by Nick Braker
Magnus pushed off the wall he had rested on, leaving a spot of perspiration behind. A wave of dizziness came and went as he approached the ornate door. His strained breath hissed in and out between clenched teeth as he struggled to get enough air into his lungs. The bacteria and radiation hadn’t killed him, yet, but it had affected him. His Aliri augmented body had won but it had come with a price. The exhaustion permeated his entire body, leaving him sore and tired. His stomach growled and his mouth was dry. He needed to rest. Kron’s lighter gravity helped. On Earth, he’d have no strength to stand. It felt exactly like the gravity on the alien ship they had secured so many months ago. The Kron were behind it. If only he were lucky enough to find their queen, the one they called Katerra. She’d pay.
The door slid aside as he approached.
Strange.
Inside, stars filled the far wall on the opposite side of the large room from one edge to the other. It looked like a mosaic but the stars twinkled and shimmered. Was it a view outside? Close to the wall of stars, a female stood with her back to him on a raised floor. Between them, immediately behind the Kron woman was a wall of crystal-clear glass. It went from floor to ceiling, leaving two openings on both sides. Six steps led up on either side, allowing access to view the stars. In the center of the room was a small hexagonal table covered with a glass top. It glowed but, from this distance, Magnus couldn’t see any detail. A single, closed door sat dead center on the left wall of the room.
He stepped inside, sensing the door behind him quietly slide shut.
“Welcome, Magnus,” the female said.
She kept her back to him, unmoving. Her raven black hair reminded him of Alara’s. It flowed down her back in long curls, reaching just above her hips. She wore shiny black shoes similar to the ones Carena wore. Her slacks were dark blue and smooth, hugging the curves of her body. A white shirt clung snugly to her, revealing the contours of her hips and back.
She turned smoothly around to face him, her pale white hands still clasped behind her back. The v-cut shirt stopped at the midpoint between her breasts. It didn’t matter, he would kill her if she interfered with his escape but there was no need to waste time doing that if she didn’t make him. He had to find a way back to his team and get them off Kron. Ruth would try to stop him but he planned to stay behind once he got them to safety. He’d deal with Ruth then.
“I suppose you’re probably assessing your possibilities of escape,” she said, looking briefly down at the floor. “Perhaps wondering if you need to kill me, make a run for the door to my right or perhaps try to use the glass computer monitor on the table between us.”
“I don’t have time to waste on you,” he said, moving to the far door.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
Damn, this woman is confident of herself. She’s relaxed and completely unconcerned about the danger she’s facing.
Magnus moved toward the door on the left wall, ignoring her.
“Aren’t you curious as to who I am?” she asked.
“No,” he answered quickly.
Wait, her voice.
He stopped. Where had he heard that voice before? His eyes opened wide and he ground his teeth, grimacing.
Katerra.
“My name is-”
“Katerra, queen of Kron,” he finished her words for her, “and one of the dumbest bitches I’ve ever met. You are exactly who I am looking for. You made a huge fucking mistake telling me that.”
This was the one he wanted. The cause of all the pain, all the torture he’d endured. She was the one behind it all. His anger flared, detonating over and over for each death she had caused. His fists clenched in a white knuckled grip. Not entirely aware of the decision he made, Magnus rushed left, heading up the short set of stairs to the landing she stood so casually upon.
“Careful-” Katerra said.
Magnus slammed, face first, into another forcefield. It knocked him back, stunning him. He lost his balance and fell, sliding across the smooth floor. The blackness thinned and his vision returned as the stun faded. He opened his eyes, putting his hand to his head as he gently shook it.
Magnus lurched to his feet and ran to the right side of the room but this time he reached his hand out, testing for another forcefield. His hand bounced back, sending a jolt of pain through his fingertips.
“Hiding behind your technology?” Magnus said.
Calm down, dude. You have to think this through.
“I want to talk,” Katerra answered.
“Talk?” he shouted. “You murdering bitch. You want to talk?”
She paused, staring at him.
“Yes.”
Calm... the... fuck... down. Take a breath.
The tension faded, his fists unclenched and he straightened his posture. It helped take the edge off his anger but nothing would turn it off. He wanted revenge and if he could convince her of his willingness to talk, he might have a shot at killing her.
“Let’s talk but I go first,” Magnus said. “Why?”
“Expected and understandable,” she answered. “The answer is simple, though you will find it hard to believe. The Aliri tricked both of our species.”
His jaw dropped and his anger threatened to return full force. Was she kidding? Was this the best lie she could manufacture? Magnus closed his eyes, letting his head fall back. He took in a deep breath. He wanted to laugh.
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Magnus said. “The Aliri have been helping us against you. You remember, don’t you? Those crazy bitches you send our way. One tried to suffocate us, another one tried to starve us to death and your latest attempt was to blow us up.” He gritted his teeth, seething. “Did you succeed?”
“No,” Katerra answered. “Your planet is fine. The one you call Li was successful.”
Fuck yeah. Li, I owe you girl, big time.
“Did she kill your Omarii?” he asked. He wanted to keep her talking as he worked through his options.
Katerra’s eyes flashed. It looked like anger to Magnus.
“Yes, she did,” Katerra answered, “and I’m grateful that she succeeded.”
“What?” he asked. “You’re shitting me? This has got to be a trick. There’s no point in talking if you’re going to lie to me.”
“While I do not completely understand the idiom you used, I believe I understand your intent with it.”
Katerra took several measured steps towards the forcefield separating them. She stopped on the other side of it, looking down the short flight of steps at Magnus. His dizziness returned.
“I’m not lying to you,” she continued.
“Okay, I’ll bite. What was it?” Magnus asked. “You changed your mind, seen the error of your ways, or you found religion?” He snorted, continuing. “Tell me why, now that I’m here, you no longer wish to see Earth destroyed.”
Her hand twitched, subtle but he was sure he saw the motion.
What the hell?
Magnus couldn’t believe his eyes. Katerra looked uncomfortable. Something warred inside her and her composure had slipped. Could he rely on his ability to read people? They were alien and that meant nothing was guaranteed. He remembered Alara’s words about both her father and Katerra being masters of deception.
“You’re playing with me,” he said.
“Are you hungry?” she asked.
He paused, turned his head away from her and closed his eyes in frustration. Was all of this just a game to her?
“What? You plan to poison me?” he asked.
“Now you’re playing with me,” she said, completely at ease. “I could have killed you at the very beginning or at any time since then. I brought you to Kron, remember?”
Katerra smiled down at him. Her bronze eyes accented her perfect features. Katerra was a queen and Magnus could see why. She exuded confidence and her eyes watched him intently, trying to pierce through his barriers, looking for weaknesses. She assessed him as he tried to assess her. Magnus would have to be
careful with her, more so than any other person he’d ever met. She was deadly.
“You’re incredibly self-assured behind your little force-”
“I deactivated it just after you touched it,” she said, interrupting him.
Was she testing him? If she wasn’t, she was prepared for anything he might do. No, she had the upper hand or she wouldn’t expose herself to being killed. He’d have to wait... find a weakness, something. He wanted to crush the life out of her but his logical side screamed it would mean his death.
“Magnus,” she continued, “before you try to kill me, let’s finish our talk. At least give me that. Hear me out.”
Katerra stepped down and walked past him. Her hands were clasped behind her again. He toyed with the idea of choking her right there. All he’d have to do was reach out, put his hands around her neck and end all of this but he paused. Why? She reached the glass tabletop monitor in the middle of the room. Katerra touched it several times like a keyboard and then turned to face him again.
“What makes you so sure I can’t kill you right now?” he asked. “You realize what I’m capable of-”
“You’re brilliant, strong and resilient,” she said. “You desperately want to kill me but something holds you back. You haven’t figured out why yet but you will. As I did.”
“Keep going,” he said. “You certainly aren’t waiting for guards to come running. Now that I’m here, I’m certain you led me here. It’s obvious in hindsight. The forcefields and the doors that opened conveniently. My clothing? You’re doing?” Katerra nodded and he continued. “You’re right, you could have killed all of us. So, okay. I’ll hear you out but I warn you, no lies.”
Her head tilted forward and slightly sideways. The ornate door opened. Was he wrong? Were guards about to come rushing through? Magnus tensed, parsing through his options. It was a single Kron male holding a tray of food and drink. Magnus’ shoulders relaxed, no guards. The aroma of something sweet with a citrus foundation reached his nose. It triggered his hunger.
“Varuuk,” Katerra said, “place the tray down and leave. Speak to no one of what you have seen here.”
“Yes, my queen,” Varuuk answered.
The Kron male kept his head lowered, never looking up. Varuuk’s thin frame and gaunt face mimicked the drawings people reported of aliens that had supposedly abducted them. Magnus frowned. Varuuk looked emaciated under the loose fitting light gray robe. Sniffing the air, Magnus’ eyes widened. Varuuk smelled of something sharp and acrid, perhaps metallic. Magnus recognized the odor. Varuuk smelled like the aliens from the spacecraft they stole on Earth.
Varuuk placed the tray down and then set two small plates on opposite sides of the table. He left. Katerra touched the glass top again and two chairs floated in from the opposite door. They darted across the room and stopped near the table.
“Affix,” she said. The chairs moved into position on opposite sides of the table and lowered in place.
“Sit,” Katerra said, motioning to the chair across from hers.
Magnus hesitated. All of this was nothing like he had dreamed. His hands should be around her throat watching the light fade from her eyes. Why was he holding back? It had to be a trick or delay tactic but it didn’t make sense. Katerra was right, she could have killed him at any point. This was all planned and she had led him here to talk. Magnus didn’t want to talk. He wanted to kill her, but she was right, something didn’t add up. He took a step toward his chair. The next step was easier and then the next. He reached the chair and then they both sat, in tandem, facing each other.
“You will find the food is safe for your species,” she said.
The corners of her mouth curled up. What was she hinting at? She knew something.
Damn it, is this a ruse?
“How do you speak our language?” Magnus asked, grabbing a dark-orange colored piece of food.
She looked at him in surprise.
“Technology.”
Katerra smiled, watching him examine the food in his hand.
“No need to peel it,” she said. “Just bite. Are you typical of your species?”
She grabbed a baseball sized piece of food from the tray.
She doesn’t know what the Aliri did to me... to us.
“Yes,” he replied, biting into it, “trained... but typical. You said the Aliri tricked both of us. How? Why?”
Magnus wiped the juice from his chin. It tasted like an orange but it was concentrated. The flavor was sweet, sour and it was juicy. He took a larger bite.
“I see. So, your strength is typical. Training?”
She nibbled on her food. It was perfectly round and colored amber.
“Aliri... How? Why?” he said, bringing her back to his questions.
“They want to destroy us,” Katerra said, leaning back in her chair. “As you can see they have not been successful... though they did come close.”
“The black ash,” he said. “Yes, I heard about that. You still haven’t answered my questions.”
“As to the how, they convinced your species that we were the enemy.”
“You are.” He finished his piece, grabbing several grape-like objects on the tray.
“If you look at the facts, you will see a pattern. The Aliri want to destroy Kron and they are using Earth to help... unwittingly, of course.”
Magnus popped the fruit in his mouth. His eyes squinted as the tartness hit his taste buds. A lemon would be envious of this fruit.
“Try harder,” Magnus said, leaning back.
Another wave of dizziness came and went. His strength was returning and his exhaustion was fading.
“I attacked you because our systems told me you would be a danger to Kron in the future. If you were to reverse our roles, what would you do if you learned and were convinced that Kron would attack Earth in the future? No need to answer but allow me to continue.” She set her fruit on her plate. “I recently learned the Aliri deceived me and I have changed my position-”
“You’ve changed your position?” Magnus said, raising his voice. “You tried to murder over five billion sentient beings-”
Her hand twitched. Katerra slammed it into the glass table top and then stood.
“And I would destroy a thousand times that if it meant Kron would survive,” Katerra said, putting her hands on the table and leaning over it toward him.
Magnus rose. He slammed his hands on the table, mimicking her motion.
“And I would kill each and every one of you if you tried,” he told her, pausing, “and I may still do it... so you better convince me I shouldn’t.”
They glared at each other for several moments. Her anger faded from her face and she turned away. She walked back to stand in front of the wall of stars again.
“Join me,” Katerra ordered.
“I’m not your lapdog,” Magnus said.
Katerra turned her head toward him, nodding once.
“Join me... please,” she said.
I’ve got to figure this out. She’s willing to play nice and she’s making sense but the pieces aren’t fitting together.
Magnus grabbed several more of the grape-like fruit, stuffing them in his mouth. He climbed the stairs, moving to stand to her right. Katerra’s gaze was distant. She stood as tall as Magnus, their eyes level with each other.
“Magnus, we can’t see our own stars... day or night, ever,” she said in a near whisper.
If these weren’t Kron’s actual stars, then Magnus was looking at a reproduction... a video perhaps. She waved her hand and the screen changed showing Citron below. The entire wall was a video screen but now it was clear glass. Magnus was looking at Kron’s atmosphere from the top of Katerra’s complex. The storm must have abated and the black ash had returned to its slow and eerie pace. Her voice returned to normal.
“The Cortians did this to us when my mother reigned over Kron. The Aliri used them, just like they are using humans. Magnus, the murderers are the Aliri and they are using you in an atte
mpt to destroy us.” Katerra clasped her hands in front of her. “Magnus, how many of your people did they kill as they manipulated events to set you against us? Did they claim it would upset the time line? What lies did they tell to convince you?”
“When we found out,” Magnus said, “we were all furious but it did make sense. If one could save millions by killing just one person.”
“Does your species agree with their methods?” she asked.
Magnus shook his head. “No, not really... life is precious to us. By the way, I don’t agree with your methods either.”
Katerra lowered her head.
“I ask forgiveness for killing your loved one-”
His anger returned and he put his hand to his head, rubbing it.
“Don’t go there,” he growled. It came out quickly as he reacted to her reference to Beth.
Something changed. The fog cleared from his mind like a veil being lifted from his eyes. Had his anger done it? Grep was right, they did have some kind of subtle mental influence on others and Katerra had been using it on him the entire time. His control slipped and the memory of Beth’s death brought all his pain back.
His hands burned like someone inserted razorblades under his fingernails. Magnus brought his hands up, staring at them. Each finger had a claw extending from the tip. He had claws? How was this possible? His body burst into pain but movement to his left interrupted his thoughts. An enemy was near. He had to kill it. Magnus snapped his hands up, locking them around its neck. He looked down at her. She was shorter now. His enemy grabbed his wrists trying to break his grip.
