“You want to know who’s there with you?” a voice called up to the suspended cages.
Corona, Sarah, and Stanley got quiet.
Gessie, Golden and Uni stepped forward with some of their supporters.
“You shall know soon enough,” Golden said. “For now, we have plans to make a little exchange with some of our Valer friends.”
Corona perked up at the news that the Valers were involved, and the future of the Korsa included an exchange.
“I see you’re interested in what’s going to happen to you,” Gessie said, tapping a button. The cells lowered to floor level.
The movement caused Sarah to gasp.
Stanley stood up and dug his fingers into the mesh for support and peered through.
“Are you all right over there?” Sarah called to the pod next to hers. She heard no sound or movement.
“Worried about your cellmates, Sarah? You always were the fainthearted one of the bunch. So weak.” Golden sighed. “Always whining about something or the other. Even though you’re intelligent, you fretted about everything. There’s definitely a flaw in your DNA. We wouldn’t have kept you much longer. No, you’d have been gone soon. And we certainly weren’t going to reproduce you. You would’ve eventually been brought to the Human Camp for some testing and then sent out to the desert. Even if the Valers hadn’t come up with this deal for Corona, that was your fate. It’s all true. So sorry. Too bad.” She smiled.
Sarah’s lip quivered and tears ran down her cheeks upon hearing the scathing remarks. Everything Golden had said reinforced her own doubts about her character. I am weak. A nothing. Sarah moved away from the front mesh toward the back of her pod. She didn’t want to know how soon Golden would carry out the plan to eliminate her.
“What do you mean a deal for me?” Corona said. “What deal? And who do you think you are, making a deal for my life? You have no right to do that. And what about my friends?” Her face was getting hot. “And how do you know so much about us? You’re not a Passer.”
“Yeah,” Stanley said, suddenly realizing that the information boundaries about the Hybrid program may not have been so cleanly drawn as they had been led to believe. “What about Corona and what’s going to happen to us?”
Sarah cowered and covered her ears as if to block out the horrible news. She didn’t want to face her fate.
The pods settled gently on the floor and the Homelings and some Travelers, led by Golden and Gessie, glided closer to their prisoners.
“I have the right because I’ve won. You lost. You were supposed to be so highly intelligent. Hah. I got the best of you so I have the right to do with you what I will. You’re being sold to the Valers,” Golden said to Corona. “And the rest of the Korsa will be destroyed and their ashes spread on one of your deserts as we do with all those whom we defeat. No one will know where any of you’ve gone and no one will care. At least none of us. Not after we complete the deal with the Valers and take over our dimension and yours.”
“Sold?” Corona said. “Why? I don’t understand. What have I done to deserve this?” Even though she asked the question, she thought she knew.
Golden was happy to confirm it.
“Because, oh fabulous Corona,” Golden spat out. “You’re the Gift. Everyone’s been watching you since you were born. You’re special. Special. Hear me?” she said. “You’ve progressed far beyond any of the Hybrids we’ve ever made. Your mother was exceptional,” she sniffed. “A bit boringly kind as you are, but special, nonetheless. You are even more so. You hide most of your abilities which we want to know all about. And, you can veil your thoughts from us. We don’t like that. So, before you become a real nuisance here, we’re sending you off to the Valers’ dimension where they’ll deal with you on their own terms. It’s quite profitable for us. We like it. Yes, it’s a good thing.”
“They’re excited about the opportunity to find out all about you, Corona,” Gessie said. “The Valers have ways of taking humans apart, all your body’s systems, one by one. Circulatory, digestive, endocrine and all, without killing you. It’s a living dissection of sorts. Not good for you at all. Great for them, though. And they enjoy it. They’ll use their technology to learn your abilities. They’ll tag each one, keep the gifts they want Hybrids to have, and eliminate the traits that are a problem - like veiling your thoughts and whatever else you can do that’s made you a nuisance. They’ll take from you what they want to use in themselves and program the troublesome abilities out of future Hybrids.” She snorted.
“You’ll cooperate, believe me,” Golden said. “After suffering their opposition treatment, you’ll be begging to assist them. No humans have ever been able to stand up to it. They’ll continue to harvest your DNA and experiment with ways to assimilate it into their own bodies - that is, until they create a being superior to you. Their first mistake at creating something failed and they don’t want a repeat of that. You see, Corona, you have abilities even the Valers don’t possess. Somehow the material combination used to create you is unknown to us and efforts to replicate it have failed. We think maybe it was that little extra ingredient, the In Situ material, that made the difference. It must’ve been what gave you so many extras. Then again, it could be something more. We’re still not sure of what you’re made of. Because of all that, the Passer contact got quite a deal for you.”
“In Situ material?” Corona said. “I have In Situ material in my DNA?” Her voice rose in response to that revelation.
“Yes,” Gessie said. “Why do you think we took some scrapings from you and made those little ones in the Ward where you were snooping around? We added extra In Situ material to the cells we took from your arm and are expecting some spectacular results. We can do it now without a required human host.” She snorted. “This is going to be something great to watch. When they’re big enough, we’ll decide what to do with them. Sell them. Keep them, or dispose of the ones we don’t want depending on what they show us they can do.”
“What Ward?” Stanley asked. “I don’t remember going to a Ward.”
“Me either,” Sarah said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Golden chuckled. “We were able to make the weaker minds forget what they saw there. Too bad for you, Corona because you remember all you witnessed.”
“What do you mean ‘weaker minds,’ ” Stanley said. “Are you saying…”
“Shut up,” Golden yelled directly into his pod. “We don’t want to hear from either of you two again. Not now. Not ever. Not unless we ask you.”
Stanley was shocked at the level of aggression.
Sarah started to cry.
“Sarah, Sarah, Sarah,” Golden said. “You’re such a nothing. I said shut up!”
“What about the In Situ material in me? I have In Situ Material in me,” Corona said matter-of-factly. “What else could they have added?”
“Dear, unenlightened Corona.” Gessie sighed. “Didn’t you ever wonder why you’re so gifted? You must’ve had thoughts you couldn’t understand such as, how a lily would taste if you ate it. Things like that? Watch this.” Gessie pulled a small disc from her pocket and shined it in Corona’s eyes. She held a pocket mirror for Corona to see the result.
Viewed in the mirror, Corona witnessed her eyes shining a bright purple color as if lit from within. When Gessie pulled the disc away, the girl’s eyes returned to normal. The disc was shined again and Corona’s eyes glowed like an In Situ eyeband. She gasped.
Gessie snorted at Corona’s surprised reaction.
“Enough of that,” Golden said. “It’s time we…” She was interrupted.
“Let Stanley and Sarah go,” Corona said, recovering from the demonstration. “They won’t tell anyone about you. They don’t even remember the Ward. They haven’t done anything. Let them go.”
“I said that’s enough from you,” Golden snapped. “I don’t want to hear anything from any of you unless I ask for it. So, you and your friends are the losers.”
The Homelings ste
pped back a few paces. A screen covered all four of the cells’ front mesh and immediately a sweet-smelling fog misted the interior of the captives’ pods. Gaseous vapors, carefully titrated for age, sex, body weight, and composition, were inhaled.
The prisoners became unconscious on their cell floor, a strong scent of lilies lingering about them. The floor adapted to their reclining bodies.
In a darkened closet, door ajar, the mistake watched, orange eyeband aglow. Feelings for the Hybrid Corona were in full germination within his heart. He liked that she consistently showed high intelligence, fierce loyalty and kindness to weaker ones. Maybe she’ll be nice to me. Maybe shake my hand or let me touch her arm. The mistake wondered what it would be like to be touched by another being. That had never happened to him. Hateful feelings for Golden and her group roiled for what they were doing to his future friend. The more he focused on hating Golden, the more a mulch odor from his skin filled his space. They were trying to hurt Corona. The one who might actually be nice to him. His mind paraded scenarios of him and Corona having a friendship. He could see the possibility of their talking together as friends do, spending time together. He grew dizzy with delight at the thought of the companionship ahead for him. Corona. Corona. Maybe she’d give me a real name instead of calling me the mistake. He closed his eyeband and said her name over and over, drifting off into a self-induced trance.
Unaware of the hidden creature nearby, Golden directed Raney and Sondo to cover each prisoner with a permeable sheath knotted at their feet.
Corona’s sack was white for easy identification while the others were bagged in green for disposal.
The Korsa were carried to a transport and loaded into the back.
“We’ll take Corona with us and the others will be destroyed,” Golden said. “Hurry. The Valers are waiting for the exchange.”
The trip to the crematory was quick, which pleased the Homelings. They knew it wouldn’t be good for them if they were late for their appointment with Wheeler. He was personally overseeing the deal and could get nasty if kept waiting. Very nasty.
The twins rested Corona in the white body sack behind their seat and hastily unloaded the other bagged prisoners at the crematory. They wanted so much to hurt and kill Corona now to try out newly devised tactics. The thoughts excited them. However, the twins knew Golden would never stand for it right now. They shared eye contact and secret hand signals of harming her but did not follow through. Hand signals flashed between them about killing Golden too, so they could enjoy murdering the Korsa later. Neither of them felt brave enough to do it at this time. They consoled each other with plans for future kills.
After placing the wrapped Korsa on the continuously moving line going into the circular building, they left without observing their reduction to dust.
Without looking back, Golden tapped the transport device with their meeting coordinates and the Homelings sped off with their precious cargo in back. Golden snorted happily at how well everything was going. A sense of doubt about Corona’s abilities began creeping into her mind. After all, the girl was easily snared. Maybe she wasn’t as talented as everyone thought. If that was true, Wheeler would be angry. There could be trouble. Wheeler could be difficult to deal with if he thought he’d been cheated. She feared what his reprisal might be. And, she feared she would be his target. After receiving payment for Corona, maybe I should go where I’d be hard to find. My favorite star-forming region N90 is out since radiation shot above life-tolerant levels, and its nebula is disintegrating from the inside out. But there are other places off this planet that are friendlier where I could blend in. Golden began to entertain thoughts of pleasant worlds into which she could settle and live well off her reward.
Chapter Twenty Seven
At the Human Camp
“I’d better not have to have you come back here and toss the Travelers out again,” Marva said. “They’re disgusting. Look at their filth they left behind. If any of them return, we’ll make it even more unpleasant for them. Permanently”
“We took care of it,” Jocka replied. “They won’t want to be here again, ever.”
“Our company’ll be here soon,” Marva said. She repositioned herself against the back wall of the closet. It was a tight squeeze, jamming a cadre of well-armed aides and loyal forces in the pantry of the meeting room. They jostled one another for position and comfort.
“How do you know that for sure?” Jocka asked. “We’ve already been waiting longer than expected.”
“I just know,” Marva said. “Who’d suspect a major inter-dimensional deal going down at the Human Camp on the day it’s shut down for special cleaning and repairs after being occupied by the Travelers? Would you?” She looked at Jocka.
He gave a negative reply.
“Well-planned,” Marva said.
“The Valers may be tall and ugly, but they’re smart,” Jocka said.
The other aides snorted in agreement. They’d seen the Valers in action.
“And they smell funny, too,” Jocka said. “Not like lilies. More like a wet cave or something”
“Interesting choice of words, Jocka,” Marva said. “I wouldn’t have taken you for the kind who’d put down another because of how they look or smelled.” She stared hard at him.
“Everyone does it, Marva. All groups think they’re superior to the others in one thing or another.” He stared back. When she stared him down, he dropped his gaze.
“Not everyone does,” his leader said. “Quiet. They’re almost here.”
Jocka and the others exchanged looks that questioned how she knew the things she knew.
Without changing her facial expression, she smiled within.
Since Marva wanted silence, Jocka decided not to mention he smelled mulch and decaying wood when they first entered the common building. He tried to imagine where the odor could be coming from.
Marva tightened her grip on the erosion link strapped to her wrist, leading down into her palm. Upon hearing shuffling outside the door, she glared at her comrades for silence and strict adherence to their plan.
Uni and some Travelers entered, all of them complaining.
“We were roughly thrown out of the Human Camp by Jocka and some goons. They’ll pay for that,” Uni said. “They threw nets over us and dragged us out. They’ll be sorry. We want this space and we get what we want. If we have to, we’ll use the Communication Board to make our grievances known and recruit other In Situs to help us. Divide and Conquer.”
Robed In Situs followed, carrying a stretcher with a white-bagged body on it. The four Homelings lifted their parcel onto one of the tables and grunted in response to the release of their burden.
Golden barked orders to them to be careful not to damage the goods. After all, a payout was for the package to be turned over unharmed. “And stop complaining about the camp,” she spat at Uni. “We’ll get it back for you. They can’t stop us.”
Behind them, Wheeler, a tall, very thin Valer, strode confidently to the table as if to possess the bag’s contents. His moist, suction-cupped feet gripped the floor at will. He sniffed the air and gave the others a glare through dark orb slits. His body balanced itself on a thick, sturdy tail, gleaming with mucoid secretions.
“Is she alive?” Wheeler grunted. He tugged at the garment covering his body for reassurance that hidden weapons were in place. He didn’t like being this far away from his crew, but cooperated for the sake of keeping a low profile.
The stretcher bearers assured him Corona was alive and under the influence of their drugs.
“That’s good,” Wheeler said. “We have no use for an injured or dead product. So she’d better be perfect. I mean that.” His tail slammed down on the floor for emphasis. Mucous sprayed about.
The door opened and another In Situ glided in, robed from its head to the floor. The hood was pushed back to reveal Flora.
Marva’s aides stiffened when they saw Flora’s friendly interactions with Wheeler, the Homelings and Uni. They’d not
expected to see her here with their enemies.
Marva was not surprised.
“Open the bag,” Wheeler hissed to Flora, ignoring Golden. He despised the pretentious Golden even more than he hated the other inferiors.
Flora complied by untying the bag bottom and opening a side seam.
Corona’s sweet face, eyes closed, looked peaceful, belying the dangerous situation she was in. Her damp hair clung to her neck and clothing.
Flora stared at her charge in disgust. Everyone thought this one was smarter than the rest of us. She doesn’t look so smart now. I’m glad to be rid of her. She snorted.
“She looks ok,” Wheeler said. He bent down close to inspect his purchase. His mouth opened a little and a forked tongue slithered forward, sniffing the girl’s breath. “I can hardly wait to get her home to find out what she’s made of.” He turned to Flora. “Let’s get this over with so I can get out of here.”
“Of course,” Flora said. She asked bluntly, “Where’s my payment? Can I have it now?” Her brilliant, cobalt eyeband flashed.
“Sure. Right here,” Wheeler said, and he leaned his right shoulder slightly forward, unleashing a dart that went straight to Flora’s forehead.
Paralyzed, she remained rigid, though standing.
The others were shocked into immobility.
Golden was frightened and shaking.
No one moved to assist the stiffened Flora. She was on her own.
In seconds, a white, dusty film formed on Flora’s skin, progressing swiftly to active organisms which penetrated her body, digesting it, bones and all. Soon, the only evidence Flora had been there, was a small chalky pile on the floor.
Before the ceiling cleaner could suck the remains up, Wheeler’s tail arced and it pulled a tube from his pocket. He bent down, retrieved the tube from his tail’s grasp and the dust of his traitorous contact was sucked into the vial. He replaced the vial back in his pocket.
At the same time, more Valers entered and stood behind the smaller occupants. Their tails whipped back and forth in anticipation of action.
WATCHING CORONA: From Our Dimension to Yours Page 22
