new one to Engineering. ¡°Wringheart, is the virus ready for deployment?¡± I asked the Vyroka soldier. ¡°Been hot since I was hooked up. Permission to send it out once I make a link to their satellites?¡± She asked and I allowed it. ¡°Two minutes until rupture, captain,¡± navigation said. I blinked and shook my head from those bright lights, regretting I should¡¯ve put on some eye filters. My hands gripped tightly on my chair, still feeling the rattle and slight changes in gravity from the twists and turns of the wormhole. The path got straighter and straighter until a single black dot was in focus. Wishing I was holding my breath, my ship and Obi¡¯s exited Slipspace. The bridge¡¯s viewport displayed an alien set of stars and constellations with no sight of star clouds. The pilot maneuvered the assault ship, facing Terra Firma¡¯s oceans and continents. I picked out several ohs and ahs from the bridge admiring its beauty. The continent where Jaruka was held captive was in its night cycle, four to five sections held high concentrations of metropolitan activity. Blue ocean as black as night. The viewport¡¯s HUD made indication of Jaruka¡¯s last known location; I hoped the big guy was still there and alive. It was a one in a million shot to come out of Slipspace without getting attacked by enemy forces. ¡°Link is locked, uploading virus,¡± Wringheart said over the comm. link. ¡°Already working on shutting down power grids around Jaruka¡¯s lo¡­ GREAT MERCIFUL MOTHER!¡± ¡°What? What do you see?¡± The sudden fright in the woman¡¯s voice made my heart skip a beat, thinking my odds were off by a lot. ¡°Confirmed. Vyrokan battery located on the base. The intel was right, Kantra, they do have illegal tech. How in the blarco did they acquire an antique weapon such as that?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll worry about that later, Wringheart. Obi, you have a go for launch. Weapons, charge the port and starboard plasma cannons. Take out that battery before it fires first.¡± The suspected cannon was focused and magnified on the HUD, roughly sitting a mile from Jaruka¡¯s location. Second, the twin oblong plasma cannons morphed from the sides of the ship. Both charged their plasma intakes faster thanks to those much-needed modifications back at Creos. ¡°Twin cannons ready, sir!¡± Weapons already had his finger on the red button, the coordinates programmed.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. This is it, Brill, no turning back. Now or never. ¡°Fire!¡±
Holding Cell 34, Groom Lake, Nevada 7:51 PM Hearing each other¡¯s stories resulted in this long and uncomfortable pause. It was like one of those moments, for the human mutants anyway, that everything leading to our meet made sense. I was still shocked about them controlling magic. First, they probed my lifestyle. Scott, the skeptical bartending college student, kept himself extremely cautious of me but was slowly accepting my statements. What a wimp. Katie and Mike were the most engaging; she had this odd fascination with the magical side, asking if I experienced magic (I did) and learning all the technological and magical aspects I could explain, without telling her the scary parts. Mike just asked about my mercenary lifestyle, limiting what I could divulge and how I could live on an asteroid until supper came, but didn¡¯t tell him a lot about my life in general. Reba still didn¡¯t talk. The whole time I managed to hold strong; I didn¡¯t dare risk Griffon or his goons learning from the guard standing next to the cell enough to jeopardize my life. I asked about their bodies, the transformation, and their magic. I kept a big, open mind, understanding every detail. Let me tell you, half the magic they dealt with, presumably the Wave and the transformation, is strictly illegal. They said more and I was lost in the details. I stopped chatting and took time to think. I was still in my corner, sitting like a pathetic Calvalu shrimp. I ripped the cuffs off my tunic to wrap my dreads together, exposing my toned biceps and tattoos. The ¡°terrans¡± were huddled in a circle, eating what could be called food from plastic containers. Ration packs of dehydrated nutrition. The soldiers set one next to me, but I snarled and threw it at the group. That stuff makes me sick. I¡¯d rather have hot, juicy food than apocalypse grub. Reba ate mine and hers down like an animal. What really made my nerves turn fire was my internal moral dilemma with the humans. Nothing from what I learned matched to their behavior. In school, I was taught that Terra Firma humans are vicious, selfish, closed-off individuals who show no mercy to anybody outside their planet. I expected that after one look at me they would turn into vile bloodlust creatures. Those four, the mutants, made me doubt my knowledge. Scott, Katie, Mike, and Reba were the opposite. Good people and I had the balls to treat them like shit without thinking. Talk about being a rude guest. On the other hand, what else did those crystals do to them? Later Scott had the nerve to do one move at me¡ªmy life¡¯s summary. ¡°So let me get this straight,¡± he said, his back was facing me while looking back with leveled eyes. ¡°You took this survey job on a suspicious asteroid, floating in ¡®Restricted Space,¡¯ because you were broke and thought it would be a great opportunity to expose a time-wasting scam.¡± I snorted and flexed my exposed toes. They felt cold. ¡°Dude, that is so lame. It¡¯s amazing you fell for the oldest trick in the book,¡± he added. ¡°I¡¯ve never met a guy that fell for a scam, and you sir are just stupid. And they say aliens are smarter than us.¡± ¡°Scott, stop insulting him,¡± Katie said to him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to rub it in his face, he had enough.¡± Scott went back eating as Katie peered at me, ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m sorry for you.¡± A compassionate human? That¡¯s new. ¡°Whatever,¡± I grumbled. I was also having trouble accepting that they had tails. ¡°Not to mention an entire government watching over Earth,¡± Mike looked boggled. ¡°Imagine the worlds, the people. Wish I could see that.¡± Yeah, if only it was simple. ¡°Now back to the magic part,¡± Katie said curiously. ¡°You¡¯re saying that magic is universal? Like everywhere?¡± I nodded and answered, ¡°In a way, if you know where to look. It is pretty daunting how many species practice the mystical arts. Other cultures just can¡¯t function without magic governing their lives.¡± ¡°Then what about us? It¡¯s a problem for the rest of the world to come to terms with magic. I can see massive riots for magic rights, people having mental breakdowns with changed lives, even wars. It is a great gift to have, but I¡¯m not sure everybody else is ready for that responsibility, especially my one-track minded Dad. Just look at Reba for example, she can barely function.¡± Reba ignored us and kept on eating. Mike hesitated to touch her. ¡°You seem fluent in the arts, girl.¡± Katie smiled a little. ¡°It¡¯s an old hobby of mine from grade school.¡± I nodded; then again I wondered how long humans knew of magic. ¡°But if this council knows, will they send help, maybe teach us?¡± She meant a full-fledged First Contact aid campaign. Impossible, the Council would never allow it. I didn¡¯t answer her. Mike finished his meal and tossed the container behind him. ¡°Back to the Wave. You said that what we describe matches to certain spells and rituals you dealt with. What are they?¡± ¡°You really want to know? It¡¯s likely you¡¯ll recreate them and blow yourselves up,¡± I scoffed. ¡°Like I said, what else can we do here except swap stories,¡± Katie said with a shrug. I rubbed my face and combed back my dreads, feeling fresh sticky oil between my fingers. I needed a bath bad. ¡°Alright, fine, have it your way. On top of my head, that rift in the sky, that¡¯s called a Ter Zunel Wahr. A temporary climate terraform. It¡¯s legal to us for colony relocation for long distances. Basically it¡¯s for terraforming a moon or an asteroid to livable conditions, the colony rest for a bit, grow food, then leave while the atmosphere dissolves itself. Why it¡¯s modified like that, I don¡¯t know, that¡¯s just for the snooty, nerdy, investigative wizards.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Scott said from his absent understanding of magic. ¡°Don¡¯t push it, boy. And those totems you speak of. That¡¯s a medical treatment and side effect for treating patients with schizophrenia. Some bozo figured out that a split mind, each side their very own personally, calms the person. Two minds in one body, working together, whatever the deal is. Creepy.¡± Katie became concerned, ¡°But, Jaruka, they say they are our spirit guides.¡± ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s the same thing across the board.¡± Katie became confused. ¡°Anything else?¡± Katie was getting curious, and getting on my nerves. ¡°That¡¯s it. Everything else is either illegal or new magic.¡± Scott snorted, ¡°Some help you are. Now we¡¯ll never know the truth.¡± Katie rubbed his back. I could see a lot of hurt in him. That seizure was life threatening; it also sparked my curiosity that he had a military family. Just what happened to him, and why didn¡¯t those scars disappear during the transformation? So many questions, nothing to back them up. But from his attitude, I snorted, ¡°Want me to spell it out for you?¡± Before he talked, the unexpected happened. The entire base jolted from a massive shockwave, enough to make all of us jump five feet in the air. I landed with a thud on the concrete. Coming back from a short dizzy spell, I saw the roof of the underground base shake off dirt. Area 51 seemed to build the roof in case any airborne vehicle had to hide. The scaffolding and rafters were mighty old as I heard metal bend. The alarms followed then all the captives and animals screamed from fear. Another shockwave and the steel support beams cracked. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Mike exclaimed with Reba clenched on his chest. I was smirking by the time I got to the gates. Metal slabs broke from the roof and crashed onto the laboratories. ¡°Finally! Brill did it again!¡± I bellowed out with so much excitement I was jumping. By then I had a second realizing they heard me. ¡°Jaruka, that language is scaring me. What is going on with you?¡± Scott asked. Oh well, time to drop the ball. I whirled around and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I withheld some information from you four,¡± I spoke in their language. ¡°Like what exactly?¡± ¡°Like a rescue party coming for me.¡± The look on their faces was priceless. ¡°My bad,¡± I said smirking. ¡±You should¡¯ve told us sooner you jackass!¡± Scott was about to sock me again. Who cares, my friends arrived. A loud crunch came from the support beams. Metal twisted from cracked bonds and a huge section came crashing down, right on top of the totem cages. A wall of smoke came hurtling toward us. Mike yelled to take cover as I felt the cell bars snap, with one bar hitting me in the face.
"Direct hit!" Weapons called out. "Defense cannon destroyed. Some structures collapsed from the explosion but nothing to threaten Jaruka''s life." "Good work, private," I congratulated. It followed with a short cheer through the bridge. Endeavor blazed through the atmosphere, burning oxygen blazed on the ship''s sides¡ªthe belly parallel to the planet. Inertial dampeners lessened the violent descent, but that didn''t stop the periods of heat. Several air fighters from the Assassin whizzed by, faster than us to gain advanced cover over the military base. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the humans scrambled to their jets for retaliation. "Are the soldiers in the dropships, Kantra?" I asked him. "All drop pods and dropships read green, sir," he answered. "Won''t be long before we launch." "Let all but one dropship and gun platform from the rescue team stay behind," I ordered. Kantra turned in his seat. I could tell his shadow walker powers were itching to fight. "Why, sir?" "Because we are going down there." The answer was so sudden that Kantra was ready to tell me not to. I got up, stayed from a little air turbulence, and faced Irna, "Irna, you have control of the bridge." Pico whirled in her seat with all six arms in the air. "Captain, you can¡¯t be serious. You''re dropping into the middle of a war zone.¡± "It''s my decision. This rescue became personal. Kantra, follow me." The elevator doors hissed open. Once we were in, I told the bridge, "watch over us." We rode down to the hanger. "This is unexpected," Kantra said, ¡°I have reason you owe Jaruka an apology." I nodded once, "I''m responsible for offering that job in the first place, and in turn get him out. It has to be done face to face." Kantra took out a single dagger from his holster and admired the sharpness. "Shall I reserve battle armor for you?" "Gladly."
My back throbbed with pain. I was still conscious from the roof collapsing, I suddenly felt a nice tingling sensation. I felt all the pain disappearing in mere seconds. Suddenly, my vision changed to show everything in black light. I saw people and their mana hearts, soldiers showing nothing, and I could see through the walls. The problem was that my eyes were closed. I freaked out and pushed out of the rubble; steel bars and sections of concrete weighting approximately a hundred pounds. At that moment, I was grateful to have that body. There was no mistaking the symptoms after Arana¡¯s death. My body shined with tattoos. It was really cool effect and at the same time I felt mana coursing through me. I was worried about it so I had to be careful casting spells. It felt weird feeling Keeji coming back. ¡°Ow,¡± Katie cooed. She was right next me, emerging from the debris as her eyes and tattoos glowed through her clothes. I asked her if she was all okay and she nodded, coughing, ¡°Look, we can escape!¡± The whole row of cell bars was gone, it was a perfect chance for us to run. Several hundred cells were destroyed and terrans were already escaping. The masked soldiers were no match for them. ¡°Holy shit!¡± I whipped around seeing Mike upright and gazing over his body. I blinked not from the smoke, but at how clean and tear-free his scrubs were. He looked at us with fear in his glowing iris¡¯ and said, ¡°please tell me this is a good thing.¡± ¡°Yeah, Mike, just relax, nothing to worry about,¡± Katie smiled. Mike nodded slowly, still looking at his glowing European symbols. Noting that, I looked at Katie and myself and both our clothes were undamaged. ¡°Iko spirk!¡± Right, I almost forgot him. Jaruka pushed away some bent bars, rubbed a vertical bruise on his forehead, and shook off the dust like an animal. ¡°English please. I will kick you if you don¡¯t,¡± I told him. He glared and growled at me, and then noticed the tattoos. ¡°I said ow you idiot. Good enough for you?¡± Jaruka belched. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s what happens when a totem dies. That¡¯s new to me.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not debate this, we need to get the hell out of here,¡± Katie said. She had a point. In any second guards would be coming to secure us. I thought too soon. Outside of the cell¡¯s threshold, debris rustled and the back of a soldier emerged. Knowing too well that they don¡¯t like terrans, I got to my feet, ready to slam my fists around. Amongst the yelling from other inmates, I could pick out strange, sucking sounds from the guy. He got on his feet¡ªhis back hunched¡ªand faced us. His arms were slunk and broken, but still gripped his rifle. Why isn¡¯t this guy not screaming in pain? ¡°Hey, you okay there?¡± Mike asked. The guard was still masked so it might¡¯ve been a broken windpipe. I saw blood dripping from his neck proving the idea. And he stood lifeless... It produced a chill in my spine and Katie came closer to me. Jaruka didn¡¯t feel it, he went on insulting him, ¡°Hey, gas mask, move it, I have a sword and gun to find.¡± The guard did nothing and the alien approached him. ¡°Hey I¡¯m talking to you¡­¡± The guard punched him in the chest, his whole body falling back to us. Now the chills were running. The guard¡¯s body was loose yet he punched the big guy with one broken arm like nothing, his knuckles bursting from the skin. Jaruka winced and came back up snarling. Things got serious when he dropped his rifle. The guard, using the other severely broken arm, ripped his gas mask off. Now, bear with me, you might wonder who might be under that mask. The most common idea is a young soldier sworn into duty, closer to my age. Who I saw wasn¡¯t that though. His face was enough to make us speechless, looking like it was stretched at a tannery with too many chemicals and washed to a dull brown. The eyes were dark red, extremely bloodshot, with thick tears of blood running down his cheeks. His mouth, oh God, was infested with gingivitis so much the gums were nearly black. He kept on heaving air, then sucked it in with a gurgle, and made an ear-piecing scream. I had to cover my ears. ¡°No¡­ fucking¡­ way!¡± I yelled. ¡°WITNESSES MUST DIE!¡± The guard screamed and charged forth, almost sprinting. I had little time to duck away, Katie too, but I had no way, not including magic, to go against something like that. That looked too real to be a zombie. Yeah that¡¯s right, a zombie marine. I lunged back into the rubble, I was expecting him to pounce on me and rip my jugular out, until I heard this strange word. ¡°Ildkule!¡± I felt intense heat come from nowhere, and the cell walls lit up. The zombie was in mid-air, oblivious to what was happening. Suddenly a wide column of fire engulfed the guard and shot him out. I saw the flaming body fly across the underground prison and slam into a section of the collapsed ceiling. ¡°Whoa!¡± I shouted. I had no doubt it was a terran spell, but the word was something vaguely European. I looked back expecting Mike as my hero. Except he was on the floor ducking from the blast. Reba¡¯s flaming palms extinguished. ¡°Reba?¡± Katie said agape, ¡°that was awe¡­ where did you get those clothes?¡± Reba had her arms out still aiming out, both ablaze with blue Nordic runes. She blinked and shook her head to answer, ¡°What clothes?¡± Instinct took hold and she looked down, screaming and backing herself against the concrete wall. Remember, this poor, tortured woman was nothing but infected wounds and a torn hospital gown. Thanks to Reba¡¯s merging with her totem, her scars were healed; however, her attire had changed completely. Her outfit now consisted of a dark red trench coat, black gym pants, sturdy black running shoes, and a dark blue form-fitting Kevlar vest. Back then when her face and hair was neglected, she cleaned up well with a clean face and her hair in a tight braid to show off her ears, both with earrings of a similar Nordic rune. ¡°What happened to me!?¡± Reba screamed. She started hyperventilating, examining herself, and was just about to faint again. Mike approached her and gripped both her shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t faint on us. I know this is scary, but Katie says it¡¯s a good thing, right?¡± Katie shrugged, ¡°Yeah for the tattoos, but not the clothes. I mean thi¡­ my head hurts right now.¡± Mine hurt too. ¡±How did you cast a spell?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I blacked out the whole time!¡± Reba had managed to calm down, but the fear still gripped her. Jaruka brushed the dust off his vest and said, ¡°Great I¡¯m getting a headache from new information. I¡¯m outta here.¡± He jumped over the rubble and just started down the corridor. ¡°Oh hell no, you¡¯re not leaving without us.¡± I managed to grab his arm. He stopped, glared at me, and was ready to pop me in the face. ¡°Kid, I have no time for you. I want my gear back.¡± His black eyes felt like daggers, but I pushed. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you tell us about your ¡®friends¡¯ way back?¡± The alien shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s called a need to know basis. Besides, it¡¯s for me, not you.¡± ¡°Scott, look,¡± Katie said, tugging on my arm for attention, pointing at the hole in the ceiling. ¡°That thing¡¯s huge.¡± In the clear night sky, I saw a small dot of red. I had to walk out of the cell for a better view and to avoid the other inmates running about. The fireball grew bigger, and bigger, until I distinguished a delta shaped object. The fire extinguished from a shockwave and my jaw dropped. An alien space ship of unknown size floated over the base. It was painted black with sections of scratch-free chrome. The stern held four rocket thrusters, two on either end, bigger than an aircraft carrier. I spotted a complex symbol and a row of foreign symbols on the right side, thinking it¡¯s the ship¡¯s name. Four guns protruded from the belly and started firing laser trails and orbs of light, sending shockwaves through the underground structure. The army fought back. Smaller ships and pods dropped from the ship like a beehive getting disturbed. It was unclear who or what was in them. Jaruka laughed with a big grin, ¡°Good old Endeavor and its hot drops.¡± A single beam of light made its way inside and destroyed the lab. We all lost our footing. ¡°Hey that was too close, guys,¡± Jaruka added. ¡°Great God almighty,¡± Mike exclaimed. ¡°Took the words right from me, Mike,¡± I added. Jaruka said later and started running. ¡°Hold on a second, we¡¯re not done,¡± I yelled and he stopped, grunting why. ¡°I have to see Griffon, too. That psycho has my parent¡¯s files. He could ruin my life if he makes them public.¡± ¡°Screw you, my ticket off this planet is here. Once I get my weapons and all the scraps of my ship, I¡¯ll be long gone and away from here. So I don¡¯t need your group slowing me down.¡± I came inches to his chest and looked up creaking my neck. ¡°You know as well as I that he holds power that can destroy both of us. My parents and your exposure.¡± I could feel magic brewing within me; I didn¡¯t care if I pushed him to get the message across. Evidently, he reacted, seeing a couple of his dreads curl a little. ¡°After all, you don¡¯t have a gun. How are you gonna fight through a mob of terrans and soldiers?¡± Jaruka growled low and curled his lip. He looked where the zombie got out and reached for the half-buried M4. I felt my heart freeze when he raised the barrel. In no time I readied myself, Katie included. I tried thinking how I did my first spell with my right palm facing him. As it turned out, he fired above us. I looked back fearing he shot Mike or Reba, but it was a soldier coming behind us. He fired three rounds, and the soldier fell like a rag doll. We looked back at Jaruka stunned. ¡°Fine, I give up, have it your way,¡± he barked, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m your babysitter. I¡¯m still interested in your magic. Stay behind me and don¡¯t crog up.¡± He turned the other way and marched down like an actual special operative. Mike picked up the dead soldier¡¯s M4. ¡°Scott, take the guy¡¯s pistol. Let¡¯s see if I remember my training. Get Reba, Katie.¡± I know he was saying orders, but I didn¡¯t intrude. I held the pistol with care while Katie pushed Reba to come. We made our way through the chaos. Chapter 21 Area 51, Groom Lake, Nevada 8:15 PM One corridor after another, terrans were scrambling to get above ground. Soldiers fought and fired, and zombies attacked them, but they were weak against terran magic. Blood spilled from the zombie¡¯s eyes continuously; it¡¯s hard to imagine that they could see. We kept going and avoiding most of the commotion, Jaruka led the way, making people step to the side, and I was actually glad we had an alien on our side. A big one too. I was also admiring Reba¡¯s new outfit in between runs. She said she hated it didn¡¯t go with her style, but I loved it. I had to feel the fabric, sort of a cross between silk and leather and embroidered with silver Nordic runes. She didn¡¯t know why or how, but I had a hunch. God I wanted her outfit. So modern. So sleek. And the ponytail? So¡­ cute. ¡°Were here,¡± Scott said at last. We suddenly stopped as Jaruka peeked around the corner and pulled back. ¡°Two guards at the door,¡± Jaruka whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll take them out while you two distract them.¡± ¡°Distract them?¡± Mike asked. By crazy coincidence, the base shuttered again, making the lights flicker. Reba squeezed my hand. Jaruka looked back and I saw him smirk. ¡°Scream like drunken sailors,¡± he yelled and ran into the corridor. It took Scott and Mike a second to get it and run through screaming like idiots. Reba stayed behind me as I peeked around. One guard was down with a bullet through his head. The other dropped after Jaruka took his gun and swung it like a baseball bat to his head. Then the familiar zombie screech came. ¡°Shoot it!¡± Jaruka yelled. Mike stepped forward and I looked away hearing three shots go off. ¡°Clear. Move girls.¡± We ran and stopped behind Scott. ¡°Care to say why we had to do that?¡± Scott asked him. ¡°No reason,¡± Jaruka smirked. I suspected that he wanted it for his entertainment. Mike and Jaruka went to either side of the door with the General¡¯s nameplate stuck to it. From what Scott described of him, I imagined this guy was an absolute, self-centered prick with an off-centered taste in collectibles. Mike looked at Jaruka, ¡°I¡¯ll use the flashbang I just got from a guard,¡± and held up the grenade, about to pull the pin. ¡°No need,¡± Jaruka said. Dreadlocks got in front of the door and kicked it just like in the movies, but he flinched, forgetting he wasn¡¯t wearing shoes. He rushed in and yelled, ¡°Clear!¡± We all entered; Mike closed the door. I took a gander of the room, the weapon-covered wall, and the nautical themed wall. The back was a window overlooking the underground base, but from the huge shockwaves earlier, the glass panels were shattered. I looked up at the hole in the ceiling; the alien ship kept on shooting. ¡°You weren¡¯t kidding, Scott, this guy is a total whacko,¡± I said in awe. ¡°Not even a single picture of him for Deryl to work with.¡± I heard Jaruka speak in his own words, going straight for the weapons wall. He broke the glass window with the busted rifle and retrieved what he had originally set out for. I didn¡¯t believe that he would carry that item at all. ¡°A sword? Really? I thought you were joking,¡± I blinked. ¡°We risked our lives just for that?¡± Jaruka slung the sword over his back. ¡°Lady, this sword is everything about me. I¡¯d die if I lost it.¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say on accounting I didn¡¯t understand what he meant. Reba came to me and whispered, ¡°I think it¡¯s a sentimental issue.¡± I wondered what the real reason was behind the sword. I spotted Scott rummaging through the desk, frantically searching for the laptop he had spoken of. The last drawer on the bottom right held it and he sighed with relief. He slammed it on the table. ¡±Now to destroy it. Mike, let¡¯s strap it with a grenade.¡± ¡°Why destroy it?¡± Mike asked. ¡°Because I want the copy of my parent¡¯s files gone. I can have Deryl move the originals to a secure location.¡± I thought of several ways to destroy it. I volunteered a fire spell, I even asked Reba if she could remember the name, but she backed out quick. I heard a click then a hum of a small machine coming from Jaruka. The alien held an alien rifle, bigger than all the others on the wall. He caught us talking, looked at the laptop, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me; I¡¯m saving my ammo for worthy targets.¡± ¡°Are you always an asshole?¡± Scott asked. ¡°I¡¯m in a state of utter anger and stress, kid, this is not how I usually act. Most of the time I¡¯m a really nice guy.¡± I somewhat doubted that. ¡°Ah, guys,¡± Reba said, already distressed. ¡°The tattoos are disappearing!¡± Reba¡¯s body showed a steady flow of tattoos loosing their glow. I looked at myself and it happened to, Scott and Mike included. We were quiet, letting Jaruka understand my explanation of the phenomenon. The familiar short burst of energy flowed through my spine and black light vision died. Welcome back, Arana. Energy streams flowed from my chest and on the desk, solidifying to Arana¡¯s red-tailed hawk form. She shook her head and sighed, ¡°Still not used to that.¡± Scott¡¯s totem came next, forming next to him. ¡±Ouch,¡± he joked. Keeji saw Jaruka, screamed like a girl, and hid behind Scott. ¡°Please don¡¯t let him eat me.¡± Mike¡¯s was next. His totem formed into a cute and fluffy snow rabbit on the desk next to Arana. It grumbled while lying on its side. Mike went up to the animal, poked it, and it said, ¡°Don¡¯t do that. I¡¯m having one horrible migraine.¡± Mike said his apologies. Reba¡¯s experience was the opposite. I figured she heard a voice in her head as she screamed and backed into the nautical wall, knocking down some priceless artifacts. Light flowed from her chest and collected right before her. I remembered it was a leopard like she had said, from the body shape to the gold-like fur color and black spots. For a second I felt envious of her totem, I always loved those animals at the zoo. The gorgeous animal finished, it opened it big glowing eyes and shivered. ¡°What such relief from the stuffy cage,¡± it said, or she said. Reba was still scared and she actually used a toy sailboat for a weapon. The leopard did nothing. Even if they had some hostility, that didn¡¯t mean that everything had ended. We still had to escape. The leopard spoke first, ¡°Do you like the clothes I made for you? You should be happy for them. They will last for a couple of hours on your mana, but good enough to protect you. And that is exactly why I¡¯m here for¡ªto protect my host. And if you don¡¯t trust me, your own totem, then you don¡¯t trust yourself.¡± Strong words. Reba said nothing. Wait, totems can make clothes out of mana? Just then, Jaruka¡¯s sudden outburst jolted me to yelp. Jumping, hollering, and blathering unknown words, I assumed he was flipping out from our magic and the totems. He in fact didn¡¯t care about us; he was looking over the prison with a huge smile of satisfaction. Turning around, I gasped. Aliens. Lots of aliens. Looking for him.
The calculations of human mobilization were wrong. It was like they expected us to arrive, or were preparing for a civil war on their own kind and we disrupted their preparation. No matter, our weapons and magic were too much for their ballistic weapons. There were four gun platforms¡ªCommander Kantra and I were on the fourth. With our shield at maximum, we plunged into a collapsed underground structure. The last known coordinates of Jaruka said that he would be there. Once inside, the gun platforms including mine opened fire on any human infantry. Each gun platform can hold up to twelve soldiers, but always diversifies classes. Shadow walkers flew out and attacked solo humans, both a quick death or death by phasing through solid surfaces, killing them instantly; wizards used various defensive and fatal offensive spells, one had to use a black hole spell on a five-man battalion; sword masters stood ready in case they were ordered to fight on the ground; gunslingers fired with their weapons and the mounted gauss rifles; summoners used the rubble and debris to create constructs, taking out large groups of humans. I personally stayed in view, wearing battle armor to protect me from their bullets. A benefit to wearing it helped me use my telekinesis without conducting headaches. I took the liberty of collapsing a floor above twelve soldiers with my mind, but waited until the mutants left. My warriors made me proud none of the mutants were hurt because of how easily they were spotted, it was strange that they didn¡¯t turn into zombies. I heard high-pitch screeching from several humans. It told me that we didn¡¯t have much time before things got worse. One thing was certain¡ªthose stories from the Archives about humans turning into zombies were true. ¡°Make sure we have clearance, Jaruka is around here somewhere!¡± I yelled. My helmet¡¯s HUD was uploaded with Jaruka¡¯s location prior to leaving. I was looking down a mile of demolished prison cells, some with inmates still locked up. The GPS directed to look behind me. ¡°There he is!¡± At long last, we had found our man. It felt so invigorating to punch Kantra in the thigh to change his attention on the fight. He told the others on the platform, resulting in hollering in happiness. ¡°Irna, concentrate your fire on any advancing humans to the underground site!¡± The Endeavor¡¯s firing rate increased and the structure shook. Corporal Jaruka Teal stood in a hanging office of the south wall. The Halcunac jumped and waved his arms like a lunatic to get our attention. Once we hovered closer, the mutants backed away with faces of awe. The animals with glowing eyes were peculiar, thinking they have a deeper purpose with the mutants. Clamps ejected and grabbed to any undamaged columns. I was able to here Jaruka yell, ¡°What took you so long?¡± ¡°Politics¡ªhate ¡®em to love ¡®em,¡± I answered. My suits power output was increased, enough for me to jump off. Kantra didn¡¯t bother stopping me while following along with a couple others. I landed on both feet and looked at Jaruka towering over me. A switch on my wrist computer released my helmet and folded into a collar. I breathed Terra Firma¡¯s underground stale air. ¡°And you know me, I keep my promises. Do you forgive me?¡± Jaruka let his rifle fall and picked me up for a hug. His strength could¡¯ve ruptured the suit if he wasn¡¯t cheering and crying. Up and down I went, it felt nauseating, but I could relate¡ªI would feel the same if I had taken the survey job. Good enough to make amends. Then he let go and cheered for the others coming off the platform. ¡°Kantra! Aren! Virakull! Toss! Man, I¡¯m so happy to see you guys,¡± he said, trying so hard to speak five different languages, primarily Kantra¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t press your luck,¡± Kantra said after ordering a gunslinger and wizard to secure the office. The humans didn¡¯t seem to want to interfere. Remembering Jaruka¡¯s language skills, I produced a small device, a collar with two prongs on opposite ends, from my suit¡¯s pocket and held it up to him. ¡°Take this, my friend. You tongue sounds sore.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Jaruka took it. ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s hard enough to speak these people¡¯s language without fainting from exhaustion.¡± Universal Translators, hybrid technology of both technological and magical, are a strict standard to bridge language barriers. Without it, society could crumble. Jaruka wrapped it around his neck and clicked the buckle to activate it. The prongs went straight for his ear holes for outside translation for the user¡¯s language. The collar reads the vocal cords as Jaruka speaks his language and with strong magical runes, translated to every person''s language within a hundred mile radius. He coughed, "Finally." Peering at the mutants, it was not hard to recognize them from Sketch''s projections. The animals were something else. "Were they with you in that transport?" ¡°Yes, but not the totems.¡± ¡°Totems?¡± ¡°I know it sounds weird but it¡¯s complicated¡­¡± I cut him off with my hand, ¡°Hold that thought. Hand these to each of them.¡± He was about to ask why but I didn¡¯t let him, it was too important for questions. He rolled his eyes and approached the mutants. I watched the mutants be very cautious of Jaruka. It seemed logical they all would trust him; three out of four did. The one with the dog was the last to receive a UT once a woman talked him into it. It was slow for all four to put them on, the blonde one suffered a mild panic attack hearing us talk. The long haired one with the furry white creature in his arms spoke first. ¡°Wow, I can hear everybody speak English,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re called Universal Translators,¡± Jaruka informed him. ¡°And have some respect, Scott, you are standing in front of my boss.¡± ¡°I know that from his suit, Jaruka. Seeing an actual Grey isn¡¯t making me feel comfortable,¡± Scott rolled his eyes. I ignored their quarrel. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m Captain Brill Secambre of the battleship Endeavor part of Nova Company,¡± I explained. The young woman with brown hair waved her hand with a nervous grin. ¡°H-Hi.¡± ¡°First off, thank you for staying with Jaruka for company. He¡¯s a good man and grateful. Aren¡¯t you?¡± Jaruka nodded slowly. ¡°Our plan is to rescue Jaruka and leave, but something else came up. My superior wants an audience with you four because you are the closest to trustworthy witnesses as we can get.¡± That was the last thing Denverbay made me promise: to bring back living mutant witnesses to the ship. I hated the idea, but orders are orders. Jaruka coughed, ¡°Wait, Brill, no. Not happening. They¡¯re not coming with us.¡± ¡°Yes, they are. Denverbay said so.¡± An explosion from inside the base rocked the office and platform. Fire burst upward and out through the hole. The gunslingers happened to take out a suicide bomber. ¡°Long story short, your intel is vital for your people¡¯s future! Everybody on the platform now! Move! Move! Move!¡± I jumped on first and watched the rest come aboard, reactivating my helmet. My men were first, then Jaruka before taking out three humans with his rifle. The mutants jumped on one by one. What surprised me was the ¡°totems¡± transformed into energy and entered their masters, something most intriguing. For the sake of storage I figured; the platform was getting crowded. Scott was the last on but requested us to destroy an object on the office¡¯s desk. Time was minimal so I ordered a wizard to blow the office and its contents to rubble. I never asked Scott why. Everybody was in and the platform unclamped itself from the beams. Our platform and the rest followed out through the hole and headed straight for the Endeavor. I told the mutants to stay down no matter what. Up above, the fight was intensifying. Human vehicles fired constantly, while my men took them out with one plasma blast. Zombie infantry went full force but were taken down by gunslingers, sword masters, and sorcerers. I felt sick watching it all. My shoulder was tapped. The young brown-haired woman standing over me said, ¡°What about the others? Will they get rescue?¡± ¡°You four are priority, the rest we cannot trust,¡± I responded. She nodded, ¡°That¡¯s just not right.¡± Just when Jaruka mouthed off at me why the mutants really had to come, a gunslinger screamed, ¡°Captain, starboard point, human with Vyrokan property!¡± I looked in that direction. The area had a regiment of sorcerers crippling a mortar team near an aircraft hanger. I used my helmet¡¯s HUD to zoom in, and then became rather scared. I saw a human female with blonde hair much like the one with us, but dressed more formally. Jaruka blared that she was the notorious Agent Jessica Baine. She was struggling with a weapon at waist level connected to two glowing white boxes. Further zooming in, the woman cackled with bloodlust. ¡°Oh no,¡± I said, realizing what it was. ¡°EMP Cannon! Change shield to¡­¡± The heavy cannon charged and fired a straight beam of electromagnetic energy at our platform. I felt side effects on my suit¡¯s systems, overloading the computer. The platform shuttered and started spiraling out of control. My instincts prompted me to grab hold a support bar. Soon my men were falling off, then Jaruka, then the mutants in random directions. I cursed as it crashed.
The intense drop in gravity obliterated my balance. There was no time to strap myself down on the platform, on top of that, asshole Kantra bumped into me and made it worse. I screamed and flailed my limbs until I hit something hard. I felt myself fall again, bounce, and stop. Groaning and feeling all kinds of hurt, I shook my blurry vision away to notice I crashed onto a human vehicle, a Hummer, after rolling off a two-story metal roof. ¡°That¡¯s gonna be sore in the morning,¡± I groaned. I got out of the car to catch the platform still hurtling out of control, flinging passengers off. I saw Scott and Katie go one direction, Mike and Reba another direction, and my friends in another. I could hear all of them screaming through the gunfire. I palmed my rifle, checking the ammo for several plasma bullets left. I ducked cautiously to look for a safe way to get to the platform, but I was blocked by human soldiers. Gunfire rang out and bullets dinged off the vehicle¡¯s hood, making me duck for cover. Then I heard a charging sound and the Hummer was pushed away like careless scrap metal by a column of lighting, coming from that annoying weapon. Jessica wielded the technology in one hand and her pistol in the other. First, I wanted to leave, except the platform was destroyed. I hate those things. Then Jessica came and screwed me over again. Suddenly, I felt hungry for food, and also hungry to take that bitch down. One score to settle before leaving. ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn,¡± I muttered and ran after her. Jessica reacted slowly as she juggled the two weapons, first going for the pistol, then thinking greedily, aimed the cannon at me. I knew that cannon from Vyroka museums. That heavy weapon wasn¡¯t designed to kill living tissue, only circuitry and levitate objects with magnetism. I also saw a Marine carting the generator barrels. I laughed; no wonder Alavas Industries discontinued it three decades ago. Without my HUD, things had to be winged. I aimed down my rifle¡¯s sight and shot at the generators. The Marine was toast, Jessica dropped the cannon to run, and the barrels exploded covering a wide area in harmless steam. Keeping my rifle close and ready, I stopped and looked over the smoke for Jessica. ¡°Come on out, Jessica, I know you want me, the shot on the platform was to make me stay. Show yourself!¡± I yelled. The smoke was blown away by the desert wind but several plumes remained. I calmed down a little to open my senses for better concentration. All my attention was directed to my hearing, and the UT¡¯s prongs improved it. Hearing the gunfire and the laser fire, it was hard to hear subtle sounds. But I could, just barely. Gravel rustled behind me, the click of a pistol¡¯s magazine, and a very quiet hiss; she was silently raging no doubt. Those dainty feet weren¡¯t hard to pinpoint. It was right to tap into moves I studied from the shadow walker division. Using stealth and light footing from no boots, I used the smoke for cover, losing her sight of me. Jessica came running out, aiming her gun in every direction. I sidestepped and darted as she fired too close to me. ¡°Come on out you fucking coward,¡± she growled. She fired three shots in three random directions, none close to me. ¡°I knew I should¡¯ve run a metal detector on you for transmitters. Your ship¡¯s beacon was destroyed. I destroyed your comm. device. Just how the hell did they find you!?¡± She was so distressed; she could have ripped my head off and mounted it on a wall. I attacked her like a balaldas. With a growl and a big elbow punch to Jessica¡¯s exposed side, she went flying ten feet away. ¡°It¡¯s called nanobots. Get with the program!¡± Oh yeah, payback was on my side. I scurried after her before she reached for her dropped pistol. I grabbed both of her legs, dragged her, and flung her body the other way, she landed hard on the ground. ¡°My time bitch.¡± Jessica got up and pulled out a pocketknife, but I punched her gut to make her let go of it. ¡°That¡¯s for the Lunar Spear!¡± She cried out in pain, but it didn¡¯t deter her fighting. As short as she was, she sideswiped me at the neck, and nearly knocked me off my feet. I countered with a jab at her throat. ¡°That¡¯s for the truck.¡± Keeping up with her fast moves as she attempted to hit me in the groin, I made three more contact punches with my fists as hard as stone; her shoulder, her left thigh, and her ribcage. ¡°That¡¯s for the bullet wound!¡± Taking account of her exposed back, I went for a double fisted drive to her spine, but mysteriously, she recovered fast and dodged the blow, then controlling her weight she whirled around for a roundhouse kick to my jaw. Scott¡¯s roundhouse did nothing compared to that. I felt dizzy for a bit but ran back into the smoke. Jessica went for her gun and whipped around for a shot. I was too fast for the chick, coming against her side from the smoke. She didn¡¯t notice the shine of silver flying past her vision. Her scream was like music. Jessica fell on the ground, clutching her right arm. Only it was the stump of her upper arm, oozing and squirting with warm blood. What once a hardened human bent on torturing me until I die, now whittled down to an injured animal. No vice or belt will stop the bleeding. ¡°That¡¯s for treating my sword like junk!¡± In my right hand was my katana. It gleamed from the laser fire, the blood dripped from its razor sharp edge. It had been a long since I had last used it, and my katana, I hoped, was relieved that it wasn¡¯t forgotten. I shook off the blood the best I could and sheathed it, but I wasn¡¯t done with Jessica. I came to Jessica¡¯s writhing body and with one hand I clenched her thin neck, nearly choking her. My strength was enough to pick her up into the air. Her feet were inches from the ground. The pain prevented her from kicking me. She saw the raging hate in my eyes, and I saw fear in hers for the first time. She tried to speak and get out of my grip with her free hand, but I squeezed harder. ¡°And this is for the kiss.¡± I head butted Jessica so hard her skull cracked, she died with a frozen face of freight. I let go of her body as it flopped on the dirt. Blood oozed from a line down her forehead. ¡°And good riddance,¡± I growled. I gathered up my rifle and made my way to the crashed platform, hoping my ticket to freedom was still good.
Area 51, Groom Lake, Nevada 8:37 PM Roll, Katie, roll! Arana said in my head. Fast reaction took hold, making me pack myself into a ball. Arana huffed and told me to relax my body. I didn¡¯t understand why, but I did and met the ground knowing why. My reinforced terran body protected me, but I still screamed feeling rocks and metal under me. I stopped and whimpered. Get up now! Arana ordered. ¡°Give me a second, I think I broke something,¡± I complained. You didn¡¯t, nothing¡¯s broken. Get moving! I was already getting a headache from her. I was homesick, I still wanted to leave the base, and those aliens were our only chance of escape. I rolled onto my belly, shook my head, and used a spare tire to support me as I got up. I cried a little when I saw that my clothes dirty and ripped. My tail had taken most of the fall, it was covered in bloody scratches and dirt patches. I wondered if they would make tail socks anytime soon? I had landed behind an aircraft hanger, the biggest one around, and there was plenty of cover from the fight. I ducked after hearing a huge explosion from far away involving a Hummer and bolts of lighting. I looked around, hoping to find Scott. He was far from me, he was already getting up. Scott shook his head and took a few seconds to catch his breath. In between breaths, I heard him talk openly with Keeji in his mind. ¡°Oh thank God,¡± I muttered and started to walk towards him. A shadow came around, and my heart stopped, I had to hide. Agent Roland appeared. In no time flat he had kicked Scott in the chest. I clenched my jaw shut to keep from screaming. A couple kicks later Keeji came to the rescue, bearing his fangs on him, but Roland was quick to react and shoved a taser in the poor dog¡¯s stomach. Again, I clenched my mouth to not scream. ¡°This is bad. Scott is gonna die if we don¡¯t do something,¡± I shook my head. Katie, don¡¯t be a hero. Keeji is getting up and¡­ shoot he¡¯s tased again. I could feel Arana¡¯s frustration. I¡¯m a terran. I have magic. I had to save him. One spur of the moment idea popped in my head while watching Roland, and my confidence took over. I felt Arana disapprove. ¡°Arana, what¡¯s the Gaelic word for electricity?¡± I asked her. Katie, I¡­ ¡°Just do it, Scott¡¯s getting creamed!¡± We came from the same mind, right? She had to listen to me. She relented and coughed up the word. I took five quick breaths to calm my mind and gather my courage. Wishing that I wouldn¡¯t screw up, I went after Roland. I charged my mana the best I could. Both of my hands glowed with the Celtic tribal tattoos. Roland¡¯s back faced me and he still kicked Scott repeatedly. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving, freak!¡± He yelled. ¡°Now where¡¯s that frail girl of yours?¡± I ducked and wrapped my arms around Roland¡¯s left thigh. I yelled, ¡°Right down here,¡± and focused with all my might. ¡°Leictreachas!¡± Mana transformed and the air around me electrified. My arms transferred raw electricity into Roland¡¯s body and he screamed, convulsed, unable to push me off. I had my eyes closed the whole time. I settled and let go after smelling charred cotton and skin. Roland mumbled then leaned over to fall unconscious to the ground, his clothes still smoking from the lightning. ¡°Wow,¡± I gasped from shock. Scott¡¯s attention darted between Roland and me, petrified that I could do that. Keeji shook his head, looked at the damage, and gave a flattering congratulation to me. ¡°Yeah, I fought without freezing!¡± I yelled. I felt Arana rolling her eyes. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t do too much to him?¡± Scott got up rubbing his sore chest. ¡°Remind me not to piss you off.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± I laughed a little. A zombie came through fighting a huge red alien. The zombie fought like an animal, trying to bite the alien¡¯s arms in any way that it could, but the alien kept on punching away. The alien had had enough and in a second, the zombie turned into a dark grey statue from shadows seeping from the alien. The dead zombie dropped and shattered into black dirt clumps and sand from the red alien¡¯s giant fist. ¡°Too easy,¡± the alien smirked. The translator was still on me and I was overwhelmed that he could speak in such fluent English without problems. He spotted us, ¡°Come, the captain has a dropship coming. We must move before the next wave comes.¡± We nodded, it was good that the aliens were on our side, but what troubled me was the reasoning. We followed him as things got worse. Chapter 22 ¡°Dropship arriving in one minute, captain,¡± Irna said over the comm. link. ¡°Make it twenty seconds,¡± I ordered. Thanks to the EMP Cannon, the platform¡¯s computer was overloaded and rendered useless. Fortunately the crystal fuses in my suit¡¯s systems were minimally affected. I ducked behind a destroyed human tanker along with a gunslinger for protection. ¡°Galazat, when will this nightmare end?¡± The private gunslinger was shaking in her boots, but her stamina kept her shooting at human stragglers. I had the same idea. The comm. chatter wasn¡¯t sounding good. Without being on the bridge, I was having a headache hearing the bad news. ¡°Captain, human communications is getting heated. Not only that, these persistent bipeds are trying to hack my virus,¡± Lieutenant Wringheart reported. ¡°Their attempting to crack the code without an AI and failing. What¡¯s the hold up down there?¡± ¡°Keep that virus running as long as it takes, lieutenant,¡± I ordered. Wringheart sighed and signed off. Captain Obi was next, ¡°Brill, my fliers are reporting mobilization from neighboring active bases and aircraft carriers. No missiles yet, sir. I¡¯ll keep the skies free as best I can.¡± ¡°Watch for ground troops and bomb them when they are twenty miles from the base,¡± I dictated and he agreed. Up at the Endeavor, I saw a single dropship falling fast towards my coordinates, just what I wanted. Comm. chatter increased in a second. Private Arilla Pico announced one dead, totaling to two lost souls. At the rate of humans turning into zombies, that number could quadruple in no time. Taking account of my added order, Obi reported civilian zombies from neighboring cities heading to the base as I waited for the ride. He had fliers in hover if the boundary was broken. ¡°We¡¯re running out of time. Where are they?¡± I asked and a familiar voice heard me. ¡°Right here, Brill. Still alive.¡± Jaruka huffed on his way to me. He was more scuffed than before, he must have run into some strong humans, ¡°Glad that platform didn¡¯t flatten you, Brill.¡± ¡°Good, but where are the mutants?¡± I asked him. He shrugged. Thrusters from the dropship drowned out all sound for a second then hovered behind us. Gunslingers and wizards followed out to secure the landing zone. The leader of the squadron told us to get on, but I told him to hold for a second. Jaruka poked me to turn. ¡°There they are. Kantra has them.¡± Several yards away, Scott, his mate, and Commander Kantra ran for dear life. The mutants looked out of breath from either running longer than Jaruka, or they had fought as well. The three jumped over human corpses to arrive at our location to catch their breath. ¡°We made it,¡± Scott smiled. ¡°Whoever your superior is better be worth it.¡± ¡°He is, one of the best,¡± I said nodding. ¡°Get on the drop¡­¡± ¡°Wait!¡± The girl beside Scott yelled. I assumed that she was counting us one by one, her eyes suggested that she had realized a crucial problem. ¡°Where¡¯s Mike and Reba?¡± ¡°Who?¡± I asked. I then remembered that there had been two other mutants with us on the platform. Now it seemed that we had to wait, but I was stubborn and running out of time. Even when I was about to tell them to forget it, Scott patted the girl¡¯s shoulder to look in his direction. The two missing mutants ran towards us with a Tirazan heavy by their side. The man, supposedly Mike, was waving at us and saying something that I couldn¡¯t make out. My battle suit increased sensitivity to hear him say, ¡°Don¡¯t leave without us!¡± I ordered a couple of gunslingers for their cover. From the corner of an aircraft hanger, a human male walked into view. Zooming in, the old man looked infuriated and held a long ballistic-based rifle. He was three yards behind them and they didn¡¯t see him. My heart dropped thinking the worst. I tried ordering the heavy to turn his lengthy body. The male started firing bullets at them. First at the heavy in the head, immediately killing him. Mike noticed. He dropped to dodge the bullets, pulling the fragile girl down too. He looked back and started firing with his rifle, clipping the man two times in the chest. Oddly, the man appeared maimed, but kept shooting. I saw several blood trails exit Mike¡¯s back, and one through his head.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. In a second, Scott went ballistic.
Slow motion¡ªthat was how I witnessed Mike¡¯s death. Everything, down to my emotions, made me shake. I saw my coworker, my friend, my pal, our protector, get killed by General Griffon. Reba wasn¡¯t harmed¡ªshe had run the opposite direction for safety. Mike took the full blow. As slow motion did, he fell backwards, screamed, fought, and silenced. I lost it. Without magic, I took the closest M4 from the ground and started shooting at Griffon while running to Mike. My terran body made my balance better, the bullets straighter, and it was enough to collect on the asshole¡¯s heart. How¡¯s that for not handling a gun, Jaruka? Griffon dropped his rifle, clenched his chest, and fell over. ¡°Mike, hang on! I¡¯m coming for you, buddy!¡± I slid on my knees before I got to him. Katie was right behind me and so was Jaruka. The sight of Mike¡¯s bullet-filled corpse made Katie and me scream in horror. Mike died with a face like, ¡°Ah¡­ crap,¡± or something. Blood poured from behind his head and stained the ground. We dropped down to check if he was still alive. I felt nothing, not even a heart beat. I cried hard for the first time in two years; Keeji cried too, adding to my emotions. I ignored everything around me. Griffon deserved dying for our loss. In one move I hugged Katie tight to let her cry on my chest. My shoulder was tugged. Jaruka made me look up at him. The tears made it hard to understand his look, probably was sorry for the loss or desperate to leave Mike¡¯s body behind, or how pathetic my people are to stay close our living possessions. He said it to prove his reason. ¡°Screw you,¡± I said harshly. Jaruka shook his head and told the others to surround Griffon, that he was the mastermind. I ignored them for a little longer, reliving the memories hanging out with Mike and Ashley Sanders. What snapped me out of it was Jaruka¡¯s hard tug on my arm, pulling us from Mike¡¯s body. ¡°No, let me go!¡± I protested. ¡°Not my call, kid, somehow Griffon survived your assault,¡± Jaruka grimaced. I stopped crying. What did he mean by that? He let go of us and joined a twenty-man circle of aliens surrounding Griffon. The general was on his feet clasping his open chest, looking mad and vengeful. I was certain that I had killed him¡ªhe had ten to twenty bullets in his chest. Must be a really strong Marine to survive that. Brill walked past us and started speaking. ¡°Corporal Teal says you are the leader of this airbase. As by decree of the writ of the Republic, I¡¯m arresting you for life endangerment, kidnapping, possession of illegal technology, and threatening to spark a war with the Republic.¡± Griffon wiped blood from his mouth with his arm, ¡°War is beyond me, gray. I will never go with you. This is planet will never leave me.¡± ¡°You have no choice,¡± Brill cleared his throat. ¡°What I can¡¯t understand is why you¡¯re still standing and not a zombie.¡± Griffon shook his head, and a wide grin formed. Something about it looked uneasy to me. There he stood, surrounded by powerful creatures, bleeding, and he was smiling about it. If I didn¡¯t know better, I thought he was on something that increased his stamina, or craziness. He looked straight at me. I saw a sudden change on his face, the face of a monster. His eyes changed to the most vibrant of red. From the chaos, he began laughing, and the laughter grew. As he did, I noticed a sudden change in the noise. Gunfire stopped. I looked at the closest fight and saw human soldiers just¡­ standing still. The aliens settled and looked really concerned, like they had never seen this sort of behavior. I looked back at Griffon. I felt evil, pure evil from him. He relaxed his arms, grinned as wide as he could, and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll persuade you.¡± His whole body was quickly engulfed in pitch-black smoke from nowhere and exploded. I protected Katie from the blast as I felt it punch me in the back. Several aliens toppled back, including Jaruka and Brill, stopping beside us. Brill got up quick and ordered everybody to stand their ground, but how can they if they can¡¯t see through the smoke. ¡°Jaruka, what the hell was that?¡± I yelled. ¡°Beats me, never seen this before,¡± he answered, and it sounded true. The smoke started to clear and the alien ship showed. Then a monstrous roar came from nowhere. The sound, mixed with a T-Rex and some sort of demon, made my mana heart vibrate like it wanted to blow out of my chest. There was primal fear rippling through me. That roar lasted for ten seconds and ended with what sounded like garbled gasps from a crocodile. I heard Katie hyperventilate and saw her eyes sullen, ¡°We¡­ we got to run,¡± she whispered. If only we were able to. The smoke disappeared, but I wasn¡¯t prepared to see an eight-foot tall, fifteen-foot long monstrosity. Its black back faced us, showing off three rows of black razor sharp spikes. It didn¡¯t bear a tail per se, but a limb protruding from the middle of its back, five feet long, ending with an ivory-made blade, too close to be a scythe. It quivered and whipped about like an agitated cobra, then I it seemed to grow a bit, then recede. The creature stood on four, overdeveloped muscle-bulged black legs with its weight mostly on the hind legs. Each leg ended with a five-fingered hand with talons enough to slice through bone and metal like butter. The monster shuddered, and each spike and scythe quivered. It growled and turned, staring dead at us. My mana heart was vibrating my body and Keeji screamed until he fainted in my mind. The head started with a reptilian jaw line with insect-like teeth so sharp it could bite and rip through a tank. The eyes were glowing bright red with a black dot in the middle. The mouth opened and inside also glowed as red as a fireplace. Around the carapace-covered head was a cowl made of its own flesh, or armor, or whatever it had for skin. Please don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s Griffon, I thought. The monster sucked in air and bellowed, sounding just like Griffon with a growl mixed in. , ¡°I will regain control, NO MATTER THE COST!¡± ¡°Holy¡­¡± I started, but the same heart-stopping scream prevented me from finishing. Its open mouth stretched so wide that it could have swallowed me whole. Suddenly green flashes hit the creature and it wailed from alien plasma. Jaruka and Brill pushed Katie and me down for protection. Jaruka screamed, ¡°Reaper! Everybody target the bug and open fire!¡± The area lit up with lasers and magic to almost blind me. Chapter 23 Area 51, Groom Lake, Nevada 8:39 PM Reaper. Damn. For a moment, I¡¯ll explain what these disgusting, vial, soul-sucking creatures are. Believe me, it¡¯s better to know instead fighting one without it. Reapers are better known as the Malcar¡¯Ji, a unique magical insectoid-reptilian species that live in the deepest part of the galaxy comprising of a few tribes. They like to keep to themselves, most of the time. Generally, Malcar¡¯Ji try to be good-natured people, devoted to the bitter end. Their bodies look evil, yes. They roar enough to rattle your bones, yes. Who am I kidding, I¡¯m describing a species that acts differently than the surprise reaper on Terra Firma, one that is not supposed to be there. You better know the difference between a reaper and a rogue reaper, like the monstrosity bombarded by plasma and magic fire. First is the eyes and mouth. With normal reapers, they don¡¯t glow red, nor any color for that matter. It¡¯s the result of huge amounts of magical energy flowing through them, but it didn¡¯t make sense to glow blood red. Worse was that I felt no magic radiating from the thing, not even a minute spark. Rogue reaper¡¯s bodies are all black instead of the standard brown, grey and yellow scheme. The scythe appendage is the same, but for rogues its super strong ivory, close enough to be berium. How it transformed from Griffon was a mystery, or it is Griffon¡¯s true form? The Malcar¡¯Ji tribes and the Galactic Council made a pact at the very beginning of the Republic if rogue reapers appeared. Why you may ask? Well, they know they have a problem and they want to fix it; to expunge their dark needs and stop consuming souls, their primary source for magic. I don¡¯t know how long, but I¡¯m guessing thousands of years, there¡¯s been no progress so far. Did I mention souls? When they eat a sentient soul, like any citizen of the galaxy with a conscious mind, they transform into rogue reapers: hard to kill, powerful as hell, and have a thirst for death. Meeting the real Malcar¡¯Ji is always unsettling for me just because of knowing their true nature. I feel like running for light years from the nearest reaper like bug repellant. I had once run into a rogue reaper and killed it myself before it had a chance to slice my head off. It gave me nightmares on cold, rainy nights. All mercenaries, battle group members, trade leaders, planets, and anybody who can hold a gun or cast a spell know one thing: spot a rogue reaper and do whatever you can to render it dead, down to incinerating its brain. The soldiers surrounding it got my message, dropped whatever they were doing, and let loose every weapon and spell they had on the reaper. The light caused short blindness, but the collective energy was powerful enough to shatter a diamond to dust. I unloaded an entire clip of plasma on the writhing and screaming reaper, concentrating on its cowl-covered head. The clip finished and ejected itself; I was ready for it and reloaded in half a second. Ten more plasma bullets blasted the reaper¡¯s hide, and the rifle was empty again. My rifle felt hot from repeated firing. In ten seconds, the attack created enough smoke to obscure the reaper¡¯s mangled body. Brill ordered all of us to back up fifty feet in a sprint and ordered the Endeavor to fire a gauss rifle round at the beast. I dragged Scott and Katie as terrified as they were. I didn¡¯t argue. The metal slug hit it, the ground shook, and the smoke thickened. Mike¡¯s body was incinerated to ash. No more sounds came from it. ¡°I think we got it,¡± I sighed. Brill¡¯s eyes were as wide as ever, still reacting from the discovery, ¡°Great Kai, what is a reaper doing in restricted space?¡± ¡°The hell should I know. That was Griffon, or is, I mean¡­¡± The familiar holler shut me up. Impossible, that reaper should¡¯ve been dead. I saw the scythe come out of the smoke, longer than ten feet. The reaper came out, free of injuries, and began slaughtering Nova soldiers; none of them were ready. The scythe whipped and sliced through bodies like weak bugs. Blood from several species splattered the ground. I pulled Brill down to duck from the scythe. The reaper moved on to weaker prey. ¡°You okay?¡± I asked him and he nodded. My attention drifted to Scott and Katie holding each other, not able to stop staring at the reaper. ¡°Hey, listen to me,¡± I yelled and they looked up. ¡°Get the crog up, go straight for the dropship, and don¡¯t you dare look back.¡± Scott started, ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you butt me. Go, now!¡± I reloaded my rifle again and shot the reaper twice to draw its attention away from a rookie. I turned back and saw Scott holding Katie''s hand running straight for the dropship. "I''m calling in a Slipspace rift. That will surely kill it," Brill suggested. A sickening laughter came from the reaper, which gave me a bad feeling. "That feeble dimension won''t eradicate me," the reaper said, retracting its scythe. Each corner of its snout formed an unappealing smile. "Not even your weapons can harm me, mortals. I¡¯m invincible!¡± "Fat chance," I replied. I thought back to the caravan back in the mountains yesterday; it made me smirk. I turned my rifle into cannon mode, splitting the barrel into three sections floating in a magnetic field. I loaded three plasma bullets in the chamber, charged it¡ªalmost seared the skin off my hands¡ªand I fired the green plasma ball at the reaper before it charged after us. ¡°Take that, demon!¡± The reaper took action in an unexpected way. He didn¡¯t run, but stayed put. Instead of dodging the ball, the reaper grabbed the plasma round with its bare claws. He slid from the inertia, grunting a little, and stopped. The plasma was touching it and it wasn¡¯t burning him. I mean come on, that¡¯s just cheating. He laughed and said, ¡°Told you,¡± and threw it at me. ¡°No fair!¡± I sidestepped fast with Brill in my grasp, letting the intense heat fly by and destroy a hanger and two unused tanks. I felt the heat on my back and it probably melted something on Brill¡¯s suit. ¡°That¡¯s impossible, no reaper can do that,¡± Brill screamed. ¡°That thing will tear through our ground troops in no time.¡± ¡°I know that!¡± I yelled. ¡°Call in that rift. We¡¯ll tell Denverbay about it later.¡± ¡°On it.¡± Brill connected to Obi and his fliers for a targeted Slipspace rift, good enough to seal away whatever that reaper was. After it sliced through a wizard, the rogue reaper took a breather. ¡°This is tiresome,¡± it grunted. It took a breath and I felt magic stir finally. I felt very faint and I was confused. Could it be that the pattern was different and my body wasn¡¯t accustomed to it? He released the magic saying, ¡°Minions, protect your master! Slaughter your enemies!¡± The magic rippled out at the speed of light, quite possibly good enough to travel past the base. A haunting choir of human screams and hollers erupted in multiple directions. The fight restarted, but I felt like it had more fury than before. But it was half the story. ¡°Oh my Kai! Jaruka, Wringheart reports zombies are running to our LZ right now. We¡¯re surrounded!¡± ¡°Great, just great. What else is new with this reaper! Do what you have to Brill, I¡¯ll draw that reaper away.¡± Brill nodded, not even questioning what I was improvising. Although, once I looked at the reaper, things got complicated. The bloodlust changed and it ran on all fours toward Scott and Katie. I told Brill to hold off the rift and went after the beast.
Too tired, too hungry, and the piss scared out of me, we ran like there was no tomorrow. I wanted to know why Griffon had turned into that monster, the reaper Jaruka had called it, and we had to listen to him. It was the only way to safety. God, stop this stupid shit. My hand was gripped tight on Katie''s, and Keeji the coward was unreachable. Great guard dog he is. Realistically, I wanted to crawl into a hole and ignore everything. A man can dream.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. At the dropship, I spotted Kantra (Katie had asked for his name a while back) and Reba arriving there. Kantra pulled her up. Reba''s clothes started to dissolve into mana and evaporated, and her torn hospital gown reappeared. She screamed and covered herself amongst the alien soldiers as her totem calmed her down. One of them looking like a drider with a sword strapped to each leg gave her a blanket. Kantra spotted us and yelled, "Come on, keep running!" A few feet away¡ªthat was all it was. Katie reached first then me. I caught Reba changing her expression as she pointed behind me. ¡°Look out!¡± I dared myself to turn around, disobeying Jaruka¡¯s word. The demonic reaper was charging after us. It was staring straight at me with those god awful glowing red eyes, saliva spewed from its mouth. I couldn¡¯t move or speak. My motivation left me. Those eyes hypnotized me to stand still. The worst part, I saw those eyes before, a long time ago. The reaper jumped on all fours and rammed itself into the dropship. The massive blow caused it to hover away from me. Katie tripped off from the force and fell to the ground with an oof, but she was still fine. Reba and the other passengers lost there footing, sirens inside the ship ringed, and the pilot struggled to stabilize it with a damaged thruster sputtering fumes and sparks. It had to fly a hundred yards away to crash land safely. I felt that familiar fear from two years ago rise like a broken hydrant. Why now? Please leave me alone. ¡°You are not leaving, Dunne!¡± I turned slowly to the reaper. It whipped its scythe, ready for an attack. That voice, it was definitely Griffon¡¯s. Even that smile was his. How can this be? It spoke again, ¡°You are mine and you will give me what I desire!¡± The reaper let out a snarl and charged at me. Katie scurried upright and stood in front of me. ¡°Leave him alone,¡± she screamed and charged her mana. That confidence boost with Roland had changed her. I had to thank her for stepping up to protect me, even if it was a stupid idea to begin with. It was too late for her to speak one Celtic syllable¡ªthe Reaper punched her away with brute force to her left side. She flew up into the air and plowed into Jaruka as he was coming to the rescue. Katie screamed from what I guessed were broken bones. I couldn¡¯t do anything to help. Keeji screamed in my head to move. I tried, but my body refused. Keeji said, Oh God, and I realized that something was really wrong. I felt Keeji leave my body to join Katie. Among the fighting, the gunfire, the zombies, the alien words, and the alien ship looming over the base, I gained a whole new sense. These terran bodies are a marvel, one question that will never cease to be asked. If we were in a quiet place to understand these things, I could be fighting along side Katie. A couple spells. A balanced mind. More interaction with Keeji. I blame it all on my doubt, my inhibitions, and my damned past. At Area 51, I was useless. That reaper, that sniveling general, unearthed feelings and emotions in me I caged up a long time ago. Fear. Solitude. Regret. Disappointment. My mind prison caged me up once more. Watching my parents die had crippled me, and it still does, but this was something else, like I was stabbed in the spine. I was unable to move, only feel the indescribable pain, but the last sound I heard was Katie screaming in terror. Move dammit, you can do it, I thought. I was able to move my head. My eyesight was clear as day, but I fell on a piece of bone. That same bone punctured through my shirt¡­ and dug into my chest. Following the bone¡¯s path, it connected to the reaper¡¯s appendage. The monster breathed on my face, its breath smelled like sulfur and rotting fish. No. The scythe lifted my body off the ground. My hearing came back and I heard Katie screaming at Jaruka to save me. The Reaper snarled and spat out drool. Gravity took hold and I felt my body slam against the ground, bringing more pain. The reaper did it again¡ªI heard stone crack. It brought me up again and its snout was inches from my face. ¡°For two days, I¡¯ve been attempting to reconnect with you mutants. You, Dunne, were the top of my orders,¡± it growled. ¡°Every spell, every attempt, but to no progress. My comrades and I will find a way to regain control, even if it takes a decade. For that to happen, I demand to know your secret of resisting my power so these mutants will become my loyal zombies. I know it¡¯s in there, don¡¯t deny anything. Now tell me!¡± He pounded my body against the ground again. I was unable to yell, or push the scythe out of me. It moved after that last pound, electric pain shot through me. ¡°Tell me!¡± It demanded as it slobbered over my face. How could I? I was feeling death come. And if that was bad, with a twist of the scythe my body functions ceased. The last thing I saw and felt before I fell into a coma, again, was an intense release of pressure from my chest, blue liquid covering the reaper, and the reaper swinging me off its scythe. I waited for death.
I flipped through the air screaming in pain. Jaruka came out of nowhere to catch me. I landed on his chest as we dropped. When I looked at my left arm, two bones had punctured through the cartilage armor and through the skin. One bone from my radius and another from my wrist. It was the same fracture from last time back on the high school volleyball team. The pain was familiar but the bone sticking out of my armor felt horrible. That barely meant anything compared to watching the reaper stab Scott through the chest and feeling my mana heart vibrate like no other. All my motivation and fighting spirit disappeared. How stupid of me to stand in front of that reaper, and Jaruka had told me not to. Keeji kept on barking at it, knowing too well not to attack that monster. Most of all, I failed to protect Scott. Scott was slammed to the ground three times¡ªI felt each one mentally. I buried my face in Jaruka¡¯s vest to look away. That reaper treated Scott¡¯s body unlike anything I had ever seen. It was hell. ¡°Great goddess! Katie, look,¡± Jaruka exclaimed. I refused at first, but looked just in time to see the reaper¡¯s scythe twist in Scott¡¯s chest. The reaper wasn¡¯t determined to kill him, I had heard it demand information, something about regaining control, but nothing specific. I was certain that Scott had died. Then I stared at something unexpected. Thick, blue, familiar liquid gushed out of Scott¡¯s chest like a geyser all over the reaper. The monster gurgled and thrashed like a frenzied animal to evade as best it could with Scott still on the scythe. Arana reminded me it was mana¡ªpure, uncharged mana. There must¡¯ve been gallons of it, most on the reaper. Is that how much is in me? Arana said yes but with stern intentions, left out how much exactly. The mana shower stopped but the reaper still thrashed. One last whip of the reaper¡¯s scythe slid Scott off and flung him several feet away, rolling a little, just as a dead body would. The reaper ignored us as it kept on wiping the mana off. I pulled away from Jaruka¡¯s arms, trying very hard not to move my left arm and hand, and ran for Scott. Jaruka told me to stop but I ignored him. Farther away, I saw zombies run at us with full fury. There were things I couldn¡¯t stand, but I wasn¡¯t ready to leave Scott, not like that, and certainly not without his body. I landed on my knees and rolled Scott onto his back. His eyes were closed, his mouth was open, and he showed no signs of life left in him. I punched Scott with my good arm and nothing happened. I gasped and felt sick seeing Scott¡¯s chest, bearing a four-inch gash, deep and wide enough to see inside. Minimal blood surrounded the wound, and thinking back to basic first aid, I knew that it was a very good sign that the heart had survived. I saw it¡ªhis mana heart, just like in my spellbook. It was cracked open like a lobster shell, devoid of mana. ¡°Scott, wake up!¡± Keeji screamed as he came up. Wait, if Keeji is alive, could Scott be? Jaruka kneeled beside me and examined Scott¡¯s neck as he noticed Keeji still living. He shuttered and cursed, ¡°That¡¯s crazy. He should be dead. Scott is alive, barely.¡± ¡°What?¡± Keeji and I gasped. I couldn¡¯t believe it either. I placed my fingers on Scott¡¯s neck and felt a vein pulse. ¡°He¡¯s got to be in shock! Does Brill have any teleport technology on that ship?¡± ¡°Yes, but it requires locater chips and the wizards need DNA for a summons. That dropship was our only window.¡± The reaper roared again. ¡°What is this!?¡± It demanded. His skin was the mix of black scales and vibrant mana. It uncovered it¡¯s glowing red eyes and mouth and set its sights on us. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this is, but this won¡¯t stop me from my goal!¡± How can he not know what it is? He had terrans dead and examined their mana hearts. I didn¡¯t recall seeing mana stored in test tubes, but I theorized that if a terran dies, the mana disappears too. Scott was still alive so that was good for him, but not good for us. It screeched again and charged at us with its malevolent scythe. My mana heart¡¯s vibration increased. Blame my selflessness on love, but at least I was with Scott. Then something else happened to the reaper to make it stop cold. As it was mere feet from us, a blue bubble grew from the scythe¡¯s base on its back, glowing, it grew transparent and spotted blue and white swirls within it. There was a flash of light and a tremendous explosion. The reaper grimaced and let out a screech loud enough to pop my eardrums. As it stomped backward, the scythe was gone, and then the whole appendage crashed beside us on the ground. ¡°Wait a minute, that doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Jaruka muttered. My mana heart stopped vibrating and Arana took that as a good sign. I realized that the alien weapons and magic was no match to dent the thick skin and scales. The reaper after all became shocked. ¡°Impossible! I am a god!¡± Three more bubbles grew and exploded, blasting off chunks of skin and muscle, a couple of its spikes were obliterated from wisps of mana steam. It backed away to try to rip off the mana, but the mana became sticky and grew to cover the reaper. The remaining mana on the ground started crawling to the reaper like an army of white blood cells fighting back. Anyhow, how could uncharged, useless mana act like that? I asked Arana. Have no idea, not even the book says it, she said. So much for that, I thought, but Jaruka filled that gap, sort of. ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s a magic allergy! That stuff is gonna blow that reaper apart!¡± Jaruka replied. ¡°An allergy?¡± ¡°Quick, we got to run now before it goes critical!¡± I gasped and hugged Scott tight, ¡°Not without Scott, he can make it.¡± ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± I shook my head to prove my stubbornness. The reaper suffered several more explosions, writhing from every point of injury. Every time a bubble exploded, skin, muscle, and blood went everywhere. Even for a brief second, I caught a glimpse of a ball of light leave the reaper and absorb into the earth. The bubble¡¯s growth and popping rate had increased. ¡°Not good!¡± Jaruka yelled. ¡°We have no way to survive the blast.¡± I don¡¯t know why, but I thought of something reckless, ¡°Jaruka, I got an idea.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like your tone, lady,¡± he implied. Arana read my mind. Your too distracted, Katie, run for your life! This will be the death of you! ¡°Trust me! This will work. I believe it will!¡± As I prepared, having Jaruka and Keeji crouch and myself over Scott¡¯s unconscious body, the uncharged mana started glowing over the reaper. The monster was frightened¡ªeven bewildered at what was happening to him. Several bubble bursts kept him from running by destroying his calf muscles. The mana swelled to create a mass of bubbles over half the reaper¡¯s body, preventing him from moving at all. The approaching zombies were almost on us, screeching with blood pouring from their eyes, they were mere feet away from touching me. One last look and the reaper¡¯s head was half covered by mana. It could feel it happening as it made one last roar to the sky. I timed it just right. Face it. I was a novice spellcaster that dreamed of one day practicing real magic. I learn fast. And it was enough to survive the explosion. Chapter 24 I did my best to hold the zombies off with my telekinesis, but the onslaught was too great. The Nova soldiers fought on, killing one zombie after another. I felt my suit¡¯s power systems straining to keep my headaches down. Come on, just a little more. Irna called for another dropship as I saw it arrive but it had to keep its distance. A clear landing zone was impossible at the time. The waves of human zombies kept on coming. Suddenly a massive explosion hit me in the back, followed by a very low sonic boom that was enough to knock me off my feet and break my concentration. Blue light washed over the whole base. No common explosion, human or Nova, causes that color. I got back up and whipped around to witness a twenty-story tall mushroom cloud. Most mushroom clouds are of deep orange, red, and yellow if memory serves. This was a mix of dark blue, light blue, white, and strips of black. Several lightning bolts came out, a couple hitting the Endeavor¡¯s under side, but they didn¡¯t cause damage. The sound from it drowned out everything. As it bloomed out, hundreds of zombie bodies flew from it and crashed onto the ground. I regretted leaving the Endeavor. ¡°Nuclear!¡± I screamed through the comm. to all ground-based troops. Decathan answered to prevent panic. ¡°It¡¯s not nuclear, captain. It magical. Non-harmful!¡± ¡°Are you certain, Decathan? Better not be lying to me.¡± ¡°Trust me, the computers don¡¯t lie. Somebody down there blew a gasket.¡± But who? Nobody in Nova has magic that can display those colors, or that intense power. Then I heard high-pitched screaming and whaling from all around, all coming from the zombies. Blinking from the cloud¡¯s light, every single zombie writhed as they held their heads tightly. None of them showed any more aggression towards my soldiers or the surviving mutants, they only expressed pain. I looked at the nearest zombie, a young man in a black business suit (I was later informed they were Griffon¡¯s agents), and he screamed as I spotted a bulge grow on the right side of his head. My suit picked up minute sounds of his skull cracking. The trouble is: human mutants never express something as odd as that. It was new one for human behavior studies. As I watched, the bulge grew to the size of my fist, or a baseball to human understanding. The zombie¡¯s voice grew higher and higher with each passing second. Then the bulge burst, taking off a corner of his head, and his brains went everywhere. The face went blank and fell over in a heap. All too soon, more zombies died, stretching over the base until no human was standing. An uncomfortable silence surfaced. ¡°Irna, you seeing this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m seeing it, captain, but I can¡¯t believe it,¡± she said and nothing else. ¡°Better believe it, elf,¡± Obi said through the comm. ¡°My fliers say the reinforcements from the South suddenly died all together. Captain, I¡¯ve seen this before. A mind control was severed.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s good I guess,¡± I said awkwardly. ¡°Not just the base, guys, it¡¯s the whole country.¡± Wringheart sounded more shocked than any of us, ¡°All major cities had mobs of zombies attacking humans and mutants, then they just died where they stood. I think I¡¯m gonna be sick.¡± ¡°Dear Kai¡­¡± Pieces of evidence were converging in my mind and I gulped so hard the comm. transmitted it to all my soldiers. The reaper did all that? Can¡¯t be. Could it? ¡°Wait, where¡¯s Jaruka?¡± Irna asked. A gunslinger suffering from a gash on her arm pointed, ¡°I suspect he¡¯s their captain.¡± I had a sickened feeling in my stomach that the mushroom cloud was the answer. Worst of all, it was the location where the damaged dropship was. The sorcerer had me look further down. Amongst the cloud and scorched dirt, a blue dome stood unaffected. That had to be it.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°This fight is over. Get medic and salvage teams down here immediately!¡±
I saw my life pass before me, but they were memories dating from before my mercenary days. I hated my childhood, more than anything else. For many years, I had tried really hard to forget it, but it always came creeping back. That wasn¡¯t what I wanted to remember last when I died. Any longer while waiting for death and those legends my people talk about might come true. I suffer, they feel happy, and nothing is fair. Death didn¡¯t come thank goodness. I set aside that worry and the only sounds left were my breath, Katie¡¯s breath, the earth animal¡¯s pathetic whimpering, and a low, pulsating hum. I opened my eyes and was blinded by blue light, then slowly adjusting to make out objects. I gasped seeing a mushroom cloud hovering over me. I thought back seeing the first images of human nuclear weapons. Blinking, I noticed a barrier between me and the cloud, although it wasn¡¯t a barrier that any Nova soldiers could do. It pulsed a couple times a second, emanating from a single source: Katie¡¯s unharmed right hand. ¡°Wow,¡± I whispered. Katie¡¯s eyes were straining to blink and her body shook as she kept the barrier steady. She was still on top of Scott with that dog next to her. From her face, it seemed she was about to loose energy, or about to laugh. I looked down her outstretched arm. From the middle of her upper arm, tattoos littered her skin. They pulsed in a wave from her upper arm, to her palm, and exited in energy wisps, spreading out to form the barrier. My glands felt the energy, powerful yet peaceful. As I looked at the cloud, I had a real understanding of how powerful their magic was. All of Nova¡¯s firepower could not scratch the reaper, but Scott went ahead and blasted that demon to kingdom come. Too bad that he didn¡¯t see his unplanned attack follow through. ¡°I-I did it,¡± Katie said in an almost happy whisper. ¡°I made a shield.¡± I nodded, ¡°Yes, you did.¡± My mouth felt dry. ¡°So¡­ that¡¯s terran magic. Great.¡± ¡°Is that a problem?¡± The dog asked. ¡°No. Just makes things more complicated for others.¡± Meaning Denverbay and his stuck-up Council members. To think of how the Council would deal with terrans was beyond me. I heard Katie asking why, but my attention was focused to see the reaper¡¯s corpse. To my horror, shadows moved in the smoke. The familiar rows of spikes came up and my insides felt sick. A low growl and huff came from it and I cursed, ¡°No way it could survive that.¡± Katie gasped and kept the shield up while fatigue began waning her focus. More smoke cleared from the reaper. It looked like luck was barely hanging on a string for the demon. The reaper bled from missing chunks of muscle, the biggest was a major blood vessel on its underside. Sure enough, some were being healed, but stopped by some unknown force. ¡°Like a god, yeah right,¡± I said. Its head and cowl lifted. I only saw its right side. It choked on its blood and coughed it out. From its glowing eye, I recognized defeat. Major defeat. It turned its head, looking at us, the eye shifting to sheer anger. ¡°Oh¡­ damn.¡± The entire left side of the reaper¡¯s head was missing. It used its right hand to hold in what was left of its brain. The cowl that covered its head was half missing and flopped to the side, exposing its hidden, disfigured face. Even as the smoke cleared, it was as if its body parts were loosely held together by skin and connective tissue. ¡°GRUL¡­gu¡­ akndsjiygu.¡± It¡¯s obliterated jugular spat out blood when it talked, but it was still able to breathe. I didn¡¯t care to understand what it meant. Then in a blink of an eye, light surrounded the mangled body, and it disappeared, leaving behind missing pieces of its body. Those pieces were somehow igniting themselves, leaving no trace of evidence behind, except for the reaper¡¯s scythe. ¡°Now that¡­ was disgusting,¡± the dog commented. Shadows came to us, slowly becoming my friends running toward us with a platoon of medics. ¡°Katie, you can settle now. We¡¯re safe,¡± I told her. Took her a second to calm down and break down the shield and slump over Scott¡¯s body, too tired to talk and too worn out to check Scott¡¯s pulse. I lay back, finally feeling the harsh hunger that I had set aside for two days. Then my scrapes, bruises, and sore feet hit my pain receptors all at once, resulting in my body becoming useless and hard to move. Brill came and hovered over me. ¡°Brill, I¡¯m done. Take me home.¡± ¡°Certainly, my friend.¡± He looked up at one medic, ¡°Get these four to the medical bay. Send the unconscious one to Decathan for priority one surgery.¡± ¡°But sir, they are humans. They could kill us.¡± One newbie medic said. ¡°Not follow my orders and I will court marshal you myself!¡± That order motivated them to do their job. Katie, Scott, and I were placed on separate gurneys and were carried to a new dropship. The dog followed without any injury. One look at Scott and the magical medics were already stabilizing him for surgery. You did well, kid. Once on, I felt the dropship lift off and headed straight for the Endeavor at full throttle. I never cared to look back at Terra Firma. Chapter 25 Nine hours later¡­ Battleship Endeavor, Infirmary Wing Terra Firma, high orbit over Africa December 24, 2012 - Christmas Eve morning People would either think twice going on an alien ship or beg to be on one. Scott, Reba, the totems, and I had the privilege to go aboard to receive aid and be respected with great hospitality. I was uncomfortable about it, those movies of aliens doing unspeakable things really made me nervous, no matter how fake they were. It was too bad that my broken arm and the exertion of magic made me fall asleep on the dropship to say otherwise. I woke up a few hours later in the ship¡¯s infirmary wing with my arm and bruises completely healed. I opened my eyes fearing some cliche¡¯ examination room, but thank goodness it wasn¡¯t. The rectangular resting room, reserved for patients that required a quiet environment to recover, held technology and magical items unrecognizable to me, except for my personal EKG machine with alien symbols. The sheets and my temporary clothes were awesome against my skin, silk I figured. In front of me there was a window, and I gasped in awe with a spaced-out feeling, I was overlooking planet Earth from space. Arana and Keeji were on my bed; Arana said good morning and Keeji licked my face. Then I saw an alien, or something, approaching my bed. I yelped and squirmed in my sheets because it looked nothing like flesh and bone. It reacted and apologized, then calmed me down and introduced ¡°herself¡± as Comet, one of the chief medical officer¡¯s nurses. It appeared as a collection of rune-engraved rocks circling a bright red light, body formed and shaped as something with a skirt, a female chest, two arms and hands, and a cone head slanted back. She was friendly and explained how my injuries were healed¡ªevery bit very confusing¡ªbut was hesitant when I mentioned Scott. She gestured at the bed beside me. Scott was still unconscious with a mask strapped over his mouth and nose. His exposed chest had small devices attached to monitor his vitals. I sat up. The scythe scar was there; pale as clouds in the sky. Comet told me that they had fully healed the rib cage, but the chief medical officer in charge of the surgery had gotten scared seeing the mana heart seal up and heal on its own. I had no comment. Keeji said he figured out how to stop mana production, thanks to Arana, just so the wound is healed before applying pressure. If not for a human anatomy walk through the surgeon retrieved, Scott would¡¯ve died. I thanked her I don¡¯t know how many times. I got up and clenched Scott¡¯s hand. Reba was taken care of quicker. I didn¡¯t see her until she heard that I was awake. She looked cleaned up in the same replacement clothes I had, looked radiant, and fully had fully embraced her new future after making amends with her totem. She still kept the ponytail. Later I met the captain, a very swell guy, for a grey, and he told me how lucky we were to have survived a reaper attack. He said the crew was calling Scott a hero, but I wasn¡¯t too sure about the lives lost after the mana nearly killed it. I asked him what a reaper was. He didn¡¯t mutter a word. To me, that sounded bad enough to not meddle with. Brill was saddened by the loss of his soldiers, and he was obviously distressed about it. There were over forty slaughtered; all were in body bags lined up in the hanger. He said it was the biggest loss in five years. I felt bad about it and all I could was say I¡¯m sorry. He understood. But down on Earth, the attack on Area 51 wasn¡¯t the only topic on the news channels. Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Miami, and all other cities in the States were overrun with zombies. The whole country had literally collapsed in ten minutes, then all zombies died at once, pinning the country into a state of unrest. Christmas Eve will never be the same. Neighboring countries had to send aid to ¡°hold our hands¡± to cope with the loss and transformations as the States got back to semi-normal. Just imagine, for ten minutes a quarter of a million zombie bodies littering the streets. Only two pieces made the dead relate to each other: the open cavity where their brain exploded (experts still haven¡¯t figured out how) and the highest percentage of the dead were military. The rest ranged from poor and homeless to the ridiculously rich. Oh and politicians were there, but mostly out of the capitol. The president had finally showed up, but explained, in his own words, that Griffon¡¯s agents had held him and his family captive under the White House during the containment program. He went out saying his apologies for his absence and opened opportunities to bring in aid faster. The agents had disappeared afterwards when secret service found him. The scary part was that other countries had experienced the same zombie attack. From that point it seemed the whole world was gonna implode. Instead of zombies dying like in the United States, they reverted back to normal with no memories of being a zombie. I dove deeper. My country had death, but Canada and Mexico didn¡¯t, not even Alaska or Hawaii. It didn¡¯t make sense. Deryl and my family had told me all that. I was allowed calls to the planet after I convinced Brill my family and friends were worried about me. For them, Deryl and his family had barricaded themselves in a government building until the zombies all died. I feared that his daughters were scared. My family was in the same situation, locking themselves in the cellar. Three of our workers, good friends of the family, turned zombie and screamed, ¡°Witnesses must die.¡± I still can¡¯t figure out what that meant. They were traumatized, Jacob and Mom mostly, but everybody was still pretty shaken up. They knew of the containment protocol and asked if we were all right and I told them yes, refraining from Scott¡¯s condition. When they asked where we were, I hit a wall. Come on, be honest, how can I tell them I¡¯m on an alien ship? I just cut the connection saying were fine and be home by morning. So for nine hours Arana and I pondered about the whole reaper thing, working off what I knew since no alien wanted to tell me what it was. One reaper, that Griffon guy or whoever that was, having the power to control the whole country. A real devil, I thought. Good enough for a theory right? I¡¯m still frightened every time I think of its shape, its mouth, and that scythe. Remembering back to what it said (took me a while), it demanded something from Scott to regain control. What exactly? Could it be that the Wave, the crystals, and the transformation had something to do with it? Was there something deeper involved? Could there be more reapers on Earth, meaning they disappeared to not kill more zombies? Is it all just one big coincidence? I don¡¯t know about you, but I hate clusterfucks. I stayed in the medical wing, never leaving Scott¡¯s side and I never explored the ship. I anxiously waited for his eyes to open. Comet checked on him from time to time, but there was no change. I slept for an hour. The rest of the time was spent keeping my eyes open. I was woken up by the nurse¡¯s gentle but rocky nudge on my shoulder. Looking up while rubbing my eyes she held to me a glass of water with a round ball of ice. The glass hovered from her granite fingers. ¡°Just water, Ms. Walsh, 100% H2O.¡± I groaned and thanked her. I sipped the ice water and then it hit me, it was my first drink offered by an alien, and I forgot to ask if it was okay. Stupid grogginess. She noticed my mistake. ¡°It is fine, miss, nothing will bring harm to you here. Brill promises that. To me, I¡¯m still accepting you¡¯re¡­ I mean, was human.¡± Her crystal eyes glanced at Scott. ¡°I¡¯ll come back in a while.¡± She left after the doors hissed shut and the room was quiet except for Scott¡¯s heart beeps. A two-way mirror blocked off my view of the wing, but I knew that there were patients and curious soldiers watching us; it didn¡¯t bother me, there was always a crowd. For a moment, I was beginning to worry about Scott. I squeezed his hand tighter. The tip of his exposed tail twitched a little, and nothing else. ¡°Please Scott, don¡¯t do this to me,¡± I whispered. Keeji laid on Scott¡¯s legs, staring at him with saddened eyes. Arana was perched on his EKG machine. All a sudden, a miracle happened. Just as I ducked my head feeling drowsy again, Scott¡¯s body shot upright and gasped in air, nearly ripping the respirator off the wall. I screamed and fell onto my butt, almost hitting my head on my bed. The totems yelped and screeched with Keeji rolling off and falling to the steel floor. Scott¡¯s eyes were wide open and he heaved air every second. A while back I thought the level of brain activity meant he couldn¡¯t wake up for a long while. Wrong. My worries coming home without Scott was gone. ¡°Scott, you¡¯re awake!¡± I screamed. Scott looked around and panicked. He ripped off the respirator, ¡°Sonofabitch, what the hell happened?¡± He asked rubbing his face. I shot up and plowed into him, giving my boyfriend one great bear hug. Tears formed in my eyes. ¡°I was worried sick, Scott. I thought you weren¡¯t gonna make it.¡± He screamed and grimaced, ¡°Ah¡­ chest. Chest hurts,.¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Oh shoot I¡¯m sorry.¡± I pulled away. ¡°Got a little carried away there.¡± Scott¡¯s eyes fell on the window and scooted back. ¡°Holy crap. We¡¯re in space?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Hang on, let me get the nurse.¡± ¡°Wait. Are we on the alien ship?¡± ¡°Yep and plenty more,¡± Keeji said grinning then jumped back on the bed and licked Scott¡¯s face until he pushed Keeji off. I ran around and went out to the main medical area. , ¡°Scott¡¯s awake!¡± I saw Comet treating a patient, becoming confused I believed, and rushed over with Decathan, the one that had saved Scott¡¯s life, right behind her. I turned back seeing Scott feeling his temporary clothes. There were so many emotions running through me I had to let them out. I screamed and charged at him, careful not to hit his chest. Cupping his chin, we kissed. Scott was surprised for a second, but went with it and returned the favor. Not kissing me for a while was worth the wait. They had to pry us off to do their job. Scott didn¡¯t leave, he was just examined by the chief medical officer. I swear those pincers for his hands freaked me out sometimes. Someone I forgot brought our clothes back, fresh, clean, and repaired. Although, the smell was¡­ weird. I Can¡¯t describe it in detail but it must¡¯ve been some kind of pungent flower or Jacob¡¯s bathroom. I didn¡¯t care, just glad I was relaxing. After a while, staring at Earth, with all four of us on one bed, our rescuers came. ¡°I see that Decathan has cleared you two,¡± Brill smiled. ¡°Yeah well, I¡¯m just anxious to get back¡­ oh.¡± I looked just as Scott stopped talking. I gasped a little. Brill was there with his arms behind him, looking superficial and caring. I wasn¡¯t surprised that Jaruka was there beside him. He was cleaned up in new clothes with his tunic trimmed down a short sleeve, symbols moved, and his dreads were let loose. Except the look in his eyes suggested he was mad about something. He kept looking away, then glaring at us, and then heavily glaring at the third alien randomly. The third alien is what made us gasp. This one took that tripod gimmick and made us think some scary thoughts. The quills on his head swayed automatically, his eyes stared down at us, and his back was so rigid I thought he would strain. Like the crew, he was unique. I reminded myself not to get on his bad side. His clothes told a different story as they displayed intricate designs and shapes. Royalty I thought. ¡°Mr. Dunne and Ms. Walsh, allow me to introduce Councilman Trygo Denverbay of the Republic¡¯s Galactic Council. Without him, this operation wouldn¡¯t happen.¡± Denverbay nodded once. ¡°Hello,¡± I said to break the ice. I whispered to Scott, ¡°He¡¯s important. Let¡¯s talk to him like he¡¯s the president.¡± ¡°I¡¯m with you,¡± Scott whispered. We all got up but the totems stayed at the bed. ¡°Um¡­ pleasure to meet you,¡± Scott said nervously with his hand out but Denverbay didn¡¯t shake it. ¡°Lets keep it to words rather than touching,¡± Councilman said. ¡°So you were human. This is something different.¡± I bowed my head, ¡°Thank you. If it wasn¡¯t for you, we would¡¯ve been in the base for a long time. Forgive me; it¡¯s hard to talk to aliens.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a problem, miss, we expect that,¡± Brill nodded. Scott brought me closer, not enough to cause pain with his chest. , ¡°So can we go home now?¡± ¡°Yes, of course, although¡­¡± Brill paused. ¡°There is something we need to discuss.¡± ¡°Can we save it for later? This place is uncomfortable. I just want to go home and sleep for a week. What do you need to know more?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Jaruka finally spoke. His jaw was locked, still staring at Denverbay, then at us. ¡°There¡­ There¡¯s a problem.¡± Scott and I looked at each other with concern.
Four hours ago¡­ Several hours ago, I was cleared by Decathan. My minor bruises were gone, my feet cleaned and in sandals, the bullet wound in my shoulder patched with new skin, and in minutes, I was down on the cafeteria like no other, horking down copious amounts of food. Real, hot, food dammit. Nothing came out of a container. If you¡¯re ever on the Endeavor, give credit to the Walcazi brothers, they make one damn good kiraball chili. Right up to my fifth tray overflowing with goodies and trash talking Kantra about who will win the Howler Cycle championships, Brill found me and told me that Scott had woken up. I took a swig of homebrew and said, ¡°So Scott finally woke up. Never expected he would come out of it.¡± Brill sighed, ¡°Decathan said he never seen a nerve cluster heal so fast in front of him. Mr. Dunne will have chest pains for a few days until the medicine develops new cartilage.¡± ¡°He¡¯s calling his mana heart a nerve cluster? Explains the brain trauma.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Might be so, but their bodies are something else entirely,¡± Brill said slowly. ¡°No doubt this is a GMT incident. We keep to keep our guard up.¡± ¡°I hear that.¡± I was feeling my drunken mood coming up. The brew was so good and I was safe, I didn¡¯t care I start singing spontaneously with the crew. Brill rubbed his big bald head and said, ¡°Come with me to my quarters. We need to talk.¡± Instantly I noticed something was wrong in my buzzed haze. He walked out fast, for a little guy, and I followed him. We didn¡¯t talk much along the way and that made me cautious because I realized it wasn¡¯t about the body bags. We entered his quarters, after saying hi to Irna, and he went straight for his wet bar. The glass contained a bigger amount than normal. Dead soldiers were beyond him. ¡°So you got me and kicked human butt. Big whoop. Just drop off the terrans, leave this system, and I¡¯ll be on my marry way with the income I got. No fuss. Its over.¡± ¡°Not nearly as over than you think, mercenary,¡± a voice said and I stopped all together, knowing who the that voice belonged to. I turned around, eyes falling on a familiar person sitting in a lounge chair. Each of his three legs were wrapped and folded onto each other, I could¡¯ve sworn the chair strained from his weight. ¡°We have things to discuss, concerning your future and your reputation.¡± I set my bottle on Brill¡¯s desk, feeling pissed. ¡°Oh great. Denverbay. Why are you here?¡± Denverbay picked himself up with each leg tapping the floor. ¡°I¡¯m here to settle pressing matters. Forgive me for not being here sooner, I was in the middle of my little daughter''s birthday." "Whatever." "Have some manners, Jaruka, he''s the real man that saved you," Brill said sternly. I eyed Brill, noting that changed tone of his, then went back scowling at the councilman, ¡°Wait, you¡¯re here personally?¡± Denverbay shook his head, ¡°Nano-Summoner. Can¡¯t risk leaving the planet at the moment.¡± I rolled my eyes, ¡°So much for breaking your jaw.¡± Brill covered his eyes and groaned. "We understand completely of your situation," Denverbay started, "I''ve reviewed your story from Brill and matched it with several members of Nova. As far as locating and confronting this mysterious client it¡¯s impossible as his whereabouts were erased from known directories.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. The contact number I got is dead. To make sure that there is nothing wrong, you¡¯re aware that I''m a victim of a scam, right?" Denverbay nodded once. "And if I''m not mistaken, that entitles the fault on my client for sending an employee into a dangerous situation. Also that short bastard owes me a new ship and the other half of my pay for compensation. Oh wait, I almost forgot, I don¡¯t get the money because he¡¯s disappeared.¡± ¡°I see that but¡­¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the hold up? I¡¯m rescued. I¡¯ve said my condolences to the friends I had in those bags. Let¡¯s¡­ just¡­ go.¡± My real concern was getting out before the humans sent missiles at the ship, and I really needed to relieve myself. On the other hand, I wanted to run from what Denverbay had to say. Everything he decides for criminals is bad. He didn¡¯t speak up but just adjusted his councilman robes and cough. I waited for him to talk in the few seconds of that uncomfortable silence. ¡°Jaruka,¡± Brill said pointing at one of the chairs, ¡°take a seat.¡± Regarding his word, it would be a problem if I didn¡¯t follow. I hate being out-ranked. I sat. ¡°I want you to be quiet as we explain, Jaruka,¡± Brill said calmly. ¡°This matter is about the humans and ¡®terrans¡¯ more than you.¡± The alcohol wanted me to scream and tell Denverbay to go away. I kept my composure. ¡°What you said, mercenary, is correct,¡± Denverbay nodded. ¡°Everything you said entitles to pardon and payment. What I want to know, from you, is why you accepted that survey job in the first place.¡± ¡°Like I said before, I was broke. I needed money to keep afloat. It¡¯s the same story dammit,¡± answered truthfully. ¡°Yes, by means of keeping your assets to not be found by your enemies, more importantly not get caught by your own people.¡± I almost cracked my knuckles. ¡°Yes, yes, I know your past. Took a lot of trouble digging that up without raising their suspicions. What a ludicrous crime. But as a councilman, I must respect Halcunac beliefs.¡± I growled, ¡°Cut to the real facts, Denverbay.¡± ¡°For starters, humans realize they¡¯re not alone. From the moment you parked on the asteroid, three humans knew you existed. Three days ago they took the chance. I tried to talk myself out of giving Brill the permission and star charts and to let your body rot as the Council sends the Titan spires to wipe your existence, but that doesn¡¯t matter now when their species is shifting from one form to another. ¡°You alone broke the Republic¡¯s sacred rights. You crashed landed on Terra Firma without informing Council officials first, you killed humans without consent, and you asked an independent black-ops group to find you. In return, a rogue reaper was spotted and nearly killed. Punishment must be made. You¡¯re lucky the firing squad isn¡¯t part of this conversation.¡± Now things were getting bad. ¡°Hang on right there,¡± I said as I got up. ¡°They shot me. I was overrun with humans. It was purely self-defense. You can¡¯t pin me that crime on me.¡± ¡°Yes I can, Mr. Teal, and it¡¯s done.¡± I spun to Brill. ¡°Brill, back me up.¡± Brill was partially looking at me and his glass. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jaruka. What he said.¡± He took one big gulp. My whole world circled down the drain and my heart felt heavy. I stood there slack jawed at them. I couldn¡¯t believe I was hearing. How could Brill agree to his words? ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± It was nowhere near screaming about my best friend. ¡°You betrayed me?¡± ¡°No Jaruka, I only kept you off the shooting alley¡¯s list. Tell him the choices, Trygo,¡± Brill said to Denverbay. ¡°Choices? What choices?¡± Denverbay walked to speak with each leg tapping to annoy me. ¡°You will be going against the Council, to be judged for breaking the Primitive Culture Protection Act as one choice. Make a note of that. However, with this situation, we must play it by ear to squeeze your trial in.¡± If I had beer in my mouth, I would be spitting that out. ¡°Oh great. I¡¯m on the waiting list. I¡¯ve heard of this. I have to sit tight at a non-disclosed location for the time being. Where am I going to be? No wait, don¡¯t tell me. I will be¡­ held up in some elder¡¯s villa on Creos. Perfect cover.¡± ¡°Jaruka, can you just calm down,¡± Brill huffed. ¡°I¡¯m drunk, give me a break!¡± Denverbay rolled his three eyes, ¡°The time is enough to get your issues settled. Where you will reside is up to you for we are betting you choose the lesser of two evils.¡± ¡°Lesser of two evils,¡± I said with a sneer. ¡°Send me to Mawajan Prison, that¡¯s my choice.¡± ¡°Not there. You have friends in the guard ranks and the warden herself. Commandar Kantra said so.¡± Lousy traitor. ¡°The other choice is a job and it¡¯s workable to combine with the waiting period.¡± I didn¡¯t make a come back. Community service can help me get off the trial¡¯s final decision a little. Not much but enough to avoid a death penalty. I couldn¡¯t resist. ¡°Go on.¡± Denverbay raised his left arm and pointed at Brill¡¯s window. The view showed a portion of the United States and Northern Asian countries. ¡°From that drunken haze, I assume you really forgot the real problem. We need somebody, like you, to be on Terra Firma and record vital information of their transformation.¡± I backed up, nearly knocking down my chair. ¡°Whoa whoa whoa, hold on. You¡¯re saying I must hide out on Terra Firma?¡± Denverbay nodded. ¡°No, crog that. No. I will get killed.¡± ¡°You will have a DNA mask on you at all times. It is inevitable.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m hearing this.¡± I combed back my oil-free dreads, feeling the distinct grain patterns. Brill drank the rest of his liquor and shivered. He finally said, ¡°This is for Terra Firma¡¯s sake. What¡¯s happening down there is very important. Humans have access to magic, that¡¯s good enough for the Council to be cautious.¡± Brill pulled out a small vial from his uniform pocket, it glowed bright blue. ¡°This was recovered from Scott Dunne¡¯s damaged ¡®mana heart.¡¯ The properties of this substance is unlike anything I¡¯ve encountered. We need an inside person to feed information to know what we are dealing with. You should take it, Jaruka. You¡¯re the closest man around that knows more about the humans. You know how to survive down there, I can tell.¡± He placed the vial on his desk. Resting my hands on my waist I said, ¡°Well I can¡¯t do all of it, too much detail.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help with that, Jaruka. Might be a while before you get partners.¡± Just what I needed, more time to wait for backup. ¡°What¡¯s the second choice?¡± ¡°Its best to take the first one¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s my decision. Tell me.¡± Brill pinched his brow. Denverbay came closer to me, ¡°We take you back to Viro to wait for your trial.¡± That really did it. Viro is my home world, my origin. Denverbay said it and I had reason to believe that he wanted to play with my emotions, just like Griffon, but without that evil glow. ¡°Oh that¡¯s low, man. That is low,¡± I muttered. ¡°We let your own people decide your fate if that¡¯s the case,¡± Denverbay explained with no poison on his voice. I got personal and got close to him, looking dead in his eyes. Both my arms were flexing for some action. I kept myself from punching the nanite body. ¡°The only way I go back to Viro is in a body bag. They already have me marked for death if I¡¯m caught off guard,¡± I yelled. I almost added a growl in those words. Denverbay leaned back. With each step and movement, I knew I got him. ¡°Fair enough. What is your choice?¡± In drama fashion I went for the wet bar. Not for a drink, but to think. I can¡¯t stand Brill¡¯s choice of drink, not used to drinking fungus juice. So it boiled down to two paths. One leading to certain death. The other immediate death. On one side I get to dive further into how they got unauthorized technology, what they can do with their new powers, and figure out the connection between Griffon and Scott Dunne. The other is just death. I couldn¡¯t allow that. I made a commitment long ago to keep afloat, to stay alive, and to stay away from my people. Ever since I was born, they had brought me nothing but grief. Except for my father and big twin sister because they had protected me. It¡¯s a long story, don¡¯t bother asking. ¡°Does Shaotzi know?¡± I asked. Shaotzi is my big twin sister. ¡°I told your father to tell her,¡± Brill explained. ¡°He¡¯s mad.¡± Figures. I was grateful that Brill didn¡¯t make me talk to them in person. ¡°As always,¡± I muttered. ¡°Do I have the right to make demands?¡± ¡°If the circumstances call for it,¡± Denverbay receeded. I stared at Brill and Denverbay, ¡°I want a new ship. Not just any other ship, I want the same maker, the same type, and modified by my specs. Human transportation will bore me to death.¡± ¡°Jaruka, I don¡¯t think¡­¡± ¡°Done.¡± Denverbay cut off Brill, ¡°but does this mean you accept it?¡± It was the hardest decision I had ever made. I sighed hard and said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Denverbay nodded then picked up a small box on Brill¡¯s desk. He explained the conditions of my sentence as he strapped an indestructible Slipspace ankle bracelet to my exposed right ankle. It wasn¡¯t metal, only a flexible alloy of a name I cannot and never will be able to pronounce. ¡°Once we send a monitor satellite here, that is where you send your reports. At the rate the humans predict when the transition will end, your time on Terra Firma will be two years or earlier depending on your trial date. The bracelet also monitors where you are, your condition, a fail safe if you are killed, and the address you will stay at for the time being,¡± Denverbay explained. I cocked my head, ¡°Stay at?¡± Both looked afraid to say. It took me a few seconds to hit me. ¡°Hell no.¡±
¡°T-Two¡­ two¡­ years?¡± I stuttered. ¡°At the¡­ winery?¡± Katie stuttered. It felt like the perfect opportunity to turn my pants a darker shade of brown. You would too if you heard what they planned while you¡¯re in a coma. Brill let out a worried sigh and blinked those large, black eyes. Denverbay shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry it came to this but we we¡¯re running out of options. Think of this as for the sake of your people to find the truth. What¡¯s done is done, Mr. Dunne.¡± The pain in my chest was still there. There were no stitches to touch or feel; Decathan had said that it was fresh skin and the pain would go away within a month, but checking my butt every five minutes bugged me. One more scar for my depressing collection. I had thought that we were free from the aliens and could go home. That councilman must have a really bad poll record. ¡°So you find us, bring us here, patch me up, let us stay on this ship watching my world rotate, and you¡¯re going to dump this asshole in our care?¡± I beamed. Jaruka was accustomed to our bashing, he didn¡¯t flinch as he looked at Earth. The ship was passing over the Pacific Ocean and we all got a good look at ground zero. It was still covered by thick, grey clouds, circling in a spiral pattern. I glanced at that Denverbay (those tripod legs still creep me out) and he nodded once. ¡°That¡¯s impossible, sir, I can¡¯t allow it,¡± Katie shook her head. ¡°My family will freak if they see him. Our whole wine operation could be effected if he comes close to the cellars and the warehouse. He could drive my Mom insane.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t have to be in the same building as you two,¡± Brill explained. ¡°He will have a loaner dropship and be somewhere else. Your home will be a place of reference and his check-in point. Believe me, if there was another way to do this, we would be on it in a second.¡± ¡°Then why us?¡± I asked, leaning on my recovery bed. ¡°You two are the only humans we can trust who don¡¯t want to kill us. Sorry for saying that.¡± I sighed hard, ¡°Super.¡± I looked at Jaruka who still hadn¡¯t looked at us. ¡°It is best we must part now before Wringheart gets tired. I on the other hand have to make a formal apology with your country, and then somehow force them to issue Jaruka¡¯s citizenship documents. You¡¯ll have a way to contact me if anything happens. In the mean time, treat this as a way to form diplomatic friendships. Best to do for First Contact.¡± Brill rubbed his head. ¡°I still don¡¯t like it. He¡¯s crazy,¡± Keeji spoke. ¡°He¡¯s a good man, once he¡¯s happy.¡± Brill sounded sullen after that. I pulled Katie close to me. ¡°Let¡¯s go home. I had enough.¡± Jaruka bonked his head on the window. We walked for the first time in hours, I didn¡¯t want to look too long at what was surrounding me. All of us, including our totems, entered an elevator and rode it to I supposed the hanger bay. I caught Jaruka pulling at the black band around the middle of his right leg, between the knees. Every time he pulled it for some reason, it resisted and shrunk. From his ¡°drunk¡± attitude I gathered that he hated the thing. He still hadn¡¯t said a word. ¡°So, will there be more coming to Earth? Jaruka doesn¡¯t seem to be happy about this intelligence job,¡± Katie asked. ¡°More will come,¡± Denverbay nodded. ¡°Customs, background checks, and immunity protocols will take time to process. Personally, I do fear for his sanity.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t give an ass about anybody.¡± We all looked at Jaruka, finally speaking again. Keeji whimpered and leaned on me, along with Katie. Jaruka slowly looked up with eyes so mad, so sad, he could shoot laser beams at us. ¡°What¡¯s the point? I¡¯ll be going to the gallows after this. There¡¯s nothing left for me.¡± Denverbay grumbled, ¡°Also, I will be sending a reporter to record your stories. You¡¯ll hear from us when he or she is coming.¡± Seconds passed and before we knew it, the doors opened. I snapped back to see the hanger bay, crowded with aliens. If I was right, the whole crew was there. ¡°Good god,¡± I whispered. Ever single Nova soldier was dead silent and dead set staring at us, me specifically. I had overheard that the crew was calling me a hero, the mutant that maimed an unknown but deadly reaper. I almost felt like a celebrity to extraterrestrials. Know this, how can they call you a hero if you were involved with an accidental mass killing? More important, I apparently have the power of a nuclear bomb inside me. They kept looking at us as we were escorted to a part of the hanger, my back felt heavy. I read their faces, seeing how amazed they were, some even walked away. A whole new human with bigger responsibilities. Look, I know they are our allies, but I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that at any minute, they would go nuts and kill me and Katie. At least Katie held me, her warmth calmed me. ¡°This isn¡¯t right,¡± one alien in the distance yelled. I didn¡¯t know who it was. We stopped in front of two big ships; one was the ship we were carried off in. ¡°I¡¯m giving you one of our brand new dropships, Jaruka, it¡¯s the closest I can do for now,¡± Brill said almost reluctantly. ¡°Wringheart¡¯s team modified it to be your temporary home, from a shower to a decent kitchen. All your things we recovered from the Lunar Spear¡¯s remains are already inside. They took the trouble to install custom alarms if any humans take them. I should warn you, don¡¯t kill any unarmed citizens. It will look bad in the future.¡± Jaruka stared at the ship, ¡°Whatever.¡± Reba walked up beside us, ¡°Can you guys drop me off at the hotel?¡± She asked. ¡°I think we can,¡± Katie nodded. ¡°Be sure to look for me at Temecula, I¡¯ll give you pointers how to cast some spells.¡± Reba and her leopard totem thanked her. We did by the way, but we had to make one stop at the Sander¡¯s house for our stuff. Most of it we recovered like our laptops and clothes, but my father¡¯s pistol wasn¡¯t discovered in the house. We left a bundle of fresh flowers on their doorstep as we shed tears. Goodbye Mike and Ashley. ¡°Mr. Dunne, Ms. Walsh, I assure you this wont be a big burden for you two,¡± Brill promised. ¡°I¡¯ll make it better in the coming months. Count on me. We¡¯ll be in touch.¡± As we boarded the ship, the aliens went ahead and gave a collective hoo-rah for us. I think it was more toward Jaruka. They chanted, ¡°Family to the core!¡± I could understand their sympathy. Brill and Denverbay waved at us as the hatch closed. ¡°Pig headed, good for nothing, bureaucratic, back stabbing Hammer,¡± Jaruka cursed. ¡°My friends are treating you like a hero, and I¡¯m the councilman¡¯s convict errand boy. It¡¯s not fair.¡± He punched the wall with one fist, denting it. All five of us jumped. ¡°Would it be better if I said sorry?¡± Katie asked with sympathy. ¡°Don¡¯t start, miss, I¡¯m more hurt than ever. Come with me and don¡¯t touch my stuff.¡± If that was easy, his stuff was overcrowding the largest part of the dropship. It was hard to move without stretching my chest scar. We made it through to the cockpit and sat down on three chairs. The totems entered our bodies for Jaruka¡¯s safety reasons. I sat in between the girls. Buckles and straps shot out and strapped us in. Jaruka sat down in the pilot¡¯s seat and strapped in. When I thought he was gonna turn the ship on, he started kicking the dashboard with his booted foot several times, grunting every time. After that he sat still, even as lights outside lit him the way off the ship. ¡°Will he be all right with you guys?¡± Reba asked us. ¡°Wanna bet,¡± I whispered. ¡°I heard that,¡± Jaruka grumbled. We didn¡¯t move several minutes later after Brill¡¯s dropship left. Somebody over the intercom forced Jaruka to activate the engines. We flew and we all watched Earth get closer and closer. The morning sun basked on us. As much as I know, this adventure was the craziest so far. Our home is changed forever, Katie and I are the future humans, aliens exist, and we have to babysit one for two years. Jonathan Walsh will have a heart attack when we tell him. Certainly, I was really grateful I was alive and I still had Katie. It¡¯s gonna take a long time for earth to right itself. I just hope we live long enough to see the end. Epilogue Walsh Estate Winery Temecula, California December 24, 2012 9:17 AM Christmas Eve Where do I start? That¡¯s the big question. You know Scott¡¯s and my little sister¡¯s story, so your asking mine right? Well, first off you have an idea of what I went through at home. The crystals, the locals, our long time farmhand Tony had turned into a zombie and nearly ripped my throat out. Thank goodness his brain exploded before he had a chance. Then of course my baby brother being traumatized, the little squirt. But that¡¯s all you¡¯re getting, that¡¯s my word. Other than that, get the rest of the story from my parents. Of course they can¡¯t tell you, they¡¯re still trying to believe this¡­ government exists. Oh, so you want to know the time they came home, from my perspective. Fine, have it your way. This is just too weird for me. ¡°Robert, you drank another pot of coffee didn¡¯t you?¡± Dad said to me. I can tell you that I was so hopped up on caffeine that my body shook this way and that. My right foot couldn¡¯t stop shaking and my wallet chain kept on jiggling. ¡°Uh¡­ maybe.¡± It was so excruciating, my heart was pounding out of my chest. I could have had get a heart attack at anytime. ¡°Robert, just calm down. Katie called that she¡¯s coming home. It¡¯s not like you have to express it so bad,¡± Mom commented. I shot up a shaking finger, ¡°Mom, she called, I get antsy, I drink like nobody¡¯s business. I can¡¯t wait to beat her up for what she done to us.¡± Mom sighed, ¡°You care for her more than all of us. She¡¯ll come, she promised.¡± ¡°Like yesterday?¡± Mom and Dad shook their heads and went on with breakfast. Yes I know, Mom is calm. She was in shock during that whole containment thing. Of course Jacob didn¡¯t speak up; he was glued to his DS. Since seeing Katie and those totems over the computer, he had not said made one remark. Frankly I believe he was afraid of ticking any of us off. We went through a lot of stress, one minute after the next, I still believed Katie wouldn¡¯t come home.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Then my iPhone rang, OneRepublic¡¯s Secrets is her ringtone. Even as I looked at her contact picture, it wasn¡¯t her with the new ears. I still have it. I answered. ¡°We¡¯re walking up the driveway,¡± Katie said cheerily. Those words were powerful enough to make me drop my egg-covered fork. She hung up, my shocked face was easily noticed by my family. It was a full minute after I told them, that we just sat there. I think we we¡¯re having a moment letting it sink in. All of a sudden we pushed away from the table, toppled the chairs, and ran out of the house. I was the first through the front door. The family winery is on a small hill with acres of grape vines. The main house is directly located next to the grape processing warehouse, the silos, the wine cellar both above and under our feet, and the wine store with the small weekend eatery. There, on the main driveway, was my little sister, Scott, and two animals with glowing blue eyes. I spotted the tails wagging behind them. Oh yeah, it was a first. She saw us and ran, leaving Scott behind. She suddenly looked so happy that tears were spewing out her eyes. The hawk flew and landed on the tree in the front lawn. ¡°Mom! Dad!¡± She screamed. I stepped aside to let her plow into my parents. ¡°Katie!¡± We all said. God, I felt so relieved to see her. The love was so much all of us came together and hugged her tight. Mom and Katie were already crying. ¡°I¡¯ll never scare you guys again. Never, ever, ever, ever,¡± Katie repeated. ¡°Just shut up and hug us,¡± I told her. Even with her tail touching ALL OF US (creepiest¡­ thing¡­ ever), I kept on squeezing her. Two coughs came, I looked up, and Scott was all alone. Well, except for that husky. ¡°Can¡¯t hug you guys, suffered an injury while coming here.¡± ¡°Oh no, are you okay?¡± Mom asked. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m fine. Just still feeling pain.¡± We broke apart to let Katie breathe and wipe the tears away. ¡°Let¡¯s get inside, it¡¯s not safe,¡± Dad said with a smile. ¡°Yes, lets, well tell you everything,¡± Katie sniffed, ¡°and I mean everything.¡± ¡°Huh, you better, sis,¡± I demanded and she scowled at me. It looked like the family was back together again. Then I remembered something. Why didn¡¯t they bring a car, or a moving truck? I looked back down the driveway and spotted someone at the main gate. Odd that what he rode on was a motorcycle I had never seen before. He leaned on the right lamp post with his arms crossed over his chest. Thick brown dreads covered his head down past his shoulders. Even with the dark skin, street clothes, and sandals, I could tell he looked mad. ¡°Who¡¯s the one with dreadlocks?¡± I asked them. All of a sudden Katie and Scott looked at each other. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ our rescuer,¡± Scott said slowly. ¡°That¡¯s what we need to tell you guys.¡± ¡°Tell us what exactly?¡± I asked, feeling intense worry from Scott¡¯s voice. The husky growled, making more anxious what they were hiding. ¡°Inside we¡¯ll tell you,¡± Katie smiled. ¡°God it¡¯s great to be home. Can¡¯t wait to show you what we can do.¡± I got a feeling that things were gonna get a whole lot more complicated.