The God Hunters

by Gordon D Lanyon

  I strode brusquely to the case and gave it a sharp rap. No response from Meeta! I searched carefully for a button or panel. Something I could press that would open the capsule and perhaps wake her. Again there was nothing obvious. Giving in to frustration I gave the case a much sharper rap. Immediately Belle grabbed my hand and pulled me away, her bite sharp enough to draw blood. Ok. Breaking the case open wasn’t an option. An image came to me demanding patience. There was also a feeling of mild apprehension for Meeta.

  Understanding came quickly. “You think forcing this open will hurt her?”

  A sense of relief flooded through me. I considered that for a moment and nodded. “Right. Any ideas how we can wake her?”

  In answer the great cat raised up on her hind legs next to me and placed her two front paws against the sides of my head. Then she gently laid her forehead against mine and sent a particularly vivid image of me repeating this action with Meeta. Yawning hugely as if the entire process had had become too boring to continue she released me and settled back to watch with big green appraising eyes. Now she was just showing off. I wasn’t thinking like the ones who’d designed this SHIP. Buttons weren’t needed.

  “I get it. This works the way you and I do. By reading our surface thoughts. All I have to do is tell it what I want.”

  Privately, I hoped surface thoughts were all it was able to read. Having said that, I'm wasn't sure it would even respond to me. I suspected SHIP was ’keyed‘crew only. Meeta had to have locked it down. God only knew what dangers were hidden within these walls. Weapons our military would kill to have or tech that could make our world a paradise. Either or both could be here for the taking. And that's what we'd do if we could. We'd take it. No matter what the consequences. Maybe we'd cure cancer or maybe we'd kill the entire human race. It wouldn't matter how dangerous it was. We'd grab the tech anyway. That’s the way we worked. Sometimes I wondered how we’d made it as far as we had.

  I shook my head wonderingly. I could feel Belle's puzzlement in the back of my head like an itch. She didn't understand my little rant. Why would any creature hurt itself?

  “Sorry Belle.” I laughed sadly. “When it comes to humans I don’t think anyone has the answer. We’re a pretty confused bunch. I’m confused right now. Part of me wants Kat back, another part doesn't. I need her strength but I wonder about her loyalty. I'm just a random guy she picked; not a cop or a soldier. Just a guy who wants to do the right thing.”

  I must have impressed the big cat because she took a moment to studiously lick her front paws. When she decided they were clean enough she leapt lightly onto the enclosure holding Meeta, then stared at me as if my next actions were the most obvious in the world. She gave a low "chuff" of exasperation when I just stared back.

  “I know,” I agreed troubled. “Time to get on with it. Can't help being anxious though. Linking minds is not my forte. And to do it I have to let this thing inside me out. I'm worried, OK? Giving IT any kind of control means I lose some, and who knows what may happen then?” I started pacing nervously. “IT could get away from me again! Last time that happened I hurt you and Meeta.” Belle continued to stare at me. “What if this time I kill you?” I couldn't meet her eyes. My insides were churning at the thought.

  Belle put her head down and closed her eyes as if she were going to sleep then opened one eye to see if I was watching. I smiled despite my worry. Her message was clear. If I wasn't going to do anything she may as well take a nap.

  “You're too damn smart for a cat,” I said, sighing mightily. She was right. There was no sense delaying the inevitable.

  I put a hand on either side of the glass case, then rested my forehead against it over Meeta’s. The enclosure was cool to the touch and smelled like peppermint. Reluctantly, I pushed the thing within me forward, directing its focus on Meeta.

  I fell into her mind like I was riding a rocket. She drew me like a magnet. Hunger directed me to the source of her. Lightening surfaces and colourful flares of thought sparked and flashed all around me as I plummeted toward her center to land with a gasp on my feet. I was inside her mind.

  I stood in front of a crystalline palace of white silver. It looked fragile and beautiful. This was Meeta. The real her, at least as my mind interpreted it. Towers of interlocking lattice like structures rose and fell before me. Shapes broke and fell, twisted and reformed even as I looked upon them. Everything was in a state of flux as she made decisions, or changed her mind. A tower grew into being before me while three others crumbled into icy ash behind it. Light flashed and pulsed along the fragile lines of latticework, racing toward interstices while taking twists and turns into other areas. Where the light went, frenzied building occurred.

  I was seeing Meeta's thoughts as they coalesced in her mind. This was her, her essence, her self. I stood at the heart of her while the hunger turned my body black. Still, I was able to hold my Beast in check. Barely. All that food it whispered, it could be ours! So easy. Do it!

  I resisted. Sent it my hatred. Clamped down harder so that it screamed in pain of its own. Weakness flooded me and I dropped to my knees. Too much! I had to relax my control. Let it out just a little. IT laughed but held back on its own now. Lesson learned for both of us.

  I moved on, careful because the silver strands were everywhere and constantly changing. Somehow I knew to go forward, was even able to avoid the fragile tapestry around me. I had to go deeper. To her. I walked for a long time before I finally found her. Like Kat, she sat on a throne at the intersection of everything. She sat bathed in a circle of light. Beautiful. A Queen. I wondered if this was my mind's interpretation or if all of us sat like this, on a throne of light, at our cores.

  "Queens are meant to be eaten," whispered my Beast. "She smells like so good...”

  I ignored it and walked closer. She watched me approach saying nothing until I was very close.

  “I wondered if you'd come for me.”

  Her voice possessed a subtle strength that surprised me. This was a different Meeta from the one I knew. This one knew itself and accepted what it knew.

  “Have you come to kill? Does your Beast now rule?” She seemed only curious, maybe even resigned, without malice or anger.

  “My Beast will never rule me,” I returned with feeling. I felt it twist and turn within the confines of the prison I'd created for it. “I’ve not come to harm you.”

  “A happy sentiment,” replied Meeta dryly. “Why are you here then? Be brief!” She waved regally to indicate the vast expanse around us. “Despite your noble desire to do no harm, your proximity is death to me.”

  In shock I realized that what she said was true. The silver lacing was no longer brilliant. Already the edgings were turning a dull grey.

  “You think to control the Beast,” said Meeta, “but you are the Beast. Even now it eats at me. You can slow its power but not deny it; no more than you can deny taking your next breath. When you journey into the mind of another, you begin the killing process. Like it or not. So, Nicholas, what do you need?”

  Her directness set me back. For a moment confusion reigned. Why was I here? Did I really want Kat's help? She'd ruined my life. If I still lived after this was over, what was left for me? My old life was destroyed. I grabbed hold of myself. All that was a discussion for later. Just by being here I was harming Meeta, something I'd sworn never to do. Though it was futile I stepped back, consciously putting distance between us.

  “I've come for Kat,” I clarified. “Kailex has been busy since she left. He's hurt a lot of people. I’ve realized I no longer have a choice. I’ve got to stop him. My best chance to do that is with her help.”

  Meeta seemed genuinely surprised. “Now you want her help? That is a change.” She’d been laying back but now sat forward in her throne. “A good change. And unexpected. I saw the Beast rise in you, felt its power. That you have any control amazes me. Control comes with training and you’ve had none. Only Kat has done this. And now you. You would put yourself at risk, something
your Beast would never allow if it ruled.”

  Abruptly she paled and slumped back against her throne.

  For my part in an attempt to help, I clamped down on my Beast, placed it in a box similar to the one Kat had used to imprison me, closed it tight, while carefully sealing every edge. Then I fought against my weakness to stay where I was.

  She nodded. “Better. Your control improves. Still, we must move this along. I’ve bad news. Kat is still on HomeWorld where she will remain until allowed to return. Part of her healing involves feeding. They punish her while she heals. They want her angry, dangerous so she will question less, do more in the manner they require. They do not like that she resists them. You should have been destroyed after the failed attempt on Kailex. If successful, you should still have been destroyed. Yet you live. She protected you. They will hurt her for that. When she returns her Beast will be inflamed, difficult to control. Watch out for that. Be aware, her control will be less than optimal.” Meeta paused, gathering her strength. Her breathing was labored now. Suddenly a part of her throne crumbled into ashes as she gasped in agony.

  The only way I knew to help her was to leave. The bursts of light that were her thoughts had slowed perceptively. A greyness had invaded the fringes and was creeping through the crystal edifices. I’d already stayed too long. Just standing there I was killing her. The worst part was how I felt. Giddy would be the best word. Stronger. So much stronger! My mind felt on fire! It was intoxicating! Like drinking a bottle of the best wine. Out, I thought to myself! Pushing for speed I fairly flew through the layers of her mind, all the while fighting that part of me that wanted to stay. “The sweetest part still remained,” it informed me.

  Rising from the case I stepped away, anxiously watching the slow rise and fall of her chest for several minutes before allowing myself to relax. She still lived.

  My Beast was a curse that could destroy by accident. No, I amended, only when I was inside a mind. I could control it otherwise. That was reassuring to know. My meeting with Meeta had been under the worst possible conditions and I‘d held it in check. I could control it! Even make it work for me!

  I felt so good it was hard not to do a jig. I had so much energy! I looked around for a way to expend some, saw Meeta in her glass pod. I started forward a snarl on my face, then stopped myself. Here was another facet of the Beast I needed to understand. After IT fed, my energy levels rocketed. That affected my thinking, make me violent. I needed to control the energy. Push it to one side for when I needed it. I struggled to slow my breathing. My Beast wasn't a thinker. It was a Hunter, pursuing its wants.

  Suddenly the wall in front of me brightened. A face appeared. This was not the Meeta I'd met in her mind. This Meeta looked tired and drawn.

  “Meeta!” I exclaimed. It was obvious our talk had sapped enormous amounts of energy from her, but she was alive and that was encouraging. I had fled her mind with haste but also with no idea of the damage I'd left behind. All this was new to me. I wondered how badly I’d hurt her.

  “Are you OK?”

  The image on the wall smiled bleakly, “As you've surmised, I live. You drained much of my energy but this machine supports life processes and is working hard to revive me.” The face seemed to look around the room and nodded. “Beliah or should I say, Belle? Please continue watching our young friend. You’ve done well but he needs all the help you can provide.”

  Belle sat up, watching the big screen along with me. A low rumbling purr escaped her. Meeta's praise pleased her.

  “I'm glad to see you,” I said. “Once I realized what I was doing to you I had to leave. I didn't have time to get the answer I needed.”

  The image on the wall nodded gently. “I know. This is why I made the not inconsiderable effort to activate this telepresence. This is not a simple physical representation of my body but a manifestation directed by my will and thus requires energy expenditure which I cannot afford for long. As well, I must keep a part of me ready to accept and host Kat should she return. I am in effect, juggling two operations that require very different mental preparations and energy.”

  I nodded, not because I understood but because I was grateful she was there, seemingly unhurt. “If you could answer my question about Kat that would be helpful.”

  The image on the wall expanded until most of the projection was of Meeta's eyes. She'd done it to show how closely she was listening but I wondered if she realized how weird it made me feel looking up at her? The image quality was impressive. I could see the veins pumping blood, even the Aqueous Humor that the cornea floated upon. Her pupil was as big as my chest. “You wish to know when Kat will return? A serious question that unfortunately I cannot answer definitively. She will return when the Keeper allows it. She may never return. For him it is all about the numbers,” she said with obvious distaste.

  “I guess that settles it then.”

  I felt surprisingly undeterred by the news. The energy I’d taken was a powerful drug inside me. I felt like I could do anything. Even take down Kailex by myself.

  “I’ll have to do this without her.”

  The onscreen eyes narrowed and though the face was lost outside the projection I knew it was frowning.

  “Do what?” she demanded.

  “Go after Kailex,” I replied, already thinking what I might need. “He's a monster and right now I'm the one with the best chance to stop him.”

  “What you say is the truth,” agreed Meeta gently, “but to go after him by yourself is foolish. With Kat you’re much more powerful. She can heal and protect you, enhance your fighting skills. Then there’s Fusto. He's a null, an Elite specifically bred to kill Hunters. By himself he's too powerful for you. The two of you together? Maybe you succeed.” Meeta shook her head. “If you try this on your own, you‘ll be killed. You need to wait for Kat.”

  I laughed. “You don't understand. I can't wait. He buried hundreds of people under tons of rubble yesterday. I saved one when I could have saved them all if I‘d stopped him when I‘d had the chance! That’s on me now. And what he does next; that’s also on me. I can’t let anyone else get hurt.” I shrugged. “And If I don’t make it, Kat can get another host. You said it yourself, shadows are expendable. That's part of our charm. Kat can keep coming at him one host after another until the job‘s done.”

  I hadn't meant to sound bitter. But I had. No matter. The truth was the truth. My life was ruined. Even if I succeeded, Walker would find me eventually. Then I’d be locked away. No matter how I looked at it, I had no future. While I was still free, I might as well do the right thing.

  “Throwing your life away won’t save your world.”

  Meeta sighed. “And your world is in danger.” Suddenly her face disappeared, replaced with a view of the Kailex building as it had been before the incident. Even as I watched it seemed to shimmer and then a white light gathered first at the top and then punched downward like a fist with a hollow boom. After that the view disappeared in a chaos of shaky camera work and flying debris. The camera seemed to hit the ground and then a second later was picked up and run erratically toward the event. A second boom a moment later lifted the camera into the air and sent it tumbling to the ground. In the background I heard someone repeating “Oh my God! Oh my God!” over and over. Then the earth opened up and the camera fell, still filming while it bounced its way down the crevasse. For a second the young terrified face of a boy, wide eyed, mouth open as he fell was framed in the camera's eye. Then it distanced itself from him as they fell. There was a thin scream before the camera crashed against something hard enough to end its digital life.

  “This video was recovered by one of your news casts and shown on their network.”

  Meeta was back on the wall but only half size this time. She was using part of the wall to show a freeze frame of the event as it transpired. “See the way the force projects downward and the buildings simply fall into the hole created? For one complete second that force is unstoppable. There is no blow-back, no debris fiel
d, just pure energy converting matter into more energy. This is very dangerous technology. It's too advanced to integrate easily with any of your current tech so there’s only one good reason for him to build such a thing. He plans to use it as a weapon.”

  I nodded. “He's a maniac. Maybe not even sane. I don't think holding the world ransom is beneath him. In fact, I think he’d rather like taking center stage to get what he wants.”

  I straightened up, walked over to Belle and gently stroked her head. “So that means it's up to us girl. Can you find him for me?”

  The great cat stretched under my hand and then sent me a clear image of prey being stalked and killed. The kill was quick, as if the prey had been near and hadn't taken much effort to run down. “Belle says she can find Kailex and that he's close,” I informed Meeta. “That's good. If we can find him, we can get to him. Maybe take him out if we’re lucky.”

  Meeta levelled a stern look at me. “Belle sent the same images to me and it’s obvious he’s not hiding. He doesn’t consider you a real threat. If you go through with this ridiculous plan you and Belle will be killed. Your deaths will be for nothing!”

  I allowed a little anger to creep into my own voice, “Discussion time is over. I'm going and so is Belle. I need her to track Kailex. Once I find him,” I stroked the big cat's head, “I’ll send her back to you. I won't risk her...“ I shrugged. “If I fail you’ll need her to track him down again.”

  Belle twisted under my hand and pulled away, angrily showing teeth. The image of the prey being hunted and killed swept through my mind again, along with the strong sense that there was no way she was leaving me to hunt by myself. A wave of gratitude threatened to overwhelm me. After all I'd done, she was still willing to stand by me.

  “You’ll need a weapon,” said Meeta, finally seeming to accept the situation. A drawer in the wall opened. Inside was a short staff, much like the one Brenal-Tik had brandished, as well as a light vest and heavy belt. Both the vest and belt looked a little too ornamental for me. I held them up dubiously for a better look.