by Devin Cain
"I think you two need to come up with a list of essentials. We have enough of that substance to make some decent money, but what about wages? We’re behind a couple of months already because of Cafka. At least that’s what I overheard some of the soldiers whispering."
"Right. But what about the parasites we found in their armory? We have three we know nothing about. Maybe we could sell one?"
"I have no idea. If we must, I’m all for that solution. Keep in mind, if you want people to join us, we’ll need to offer them something the others can’t: hope, hope for a better and more secure tomorrow."
I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed my temple. A bad headache had set in earlier and wasn’t disappearing any time soon.
"Do you need some-- company?" Kris asked as she leaned over the mahogany table. Her cleavage was ample enough for my eyes to linger a moment too long.
"If you got nothing better to do, sure," I replied as our eyes met.
"But not under the shower. Speaking of which--"
"I had one before you entered," I replied before she could ask the question.
"Good. A couple of minutes shouldn’t do anyone any harm," she whispered, turning toward the door.
"Devil, can you lock the door?" I said loud enough for her to hear me as well. A clicking sound echoed in the large chamber a mere second later.
"So, do you think I could end up pregnant?" Kris asked sometime later. "Do I need to ask the Doc about some kind of protection?"
"Really? Is that all that’s on your mind?"
"Why not? You’re not a woman, you’re a man. You probably never even thought about such a thing before, no?"
"I sure have, but—"
"Why the hell is the door locked?" Gremory yelled from the hallway. I sighed and turned toward the door.
"Devil, let her in, please."
The door opened to an audible click and hiss. Gremory rushed in and slammed it closed behind her.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"You recruited her to be part of us, no? What’s with the attitude?"
She narrowed her eyes on me and summoned the all too familiar black and white blade that was part of her Armament.
"So, you think this a good way to go about it? Have you ever heard about something called feelings?" she screamed. Her voice was at least two notes higher than it should have been, but I couldn’t really blame her. "And can you fucking move away from her already?"
"Right. I’ve heard about something called feelings, but what’s with the screaming? Besides, does it have to do with calling you out on your lover? Or did it only hurt because it has to do with Mikhail? That bastard gave me the creeps. He’s eviler than anything I could even imagine," I replied. "And you, go take a shower," I whispered, putting myself between the two women.
"And don’t you think there might have been a reason why I kept it from you? And fuck you, Devil! I’ll make you pay for this, just to be clear!"
"Yeah, you’re right. I shouldn’t have pried. But what’s done is done, there’s no going back now. In any case, you and I are together, no?"
She sighed, dropping on a chair beside us.
"So, do you want to hear my story? Is that what you really want?"
I nodded.
"I do, but only if you want to tell me yourself. I don’t want to pressure you, and obviously, it was a mistake to try and do it behind your back."
She sighed, her face a mask of sorrow.
"I used to be part of The Host, even if it sounds very unbelievable."
"An Angel?"
She nodded, but refused to meet my eyes.
"I looked different back then, but let’s be honest, I prefer my current body," she chuckled. "Anyway, we were ordered to destroy a legion for going overboard and killing millions of aliens on a faraway planet. So, when we got there, they immediately opened fire on us. I was a tier two awakened back then, with the most basic Angel for Armament. Four of us died outright to their batteries and missile strike."
She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath.
"I had no idea," I replied, but became even more interested in the whole situation.
"Yeah, well, no one on this ship knows, even Devil. He only knows some of the stuff I told him, nothing more. Anyway, I was the lone survivor when Mikhail and Ariel showed up. They made short work of both the ship and what remained of the aliens down on that planet. I couldn’t help but rebel. Sure, the captain of the ship was to be held responsible, but what about the thousands who had nothing to do with it? Even more, what about the millions down on that planet?
"I can only imagine," I said. "Rebellion suits you."
"Hah! You have no idea. Anyway, they were already wronged, and then she just went and killed the remaining survivors. Later they told me that it was a very empathic race and that the only way to calm their suffering was to kill them. I have no idea if they lied or not, but I didn’t like the solution. It was too much for me. So I talked to Mikhail about it, trusting him as my direct superior to provide guidance."
"And he didn’t care?" I asked.
"No. Well, sort of. He talked to our ‘father’, or God if you will, and once he finished, I was escorted by four others who held me down as Mikhail ripped my wings out and burned them."
"Wait, what? Why the hell would he order such a thing?"
"He saw Lucifer in me, or at least that’s what Mikhail told me. It didn’t matter that I was a low tier Angel, a rebellion had to be nipped in the bud. See, I lost my Armament and was thrown to Earth the same day where I lived in the sewers and slums for three long years before he found me."
"Lucifer?" I asked.
She nodded.
"Now, do you feel any better knowing all of this shit? You feel any better after hearing everything?"
"I would feel much better if I knew everything about you, but that would be too much to ask, huh?"
"You said it yourself, not I," she replied. "Depending on how busy you are, I might have the time to tell you a little bit more about my—past."
"In that case, let me pour us a drink. You choose what you want to talk about, I’ll just sit here and listen quietly." I got up and got us two glasses, then poured them full to the brim and took a sip before I leaned into the sofa.
"A long time ago, in a distant life, I had a friend. Her name was Sophia, a short but extremely smart blondie. We used to hang out together before and after battles, killing time by doing whatever."
"This was after The Host?"
She nodded, taking a sip as well.
"Some two years after I joined the legion. So there was this mission, and that was when Cafka just started out, where he sent us down to establish a foothold on an insect-like world. They swarmed us from all sides, butchering hundreds of soldiers before he finally agreed on a retreat and sent the dropships down to pick us up. So, we lose another two hundred on the retreat and barely make it out alive."
"Wait, how old was that piece of shit when he came here? He didn’t look all that old the few times I’ve seen him."
"Oh, aren’t the wonders of medicine and science marvelous in this day and age?"
"Right, figures. But how the hell did he manage to create such nasty looking kids? I mean, sure, it isn’t our fault for how they end up looking, but he must have pissed off the almighty creator royally."
"Oh, that he did. He was full of crap when his wife became pregnant, and with crap, I mean experimental drugs. Anyway, we get back to the ship, and he waits up there with a couple platoons pointing their weapons right at us and has me step up. So naturally Sophia does the only thing she thinks rational and steps up alongside me. A couple more follow suit, while the rest stay motionless."
Her voice drifted off along with a haunted look.
"If you don’t want to—"
"No, it’s fine. See, you need to understand what an awakening is. It’s nothing like yours, not even close. But anyway, he thinks us girls responsible for drawing attention out ourselves. The next thing I see is hi
m storming up and holding a gun to my head, but he didn’t squeeze the trigger, no, he stepped up to Sophia and placed his gun at her forehead, then squeezed the trigger. That son of a bitch put a bullet to her head, killing her instantly. That’s when I lost it and started awakening. Lucifer told me it’s gonna be painful, but that shit was unlike anything I’d ever felt."
"Oh, I know the feeling. All my bones melted inside my body and exit through my skin,"
"Yeah, I felt the same way. So, once it was over, I got up and attacked the bastard who stood there, but he turned out being a shitty clone or something, so I was tortured among other things. You see, I had no one to help me out, so I went through the same shit you did."
"What happened to—"
"Sophia?" she interrupted. "She was thrown out like trash, so I flipped and killed his firstborn. He tried to have me executed, but I held my own since I was a natural that grasped how the Armament worked within the first few hours."
"Shit, I never knew he had another one."
"Yeah, and this one was actually promising, but I didn’t care. I needed to have my revenge. Now, you’re the only one still living who knows this story, so please keep it like that."
"Thanks for trusting me. And yes, I can totally imagine him being such a creep and asshole. But damn, you really destroyed his house, or family, or whatever it was named. Speaking of which, was he really that important to get away with the shit he’s been doing all those years?"
"He was the grand-grand something son of the one who first established the Steel Legion alongside Lucifer. But those were different times where people still had respect for each other, not like now. People are just numbers, nothing more, nothing less."
"So he enjoyed the good name of his predecessors, huh? Fucking scum, didn’t even do anything to earn his position."
"It’s like that in most of the Legions, trust me. So, you have enough yet for one time?"
"I do, to be honest," I replied. "Now that it’s out of the way, do you feel any sense of relief?"
She shrugged.
"I would have rather left old wounds untouched, but it is what it is. In any case, now that you know who it was, what do you plan to do?"
"Nothing really. I assume he can easily kill me in the state I’m in. Unless he becomes an enemy by future actions, I don’t think he warrants any of our time."
"That’s the correct response, Commander. Speaking of Mikhail, Ariel, his consort, is almost as strong as he is. So that you know."
"Maybe for now, but not once I upgrade to tier four. I’ll need to start working on getting stronger, so we don’t get sucker-punched by anyone."
"Hey, you got me and those two weirdo underlings, don’t you?"
"And most important of all, I got you."
"What a change of events, huh?" she asked, curling around me and taking her place on my legs. "You think we could go for a round?"
I shrugged.
"If you say yes, we might."
"Heh," she chuckled. "You’re such an idiot. I can see why Lucifer took a liking to you, overprotective and headstrong. As to your proposal, where do you want to do it?"
Chapter Twenty-Five
"Fucking hell! The ship’s been groaning and screeching for two days now! How much longer do you think we can take?" Kris cursed as she walked up to me in the officer’s lounge.
"Devil? How much longer will it take?" I asked for the hundredth time.
"As long as I need," he replied, for the hundredth time. "But I have some good news too. The ship will cover all repairs so we can make it back to Earth."
"Oh? So we won’t need the other three ships?" I asked curiously.
"Well, I would prefer eating them so we can upgrade our batteries, armor, and overall mass. There’s a lot of things wrong with me. We need materials for missiles, energy capacitors, conductors for the energy-based weapons as well as the shield and a hundred other things you do not know off."
"No, I may not know, but Kris here," I said and put my hand around her waist, "She sure does. Keep coordinating with her, especially once you’ve eaten the other two ships."
"Whatever. Don’t let the power get to your head just like with your predecessors. I’ve survived them all," Devil snarled before he went silent.
"He’s so hard to deal with," I murmured. "Sure, he’s ancient, and sure, he’s strong, but we’re in this together. Anyway, what’s the update on Gremory?" I asked.
"She’s done with the first ship. There wasn’t a single soul on board, so she’s towing it toward us. Gremory will be here within the hour, and then another six until the second ship arrives if the situation doesn’t change."
"Good, good. That will speed the process up by a lot. Damn, do I love that woman. Fierce and strong, dangerous, and protective. She’s to die for, don’t you think?"
Kris stared at me coldly, as if I’d just killed her cat.
"Right. She sure is," she murmured and turned her back to me.
"But so are you," I whispered. She snapped her head around and glared. "Whoa now, don’t you get all angry and snappy at me, lady secretary."
"I thought that was over once the two of you made up earlier. So you still want to share me?"
I shrugged.
"If you want to. I got nothing against it."
"Whatever. We’ll talk once she’s back. I got duties to attend to, unlike you, sir," she snapped a salute and stormed out the officer’s lounge. I couldn’t help but chuckle at her attitude. Ever since Gremory caught us, she’d been flustered when around me. She couldn’t help it, I guessed.
The door opened again, drawing my renewed attention. I was surprised to see the doc strolling in like she owned the place.
"Woah there, shouldn’t you be resting?" I asked as she sat next to me. She was half-naked, the smart suit torn in many places as she stood on shaky legs.
"Heh, you didn’t want to visit, so I thought I’d come to see you."
"How about we retreat into the inner chambers? There’s no need for everyone to be gawking at us."
"Thank you, Admiral," she said weakly and leaned into the comfortable plush pillows behind her. The sofa groaned under our combined weight, but it held. What also held was my mouth. I wanted to tease her about the groaning of wood beneath our asses, but I kept it to myself.
"No problem," I replied, studying her outer appearance. The changes were minimal but for the strange aura that enveloped her, almost like an afterglow. Her dark skin looked slightly lighter than it had been but rougher. I couldn’t help it, so I put my hand on a naked patch of skin, just under her right breast and squeezed. Surely, it had a rough texture, almost like tree bark. Did we all change similarly after the mutation?
"Hey!" she snapped, pushing my hand away. "What the hell are you doing squeezing me so hard for?"
"Huh? Sorry if I was too rough, but I just did your job for you. Look," I said, placing my arm next to the spot I touched. "We got the same rough tree bark-like texture, though mine is a few stages worse. Anyway, how are you feeling? Any interesting ideas since you awakened? What have you inherited from the madman, or rather mad Gebradim housing it before you?"
"I’m feeling tired, exhausted even, and your questions aren’t helping much," she groaned. "Anyway, I’ve come out of the vat only half an hour ago and came here directly. As for your other questions, yes, there’s a lot on my mind. Especially with all the confiscated materials from the ship that rammed us."
"Oh?" I asked curiously and perched up closer to her. She scowled as if I stank to high heaven. I sniffed my armpit, but it smelled like soap.
"It’s not you, Asclepius proposed something stupid to me. Anyway, I think, well, he thinks that we could create artificial parasites. Or rather concoctions that could partially enhance our soldiers. Enhance their capabilities if you will."
Oh, I was all ears now.
"Go on, tell me more," I said hurriedly leaning even closer into her private space.
"Why are you so close? Asclepius is already an
noying enough with his need to improve things. I don’t need you up my ass as well," she whispered, pushing me to an arm’s length. "Better. Anyway, I would have to take your blood as well. I’ve already gathered samples from your two underlings. We would have to run some tests and see if it works."
"Right, right. That’s good, no?"
"It is, but some of our people might die."
"Never mind that. I’ll give them a good enough incentive to volunteer," I replied, thinking about all the possibilities. "And what are we talking about here? Full body change? Or partial?"
"Neither," she replied. Her eyes glowed like two fiery orbs, hungry for knowledge and experimentation. She gulped and looked down at my hand. "Can I?"
"Sure," I replied, lost in thought about the possibilities. She produced a large syringe and pushed the sharp tip into my arm.
"There we go," she murmured. "But to give you a reply, I don’t, well, we don’t think that there will be major bodily changes. At least on the outside. And don’t expect it to make them any prettier, but they should retain most of what makes us human."
I leaned back against my cushions. The possibilities were endless if this worked. Especially if we could come up with the concoction before reaching Earth, they would take us for ordinary Humans, when in fact, our rookies and regulars would all move to a new class entirely, the altered.
"How long will it take the two of you to create the drug, or medicine, or whatever it’s called. I have no idea what it is anyway. Steroids?"
"Whatever you want to call it is fine. But I’m calling it the CLS Virus. Short for Cain, Levi and Samson virus. Neat, no?"
"Right. Well, how about you get working on it, Doc? We really need this, and when I say need, I meant yesterday."
"You think I’m god? I just came out of the vat, sir."
"I know, and I’m quite happy you chose me to be your first visit, especially bringing all this good news. Now, how about we give you all the freedom you can ask for? Once Devil has devoured the other ships, we’ll make you a big, nice laboratory close to our quarters. Just in case you decide to create a new monster."
"Dream on, Admiral."
