by R S Penney
“You're not in love.”
“Leana Delnara Lenai,” her mother scolded, using the dreaded full name. You knew you were in trouble when one of your parents called you by your full name. “What a horrible thing to say!”
The bullet grazed her right lung. Once again, that disembodied voice distracted her with its constant nattering. Didn't anyone else hear it? Something's odd; she seems to be in better shape than I would have expected.
“This isn't real.”
Her father stared at her with his mouth agape, blinking as if she had just sprouted wings. “Of course it's real, sweetie,” he said softly. “What's going on? Did something happen while we were away?”
Covering her mouth with the tips of her fingers, Anna closed her eyes. “No, it isn't real!” she said, shaking her head. “The two of you are divorced, and we haven't lived in this house since I was ten!”
Beran frowned at her, then turned his head to stare at the wall. A heavy sigh escaped him. “You are quite strong-willed, my host,” he muttered. “Your memories suggest that this has been a source of frustration to the one whose form I wear.”
Her Nassai.
Prep for surgery; we need to get that bullet out of her. The voice. She had been shot in the chest. All of this was an illusion created by her symbiont? Let's move, people. This one still has a good chance of survival.
“Where are we?”
“You are unconscious while the human healers attend to your wounds.” Her father turned his head to fix his gaze upon her mother. She wavered out of existence, blurring into a smear of colour before vanishing completely. “For a time, it seemed as though we would pass. I wanted your last moments to be joyful.”
Anna crossed her arms, then bowed her head to him. She hunched up her shoulders in a shrug. “That's kind of you, I guess,” she said. “But I don't like being lied to, and you pick now of all times to make contact?”
The illusion of Beran wore a serene expression that she'd never seen on her actual father. “You were so young when we bonded,” he explained. “You came eagerly, but your sense of self had not been formed. I did not wish to overwhelm your personality with my own. You had to grow into your own person.”
“I don't think you could have if you tried.”
Her imaginary father blushed as he stared down at the floor. “No, perhaps not,” he said. “But I felt it best to allow you room to discover the world on your own terms. Even when you became a woman, I did not see.”
Beran looked up to study her with blue eyes that seemed to drill through her defenses. “It was when you took that bullet,” he said, nodding curtly, “when you chose to sacrifice your life for strangers that I began to understand.”
Anna felt a grin bloom, her face as red as the setting sun. She bowed her head to the Nassai. “Well, that's what family does,” she murmured. “They take care of you even after you stop needing it.”
“Do you claim kinship with me then?”
Grinning down at the floor, Anna shut her eyes tight. She trembled with a burst of laughter. “You're the one who hitched a ride in my body,” she teased. “I would say that makes us blood in a literal sense.”
“I find that satisfactory,” he said at last, “and if you would be willing, I would like to talk from time to time.”
“I'm a very good listener.”
Anna took one last look at her childhood home. In a way, the Nassai had done her a kindness by bringing her here. Perhaps she should have played along, pretended that she had a family again just for a little while. “So, what now?” she asked the Nassai. “Do I get to wake up after this?”
“The humans are tending to your wounds,” he explained. “Yes, you will be fine. At least for now.”
Anna arched an eyebrow.
Pressing his lips together, the Nassai looked down at the floor. He exhaled through his nose. “Something is coming,” he said softly. “I cannot say what, but a word spoken by the warrior in black stoked feelings in me.
“Something buried deep in the Nassai collective memory, something from the days of Origin, when the Makers prowled the skies. A soft voice whispered in my mind, 'the Destroyer names himself. The Advent begins.' ”
“Well,” Anna mumbled. “Isn't that cheerful?”
Chapter 18
Jack would have expected his world to change after bonding with a symbiont, but aside from a strange awareness of everything around him, he felt very much as he always had. His fingers flexed when he ordered; his legs moved on command. When he sent a questioning thought at the Nassai, all he felt was a mild sense of amusement.
He watched the taillights of a white Nissan Versa flaring bright with red light as it pulled to a stop at the intersection. Tall buildings rose up on either side of the road, and pedestrians crowded the sidewalks.
“So, an alien…”
Lauren bit her lip as he stared through the windshield, sweat glistening on her thin face. “You're carrying an alien,” she said, nodding. “You let it…merge with you? Bond with you? You let it inside you?”
Jack smiled, his cheeks flushed to a soft pink. He lowered his eyes to stare into his lap. “You make it sound so romantic,” he said, eyebrows rising. “Yes, Lauren, I carry a symbiont. It was that or let it die.”
His sister went bone-pale, keeping her eyes fixed on the road. “You should have let it die,” she muttered. “Jack, you have no understanding of the consequences. This is an alien.”
Tilting his head back, Jack closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and then let it out again. “A kind alien, Lauren,” he replied. “One that cares about us and wants to protect us from men like Hutchinson.”
“Your sister is right.”
That from the back seat. Detective Carlson sounded a little more lucid than he had back at Lauren's house. With everything else that had happened, it was easy to forget that the man had taken a blow to the head. After checking with his superiors, they had learned that Anna had been taken into intensive care.
Jack felt a sense of dread that just would not relent. If he strained, he could almost sense an echo of his own emotion, one so subtle he would not notice if he didn't look for it. “How you doing back there, Carlson?” he asked. “Still awake?”
“I'm fine.”
In the passenger-side window, Jack saw his faint reflection as the buildings rushed by. His expression was tense.“World's a lot bigger, Lauren,” he mumbled. “You're not the only one who will have to adapt.”
“I'm adapting fine.”
Gripping the wheel so hard her knuckles whitened, Lauren refused to look at him. Perhaps she was afraid that this was an 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' situation. Well, he couldn't blame her.
If a hostile alien really had taken control of his body, the first thing it would do was probe his mind and learn his mannerisms. His sister was a brilliant woman; this outcome would have occurred to her. “I'm fine, Lauren.”
“What exactly are Mom and Dad gonna think?” she growled. “Christ, I'm supposed to take care of you! Instead, I let you go out and get it on with intelligent bacteria. Jesus! I can't deal with this.”
Grinning like a madman, Jack slapped a palm over his face. “You have such a way with words, Sis,” he teased. “Tell you what, if Anna gets a shuttle down here, we'll fly to the nearest space station and spray paint my number on the bathroom wall.”
“Is he always like this?” Carlson inquired.
“Always.”
They were moving again. Jack ignored his sister's mutterings and contented himself with watching traffic. The cars were moving at a good clip, but it was mid-afternoon, and rush hour would be on them soon. Things were already picking up.
He lifted a hand, wiggling fingers just to make sure they were still his. It was silly, but the whole experience had been a little overwhelming and…there was no scar on his right hand. There should have been a scar!
Jack squinted into his palm. He shook his head ever so slowly. “It can't be,” he muttered to himself. “Ne
ver mind law enforcement. The Nassai missed their true calling as cosmetic surgeons.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You remember when I cut myself in Wood Shop?” he asked, glancing toward his sister. “How it left a scar across my palm?”
She nodded.
“It's gone.”
Jack lifted up his pant leg to expose smooth skin in place of a scar that should have left a small gash on his shin. The hair was even starting to grow back! “And the one from that time I went biking with Matt Sierpinski!” he exclaimed. “Remember? They put four stitches in my leg!”
Come to think of it, was his vision a little sharper than it had been before? Cars and buildings that were far off in the distance seemed clearer than they should have been. You know, Buffy, he thought at the symbiont. I think this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
The hospital staff had given Anna a room to herself, a cramped little room where fluorescent lights in the ceiling shone down upon a single bed with metal bars on either side. Blinds on the two windows shut out the daylight.
Learning that she had survived her encounter with Pennfield's goons was a relief to Jack, and if he strained, he could almost sense that his Nassai felt the same. That would take some getting used to.
Anna looked almost serene, lying in bed with her eyes closed, blonde hair strewn over her face. Shot through the chest? It was a painful reminder that even Justice Keepers could be killed by simple firearms.
“She's alive.”
When he turned, Lauren stood in the doorway with her arms folded, her dark hair tied in a ponytail. “I'm glad she's alright,” she muttered. “But you'll forgive me if I'm a bit too frightened to celebrate. I'm sorry,”
“Don't be.”
“If you're going to apologize,” Anna murmured through a groan. “Could you please make amends for disturbing my sleep first?”
Her face lit up with a smile when she saw him. Knowing that she would be all right was one thing; seeing it for himself was another. “Hey, you,” Anna whispered. “We need to stop meeting in hospitals before it becomes the trendy new scene.”
“We can't have that,” Jack said. “If hospitals get too popular, it's only a matter of time before hipsters start coming here, ironically. Still, I kind of like the ICU. This could be our thing.”
Anna went red, then turned her head so that her cheek was pressed into the pillow. She let out another soft moan. “You're just happy for the chance to see me in a hospital gown,” she teased. “Maybe catch a glimpse of my backside.”
Closing his eyes, Jack shook his head, a blush setting fire to his face. “It is a very nice backside,” he said. “And don't you give me that glare. Not when you're the one who encouraged me to look.”
“Heh-hem.”
Pressing a fist to her mouth, Lauren shut her eyes and coughed with enough force to wake the dead. “Big sister here,” she said, striding forward. “So, if you want to keep your thinly veiled sexual tension to a minimum…”
“Do you bring all the girls home to meet your family, Jack?” Anna said in a rasp. Tears glistened on her cheeks. “Sorry. Still a little achy and sore in the chest.”
“So, you're an alien?”
Jack tuned out the explanation that followed – he'd done his part to catch Lauren up on the exposition, and he was glad to let someone else have a turn – choosing instead to focus on contacting his Nassai. No matter how hard he tried, however, the only thing he got in return was a series of vague impressions.
After such a lively conversation, he couldn't help but wonder why his symbiont had put on her introvert cap. Perhaps the bond didn't work that way? Maybe they could only speak when he was in a trance-like state. The burst of approval that flooded his mind told him he'd found the answer.
“What do you think, Jack?”
“Hmm?”
“You're honestly willing to trust this woman?” Lauren squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head. “Even when you know so little about her?”
Jack crossed his arms, then bowed his head to her. He offered a half-hearted shrug of his shoulders. “She saved me a few times,” he said. “Besides, young men like me are helpless in the face of thinly veiled sexual tension.”
“You're just so-”
“If we could put the family squabbles on hold.” Anna glared at him, then turned her head to direct an equally frosty stare at his sister. “There are much larger concerns at the moment, like the safety of your parents.”
“Lauren, give us a moment.”
His sister scowled at him, and for a moment, Jack expected an argument. Then she threw her head back and let out a sigh. “Why do I even bother?” Lauren barked, turning away from him and marching to the door.
Anna frowned at the other woman, her cheeks stained with a touch of crimson. “So much for my hopes of making a new friend.” She coughed and spasmed. “Do you have the symbiont with you?”
Jack sat in the chair next to her.
“I bonded with the Nassai,” Jack said. “There was no other choice. We were attacked, and the containment unit was damaged.”
He looked up.
Anna was grinning at him, her blue eyes practically sparkling. “You accepted the bond,” she said in a breathy voice. “Oh, thank the Companion. I was afraid we wouldn't find a suitable host.”
Pinching his chin with thumb and index finger, Jack squinted at her. He shook his head. “You wanted this,” he said, sitting back in his chair. “That's what you meant when you told me to find a suitable host.”
“I hoped for it.” Anna had her cheek mashed against the pillow, strands of hair falling over her face. “A symbiont won't Bond with just anybody, and the Keepers need someone like you. But the decision was always yours.”
“Is that why you never suggested it?”
“It's considered taboo for a Keeper to try to persuade someone to join our ranks. The decision had to be yours. If you accepted a Nassai with resentment in your heart, it would damage your relationship with the symbiont and make you far less effective at carrying out your duties. Commitment is essential.”
“So, what happens now?”
Rolling onto her back, Anna stared up at the ceiling. The thoughtful expression on her face made him wonder. “Now, I teach you,” she replied in a rasp. “I teach you what it means to be a Justice Keeper.”
Jack stood.
Before he could move, Anna glanced in his direction, her eyes wide with fright. It made him freeze; twenty-four hours ago, he would have thought her incapable of fear. “I have a request,” she whispered. “Will you stay here with me? You're the only person on this planet I trust, and I'm afraid to fall asleep without…”
Jack felt a smile bloom. Closing his eyes, he bowed his head to her. “Of course I'll stay with you,” he said, sitting down again. “Justice Keepers protect, right? May as well get started right away.”
The glare of a penlight was like a tiny star in Harry's field of vision, waving back and forth and drowning out everything else. Purple afterimages sparkled and shimmered when the light was removed. “Good,” Dr. Tenant said, “I've seen no sign of any major neurological damage.”
Tall and slim with tanned copper skin, she wore her black hair tied back in a long ponytail and her lab coat unbuttoned. “I think you'll be fine, Detective,” she said. “But I want to keep you overnight for observation.”
Harry frowned thoughtfully as he studied her. He nodded once. “I guess I'll have to find myself a babysitter,” he muttered. “I don't suppose you have a college-aged daughter who might want some extra cash.”
“Sorry, no.”
Stiffening as he shuddered, Harry closed his eyes and quickly shook his head. “That's alright,” he grumbled. “I'm sure I'll find someone. I have a big address book.”
The doctor turned away from him, scribbling something down on a clipboard. She nodded with each word. “I'll have one of the nurses assist you with that.” She drew the blue curtain aside and stepped out of t
he examination room.
Well, the word room might have been a bit generous. It was more of a cubbyhole between two cinderblock walls so close that he could touch both if he stretched out his arms. Whoever said the health care budget was too large had never had to spend fifteen minutes in one of these.
True, that was probably claustrophobia talking – Harry had never cared for small, enclosed spaces – but the point stood. Cops of all people deserved the finest treatment that money could buy.
Pressing a palm to his forehead, Harry winced. He massaged away a headache with the heel of his hand. “You sure everything checks out, doc?” he muttered. “'Cause I think I must have hallucinated most of this afternoon.”
“I'm sure that you didn't.”
The curtain slid sideways to reveal a woman standing in the doorway, a tall woman in a dark pantsuit. Her olive-skinned face was pinched in a no-nonsense expression, and her dark hair was tied back. “Good to see you, Detective,” Aamani Patel said. “It seems you've been busy.”
Harry frowned, then looked up to fix his gaze upon her. He squinted, shaking his head. “What are you playing at?” he snapped. “You wouldn't be here if you didn't know what happened this afternoon, so out with it.”
The woman blushed, then bowed her head to him. “Apologies, Detective,” she said, stepping forward. “I don't mean to put your back up, but I think we should discuss your new friends.”
“My friends?”
Crossing her arms in a huff, Patel frowned down at the floor. She shook her head in exasperation. “We don't have time for this, Detective,” she said. “The boy that you were chasing, Jack Hunter. He's in a room on the third floor.”
“Your point?”
“With a certain young woman,” Patel added. “One who we've seen repeatedly on various security cameras. Now, I would like some clarity on the rumours that have been running through my office. Are we dealing with aliens?”
“I believe so,” Harry rasped. “Or at least humans from another part of the galaxy. Don't ask me how that's possible.”
Patel wore a blank expression as she held his gaze, but the sweat on her forehead made it clear she was struggling with the information. “The girl then,” she said at last. “She is one of these…offworlders?”
