“And you will stay by her side even as things get worse?”
“Wait. Worse?” I understood the whole part about the strife not being over. But getting worse?
“Yes. Saving the universe from destruction will not be easy.”
“I didn’t imagine it would. But won’t our part be over when we unite Veraka with Caspian?”
“That is only the beginning.”
“The beginning? This is not the beginning. Do you know what we’ve been through already?”
“Everything else you’d been through before now has been to get you ready.”
“Oh? And you know this because the universe has told you?” I knew my voice dripped with sarcasm.
“No. I know it because this is the way of things.” Bando still hadn’t moved an inch. He was like a statue. A perfectly chiseled statue that seemed tied to Rachel. Perfect.
“Don’t let him get to you.” Bessy put her arms behind her head and leaned back. “You can handle whatever is coming.”
“Bessy, I don’t know what to tell you. I told you I’d help you find your daughter, but I need to get to Andrelexa first. To find Caspian. And now this guy is telling me that we won’t be done by a long shot then.”
“We will find her. Have no fear. You will help me when the time comes.” Bessy stared off into the distance.
I looked over my shoulder to see what she was staring at. I saw nothing. She must have been lost in her own thoughts.
“And just so we get this out there when Rachel isn’t around,” Dale spoke in a whisper. “We aren’t murdering anyone.”
“You won’t be killing anyone for me, but don’t be so sure you won’t have to in your other quests.”
“We didn’t sign up for that.” Dale rubbed his neck.
“Oh?” Bessy stepped away from the wall. “You signed up to save the universe, yet you don’t think you might have to kill anyone in the process?”
“Oh.” The color drained from Dale’s face. “I suppose I hadn’t thought of that.”
“You two discussed games earlier when we were doing the sensory deprivation. I assume some of those games involved war?”
“Yes. Most of them did.” Dale’s response was wary.
“And I take it those war games involved death. You were forced to kill.”
“Yes. But that was a game.” Games were a far cry from real life.
“They are essentially a simulation from what I can understand. Why would the real world be any different?” She walked away, and I knew unfortunately she was right.
“You two have done battle simulations?” Bando broke his frozen state.
“Uh, in a way. But we never planned to use what we learned.” If I had I would have paid a whole lot better attention.
“What would the point have been? Wouldn’t that be a waste of time?”
“No. They were games. Fun.”
“War games are fun to you? Well then, maybe you were the right ones to pick for this assignment.” His eyes moved over us as if trying to reassess us.
“I wasn’t actually picked.” Dale popped a small disc of food into his mouth. I assumed it was as bland and largely tasteless as the rest of the stuff we’d had. I wasn’t sure if the food really was that bad, or if our taste buds couldn’t pick up on the other flavors. “I just happened to be along for the ride.”
“Just like Carl. How do you think he’s doing?” He’d been off with Rachel’s adoptive father for ages. Was I that bad of a friend that I had barely thought of him?
“Carl?” Dale ate another disc. “I’m sure he’s doing just fine. Knowing him he’s loving this adventure.”
“Hopefully he isn’t dead.”
“He’s not dead.” Dale shook his head. “Stop worrying.”
“How would we know?”
“Because he’s not dead. Telton wouldn’t let that happen.”
“Kind of like how Kelby wouldn’t let anything happen to Angie?” We were putting so much faith in the hands of men we barely knew.
“Don’t even go there.” Dale waved his arms in front of me. “She’s fine. Don’t mess everything up by worrying about her.”
“I’m always worried about her.”
“See? So this isn’t really all that different.”
Part 9
Caspian
20 Caspian
I looked at the carnage all around me. How long had this been going on? Some of it was fresh, but some of it wasn’t. The hole full of rotting bodies for sure wasn’t. I recoiled at the smell, but I wouldn’t walk away. I couldn’t. I had to be the leader my father failed to be.
“Did you know about any of this?” Dr. Graham stood beside me halfway between the pit and the vast lake. On one side of us was a pit of death. On the other side, there was a trail of blood leading into the murky water.
“No. I knew nothing.” But that made me just as guilty. How could I have stood back and ignored what was happening behind the palace walls on my own planet? Had I been so focused on my own problems, and on Rachel, that I let something so completely horrible happen?
“But your father did.” His eyes were misty.
“I’m beginning to think yes.”
“And somehow this all ties to the hybrid.” He cleared his throat.
“If there is a hybrid. Your results could be wrong.”
“They aren’t wrong.” His hand balled into a fist at his side. “Given the severity of the situation, I must plead with you to accept the results for what they are. We can’t afford to pretend. This is all too much.”
“Or it’s a setup. They want us to think it’s a hybrid.”
“Technically, that is possible. Then again, anything is possible.”
“How did he keep this under the radar?” I walked around the hole, searching for any more evidence. “It is impossible.”
“Didn’t we just establish that everything is possible?”
“Yes. Yes we did. But murder? On this level?”
“Depending on who these people are, it might be genocide. Or what we call genocide on Earth.”
“There is no genocide on Andrelexa.” I felt my anger churn.
“Or so you thought. This is strong evidence that you were wrong. Your father kept a lot from you.”
“I know you are referring to Rachel. And yes he kept the truth from me at first.”
“And then you kept the truth from her.” There was no judgment in his words, just deep sadness.
“What’s the point of you comparing me to my father? How is that going to help anything?” I was being defensive, and I knew it.
“It’s not going to help the immediate situation, but it’s going to make you think, and we need you thinking. We need you questioning everything you thought you knew, so we can get to the bottom of all this.”
“There is no way the darkness caused this….” The darkness made people disappear. “Unless, this is where they end up.” I shuddered.
“Exactly what I was thinking. It is hard to know at this point in our investigation.”
“But if this was from the darkness, then it has been here far longer than we thought.” I looked into the pit again because I needed to punish myself. I needed to sear this memory into my mind so I would never forget it until I found these victims justice. “We need to find out if they are Lexa.”
“Yes, we do.”
The bodies were all mutilated. Looking alone wouldn’t tell us what we need. “If they aren’t Lexa, where did they come from?”
“And where did the Lexas that disappeared go? Were they transported to another planet?” Dr. Graham pulled out more test tubes and a syringe. “I need to get a sample.”
“You will go down there?” I eyed the pit.
“One of us has to.”
“I will.” I grabbed the tools from him. “I will do what needs to be done.” I jumped into the pit, overcome by the stench. As quickly as I could, I took samples from bodies at different levels of decay. Never in my life had I pictured doing th
is sort of work.
“On the surface none of this makes sense. But then again most evil things make little sense.” I climbed out of the pit and handed over the samples to the doctor. I looked up at the sky above. “I hope she’s okay.” Looking at such death brought the horrible possibility that she could one day face this fate.
“Rachel?” Dr. Graham slipped the tubes into the secure storage in his sack. “I hope so too. That poor girl has been through enough already.”
“I know. And much of it is my fault.” I would never forgive myself for it or any of this.
“It is a tremendous step that you can even recognize that.”
“I would do anything to protect her. And to protect my people.”
“The first thing we need to do is find your people. But we also have to figure out where the darkness is heading next. And the hybrid if they truly are working separately.”
“Do we continue to follow the trail?”
“Yes.” He put the sack on his back.
“Do we have any gear in the vehicle? Neither of us can breathe underwater.”
“No, we can’t. Glad to see you did thorough research on my kind.”
“I had to research everything to determine whether you and Rachel would be compatible.” His eyes moved to the lake. I didn’t blame him from needing a break from the horror even though there could have been even more hidden underneath the dark water.
“We were compatible. I mean we are.” There was nothing past tense about us.
“Let’s find that gear. We don’t want the trail to get cold.”
“Agreed.” I headed back toward our vehicle. I had to accept this. I needed to accept that everything I thought I knew about my father was a lie. It was time for me to right the wrongs of my father.
“Should we both go down together, or should one of us keep watch?” Dr. Graham waited as I opened the hatch.
“I will not ask you to take the risk.”
“Staying on shore is a risk too. Besides, with two of us we can collect more samples and evidence.”
“What about keeping watch?”
“Keeping watch isn’t going to save us.” His voice was low.
“True.” I grabbed gear for both of us, and we headed toward the lake.
“If we do not make it back from this, I have stored my results in the system. Hopefully, someone will find them.”
“You cannot come.” Reality hit me. “You need to remain to make sure the word gets out.”
“Are you sure?” He hesitated with his hand by his mask.
“Yes. Stay here. I will see what I can find. If I do not return make sure Rachel is okay, and tell her I will love her always.” I dove under the water hoping I would have the chance to speak those words to her myself one day.
21 Caspian
There was nothing but darkness. Complete darkness and a roar like nothing I had ever heard. I headed toward the noise, hoping it held the answers I needed most.
The roar died down as light seeped around me. Red. Everything was red. The water was as red as blood.
I saw the bodies next. Thousands of bodies floating around everywhere.
I forced myself to grab hold of one and get a blood sample. Next I moved on to another. I took four when the roar returned, and my instincts sent me scrambling to the surface even though I wanted to get more.
But my death would not help the cause. The roar was louder. It was following me.
On the surface I saw another body. A new one. It was the doctor. I grabbed him and swam toward the shore. I was way further out than I had realized.
The roar was from the darkness, and it was following me. I knew it in every grain of my being, but I couldn’t let that slow me down. To do so would be to put us both at risk—and everyone else. Because if I allowed the darkness to leave Andrelexa, who knew what kind of damage it could unfurl.
“Caspian!” Rachel’s voice sounded muffled and far away through my mask, but I would know her voice anywhere.
I swam twice as fast to the shore, pulling Dr. Graham with me.
I ran out of the water holding the doctor. I saw her, and my world froze. She was fine. Alive. Healthy. At least she looked healthy. “Rachel. You are okay?”
“Yes. But what about you?” Her eyes were wide with panic. “You are covered in blood.”
“Caspian?” a low female voice spoke my name tentatively.
I looked up to see a girl with long white hair.
“Do I know you?” I searched her face looking for something familiar.
“Not yet.” She stepped closer, stopping right beside Rachel.
“Caspian. This is Veraka. She’s your starmate.”
I let Rachel’s words set in. It was impossible. Rachel was my starmate. I was sure of it. “You mean Noah’s starmate?”
“No. Yours.”
“Am I not what you wanted?” Veraka gasped.
“No. That is not it.” I struggled to come up with the right words. Did we have to do this now? “But we have to focus on the doctor. I am afraid he may be dying.”
“Because you might not be what I wanted either.” Veraka snapped and turned her back to me.
I could not worry about her yet. I had to focus on the man I was holding. Any life was worth saving, but beyond that fact his skills might prove essential in destroying the dark forces at work around us.
I lay him down as far from the water and pit as I could.
“He’s breathing.” A sparkly woman leaned over him.
“Who are you?” I asked. Rachel had found several new associates.
“Let’s save the introductions for later. This man needs medical attention.”
“What is all this blood?” Noah knelt beside me. Rachel was on his other side.
“My guess is it has something to do with this pit.” Dale stood by the edge of the hole. “I really hope this isn’t your work, Caspian.”
“Of course not!” I screamed.
“We know.” Rachel patted my back. “Stay calm. We have to save Dr. Graham.”
“The blood on me is from the water. The water is full of blood, bodies, and a horrible creature.”
“Just one creature?” Dale raised an eyebrow.
“Technically there may be more, but right now just help me.”
“Let me see him.” A male voice spoke.
I looked up. It was a snow-demon. There was nothing else this man could be. “Why are you here?”
“He is with me.” Rachel pointed to the snow-demon. “This is Bando.”
“The snow-demon is with you?” The surprises never stopped.
“Yes, I am. Let me save this man.” Bando elbowed his way in, and the rest of us moved back. He put his hands over Dr. Graham. “What monster did this to him?”
“I do not know the name, but it is a great darkness that has made most of the population of this planet disappear.”
“Bessy, will you donate to this man?” Bando looked up at her.
“He needs a transfusion?” She knelt back down beside Bando.
“Yes. I am afraid nothing else will save him.”
“A transfusion?” Rachel’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Do you think he would want this?” Bessy ignored Rachel’s question and looked at Bando.
“Is this man important?” Bando turned to me.
“Yes. He is a man of science. We can use him.” It was more than that, but that was all the others needed to know.
“Do it, Bessy. Even if it would not have been his choice, if he will help Rachel on her quest, it must be done.”
“Okay. I will.” Bessy moved over him and touched her lips to his.
The air shimmered, and she moved away from him. Dr. Graham’s body shuddered.
“What did you do? Is he okay?” I had put blind trust in these creatures because they came with Rachel. I truly hoped my trust was not misplaced.
“Wait.” Bessy uttered only that word. Bando said nothing.
The shuddering slowed
down, and the doctor’s coloring gradually changed until his skin now appeared iridescent. He coughed, and then he opened his eyes. “What?” He sat up all in one movement. He looked down at his hands, his shimmering hands. “What is this?”
“I saved your life.” Bessy shrugged. “I gave you a transfusion. My kind can save lives, but then you will always have a little bit of me in you.”
“Man, this is like vampires.” Dale’s eyes were wide.
“Thank you.” Dr. Graham held out his hand to Bessy. “Thank you for saving my life.”
“Caspian here says you are important.”
“Important may be stretching it, but I will do what I can to help.”
“Anyone ready to tell us what’s going on?” Dale asked.
“We would if we could. I need to run tests, but I believe we face two enemies,” Dr. Graham explained. “One can only be described as a darkness that takes its victims. There is also a human-lexa hybrid we know little about.” Dr. Graham may have looked different, but on all other accounts he appeared to be the same.
“I wish I understood what that means.” Dale yawned. “Sorry. It’s been a long day. Or days really. They all blend together.”
“We can’t let this darkness leave Andrelexa.” Although somewhere deep inside I knew it probably already had.
“But how do we stop it?” Rachel asked. “What can we do?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. I wanted to hug her. To hold her. But not while covered in the blood of so many.
“We need to know what it is before we can do anything.” Dr. Graham moved to his feet, seemingly completely healed. “I need to set up a more substantial lab.”
“Should we go back to the palace?” We had greater numbers now. We had a better chance of reestablishing the fortification.
“That would be ideal.” Dr. Graham headed toward the vehicle. “Should we plan to meet the rest of you there? Did you come in your own transportation?”
“We should all take the ship.” Bando stated it. “Stay together.”
“That is fine with me. But I need to get the gear.”
“No problem.” Bando raised his hands. “I will take care of it.”
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