When he got about ten metres from the trolley, Seb stopped to catch his breath. Wet and sore, his head pounded. Because he had nothing left to give, he fell limp on the hard ground, the rush of water from the soaking several metres away spreading out and forming a puddle beneath him. Even with the cold, he’d stay there if they could just give him some time to rest.
Although Seb had some memory of what had happened in the cage, it resided within him more as an anxious gnawing than a clear recollection of the details. What had they done to them? Why were so many of the slaves unconscious? The throbbing headache seemed to emanate from a sore spot in the centre of his forehead.
When Seb got to his feet, he saw many of the other creatures in the space had done the same. The few who hadn’t were already stirring. Only a couple of guards in there with them, they all put down their buckets and herded the slaves into a tight pack like they’d done all along.
They must have been in the fourth barn, because when they opened the doors, Seb saw the cage they’d landed in when they came down the chimney.
All of the slaves moved in time with one another. Slow and lethargic steps, they’d been chewed up and spat out again, passive compliance the only thing left in them.
When they exited the barn, Seb felt the humid press of the dark space. Much warmer than his drenched body, but he kept his attention on the ground to save looking at anything else around him. Keep his head down and hopefully this would all be over soon.
Then someone grabbed Seb’s arm. He spun around and raised his fist to strike them down. His own defiance scared him and he quickly cowered, awaiting an inevitable beating.
The being who’d grabbed Seb kept a hold of him and dragged him away from the path into the shadows. Some of those around him looked for a second before they returned their attention to their feet.
“Please don’t hurt me,” Seb said. “I didn’t mean to raise my fist at you.”
“What’s wrong with you?”
Seb squinted in the darkness. “Sparks?”
“Who else? Now stop talking out loud before you get us killed.”
The reason for him being there came back to Seb. Although foggy, the memory of his mission returned.
Before Seb could say anything else, SA moved in front of him and helped him put his thick winter coat on. She stared at him as they stood in the shadows, her bioluminescence cut intermittently by her repeated blinking. I’m so sorry. I should have protected you better.
It took for SA to reach forward and wipe his tears away for Seb to realise they’d been there in the first place. Now he’d started, he couldn’t stop. He fell forwards into her arms and sobbed on her shoulder. Don’t be sorry. I’m so glad to see you. He reached out for Sparks and pulled her in too. To see both of you.
A few seconds later, Sparks pulled away. Can you remember what happened in there so we can tell Moses?
Seb searched his mind. It was almost as if his memories were electrified, a slight shock jolting through him every time he touched on one from the process he’d just been put through. Painful, but he could do it. Yes, he finally said. I don’t like to, but yes.
Although SA stepped away from Seb, she continued to hold onto his hands as she stared at him. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make you right again.
I think you must have done something already. The fact I can access my memories seems much more than any slave has been able to do so far.
Sparks then said, SA and I checked this place out while you were in the barns. The guards are so relaxed about their control over the slaves that we can walk out of here without any problems. I just need to make sure you can keep the noise down. No sudden outbursts, right?
What about all of the other slaves? What’s going to happen to them?
It took for SA to squeeze his hand for Seb to realise she still had a hold of it. Remember, we need to get this information to Moses. Hopefully, it will lead us closer to Enigma.
How will it do that? Seb said.
I’m not sure. SA shrugged. But our mission was to find the Countess’ slave ring and find out what she does to the slaves. Maybe what we tell him will give him a clue that can help us put an end to all of this, not just this one section of it. We kick off now and we’ll blow that chance. Come on, I hate to leave them too, but it’s the right play.
Confused and exhausted, Seb let SA lead him away. They followed Sparks, who walked a metre or two ahead of them.
CHAPTER 50
Because Sparks had already called ahead, when they stepped from the cave, Seb saw Owsk waiting for them. He hovered nearby with the ship’s cargo bay door wide open. It took a nudge from SA, but with Seb’s rapidly dropping body temperature, he didn’t need much encouragement to get on the ship first.
While changing out of his soaked clothes, Seb watched the other two throw the guard they’d captured onto the ship after him. The pathetic creature yelped as it skidded along the metal floor and crashed into the far wall.
As much as Seb wanted to kick the wretched being in the face, his extremities had already turned numb. Bad enough that he’d had to be rescued by his friends, if he took too long, he’d be so cold he’d need them to dress him too.
Not that it stopped Seb staring down at the thing while he changed. They’d taken the crimson robe from it, exposing the whimpering creature beneath. Not much taller than Sparks, it was the same porcupine species as the beings he’d dealt with in Aloo’s sewers.
Owsk remained in the cockpit, but Buster had come down to open the doors for them. He also stared at their hostage, appraising it with his pallid glare before looking at SA and Sparks as they climbed in. “I’ve drowned creatures just for looking like this one.”
The being shuffled away from Buster.
“How come you have him with you?”
“He caught us leaving,” Sparks said. “We had to either kill him or abduct him. Either way, he had to go missing. I’m hoping he might be some use to us.”
Although he kept his focus on the porcupine, Buster said, “How long do you think it will be before they notice he’s gone?”
Sparks stared at him until he looked up at her. “We had no other choice.”
Buster shrugged.
“Despite what Seb’s just gone through,” Sparks said, “we still don’t know any more about where Enigma is. We figured this guard might be able to answer some questions when we get him back to Moses.”
The guard squirmed on the floor and shook its head. “I don’t know anything. We’re conditioned not to be able to talk about what we’ve seen.”
After retrieving a dry coat from the pegs beside her, Sparks threw it at Seb and whacked her fist against the button to shut the cargo bay doors. The finality of it clearly distressed the porcupine creature. Any hope he might have had about getting out of there drew closed in front of him.
Other than the pathetic slaver’s cries and whimpers, none of the others made a sound. The doors fully shut, Sparks turned to the wretched thing. “Well, you’d best get good at remembering what you’ve been conditioned to be quiet about. It makes no difference to us how much we hurt you to get what we need from you. It’s in there somewhere, and we’ll get it out, even if it means sawing your skull open and removing your memories with tweezers and a scalpel.”
As Seb draped the coat Sparks had given him over himself, he shivered from where the cold had gotten into his bones. He watched the interaction between the two.
The creature cried, snot running from his shiny black nose. “I’ve told you, I can’t speak about it, even if I wanted to.”
Sparks moved so quickly, Seb only saw the blue bolt once it had left her computer. It grounded against the porcupine, giving off a loud buzz. The creature twisted in response to the shock, his small legs kicking out as he rolled on the ground.
I can see into his head, SA said.
When Seb saw Buster flinch, he assumed she’d said it to all of them.
Narrowing her blue eyes as she concentrated, SA con
tinued. He’s telling the truth. There’s a darkness in there. Something that’s been planted in him to stop him speaking about what he knows. She looked at Seb, sadness glazing her eyes. It’s similar to what’s inside Seb’s head, but less—she sighed—damaged.
Seb breathed through his nose while clenching and unclenching his jaw. Streaks of thoughts ran through his mind, but they didn’t stop long enough for him to make much sense of them. Although, he felt their emotion as he cycled through rage, sadness, fear …
Can you undo it? Sparks asked.
I’m not sure.
Because SA had continued to watch Seb as she spoke, it felt like she was talking about him. He returned his attention to the slaver so he didn’t have to think about it.
“So, just because you can’t speak about what you’ve done,” Sparks said, “that doesn’t make you entirely useless. We must be able to do something with you.”
The porcupine creature whined and whimpered but didn’t reply. He had no right to play the victim now. Not after what he’d done.
While stroking the end of her computer—the end that fired electricity—Sparks said, “What were you doing to the slaves in that cave?”
He whined again and shook his head. “I can’t talk about it.”
The fury Seb had felt in the small cell came at him again. From another galaxy, it moved with the speed of light and crashed into him, propelling him towards the nasty being. He loomed over it, using all his restraint not to lash out. “Were you conditioning them?”
The others looked at Seb, but he didn’t care. While shaking, he balled his hands into fists. “Were you breaking them so you can control them? Planting a reaction in them, that when triggered, will force them to let their rage loose?”
The creature didn’t reply quickly enough, so Seb lunged at him, his fist raised.
But Buster got in the way, holding him back as he stared into Seb’s eyes. “You don’t want to do this.”
It did enough to break Seb out of it. He looked at the other two before stepping back a few steps and falling against the wall. The rage had gone, his exhaustion returning in full.
Sparks pointed at the porcupine. “You didn’t say no, so it must be a yes. So you might not be able to tell us anything, but if we guess, you can’t deny it. Well, you could, but something about how scared you are tells me you won’t. I mean, you don’t want to be tortured, right?”
Although his rage had settled, Seb asked the creature, “Were you making them go to their own personal hell just so you can trigger it at a later date? So you can weaponise them?”
The porcupine didn’t answer, and Seb felt the attention of the others turn on him.
Buster’s mouth fell open. “That’s what they did to you?”
But Seb didn’t reply.
Sparks took over the questioning again. “Is Enigma on this planet?”
The creature stared at Sparks for a moment, its black eyes glazing.
“Well?” Sparks said and waved her computer at it.
It shook its head and looked at the floor.
A sneer lifted Sparks’ face. “I think this thing might be of use to us after all. It might only be able to give us yes or no answers, but that might be enough. Moses and Mr. H might be able to do something with that. Although, torturing him still gets my vote.”
But first, SA looked at Seb, we need to get whatever we can from him to help us mend Seb’s head.
Her words robbed Seb of what little strength he had left. Were it not for the cold metal wall behind him to rest against, he would have fallen over. If only he could have denied his head needed fixing.
CHAPTER 51
Fear sat in the periphery of Seb’s mind. A constant, it reminded him of the control it had over him. It reminded him that although he might choose his reactions most of the time, it could step in whenever it saw fit. It reminded him that when triggered, he would be pushed over the brink. Despite all of that, when he looked into SA’s blue eyes, he felt calmer. If anyone could help him, she could.
They’d moved out of the cargo bay into the medical area. Buster had remained below with the slaver. Before they’d gone up top, Seb made him promise he wouldn’t kill him. Although he’d been the one to step in when Seb had gone for him, he still looked reluctant when he agreed to the request with a nod. If Seb had been the one to remain down there, he would have been desperate to shoot the thing in the face too.
When SA leaned over Seb again, peering down on him with a deep frown on her face, he said, I know you can do this.
Her forehead wrinkled. HOW? I don’t know that I can. I’m scared, Seb.
I trust you. You’re smart and you have skill beyond any being I’ve ever met. I wouldn’t want anyone else but you trying to help me right now. I have faith it will be okay.
The bioluminescence of SA’s glare flicked from one of Seb’s eyes to the other as she took him in. Tears spread across them, magnifying their brilliant glow. I’m so sorry I shut you out. I was lying to myself to think I could cut my feelings off for you. I thought it was the best thing to do. It was cruel of me.
I think it was the exact opposite of cruel.
Huh?
You sacrificed your own happiness for the safety of the team. You’d rather suffer than put anyone around you at risk. I get it. But know I’ll never stop loving you. Ever.
I love you too. SA didn’t say anything else. When she frowned again to concentrate, Seb felt it.
Psychic fingers, they probed his mind. Tendrils of inquisition, they explored what the slavers had done to him, tentative in their exploration.
As SA dug deeper, Seb squirmed on the bed. The desire to get away twisted through him, but he fought it as best as he could.
Then the tendrils hit it. Whatever it was. A Pandora’s box within his mind. It triggered the same rush of fury. It came from somewhere years behind him. Before it took him over, Seb noticed Sparks run off. She must have seen it coming too.
The rage then crashed into Seb, forcing him upright as he lunged at SA. He leapt from the bed, but before he got to her, strong rocky arms caught him and gripped him around the waist.
Seb twisted and writhed to be free of the tight grip Owsk had on him, but he couldn’t get away. He spat and hissed. He bit down on his bottom lip with the effort of trying to donkey kick the troll behind him, but nothing worked.
His attention on SA in front, Seb saw her pull something from the medical kit. A dart of some sort. He’d seen it a thousand times with blades. She threw the dart at him and he felt the sharp sting of it in his neck.
A matter of seconds later, Seb’s world slowed. This time it had nothing to do with his gift. Although woozy, his heart quickened while everything else wound down, dragging him under.
By the time Owsk laid him back on the bed, he’d lost control of his limbs. He looked up at the granite face of his friend and slurred his words when he said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
The smile looked strange on Owsk’s face, a twisted version of reality from the sedative having kicked in.
SA replaced Owsk over him. I’m sorry to do that. This will put you to sleep for a time. It’ll help you rest while I work.
The tranquilliser felt like it had fattened Seb’s tongue. It now felt too large for his mouth and he had to focus to get his words out. “I love you, SA. I trust you.”
If she replied, he didn’t hear it. As his world slipped away, he saw SA crying more freely than before. Then everything pulled in to the tiniest pinprick of light. Darkness followed. SA squeezed his hand as all the muscles in his body fell limp.
CHAPTER 52
It must have been the jolt of the ship landing that brought Seb around. When he sat up on the bed, he saw SA watching him, her face a twisted wreck of worry. Did it work? he said.
It looked like SA had already been crying, and the question set her off again. She seemed to be in shock, traumatised even. Her facial expression barely changed, and her eyes were glazed and bloodshot. Te
ars ran rivers down her cheeks. I just don’t know. I’ve never tried to do something like this before. I don’t know.
When Seb tried to get off the bed, his head spun. He stopped still and breathed to settle himself.
“Just stay there; we’ll wheel you in.”
Although Seb didn’t see who’d just spoken, he didn’t need to. “Bruke?”
Both Bruke and Reyes appeared in front of him and folded his bed into a wheelchair. They stared pity at him when they were done.
Seb rolled his eyes. “You’ve heard about what happened, then? I’m the team invalid now, am I?”
Bruke looked close to tears. “Are you okay?”
After he’d shared eye contact with SA for a few seconds, Seb nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
“We’re going to wheel you in to see Moses. You shouldn’t be walking anywhere at the moment.”
As much as Seb wanted to argue with his scaled friend, he saw the futility in it. Instead, he fell back onto the bed, grateful for the rest. It had been a long time coming.
BOTH MOSES and Mr. H waited for Seb and the others in the conference room. They were sat at the front when they entered, but both of them got to their feet and walked up the aisle between the chairs to meet them.
The cold of the room’s air conditioning bit into Seb as he watched Moses come to him first. “Sparks told us you’re not in a good way,” the large shark said. He looked at SA. “Did you manage to fix him?”
The question made SA’s eyes glaze again. The rage Seb had felt before rushed through him and he leaned forwards. “It’s not her responsibility. She didn’t screw my mind up.” The others stared at Seb, making him relax back in his seat. Whatever SA had tried hadn’t worked, but he couldn’t show them that. Not yet. A rapid pulse belied the soft tone he forced into his voice. “Whatever will be will be. She did her best; now let’s not put all the focus on her, yeah? She’s done more than anyone else to help me.”
Moses took the reprimand with a dip of his head. He eyed Seb with caution as he said, “Of course. Sorry. Are you up for talking about what you’ve been through?”
Enigma: A Space Opera: Book Six of The Shadow Order Page 17
